Four Types of Sentences | Learn about Statement, Question, Emotion, and Command Sentences

Types of Sentences In this video, we're going to tell you all about sentences. How they're put together, what types there are, and how best to use them. We're going to make sentences fun. Well, at least we'll do our best. Let's start with the basics. Every sentence, no matter how big or small, and no matter how many words are in it, ends with a punctuation mark. There are periods, question marks, and exclamation points, and they each have their specific purpose. Most sentences end with a period, but there are plenty that use question marks and exclamation points. Let's talk about the four basic types of sentences, what punctuation they use, and what they're for. First, you have your statement sentences, also known as declarative sentences. There are question sentences, also known as interrogative. Emotion, also known as exclamation. And command, also known as imperative. Let's explore these four types. First, what is a statement or declarative sentence? Well, a statement sentence always ends in a period and is used to declare something, state information, or provide a fact. Here are some examples. I took my pet ferret for a walk. It is going to snow a lot today. I like ice cream and cake. The teachers gave us a ton of homework. So anytime you provide information to someone, you're going to use a declarative sentence. Next, you've got your question or interrogative sentence. These types of sentences always end in a question mark. Examples include, how soon will we get to the amusement park? Do you like video games as much as I do? Did you understand what the book was about? How much time do you think it will take to do my homework? You can usually expect an answer when you use a question or interrogative sentence. The third type of sentence is an emotion or exclamation sentence. These always end with an exclamation point and are commonly used to express surprise or excitement or really strong feelings. Examples are, I had a fantastic time at the concert. Wow, look at that beautiful sunset. That's the most snow I've ever seen. I am so happy right now. When we write, we usually try not to use exclamation sentences too often as they are powerful and we don't want to overuse them. Finally, there are command or imperative sentences. These can end with a period or an exclamation mark and are intended to tell someone what to do or to give someone a command. Examples include, go home. Please hand me that pencil. Caitlin, come over here. You must park your bicycle here. It's important to remember that each of these types of sentences reads differently. The inflection or how you use your voice when talking can be strikingly different depending on whether you're stating something, asking a question, expressing a strong emotion, or asking somebody to do something. So those are the four types of sentences. But we're not done with sentences yet. You know the old saying, variety is the spice of life. Well, that applies to sentences as well. When you try different foods with many different tastes, it can make eating more fun. And when you play with different toys instead of the same one over and over, your life can be more fun. The same is true with sentences. Using a wide variety of types of sentences makes the way you speak and the way you write better and more interesting. When you write or speak, you should always try to use various sentence lengths, patterns, and rhythms. Doing this will sound better to the reader, make your writing flow better, and make your ideas really come to life. So to start, do not use all simple sentences. Here's what we mean. They went to the mall. They saw a movie. They had dinner afterward. They drove home. When you write or talk this way, it's pretty dull, right? The sentences all start with the same word, and they're all short and simple. Not the ideal way to capture someone's interest. To help solve this problem, try combining simple sentences. They went to the mall and saw a movie. Then they had dinner. After that, they drove home. Notice how we combined the first two sentences and then added after that? It just reads and sounds much better and less boring. The next thing you can do to make your sentences more interesting is to use transitions. So you can try this. First, they went to the mall and saw a movie. And then after that, they had dinner. Later on, they drove home. See how the transitions increase variety? But there's more you can do. Try using adverbs, adjectives, and prepositional phrases. Check this out. In the evening, they went to the suburban mall across town and saw an action movie. After the movie, they had a delicious meal at a Chinese restaurant. After dinner, they took the highway home, arriving home just after 10 o'clock. Note all the detail in those sentences. You've made the story of the night out that much more exciting. Another way to make sentences more compelling is to use ing and ed verb forms. Take this set of simple sentences. The team practiced all day. The team won the game. It would be much more interesting to change it to, Having practiced all day, the team won the game. Or take this set of sentences. The team celebrated in the street singing. The team was excited about the win. You might want to change it to, Excited about the win, the team celebrated in the street singing. Obviously, there are lots of different ways to make sentences more interesting. It can all be a bit overwhelming, but if you just remember that variety is the spice of life, you can't go wrong. Here are a few more ways to spice up your sentences. Try using appositives, which basically means renaming nouns in sentences, so you're not just repeating the same name, in this case, Mr. Johnson, over and over. So instead of writing, Mr. Johnson is my favorite coach. Mr. Johnson helped me with my free throw shots. You would change it to, Mr. Johnson, my favorite coach, helped me with my free throw shots. A similar strategy to mix up your writing and to make your sentences more interesting is to use clauses to combine sentences. It's similar to the appositive we just explained. Some examples are, The pizza, which is the best in town, can only be found at Mario's. See how the clause, which is the best in town, was used instead of just saying two simple sentences? And there's this example. I saw a dog that had a blue collar running down the road. Note the use of the clause that had a blue collar. So now that you know some tricks of the trade to help make your sentence use more interesting, you can become the great writer and speaker that you've always wanted to be. And don't forget to mix up your sentences as well, so that you use short, medium-sized, and long sentences. Sentences can be fun, so enjoy using all these different types and varieties. And happy writing and speaking! 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