Sentence Types
Every sentence has a purpose. In earlier grades, you learnt about statements, questions, and commands. Now you will learn the proper grammar names for all four sentence types: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory.
What You'll Learn
- The four sentence types and their grammar names: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory
- How to identify each type by its purpose and punctuation
- When to use an exclamation mark versus a full stop
- How to convert one sentence type into another
When to Use
- Declarative (statement): "The National Day Parade starts at five o'clock." -- Use when giving information or stating a fact.
- Interrogative (question): "Have you finished your homework yet?" -- Use when asking for information or an answer.
- Imperative (command or request): "Pass me the glue stick, please." -- Use when telling or asking someone to do something.
- Exclamatory (exclamation): "What a beautiful sunset that was!" -- Use when expressing strong feelings like surprise, excitement, or anger.
- Strong imperative with exclamation mark: "Stop running in the corridor!" -- Use when giving an urgent command with strong emotion.
How to Form
The Four Sentence Types
| Type | Grammar Name | Purpose | End Punctuation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | Declarative | Gives information or states a fact | Full stop (.) | We visited the Science Centre last Saturday. |
| Question | Interrogative | Asks for information | Question mark (?) | Did you enjoy the trip to the zoo? |
| Command/Request | Imperative | Tells or asks someone to do something | Full stop (.) or exclamation mark (!) | Line up quietly outside the hall. |
| Exclamation | Exclamatory | Expresses strong feeling | Exclamation mark (!) | How amazing the fireworks were! |
How Exclamatory Sentences Are Formed
Exclamatory sentences often begin with "What" or "How" and express strong emotion.
| Starter | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What | What + a/an + adjective + noun + (subject + verb)! | What a clever girl she is! |
| How | How + adjective/adverb + (subject + verb)! | How quickly the time passed! |
Note: Not every sentence with an exclamation mark is exclamatory. "Stop talking!" is imperative, not exclamatory, because its purpose is to give a command.
Converting Between Sentence Types
You can express the same idea using different sentence types.
| Declarative | Interrogative | Imperative | Exclamatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| The room is messy. | Is the room messy? | Clean the room. | What a messy room this is! |
| You are a fast runner. | Are you a fast runner? | Run faster. | How fast you run! |
Key Rules
- Declarative sentences state facts: They give information and always end with a full stop. The subject usually comes before the verb. "My brother takes the MRT to school every day."
- Interrogative sentences ask questions: They end with a question mark. They often begin with a question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) or a helping verb (is, are, do, does, can, have). "Where did you put the library book?"
- Imperative sentences give commands or make requests: The subject "you" is usually hidden (implied). They end with a full stop for calm commands or an exclamation mark for urgent ones. "Please return the books by Friday."
- Exclamatory sentences express strong feelings: They must begin with "What" or "How" and end with an exclamation mark. "What a wonderful performance that was!"
- Do not confuse exclamatory with imperative: A sentence like "Be careful!" is imperative because it tells someone to do something. An exclamatory sentence expresses a feeling: "How careless that was!"
- Punctuation decides meaning: Changing the end punctuation can change the sentence type entirely. "You finished your food." (declarative) vs "You finished your food?" (interrogative)
Common Mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| What a great show. | What a great show! | Exclamatory sentences must end with an exclamation mark |
| How fast can you run! | How fast can you run? | This is asking a question, so it needs a question mark |
| Shut the window? | Shut the window. | This is a command (imperative), not a question |
| What a delicious cake! (identified as imperative) | What a delicious cake! (exclamatory) | It expresses a feeling, not a command -- it is exclamatory |
| Please sit down! (identified as exclamatory) | Please sit down. (imperative) | Polite requests are imperative, even with "please" -- use a full stop |
| The weather is so hot! (identified as exclamatory) | The weather is so hot. (declarative) | True exclamatory sentences start with "What" or "How" -- this is a declarative sentence |
Clue Words
Declarative (statement):
is, are, was, were, has, have, had -- These helping verbs often appear in the middle of the sentence.
Interrogative (question):
who, what, where, when, why, how, do, does, did, is, are, can, could, will, would, shall, should -- These words typically appear at the start of the sentence.
Imperative (command/request):
please, stop, come, go, sit, stand, open, close, write, listen, wait, bring, take, do not -- The sentence often starts with a verb (action word).
Exclamatory (exclamation):
What a, What an, How -- These starters signal strong feeling.
Tip: Ask yourself two questions: (1) "What is the purpose of this sentence -- to tell, ask, order, or express a feeling?" (2) "Does it start with What/How and express strong emotion?" If yes to both parts of question 2, it is exclamatory.
Practice Tips
- Purpose first, punctuation second: Always decide the purpose of the sentence before looking at the punctuation. A sentence ending with "!" could be imperative ("Run!") or exclamatory ("What fun!").
- The "What/How" test for exclamatory: If the sentence starts with "What a/an..." or "How..." and expresses a strong feeling (not a question), it is exclamatory.
- The hidden "you" test for imperative: If you can add "you" at the start of the sentence and it still makes sense, it is likely imperative. "Finish your food." = "(You) finish your food."
- Convert and compare: Try changing a sentence from one type to another. This helps you understand each type more clearly. "The show was amazing." -> "Was the show amazing?" -> "How amazing the show was!"
Quick Reference
| Type | Grammar Name | Starts With | Ends With | Hidden Subject? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | Declarative | Subject + verb | Full stop (.) | No | The hawker centre is crowded today. |
| Question | Interrogative | Question word or helping verb | Question mark (?) | No | When does the canteen open? |
| Command | Imperative | Verb (action word) | Full stop (.) or exclamation mark (!) | Yes ("you") | Throw the rubbish into the bin. |
| Exclamation | Exclamatory | "What" or "How" | Exclamation mark (!) | No | What a long queue this is! |