Four Types of Sentences

 The declarative sentence type is used for making a statement;

 The interrogative type is used to ask a question;

 Imperative sentences are used to tell somebody to do something (i.e. give a command
or an order);

 The exclamatory type is used to express (e.g. surprise).

Apart from their purposes, these sentence types require the use of different punctuation
marks. Also, if we are talking about oral speech rather than writing, every type uses
different intonations to highlight their purposes.

In the chart below, you can find a short overview of all these types with their key
characteristics from our dissertation writing services:

Sentence Type Purpose Final Punctuation Mark Example

Declarative Make a statement . I am a student.

Interrogative Ask a question ? Are you a student?

Imperative Give a command . or ! Welcome the new student.

Exclamatory Form an expression ! There are so many students h

Now, when you have grasped the general idea, let’s take a close look at each sentence
type separately.

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level.
 Declarative Sentence
What is a declarative sentence? The main goal of this type of sentence is to make a
statement. So, in a nutshell, any sentence that tells us something can be attributed to
this category. It doesn’t matter what kind of information it delivers, whether it is a proven
fact or a theoretical statement, the only thing that matters is if it declares something – if
it does, it is a declarative sentence.

The standard order of words in such sentences is as follows:

 Subject + verb + object… = where the subject is usually a noun or pronoun (a person,
thing, place, etc.); the verb is the action or state of being; and the object is any word (or
multiple words) that are influenced by the verb.

 As a rule, a declarative sentence ends with a period. Sentences that fit the
definition for being of declarative type, can be further categorized into two groups
– positive and negative. Respectively, the difference between them is whether
you intend to make a positive or negative statement:

Positive Negative

Jessica likes history lectures. Jessica does not like history lectures.

He plays on a football team. He doesn’t play on a football team.

 Where are declarative sentences used most often, you might ask? This type of
sentence is the most common type of sentence. We use it in oral and written
speech whenever we intend to share some information. Therefore, declarative
sentences are widely used in all types of academic papers, written documents,
dialogues, etc.
Interrogative Sentence
What is an interrogative sentence? A declarative sentence aims to share information,
whereas an interrogative one strives to receive information. According to the
interrogative sentence definition, any sentence that asks a question can be attributed to
this category and will always end with a question mark.
Unlike the other types of sentences, interrogative sentences have a different word
order:
(wh-word or how) + auxiliary verb + subject

Similar to other types of sentences, interrogative sentences can be either positive or

negative. Here are a few interrogative sentence examples of both:

Positive Negative

Does Jessica like history lectures? Doesn’t Jessica like history lectures?

Did he play on a football team? Didn’t he play on a football team?

Where can you use this type of sentence? Generally, interrogative sentences can have
a variety of applications in your speech. However, when it comes to writing, especially
academic papers, questions don’t always fit in context. For example, if you write a
narrative essay, you will likely not be required to ask questions, as the purpose of a
narrative essay paper is to provide information, not to collect it. Interrogative sentences
are more commonly used in persuasive essays to encourage readers to reflect upon or
reinforce the effect of the author’s arguments (e.g. “Did you know that…?”).

Imperative Sentence
What is an imperative sentence? The main goal of these sentences is to tell others to
do something, or, in other words, give a command. Imperative sentences can end with
either a period or an exclamation mark.

The word order and form of such a sentence are different from other types. It often
doesn’t have a subject, because an imperative sentence, by default, speaks to the
recipient or reader (if it is a written text). Generally, such sentences consist of a base
verb + any additional details.

These sentences can also be negative and positive, here are a few imperative sentence
examples to help you grasp the idea:

Positive Negative

Attend history lectures! Do not attend history lectures!

Join a football team. Don’t join a football team.

As for possible applications of imperative sentences, they are mostly used in oral
speech, or, if we are talking about writing, can be used in dialogues between
characters, or in the form of a “call to action” that encourages readers to do something.

Exclamatory Sentence
What is an exclamatory sentence? The last of the four sentence types is the
exclamatory sentence. It is used to express a strong surprise of emotion and always
ends with an exclamation mark.
Here are a couple of examples of how the basic order of words in such sentences might
look:

 What (+ adjective) + noun + subject + verb

 How (+ adjective/adverb) + subject + verb

Unlike previous types, exclamatory sentences do not have a negative form.

Look at these exclamatory sentence examples to see how they are formed:
  What a beautiful painting!

 I feel terrible!

 What an excellent idea it was to throw him a surprise party!

 How nice it was!

Exclamatory sentences express powerful emotions, and, respectively, strive to evoke

the same emotions in readers. In many cases, using this type of sentence in academic
papers is inappropriate. However, if you are writing a descriptive or narrative essay,
exclamatory sentences are great tools for helping your story to become even more vivid
by delivering the right emotions to the reader.