SENTENCE

A sentence is a set of words with a subject and predicate (a predicate is a part

of the sentence that is made up of the verb and more information on the
subject.)
A sentence would always begin with a capital letter and end with
punctuation marks such as: full stop (.), question mark (?), and exclamation
mark (!).
A sentence could be used to make a statement, ask a question, and make a
request or an exclamation to express emotions.
A sentence is always independent.
Types of Sentences:
There are four main types of sentences and they are:
1. Declarative Sentences
2. Imperative Sentences
3. Interrogative Sentences
4. Exclamatory Sentences

1) Declarative Sentence:
A declarative sentence is a type of sentence that is to make
declarations, statements. Declarative sentences state facts and would
always start with an upper case letter (A, F, K, N) and end with a period
punctuation mark (.)
It is mostly written in the present tense.
Examples:
I. Nina loves cats.
II. Daniel is travelling tomorrow.
III. Patrick is a stock broker in Lagos.
IV. We are very good friends.
V. Ruth bought a new car last week.
2) Imperative Sentence:
An imperative sentence is a type of sentence used to make requests,
demands or give instructions.
 Just like declarative sentences, imperative sentences would end with a
period, but in some cases might end with an exclamatory mark,
especially when giving out a command. For example: Get out!
Imperative sentences usually start with a verb that is mostly associated
with giving commands.
Examples:
I. Please lend me your pen. (Request)
II. Be quiet. (Demand)
III. Switch off the television. (Instruction)
IV. Wear your white jumpsuit. (Advice)
V. Pour in a cup of water. (Instruction)

3) Interrogative Sentences:
An interrogative sentence just like the name implies is a sentence used
in asking questions. An interrogative sentence is always punctuated with
a question mark (?).
Interrogative sentences help you get information. Just like other
sentences, an interrogative sentence contains a subject and a verb.
However, the verb would always come before the subject.
There are five sub types of interrogative sentences and they are:
I. Open- ended Questions:
An open- ended question would always start with a wh- and how
word: when where, who, what, why, whose, whom, which and
how.
Examples:
i. When are you travelling?
ii. Who are you?
iii. How do you bake a red-velvet cake?
iv. What are the steps to writing a good expository essay?
v. Which of the bags is yours?
Open- ended questions require more than one- word answers.

II. Yes/No Questions:

 Yes/No questions are interrogative sentences that are answered
with a yes or a no. The verb would come first and is followed by
the subject of the sentence.
The verb could be a helping verb (be, have would, do, will, shall,
should, can and could) or a main verb.
Examples:
i. Are you at home?
ii. Is the bag yours?
iii. Do you know how to drive a car
iv. Would you be in school tomorrow?

III. Tag Questions:

Tag questions come at the end of a declarative sentence, it is a
way of getting confirmation.
Examples:
i. She is beautiful, isn’t she?
ii. We would be having meeting tomorrow, wouldn’t we?
iii. You have an event to attend, don’t you?
iv. He is not coming anymore, is he?
v. They do not own a dog, do they?

IV. Alternative Questions:

Alternative questions are asked by having two or more choices in
the question.
Examples:
i. Would you want a strawberry or banana smoothie?
ii. Does she drive a red or white car?
iii. Are we meeting on Saturday or Wednesday?
iv. Should we make a video clip of our presentation or do
just do an audio recording?

V. Indirect Questions:
Indirect questions are found in declarative sentences as a report,
they are marked by the word “if”.

Examples:
 i. Tayo asked if I would be home this weekend.
ii. I asked her if she could lend me some money
4) Exclamatory Sentence
An exclamatory sentence is one that conveys emotions and excitement. It is
usually marked by an exclamation mark (!). It expresses strong feelings.
Examples:
i. I found it!
ii. She is an amazing writer!
iii. Congratulations!
iv. I love weekends and holidays!
v. My car has just been stolen!
There are some other types of sentences and they classified according to their
grammatical properties. These types of sentences are:
1. Simple Sentence
2. Compound Sentence
3. Complex Sentence
4. Compound- Complex Sentence

1) Simple Sentence:
A simple sentence is a sort of sentence that is made up of just one subject and
a verb. It is an independent clause which expresses a complete thought. It does
not have to be a short sentence.
Examples:
i. The students protested against the hike in fees.
ii. The policeman handcuffed the thief and took him away.

2) Compound Sentence:
A compound sentence is made up of two or more simple sentences
joined together by coordinators (but, for, or, so, and, nor, yet).
Examples:
i. Tania woke up late, so she skipped breakfast and she ran out to
the bus stop to catch up with the staff bus.
 ii. She called the restaurant and she placed an order for five plates of
their coconut rice and chicken.

3) Complex Sentences:
A complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or
more independent clause(s). A complex sentence would always have a
subordinator, such as: as, because, since, after, although and when) and
pronouns such as (which, who, that).
Examples:
i. Although she loves watching football, she refused to come along
with us.
ii. I have not seen her since she got back from the United States.

4) Compound- Complex Sentence:

A compound- complex sentence has two independent clauses and at
least one dependent clause.
Examples:
i. The striker got back from his vacation, he joined his teammates
for their next match, after he was certified fit to play.
ii. Annie sat to read a novel, while waiting for her order and she was
joined by her friends.