TITLE: SENTENCE TYPES

OBJECTIVE: TO INCREASE
AWARENESS OF THE
DIFFERENT SENTENCE TYPES ,
AND FOR LEARNERS TO GAIN
A BETTER GRASP OF THE
DEFINITIONS NEEDED FOR
GCSE ENGLISH

AIM: FOR LEARNERS TO SEE ,

TO PRACTISE AND TO
DEVELOP CONFIDENCE IN
IDENTIFYING AND USING A
VARIETY OF SENTENCE TYPES
IN THEIR OWN WRITING
 What is a sentence?

§ A sentence is … think about it for a

moment and write your answer down.
§ It’s not an easy thing to answer this, is
it?
§ You all know what a sentence looks
like or might be…
§ Explaining or pinning it is trickier than
you might have imagined.
 Answers sometimes lead to more
questions…

§ A sentence is a grammatical unit that is syntactically

independent and has a subject that is expressed or, as in
abbreviated forms, understood, and a predicate (object)
that contains at least one finite verb.
§ The definition does seem complicated, so we should break it
down…
Three key words

§ Let’s first look at three key words from the definition of a

sentence

§ Subject
§ Verb
§ Object
Why are these three words key?

§ Essentially the definition is

saying that a sentence is a
series of words that MUST
contain the following essential
items:
§ SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT
§ In order for a series of words to
qualify as a sentence, these
THREE key elements must be
present.
An example or two…

§ SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT

§ Peter cut the grass.
§ The building is situated on the High Street .
§ The dump smells of garbage.
§ Mary had a little lamb.
§ Tescos and Sainsbury’s trade as supermarkets.
 Worksheet One
§ You have TWO tasks.
§ Firstly, identify the
subject/verb/objects in eight
sentences.
§ Write EIGHT clear sentences in which
you have a SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT
§ IDENTIFY each by underlining them
and writing S or V or O above the
word.
Was that everything?

§ There was more in the definition

than those three elements alone, but
the language was complicated.
§ In order to understand the rest of the
definition, we should first expand our
knowledge of sentence types as this
will help us to understand sentences
better and also help us to unravel the
definition…
§ For a start, we have FOUR TYPES
of sentences…
The FOUR TYPES of sentences

§ Type 1 -> The Declarative Form

§ This is from ‘to declare’ where we state
or declare something … these can be
positive or negative
§ John is not with us this evening.
§ Wasim and his wife Wassila are visiting
us later today.
§ Dwaine and Lynda have both passed
their exams.
The DECLARATIVE FORM
§ SO, DECLARATIVE sentences are
statements or declarations of fact or
fiction without any real stress or
intonation emphasis on specific points…
§ In GCSE, to open up an analysis we might
say,
§ the writer uses a simple declarative
sentence to make her point…
§ by continuous and repeated use of the
declarative form, the writer attempts to
persuade us of her objectivity …
 The IMPERATIVE
FORM
§ This is where we instruct or
command something.
§ Go to your room immediately. Hurry
up!
§ Gather the troops.
§ Do as you’re told. Don’t make a
sound. Sit still! Speak when spoken
to.
§ Depending on your emphasis, you
can add an exclamation mark for
stress or to indicate ‘volume’.
 Type 2 ->
The IMPERATIVE FORM

§ Commands or instructions or orders…

§ In our GCSE text analysis we might use
the phrase…
§ the writer uses multiple or repeated
imperatives to emphasise her point …
§ the writer uses the imperative form…
§ by addressing us with repeated use of
the imperative the writer seeks to…
Type 3 -> The
INTERROGATIVE FORM

§ The Interrogative (think of interrogation)

§ Interrogative sentences most commonly
function as questions or queries.
§ Interrogative sentences can be affirmative
or negative.
§ Do you want this cake? Don’t you want this
cake?
§ Will you come over later? Won’t you come
over later?
 The
INTERROGATIVE
FORM

§ In our analysis in GCSE we might say…

§ the writer uses the interrogative form…
§ By using a series of interrogatives the
writer draws our attention to…
§ By using the interrogative form in direct
address, the writer forces the reader to
question…
The EXCLAMATORY
FORM
§ From to exclaim
§ We use exclamative clauses most
commonly to express surprise,
delight, shock, disappointment,
disgust…
§ What a lovely house that is!
Wasn’t she fantastic!
§ Didn’t she do well!
§ How awful that racket was!
§ Spectacular, wasn’t it! Amazing!
 The
EXCLAMATORY
FORM
§ In writing the exclamatory form we
always use an exclamation mark-> !
§ Use only ONE … Do not do this !!!
(Comic books only!)
§ The punctuation usage of the
exclamation mark (!) is VITAL to ensure
you are not mixing it up with the
interrogative form!
 The EXCLAMATORY
FORM
§ In GCSE analysis we might say…
§ The writer use a series of
exclamatory forms to heighten the
emotional tone …
§ the writer repeats the exclamatory
form to drive home how brilliant
and surprising…
§ Disbelief is amplified by the
writer’s use of multiple
exclamatory forms…
 § In all of these sentences that we’ve
looked at– EXCEPT in abbreviated
forms where the object is
‘understood’—we can see that there
is a SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT
present in every case.

Subject Verb
Object…
 Subject Verb
Object…reminder
§ The Subject is usually a person or at
least a noun
§ The verb is always an action
§ The object is the thing/noun that
something is happening to or has a
value or quality attributed to it.
§ John went to town…
§ Sheila is very beautiful
 Subject Verb Object…

§ If I could remind you of the opening

definition of a sentence…
§ A sentence is a grammatical unit that is
syntactically independent and has a
subject that is expressed or, as in
abbreviated forms, understood, and a
predicate (object) that contains at least
one finite verb.
 The Imperative exception…

§ If I’m commanding or instructing, I can

usually drop the subject and even the
object.
§ Go to your beds. (All of you) go to your beds.
§ Stand over there. (Stand over there, (John).)
§ Come here. (Come here, (Peter).)
§ Wait! ( (Julie), wait (there).).
§ Who or what the subject or object is, is
UNDERSTOOD.
 § If I’m exclaiming, I may also sometimes drop the
subject and even the object … usually these will
already have appeared in the previous
sentences, or in the context…
§ Fantastic! Amazing! (Previously … Looking at
Sydney Harbour Bridge for the first time, Lily
struggled to do it justice. Two words escaped her
lips.

The § How fantastic! (How fantastic (that is)!)

Exclamatory § Who or what the subject or object or even the
verb is, is UNDERSTOOD in this form.
exception…
 The Declaratory exception…

§ If I’m declaring something in abbreviated

(shortened) form, often with an intransitive
verb …
§ Who or what the object is, is presumed
UNDERSTOOD in this form.
§ Lynn fainted. (onto the floor/in fright)
§ Peter screamed. (in fear / in fright)
§ Shelagh danced. (with joy / to the music)
§ Usually these actions are preceded with
events enabling us to understand what the
object is … if not, it might follow or be
explained afterwards.
The Interrogative exception…

§ If I’m questioning something in

abbreviated (shortened) form …
§ Who or what the subject/verb/object
is, is presumed UNDERSTOOD in this
form.
§ Why? (did you do that)…similarly
applied to all ‘wh’ questions.
§ Usually these questions are preceded
by context enabling us to understand
what the various or individual missing
elements are … often they are direct
responses.
 Worksheet Two

§ Firstly you have EIGHT

sentences where you must
identify what type of
sentence each is.
§ Secondly, write EIGHT
sentences OF YOUR OWN
where you use the
structure SUBJECT + VERB +
OBJECT and state what type
each sentence is
What is a sentence?

§ Two extra words were marked in the

definition for you to think about …
syntactically and independent
§ Syntactically means that it conforms to
the rules of syntax which essentially
means it conforms to the rules of
grammar as we accept them … it
makes sense!
§ Independent means it can stand alone
as a unit and that it makes complete
sense on its own …
§ Do you all now know what it means
when I say syntactically correct … or
conforming to syntax, or even obeying
the rules of grammar?
§ These all mean the same thing.
§ Can you all understand what I mean
when I say that a sentence is
INDEPENDENT and can stand alone as a
unit or as a clause of words that make
sense on their own.

Check the essentials?

Last check … Are any of these sentences?

§ John the shop, coming home yesterday, a lot more.

§ Peter, understanding life, in his house two parrots.
§ Because of the weather in Spain.
§ In France, when Tuesday is wet, driving home.
§ Jaded, beyond revival, Jane slept through the
journey.
§ When larks sing and doves cry.