Types of Sentences

Do you know how many types of sentences are there? Well, many of you might know, and many of you might know now. To make things easier for you, this article will talk about various types of sentences that are present in English grammar. Now one might wonder why is it so important to know the different types of sentences? Well, it’s essential that students are able to identify the different types of sentences and   understand the context when they are using them.

Let’s go through the various types of sentences that exist in English Grammar. At BYJU’S, the team has worked diligently to ensure that students easily understand how one sentence is different from the other. Let’s have a look at them.

• Declarative sentences – When we state facts or make a statement or assertions or provide explanations, then those types of sentences are known as declarative sentences. In fact, declarative sentences are most of the most commonly used sentences in the English language. Many might not know, but declarative sentences are one of the most common sentences used in the English language. In most cases, declarative sentences end with a full stop (period). Declarative sentences are also known as assertive sentences. For example, “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.”
• Interrogative sentences – You might have seen sentences which are used to ask questions or interrogate something. And as the name suggests, interrogative sentences are those sentences that are used to ask questions. A simple and easy way to identify an interrogative sentence is that it ends with a question/interrogation mark. For example, “Why are you going home early?”
• Imperative sentences – Sentences that are used to give commands, warnings, instructions, or make invitations or requests are known as imperative sentences. Imperative sentences don’t have a subject, rather are implied in a second person. Imperative sentences generally end with a full stop (period). For example, “Please close the door.” Here, the sentence is in the form of a request and is directed toward a second person.
• Exclamatory sentences – Sentences that help us to express strong feelings or exclamations over something are exclamatory sentences. An easy way to identify exclamatory sentences is that it ends with an exclamation mark. For example, “Wow, such a beautiful flower!”

Apart from these, sentences can also be divided into four types depending upon their structure. So, let’s have a look at what those are.

• Simple sentences – As the name suggests, the structure of these types of sentences is quite simple, i.e., they have only one subject and one predicate. These types of sentences express a complete thought as an independent clause. For example, “The flight was late.”
• Compound sentences – These types of sentences contain two or more main clauses (principal clauses), which are joined by a semicolon or a conjunction. In simple terms, a compound sentence joins two simple sentences, which are basically two independent clauses. For example, “The moon was bright, so we could see our way.”
• Complex sentences – These types of sentences come with one main clause (independent clause) and one or more subordinate clauses (dependent clause). If the subordinate clause is in the first, then a comma is used to connect the clauses. The main clause is joined with the subordinate clause with the help of subordinating conjunctions. For example, “Although Rohan was considered smart, he failed all his exams.”
• Compound-complex sentences – These types of sentences contain at least three clauses—two main clauses and one or more subordinate clauses—which add up to three sets of subjects and verbs. As a result, these types of sentences are a combination of a compound sentence with a complex sentence. Compound-complex sentences will typically be joined together with a coordinating conjunction and with the comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction.

Once you get an idea about the different types of sentences, it will be easier for you to identify one. Apart from this, students should also learn about other grammatical concepts like adjectives, nouns, verbs and others. If you don’t know what is an adjective, you can visit BYJU’S website and find out all about adjectives and their types. BYJU’S also has various adjective worksheets that you can practise.