English Grammar: Sentence Types and Structure

Sentence Types

• Declarative sentences make a statement. Example: The cat sat on the mat.
• Imperative sentences give a command or request. Example: Please sit down.
• Interrogative sentences ask a question. Example: What is your name?
• Exclamatory sentences express strong emotion. Example: Wow, that's amazing!

Sentence Structure

• Complete sentences contain a subject and a verb and express a complete thought.
• Sentence fragments are incomplete thoughts; they lack a subject, a verb, or both.

Clause Types

• Independent clauses express a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
• Dependent clauses cannot stand alone as a sentence; they begin with a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun.

Parts of Speech

Nouns

• Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.
• Singular nouns refer to one person, place, thing, or idea. Example: dog
• Plural nouns refer to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Example: dogs

Pronouns

• Pronouns replace nouns.
• Subject pronouns take the place of the subject of the verb. Example: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
• Object pronouns take the place of the direct object or indirect object of the verb. Example: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
• Possessive pronouns show ownership. Example: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
• Possessive pronouns and adjectives show ownership. Adjectives modify nouns. Example: My book, your house.
• Antecedents are the nouns replaced by pronouns.
• Intensive and reflexive pronouns emphasize a noun. Example: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves
• Demonstrative pronouns point out specific nouns. Example: this, that, these, those
• Interrogative pronouns ask a question. Example: who, whom, whose, which, what
• Relative pronouns introduce adjective clauses. Example: who, whom, whose, which, that

Verbs

• Action verbs show action.
  • Transitive verbs have a direct object. Example: The dog chased the ball.
  • Intransitive verbs don't have a direct object. Example: The dog barked.
• Linking verbs connect the subject to a subject complement, which describes or identifies the subject. Example: The dog is tired.

Adjectives

• Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns.
• Demonstrative adjectives point out specific nouns. Example: this house, that car.
• Interrogative adjectives ask questions about nouns. Example: which book.
• Indefinite adjectives refer to nouns in a general way. Example: many books
• Comparative and superlative adjectives compare nouns. Example: taller, tallest
• Few and little are used differently with count and non-count nouns.

Phrases and Clauses

• Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition (e.g., on, in, under) and function as adjectives or adverbs. Example: The book on the table.
• Appositives rename or describe nouns or pronouns. Example: My friend John, a kind man, is coming.
• Adjective phrases modify nouns or pronouns. Example: A house with a garden,
• Adjective clauses modify nouns or pronouns and begin with relative pronouns. Example: The book that I read

Other

• Subjects: The subject performs the action in a sentence
• Subject complements: these describe or rename the subject.
• Direct objects: receive the action of the verb.
• Indirect objects: tell to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done.
• Object complements: describe or rename the direct object.
• Object of prepositions: follow prepositions (words such as on, in, by).
• Possessive nouns show ownership. Example: my cat, the dog's bone.
• Comma usage with adjectives is discussed to avoid ambiguity.

Formatting

• Learn proper capitalization and formatting for titles (using italics or quotation marks) and friendly letters, including addressing and salutation.

Proofreading and Diagraming

• Practice identifying and correcting grammatical errors.
• Learn methods to diagram sentences for understanding sentence structure.

Test your knowledge on the different types of sentences, sentence structures, and parts of speech. This quiz covers declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences, along with clauses and nouns. Challenge yourself to understand essential grammar concepts!