Four Sentence Types

Four Sentence Types
• Declarative Sentences
• Imperative Sentences
• Exclamatory Sentences
• Interrogative Sentences
Declarative Sentences
• Declarative sentences make a statement to relay information or ideas.
They are punctuated with a simple period. Formal essays or reports are
composed almost entirely of declarative sentences
Examples of Declarative Sentences:
• The concert begins in two hours.
• July 4th is Independence Day.
• Declarative sentences make a statement.
• You’re a good man, Charlie Brown.
• Green is my favorite color.
• Hawaii is a tropical climate.
Imperative Sentences
Imperative sentences issue commands or requests or
they can express a desire or wish. They are
punctuated with a simple period or they can be
exclamations requiring an exclamation mark. It all
depends on the strength of emotion you want to
express. Exclamatory sentences can consist of a
single verb or they can be more lengthy and
complex.
Examples of Imperative Sentences:
• Halt!
• Yield.
• Watch for oncoming traffic.
• Respond immediately.
• Please lower your voice.
• Meet me at the town square.
• Drop what you’re doing and come celebrate with us!
Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory sentences express strong emotion. It doesn’t
really matter what the emotion is, an exclamatory
sentence is the type of sentence needed to express it.
Exclamatory sentences always end in an exclamation
mark, so it’s pretty easy to spot them. Use exclamatory
sentences to portray emotion but take care to use them
sparingly. Otherwise, your writing will lack sincerity.
Examples of Exclamatory Sentences
• The river is rising!
• I can’t wait for the party!
• I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t pass this test!
• Oh, my goodness, I won!
• Suddenly, a bear appeared in my path!
• This is the best day of my life!
• Baby, Please don’t go!
Interrogative Sentences
Interrogative sentences are also easy to spot. That’s
because they always ask a question and end in a
question mark
Examples of Interrogative Sentences:
• Is it snowing?
• Have you had breakfast?
• Do you want Coke or Pepsi?
• Who are you taking to the prom?
• You like Mexican food, don’t you?
1. Are you ready to go?
2. Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.
3. I can’t believe the Falcons lost the game!
4. Take me out to the ballgame.
5. Where did I leave my wallet?
6. I lost my wallet at the concert.
7. Oh, my gosh, I lost my wallet at the concert!
8. Please leave your boots at the door.
9. Hurray, I passed the math test!
10. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.
Phrase
A phrase is a collection of words that may have
nouns or verbals, but it does not have a subject
doing a verb.
Examples
• leaving behind the dog • In these examples you will
• smashing into a fence find nouns (dog, fence, test,…).
You also have
• before the first test some verbals (leaving,
• after the devastation smashing), but in no case is the
• between ignorance and noun functioning as a subject
intelligence doing a predicate verb. They are
all phrases.
• broken into thousands of pieces
• because of her glittering smile
Clause
• A clause is a collection of words that has a subject that is actively doing
a verb.
• If the clause could stand by itself, and form a complete sentence with
punctuation, we call the clause an independent clause.
• Dependent clauses have a subject doing a verb, but they have
a subordinate conjunction. That subordinate conjunction means that the
clause can't stand independently.
Examples:
• I despise individuals of low • Because of the way I was raised.

character
• Mary is as beautful as Cindy • So I don’t care which one I date.

Forms of sentences
• Simple Sentences
• Compound Sentences
• Complex Sentences
• Compound-Complex Sentences
Simple Sentences
• Also called an INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
• Contains a SUBJECT, and PREDICATE.
• EXPRESSES a COMPLETE THOUGHT.
Examples:
1. Cindy and Sue auditioned for the lead role in the play.
2. The kittens were adopted by the family.
3. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are my favorite.
4. The committee decorated the gym for Friday night’s dance.
5. The surprise party was organized by Wendy’s two best friends.
Compound Sentences
• Contains two independent clauses (simple sentences) joined by a
cordinating conjunction.
• Except for very short sentences, these conjunctions are always preceded
by a comma.
• I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English.
• Alex played football, so Maria went shopping.
• The class will get a reward, for we always behave.
Examples:
1. I am going to the dance, so I have to buy a new dress.
2. Jenny took the pictures, and Aaron developed them.
3. New York is on the East Coast, and California is on the West Coast.
4. Bill walked into the crowded room, but I can’t find him.
5. Is the party on Friday, or is it on Saturday?
Complex Sentences
• Has an independent clause joined by a dependent clause/subordinate clause.
• Dependent clauses do not express a complete thought and can’t stand alone as
sentences.
• A dependent clause begins with a subordinating conjunction, such as because,
since, after, although, when, etc.
• Follow these formats when writing complex sentences:
DEPENDENT CLAUSE, INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
Since I have no milk, I’ll go to the store.
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE DEPENDENT CLAUSE
I’ll go to the store since I have no milk.
Examples:
1. Because it was raining, the game was called off.
2. When I feel sick, I do not go to school.
3. Mark is not going since I never invited him.
4. George played football because Jean went shopping.
5. If you want a pizza, you need to order it now.
Compound-Complex Sentences
• Contains 2 independent clauses & 1 dependent clause.
• Put a comma after the dependent clause if it begins the sentence.
• Put a comma before the and, but, or or that connects the 2 independent
clauses.
Examples:
1. Charlie could not hear his watch because it had stopped, and he was
worried.
2. Because it had stopped, Charlie could not hear his watch, and he was
worried.
3. Although Sara called out for Charlie, no one answered, and Sara was
scared.
4. Sara could not see Charlie, but when she was on the hilltop she could
hear him cry out.
1. Pauline and Bruno have a big argument every summer over where they should spend
their summer vacation.
2. Pauline loves to go to the beach and spend her days sunbathing.
3. Bruno, on the other hand, likes the view that he gets from the log cabin up in the
mountains, and he enjoys hiking in the forest.
4. Pauline says there is nothing relaxing about chopping wood, swatting mosquitoes, and
cooking over a woodstove.
5. Bruno dislikes sitting on the beach; he always gets a nasty sunburn.
6. Bruno tends to get bored sitting on the beach, watching the waves, getting sand in his
swimsuit, and reading detective novels for a week.
7. This year, after a lengthy, noisy debate, they decided to take separate vacations.
8. Bruno went to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Pauline went to Cape
Cod.
9. Although they are 250 miles apart, they keep in constant contact on the internet.
10. Bruno took the desktop computer that he uses at work, and Pauline sits on the beach
with her laptop computer, which she connects to the internet with a cellular phone.

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Four Sentence Types

• I despise individuals of low • Because of the way I was raised.

• Mary is as beautful as Cindy • So I don’t care which one I date.

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