Most of the sentences you will be dealing with in English 362 are declarative sentences (and why the function on your diagrams for the whole sentence is simply “Declaration”). However, it is important to distinguish the other types of sentences too!

Declarative Statements

• Clear subject and predicate
• Make assertions about everyday affairs
• Do not:
  • Ask questions
  • Give commands
  • Express desires
• Example: It is windy today.

 

Imperatives

• Has “understood subject,” so subject is not clearly visible
  • Example: Stop running!
• The word “you” may be to show emphasis, more of an addressee than a subject
  • Example: You stop running!
• Often will have an exclamation point
• Prohibitions:
  • Negative of imperative
  • Example: Don’t burn that!

 

Interrogatives

• Asks a question
• Two types
  • Closed Interrogatives: a question that can be answered with yes or no
    • Has inversion, where the subject swaps place with a part of the predicate, often an auxiliary verb
    • Example: Can you write that? vs. You can write that
  • Open Interrogatives: a question that cannot be answered with yes or no
    • Centers around words like who, what, where, when, why, and how at the beginning of the sentence
    • Example: Where are you going?

 

Sentence Fragments

• Is missing a part of sentence structure
• Is not an imperative or other type of sentence
• Example: About eight.

 

Exclamative and Precative Sentences

• Exclamative
  • Dramatic expression of surprise or desire
  • Example: What luck!
• Precative
  • Similar to exclamative, but has ceremonial, proverbial, or ritual contexts
  • Example: Lord help me!

Hortatatives

• Begin with “Let’s” or “Let us”
• Example: Let’s go!