Sentences
A sentence is a group of words which expresses a complete thought. These words make sense by themselves. A written sentence starts with a capital letter and ends in a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
The four sentence types
Statement
The statement supplies information and ends with a full stop.
Example:
- Lucy is going to the park.
Question
The question asks for information and ends with a question mark.
Example:
- What are you having for lunch?
Command
The command gives an order or instruction and can end with an exclamation mark.
Example:
- Sit down, please. Don’t touch that heater!
Exclamation
An exclamation expresses sudden strong feelings such as anger, surprise or alarm and usually end with an exclamation mark.
Example:
- How amazing! I’m shocked!
Sentence structure
Simple sentence
A simple sentence has one verb and one idea – also called an independent clause because it makes sense on its own.
Example:
- Lucy is going to the park.
Compound sentence
A compound sentence has two or more verbs. It is made up of two simple sentences joined by a conjunction or joining word.
Example:
- Lucy is going to the park and she will be taking the dog for a walk.
Complex sentence
A complex sentence has at least one simple sentence and at least one dependent clause.
Example:
- Lucy is going to the park that is near the expressway.
A dependent clause has a verb but is an incomplete idea.
Example:
- When I was sick.