You might not realize it, but you use different types of sentences all the time. Whether you use the English language or any other, you must use sentences to communicate.
Whether you're writing an email to a friend or composing a report for work, using the right type of sentence will make your message clear and concise.
In this blog, we'll look at the different types of sentences with examples and learn how they can be used effectively in your writing.
So let's get right into it!
What's a Sentence?
A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. A sentence is a basic unit of any language. The meanings and expressions are conveyed through different types of sentences.
A subject and a predicate are the two major components of a sentence. The subject of a sentence is what the sentence is about. While the predicate shows what is being said about that subject.
Sentences are categorized based on their structure and purpose.
There are four kinds of sentences according to the structure:
Simple Sentence
Compound Sentence
Complex Sentence
Compound-Complex Sentence
Depending on the purpose of the sentence, there are also four basic types:
Declaratory Sentence
Interrogative Sentence
Imperative Sentence
Exclamatory Sentence
So let's dive into the types of sentences according to structure first.
Types of Sentences According To Purpose
According to the purpose, there are four main types of sentences {1} : declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative. Each type serves a different purpose.
Declarative Sentences
Declaratory sentences are sentences that tell you something. They are used to give information.
For instance, “I am writing a blog.” This sentence is declarative because it tells you something about what I am doing. These sentences end with a full stop.
Declaratory Sentence Examples
I am an American citizen.
The water is in the jug.
The miners live outside the city.
These gadgets were invented by Dr. Weizenstein
We accept no loans here.
Interrogative Sentences
Interrogative sentences are sentences that ask a question. These sentences end with a question mark, which indicates interrogative sentences.
For example, “What are you doing?” This sentence is interrogative because it asks a question about what you are doing.
Interrogative Sentences
How are you feeling today?
Why did the chicken cross the road?
What time is it?
Where is your house?
Who is your best friend?
Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory sentences are sentences that express strong emotions and feelings. They are used to show excitement, surprise, or anger.
For example, “I can’t believe I am writing a blog!” This sentence is exclamatory because it shows excitement about writing a blog. Such sentences always end with an exclamation mark.
Exclamatory Sentence Examples
Wow! I can't believe it.
Holy cow! That's amazing.
What a surprise! I would never have guessed.
Geez, Louise! I'm so happy for you.
Damn! That's wonderful news.
Imperative Sentences
Imperative sentences are sentences that give a command or make a request. These sentences often begin with an imperative verb such as “sit,” “stand,” “go,” etc.
For example, “Please write a blog.” This sentence is imperative because it is making a request for someone to write a blog.
Imperative Sentence Examples
Take your vitamins every day.
Clean your room now.
Close the door when you leave the room.
Turn off the light when you leave the room.
Eat a healthy breakfast every day.
Now that you know the different types of sentences according to their purpose, let's take a look at the different types of sentences according to their structure.
Types of Sentences According to Sentence Structure
According to their structure, there are four types of sentences: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.
Each type of sentence serves a specific purpose in writing. Let's take a closer look at each type of sentence and see how they can be used effectively in your writing.
Simple Sentences
A simple sentence is the most basic type of sentence. It consists of one independent clause with only one subject and one verb.
You use this type of sentence all the time. Simple ideas are expressed simply through simple sentences.
Simple Sentence Examples
An example of a simple sentence would be: "I am writing a blog."
This is a sentence where "I" is the subject, and "am writing a blog" is a predicate.
Check out these other examples:
The teacher went home
They go to the park every day.
She is a student.
He is in the other room.
The disease spread over the continent.
Can you identify one subject and one predicate in every sentence?
Compound Sentences
A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses that are joined together by a coordinating conjunction such as "and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet."
This type of sentence has two or more subjects and verbs that are related to each other. You use compound sentences when you want to express two ideas that are related to each other.
Compound Sentence Examples
For example, “I am writing a blog, but I don’t know what to write about.”
This sentence has two parts: the first part is “I am writing a blog,” and the second part is “I don’t know what to write about.” These two parts are joined by the coordinating conjunction "but."
Here are more compound sentence examples:
I am going to the store, and I need to pick up some bread.
What she did was impressive; I could hardly believe it.
I want to lose weight, yet I eat fast food daily.
The cat wants to go out, but the dog wants to stay in.
A man may die, but an idea lives on.
Complex Sentences
A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
A dependent clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought.
This type of sentence is used when you want to express two ideas, but one idea is more important than the other. The dependent clause gives additional information about the independent clause.
Complex Sentences Examples
For instance, take a look at the following sentence: “Although I am writing a blog, I don't know what to write about.” It is a complex sentence.
"I am writing a blog" is an independent clause in this sentence. On the other hand, “I don’t know what to write about” is a dependent clause.
Take a look at more examples below:
Although he was considered the best player at school, he failed in trials.
She wants to go to the party, but she can't because she has to work.
He seems busy, but maybe he's not too busy to talk to me.
Because I was often late for work, I was considered lazy by my boss.
This should give you a pretty good idea about complex sentences and how to use them.
Compound-Complex Sentences
A compound-complex sentence consists of two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
This type of sentence is used when you want to express two ideas that are related to each other and add additional information about those ideas.
Compound-Complex Sentences Examples
Example of Compound-Complex sentence: “I am writing a blog because I want to share my thoughts with the world, but I don’t know what to write about.”
In this sentence, “I am writing a blog” is an independent clause, and “I want to share my thoughts with the world” is a dependent clause. These two clauses are related to each other and are joined by the conjunction "because."
The second part of the sentence, “but I don’t know what to write about,” is another independent clause that is related to the first two clauses.
Read more examples of compound-complex sentences:
Though I don’t prefer watching thriller films, I recently saw the latest action thriller, and I liked it very much.
When the team won the tournament, it celebrated in joy, and the fans cheered.
I will get to play outside, but first, I have to clean up the room after we finish studying.
After our trip to the beach, school started back, and I was excited to see my friends.
Try to make a few sentences of your own to see how well you got it. Let’s practice!
Types of Sentence: Practice
To top it off, complete this types of sentences exercise to test out what you’ve just learned.
Identify the Type of Sentence According to Purpose
Identify whether the following sentences are declaratory, exclamatory, interrogative, or imperative.
Call me later.
Will they go to school?
The road was long.
Yes! We won!
Read this chapter now.
Identify The Type of Sentence According To Structure
Read the sentences and identify whether they are simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex sentences.
You would have been accepted into the army if you were a little taller.
Because the law was unjust, the people rebelled.
The pot was broken by the cat.
The player scored the goal, and the crowd cheered.
He forgot his friend's birthday, so he sent him a card when he remembered the next day.
Create Three Complex Sentences
You now know what a complex sentence looks like. Create three complex sentences and test your skills.
Create Three Compound-Complex Sentences
If you correctly identified compound-complex sentences, it’s time to create them. Write three compound-complex sentences to know how well you can do it!
You have made it to the end of this blog post! Congratulations, you are now armed with the knowledge of different types of sentences and how to use them. We hope that you had fun learning about them.
However, the good news is that there are many online professional essay writer available to students who need assistance with their academic papers. You may use these websites to get your essays prepared and organized by experts who have years of expertise in the field in which you are interested. Don’t forget to practice what you have learned by doing the exercises at the end of this post.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the types of a sentence?
Sentences can be categorized into different types according to their purpose and structure. However, the types of sentences often refer to the following:
Declaratory
Exclamatory
Imperative
Interrogative
Why are types of sentences important?
Knowing when and how to use different types of sentences can help you become more eloquent. Writing with a diversity of sentence types keeps your writing interesting and allows you to communicate your ideas more effectively.
How can you use different types of sentences effectively?
You can use different types of sentences effectively with learning and practice. You should know the types well and where their usage is the most suitable. Exercises are a good way to improve your usage of different sentence types.
References:
{1} The 4 English Sentence Types - EnglishClub.com