Sentence Kinds and Parts

Sentence Kinds and Parts: A sentence is the basic unit of communication in English. Whenever we speak or write, we use sentences to express our thoughts, ideas, questions, feelings, or commands.

Before learning advanced grammar, it is important to understand what a sentence is, its structure, its kinds, and its parts.

What is a Sentence?

Look at these groups of words:

❌ Going market to is Veena the.

✅ Veena is going to the market.

Now look at another example:

❌ Sweet the curd is.

✅ The curd is sweet.

In both incorrect examples, all the words are meaningful, but they are arranged in the wrong order. As a result, they do not express a complete idea.

The correct sentences have words arranged in the proper order and express a complete meaning.

Definition

A sentence is a group of words arranged in a proper order that expresses a complete thought or meaning.

Examples

• Chirag is thirteen years old.
• My grandfather is fond of music.
• She is a fruit seller.
• The birds are chirping in the morning.
• The sun rises in the east.

Characteristics of a Sentence

A good sentence has the following features:

• It begins with a capital letter.
• It ends with an appropriate punctuation mark.
• The words are arranged in the correct order.
• It expresses a complete thought.

Examples:

Structure of a Sentence

The basic word order in English is:

Subject + Verb + Object + Complement (if required)

Example 1:

Monu sells newspapers.

Example 2:

He gave me some books in the school.

Note: A sentence may have one object, two objects, or sometimes no object at all.

English vs Hindi Sentence Structure

The word order in English is different from Hindi.

Example

English: I eat an apple.

Hindi: मैं एक सेब खाता हूँ।

This difference is one of the most important points to remember while learning English grammar for those who speak Hindi.

Kinds of Sentences

Based on their purpose, sentences are of four types:

1. Assertive (Declarative)
2. Interrogative
3. Imperative
4. Exclamatory

1. Assertive (Declarative) Sentences

An assertive sentence makes a statement, expresses an opinion, or gives information.

It always ends with a full stop (.).

Examples:

• Satish goes to school every day.
• They were late.
• Manjeet won the second prize.
• We should learn from our mistakes.
• Graham Bell invented the telephone.

2. Interrogative Sentences

An interrogative sentence asks a question.

It always ends with a question mark (?).

There are two types of interrogative sentences.

(A) Wh-Questions

These questions begin with words like:

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
• Which
• Whose
• Whom
• How

They ask for specific information.

Examples:

• Who was Bholi?
• What is Ustad Bismillah Khan famous for?
• Why did Valli want to ride the bus?
• How many chapters have you completed?

(B) Yes/No Questions

These questions begin with a helping (auxiliary) verb and can usually be answered with Yes or No.

Examples:

• Was Ramlal a good father?
• Are you going to participate in the annual function?
• Have you completed your homework?

3. Imperative Sentences

An imperative sentence expresses:

• Command
• Order
• Instruction
• Advice
• Request
• Suggestion
• Permission

In imperative sentences, the subject “you” is usually understood but not written.

Examples:

4. Exclamatory Sentences

An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feelings or emotions such as happiness, surprise, excitement, sorrow, fear, or admiration.

It ends with an exclamation mark (!).

Common interjections include:

• Wow!
• Oh!
• Alas!
• Hurrah!
• Bravo!
• Ah!
• Aha!

Examples:

• Wow! What a beautiful garden!
• Bravo! We have won the match.
• Alas! He lost everything.
• How nice of you!
• Oh! My bike has fallen down.

Parts of a Sentence

Every complete sentence has two main parts:

1. Subject
2. Predicate

Subject

The subject is the person, place, animal, or thing that the sentence is about.

Examples:

Boys are going to the market.

My mother takes care of me.

In both examples, the highlighted words are the subjects.

Predicate

The predicate tells us something about the subject.

It contains the verb and everything that follows it.

Examples:

Boys are going to the market.

My mother takes care of me.

The highlighted parts are the predicates.

Position of the Subject

1. Usually, the Subject Comes First

Examples:

• The boys are playing football.
• My father works in a bank.
• Birds fly in the sky.

2. Sometimes, the Subject Comes After the Predicate

Examples:

• Here comes the doctor.
• Up went the little kite.
• There goes the bus.

In these sentences, the predicate appears before the subject.

3. Subject in Imperative Sentences

In imperative sentences, the subject “you” is understood but not written.

Examples:

• Sit down.
• Respect your elders.
• Close the window.

Here, the hidden subject is you.

Quick Comparison

Summary

• A sentence is a group of words arranged in the correct order that expresses a complete thought.
• Every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with suitable punctuation.
• The basic English sentence pattern is Subject + Verb + Object (SVO).
• There are four kinds of sentences: Assertive, Interrogative, Imperative, and Exclamatory.
• Every sentence has two main parts: Subject and Predicate.

Practice Exercise 1

Rewrite the following groups of words to form meaningful sentences.

1. not/Jennifer/does/prefer/tea
2. the/stood/class/who/first/in/last/year
3. teacher/the/appointed/captain/Ramesh
4. has/father/my/asked/me/to/complete/the/homework
5. is/walking/a/good/habit
6. fool/great/a/I/am/how
7. till/I/am/waiting/you/come
8. he/my/class/at/in/laughed/was/by/the/children
9. Sushma/dancing/has/been/for/two/hours
10. yesterday/rained/it/heavily

Practice Exercise 2

Identify and underline the Subject and the Predicate in the following sentences.

1. I live in Prayagraj.
2. My book is on the shelf.
3. Bihu is a famous Assamese festival.
4. My best friend is Puja.
5. You speak too loudly.
6. It may rain today.
7. Usha broke this jug.
8. Many girls are playing in the park.
9. Arati Saha was a great swimmer.
10. Bhagat Singh was one of the greatest freedom fighters of India.

Practice Answers

Check your answers only after attempting all the questions yourself.

Answers- Practice Exercise 1

Rewrite the following groups of words to form meaningful sentences.

1. Jennifer does not prefer tea.
2. Who stood first in the class last year?
3. The teacher appointed Ramesh captain.
4. My father has asked me to complete the homework.
5. Walking is a good habit.
6. How great a fool I am!
7. I am waiting till you come.
8. He was laughed at by the children in my class.
9. Sushma has been dancing for two hours.
10. It rained heavily yesterday.

Answers- Practice Exercise 2

Identify the Subject and the Predicate.