Basic Grammar Step by Step Second Edition
Mary W. Ng
Chapter 5
Sentences
A sentence is a word or group of words that expresses a complete thought. A sentence must have a verb in it.
| I jog. | (action verb) |
| The baby is cute. | (linking verb) |
We can classify sentences by the work they do. We say that there are four types of sentences: statements, questions, imperatives and exclamations.
| I have a cat. | (statement) |
| Is it raining? | (question) |
| Stop! | (imperative) |
| What a joke it is! | (exclamation) |
A statement gives us information. A statement begins with a capital letter and ends with a period.
| George is tall. |
| Dr. Smith lives in Madison. |
A question asks for information. A question begins with a capital letter and ends with a question mark.
| How are you? |
| Where is Amy? |
An imperative orders someone to do something. We often add please to make the order sound more polite. An imperative begins with a capital letter and ends with a period or an exclamation mark.
| Please pass the butter. |
| Run! |
An exclamation expresses strong feeling. An exclamation begins with a capital letter and ends with an exclamation mark.
| What a beautiful house you have! |
| How friendly they are! |
Exercise Look at these sentences. Say what type each is.
- Turn out the light.
- How wonderful the day is!
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