Kinds of sentences

Kinds of Sentences - Assertive, Imperative, Interrogative, Exclamatory

A group of words that makes complete sense is called a sentence. Example: color blue favorite is My. (makes no sense, therefore it is not a sentence) My favorite color is blue. (makes complete sense, therefore it is a sentence) There are four kinds of sentences: 1. Assertive or declarative sentence (a statement) 2. Imperative sentence (a command) 3. Interrogative sentence (a question) 4. Exclamatory sentence (an exclamation) 1. An assertive sentence is a sentence that states a fact. Such sentences are simple statements. They state, assert, or declare something. Examples: Jan is a student. She lives in a big city. 2. Imperative sentence is a sentence which gives a command, makes a request, or express a wish. Examples: Go to your room. (an order) Please lend me your book. (a request) Have a good time at the picnic. (a wish) 3. Exclamatory sentence is a sentence that expresses sudden and strong feelings, such as surprise, wonder, pity, sympathy, happiness, or gratitude. Example: What a shame! Boy, am I tired! 4. Interrogative sentence: A sentence that asks a question is called an interrogative sentence. Examples: What is your name? Where do you live?

Simple, Complex and Compound Sentences

There are mainly three kinds of sentences in English: simple, complex and compound.

Simple sentence:

A simple sentence consists of just one clause (an independent clause).  Examples are given below.

·         The dog barks.

·         The kettle boils.

·         Birds live in nests.

·         The boys are singing.

In its simplest form, a simple sentence consists of a subject and a verb.

Examples of simple sentences include the following:

1.      Joe waited for the train.
"Joe" = subject, "waited" = verb

2.      The train was late.
"The train" = subject, "was" = verb

3.      Mary and Samantha took the bus.
"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "took" = verb

We can add more meaning to the sentence by including qualifiers, objects, complements etc.

·         Sitting on a branch, the monkey gibbered.

·         The little girl was carrying a basket on her head.

Compound Sentence:

A compound sentence refers to a sentence made up of two independent clauses (or complete sentences) connected to one another with a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions are easy to remember if you think of the words "FAN BOYS":

§  For

§  And

§  Nor

§  But

§  Or

§  Yet

§  So

Examples of compound sentences include the following:

1.      Joe waited for the train, but the train was late.
 

2.      I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station, but they arrived at the station before noon and left on the bus before I arrived.
 

3.      Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, and they left on the bus before I arrived.
 

4.      Mary and Samantha left on the bus before I arrived, so I did not see them at the bus station.

• You may watch TV or you can go out to play.
• You should either sit quietly or go out.
• The old man could neither see nor hear.
• He took the test several times but he couldn’t pass.
• He is famous, yet he is very humble.
• She was angry, still she kept her cool.
• The thieves not only robbed the man of his possessions, but also inflicted injuries on him.

Complex Sentence:

A complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses connected to it. A dependent clause is similar to an independent clause, or complete sentence, but it lacks one of the elements that would make it a complete sentence. 

Examples of dependent clauses include the following:

§  because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon

§  while he waited at the train station

§  after they left on the bus

Dependent clauses such as those above cannot stand alone as a sentence, but they can be added to an independent clause to form a complex sentence.

Dependent clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions. Below are some of the most common subordinating conjunctions:

§  after

§  although

§  as

§  because

§  before

§  even though

§  if

§  since

§  though

§  unless

§  until

§  when

§  whenever

§  whereas

§  wherever

§  while

A complex sentence joins an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses.

The dependent clauses can go first in the sentence, followed by the independent clause, as in the following:

Tip: When the dependent clause comes first, a comma should be used to separate the two clauses.

1.      Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, I did not see them at the station.

2.      While he waited at the train station, Joe realized that the train was late.

3.      After they left on the bus, Mary and Samantha realized that Joe was waiting at the train station.

Conversely, the independent clauses can go first in the sentence, followed by the dependent clause, as in the following:

Tip: When the independent clause comes first, a comma should not be used to separate the two clauses.

1.      I did not see them at the station because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon.

2.      Joe realized that the train was late while he waited at the train station.

3.      Mary and Samantha realized that Joe was waiting at the train station after they left on the bus.

Complex sentences are often more effective than compound sentences because a complex sentence indicates clearer and more specific relationships between the main parts of the sentence. The word "before," for instance, tells readers that one thing occurs before another. A word such as "although" conveys a more complex relationship than a word such as "and" conveys.

Synthesis of Sentences

 

Synthesis of Sentences is the opposite of transformation of sentences and means combination of a number of simple sentences into one new sentence. That new sentence might be either simple sentence or a compound sentence or a complex sentence.

The following are the chief ways of combining two or more Simple Sentences into one Simple Sentence.

1. By using a Participle: 

• He jumped up. He ran away.
• Jumping up, he ran away.

• He was tired of play. He sat down to rest.
• Tired of play, he sat down to rest.

• He is well versed in English. He was appointed as the English teacher in the school.
• For his knowledge of English, he was appointed as English teacher in the school

Here you may find the Synthesis of Sentences into a simple sentence.

 2. By using a noun or a phrase in apposition: 

• This is my friend. His name is Rama.
• This is my friend Rama.

• I spent two days in London. It is one of the most attractive places in England.
• I spent two days in London, one of the most attractive places in England.

• Buddhism was founded in 2500 years ago. It is one of the greatest religions.
• Buddhism, one of the greatest religions, was founded in 2500 years ago.

Here you may find the Synthesis of Sentences into a simple sentence.

3. By using a preposition with noun or gerund: 

• The moon rose. Their journey was not ended.
• Before their journey was ended, the moon rose.

• He has failed many times. He still hopes to win.
• Having failed for many times, he still hopes to win.

• Her husband died. She heard the news. She fainted.
• On hearing the news of the death of her husband, she fainted. 4. By using, Nominative Absolute Construction: 

• The soldiers arrived. The mob dispersed.
• The soldiers having arrived, the mob dispersed.

• The town was enclosed by strong wall. The enemy was unable to capture it.
• The town having been enclosed by strong wall, the enemy was unable to capture it.

Here you may find the Synthesis of Sentences into a simple sentence.

5. By using an infinitive: 

• I have some duties. I must perform them.
• I have some duties to perform.

• We must finish this exercise. There are still three sentences.
• We have still three sentences in this exercise to finish.

• He wanted to educate his son. He sent him to London.
• He sent his son to London to educate him.

• He is very fat. He can not run.
• He is very fat to run.

6. By using an adverb or an Adverbial Phrase: 

• He deserved to succeed. He failed.
• He failed undeservedly.

• The sun set. The boys had not finished the game.
• The boys had not finished the game by sunset.

Here you may find the Synthesis of Sentences into a simple sentence.

Several of these methods can be combined in the same sentence.

• The sun rose. The fog dispersed. The general determined to delay no longer. He gave order to advance.

These four simple sentences may be combined to form a single simple sentence.

• At sunrise, the fog having dispersed, the general, determined to delay no longer, gave the order to advance.

SIMPLE, COMPOUND AND COMPLEX (SYNTHESIS AND TRANSFORMATION)

Sentence

Compound:and,or,nor,yet,but; Complex:wh words,since,that,though

Simple to We read to learn Inspite of/Despite Despite being poor he is honest. Verb+ing Being punished he wept. enough/too ….to He is too weak to walk. Without Without reading you will fail. at the time He woke up at the time of raining Adjective It was a red ball.

Complex so that We read so that we can learn Though/Although Though he is poor he is honest. Since/As As he was punished, he wept. so…..that(negative) He is so weak that he can not walk. If/In case If you do not read you will fail when He woke up when it was raining. that/which It was a ball that/which was red.

Compound and /or We read and we learn but He is poor but he is honest. and so He was punished and so he wept. very…..and He is very weak and he can not walk. or Read or fail/you will fail. and It was raining and he woke up. and It was a ball and it was red.

ONE

Rewrite the following Simple Sentences as Compound Sentences:

1.      The old man being weak could not walk properly.

2.      His father in spite of being poor is a contended man.

3.      She must work hard to be successful in the examination.

4.      Our teacher is popular among students for his diligence.

5.      But for his faults he would have progressed immensely.

6.      Visualizing a danger ahead, the traveler became cautious.

7.      The student must accept his fault to escape his punishment.

8.      The culprit ran away to escape his arrest.

9.      Taking off their clothes the children jumped into the river.

10.  In the event of being late you will not be allowed entry.

(ANSWERS)

1.      The old man was weak therefore he could not walk properly.

2.      His father is poor but he is a contended man.

3.      She must work hard otherwise she will not be successful in the examination.

4.      Our teacher is diligent therefore he is popular among students.

5.      He has faults otherwise he would have progressed immensely.

6.      The traveler visualized a danger ahead and he became cautious.

7.      The student must accept his fault otherwise he will be punished.

8.      The culprit ran away otherwise he would have been arrested.

9.      The children took off their clothes and they jumped into the river.

10.  You must not be late or you will not be allowed entry. 

TWO

Rewrite the following Simple Sentences as Complex Sentences:

1.      Nobody could find out the place of their stay.

2.      The purpose of his visit to this place is not known.

3.      All the laborers set out for their homes at sunset.

4.      On seeing the policeman, the thief fled away.

5.      You cannot succeed without working hard.

6.      Pious women are always respected by all.

7.      I do not know the way leading to his house.

8.      The guests sitting in the room could not hear his voice.

9.      She hoped to be successful in the examination.

10.  A man fair in his dealings is always trusted.

(ANSWERS)

1.      Nobody could find out the place where they stayed.

2.      It is not known what is the purpose of his visit to this place.

3.      All the laborers set out for their homes when the sun set.

4.      The thief fled away when he saw the police man.

5.      Unless you work hard you cannot succeed.

6.      All always respect the women who are pious.

7.      I do not know the way which leads to his house.

8.      The guests sitting in the room could not hear what he spoke.

9.      She hoped that she would be successful in the examination.

10.  A man who is fair in his dealings is always trusted. 

THREE

Rewrite the following Complex Sentences as Compound Sentences:

1.      I am confident that he is innocent in this matter.

2.      Unless he works hard, he cannot pass the examination.

3.      However hard work she may do she cannot pass the examination.

4.      She is sure that he has stolen her purse.

5.      As the shopkeeper quarrels with every customer, nobody likes him.

6.      If he does not improve his behavior, he will lose all his friends.

7.      Unless the culprit accepts his fault, he will not be spared.

8.      She did not attend the office because she felt unwell today.

9.      She has lost the book that she had purchased.

10.  If you do not attend the class you will not be allowed to sit in the examination. 

(ANSWERS)

1.      He is innocent in this matter and I am confident about it.

2.      He must work hard otherwise he cannot pass the examination.

3.      She may do as hard work as she can but she cannot pass the examination.

4.      He has stolen her purse and she is sure about it.

5.      The shopkeeper quarrels with every customer therefore nobody likes him.

6.      He must improve his behavior otherwise he will lose all his friends.

7.      The culprit must accept his fault otherwise he will not be spared.

8.      She felt unwell today so she did not attend the office.

9.      She had purchased a book and she has lost it.

10.  You must attend the class otherwise you will not be allowed to sit in the examination.

FOUR

Rewrite the following Compound Sentences as Complex Sentences:

1.      Let me reach my office and then I shall talk to him.

2.      .Spare the rod and spoil the child.

3.      The thief saw the police man, so he ran away.

4.      She is feeling unwell so she cannot attend her office today.

5.      The child felt hungry, so he started weeping.

6.      The news is very good but it is not true.

7.      Eat less and you will remain healthy.

8.      The old man is very rich but he is a miser.

9.      Children put on new clothes and went to see the fair.

10.  Keep quiet or you will repent.

(ANSWERS) 

1.      I shall talk to him when I reach my office.

2.      The child is spoilt when  the rod is spared.

3.      The thief ran away when he saw the police man.

4.      She cannot attend her office today as she is feeling unwell.

5.      The child started weeping because he felt hungry.

6.      The news is too good to be true.

7.      You will remain healthy if you eat less.

8.      The old man is a miser though he is very rich.

9.      Children went to see the fair after putting on new clothes.

10.  You will repent if you do not keep quite.