The Sentence

Chapter: The Sentence

Discover free English study material tailored for all classes and exams like SAT and IELTS. Focus on “The Sentence” – its structure, types, and usage. Perfect for students preparing for competitive exams with comprehensive resources and clear grammar explanations available for free.

What Is a Sentence?

A sentence is a complete thought expressed in words. It’s like a little package of meaning that makes sense by itself. Every proper sentence has two essential parts: a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a predicate (what the subject is or does).

For example: “The cat sat on the mat.” Here, “The cat” is the subject, and “sat on the mat” is the predicate. Sentences can be short (“I run.”) or long (“After finishing my homework, I went to the park with my friends to play basketball.”), but they must always express a complete idea.

Four Main Types of Sentences

1. Declarative Sentences

Make statements or express opinions. They end with a period (.). These are the most common type of sentences.

Examples: The sun rises in the east. I enjoy reading books.

2. Interrogative Sentences

Ask questions. They end with a question mark (?). These sentences often begin with question words like who, what, when, where, why, or how.

Examples: What is your name? Did you finish your homework?

3. Imperative Sentences

Give commands, make requests, or offer advice. They often end with a period (.) but can end with an exclamation mark (!) for strong commands.

Examples: Please close the door. Don’t touch that!

4. Exclamatory Sentences

Express strong emotion or surprise. They always end with an exclamation mark (!).

Examples: What a beautiful day! I can’t believe you did that!

Sentence Rules and Tips

Every sentence must begin with a capital letter. Example: “The dog barked.” not “the dog barked.”
Every sentence must end with proper punctuation (. ? !)
A complete sentence must have both a subject and a verb. “Ran quickly” is not a sentence. “He ran quickly” is a sentence.
Keep your sentences clear and not too long. Break very long sentences into shorter ones.
Match your sentence type to your purpose: Use declarative for facts, interrogative for questions, imperative for commands, and exclamatory for strong feelings.

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each sentence with the correct punctuation mark and identify the sentence type:

Where is my backpack (Type: )
Please pass the salt (Type: )
I love ice cream (Type: )
What a surprise (Type: )
Birds can fly (Type: )

Common Sentence Errors

Error: “running in the park”

Problem: No subject (Who is running?)

Corrected: “The children are running in the park.“

Error: “She go to school everyday”

Problem: Verb doesn’t agree with subject (should be “goes”)

Corrected: “She goes to school everyday.“

Error: “what time is it”

Problem: Missing capital letter and question mark

Corrected: “What time is it?“

Find the Error

Each sentence has one error. Identify and correct it:

the sun is shining brightly The sun is shining brightly.
Do you wants some water Do you want some water?
Close the window Close the window.
what a beautiful painting What a beautiful painting!
My sister and me went shopping My sister and I went shopping.

Passage Practice

Passage 1: A Day at the Park

The children played happily in the park. They ran, jumped, and laughed together. “What a wonderful day!” shouted little Emma. Her brother asked, “Can we stay longer?” Their mother replied, “We need to leave before dark.” All of them enjoyed their time outside.

Questions:

Find one declarative sentence from the passage.
Identify the exclamatory sentence.
What type of sentence is “Can we stay longer?”

Passage 2: The Lost Puppy

Sarah found a small puppy near her house. “Are you lost?” she asked gently. The puppy looked scared. Sarah decided to help. She took the puppy inside and gave it some food. What a kind thing to do! Her mother said, “We should check for a collar.”