Sentences
A sentence should make sense. It starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, question mark or an exclamation mark. It must have a subject and a verb. Some sentences can also have an object.
The subject in a sentence is a person or thing that is doing the action (verb) and the object is a person or thing that receives the action.
| Subject | Verb | Object |
|---|---|---|
| I | am walking | home |
| She | baked | a cake |
| Tom | is writing | a book |
| The boy | was washing | the dog |
| The postman | delivered | the letter |
| The manager | is reading | a report |
Types of Sentences
Simple Sentence
A simple sentence has one main (independant) clause. An indepentent clause can make sense on its own.
- Jane is swimming in the pool.
- I was climbing up the tree.
- They went fishing in Scotland.
Compound Sentence
A compound sentence has two or more simple sentences joined by a conjunction.
- I like the colour green but he likes blue.
- He makes handmade flowers and sells them in his flower shop.
- Her watch was not working so she arrived late for the meeting.
Complex Sentence
A complex sentence has a main clause and one or more subordinate clause. A subordinate clause does not make sense on its own.
- He broke his arm (main clause) when he fell off his bicycle (subordinate clause).
- The policeman chased the robbers (main clause) until he was out of breath (subordinate clause).
Four Types of Simple Sentences
Declarative Sentence (when you want to make a statement)
He walked to the shop.
They were revising for the exams.
Interrogative Sentence (when you want to ask a question)
Where do you live?
How much is that book?
Exclamatory Sentence (when you want to emphasise)
I am not happy!
You are driving me mad!
Imperative Sentence (when you want to give an order)
Make sure you deliver the letter.
Please arrive on time for dinner.