In this section you will learn what sentences are.
What are sentences in English grammar?
A sentence in English is a unit of language that express a complete idea; it contains a subject and a predicate and can communicate a statement, command, question or exclamation.
A sentence must start with a capital letter and end with a full stop, a question mark or exclamation mark.
What is the subject?
The subject identifies the one performing the action described in a sentence. It answers the question ‘Who or what is the sentence about?’. The subject functions as a noun, pronoun or a noun phrase and it can be made up of one word or a group of words.
Eli bought a cellphone. (‘Eli’ is the subject)
What is the predicate?
The predicate provides detailed information about the subject. It answers the question ‘What is being said about the subject?’. It can be a verb, object, subject complement or object complement.
Eli bought a cellphone. (‘bought a cellphone’ is the predicate)
What are the 4 common kinds of sentences in English?
Declarative sentences (express facts and establish a reality)
Exclamatory sentences (express strong emotions, reactions, or declarations)
Imperative sentences (we use them to give orders, instructions, suggestions, requests and warnings)
Interrogative sentences (we use them to seek information about something)
To learn more about the four types of sentences in English click here.
To learn more about grammar click here.