What is sentences and example?

By Kit Kittelstad, M.A. Education , Staff Writer

Índice Show

Types of Sentences
Simple sentence
Compound sentence
Complex sentence
Compound-complex sentence
Declarative sentence:
Imperative sentence:
Interrogative sentence:
Exclamatory sentence.

complete sentence subject verb object
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A complete sentence must have, at minimum, three things: a subject, verb, and an object. The subject is typically a noun or a pronoun. And, if there’s a subject, there’s bound to be a verb because all verbs need a subject. Finally, the object of a sentence is the thing that’s being acted upon by the subject.

Beyond these basic elements, a complete sentence must also express a complete thought. We need to fully understand what’s happening. If a sentence is lacking a subject, verb, or object, it may be classified as a sentence fragment.

So, you might say, “Claire walks her dog.” In this complete sentence, “Claire” is the subject, “walks” is the verb, and “dog” is the object. (“Her” is simply a required pronoun in this example.)

Finally, examples of complete sentences need to start with a capital letter and end with some form of punctuation. So, at the end of a complete sentence, we’ll need a period, question mark, exclamation mark, or even a semi-colon. Consider the punctuation the finishing touch to any complete sentence. Without it, how do we know the sentence has come to an end?

At times, commas will also be integral in a complete sentence. They punctuate clauses within a complete sentence. For example, “Without her dog, Riley, Claire would be very sad.” Commas love to enter the scene whenever there’s a natural pause, or a clause, within a complete sentence.

Complete sentences come in many shapes and sizes. Although every sentence tells a story, some only require a scant number of words while others give a fuller description with commas and clauses. Let’s take a look.

I ate dinner.
We had a three-course meal.
Brad came to dinner with us.
He loves fish tacos.
In the end, we all felt like we ate too much.
We all agreed; it was a magnificent evening.

I hope that, when I’ve built up my savings, I’ll be able to travel to Mexico.
Did you know that, along with gorgeous architecture, it’s home to the largest tamale?
Wouldn’t it be lovely to enjoy a week soaking up the culture?
Oh, how I’d love to go!
Of all the places to travel, Mexico is at the top of my list.
Would you like to travel with me?

Isn’t language learning fun?
There is so much to understand.
I love learning!
Sentences come in many shapes and sizes.
Nothing beats a complete sentence.
Once you know all the elements, it’s not difficult to pull together a sentence.

The art of crafting a single sentence brings together subjects, verbs, and objects with cohesion. Punctuation also makes its mark, too. A period indicates a declarative or informative sentence. An exclamation mark indicates an exclamatory sentence. And, of course, our friend the question mark indicates an interrogative sentence. You’ve also got simple sentences that merely contain subjects and verbs, and more complex sentences that contain more than one clause, connected by commas, colons or semi-colons.

As long as you remember to include these crucial components -

and a healthy dose of punctuation – you’ll be well on your way to sentence mastery. A handful of words form a sentence. A handful of sentences form a paragraph. Before you know it, you’ve got the next great American novel in the works!

A sentence is the largest unit of any language. In English, it begins with a capital letter and ends with a full-stop, or a question mark, or an exclamation mark.

The sentence is generally defined as a word or a group of words that expresses a thorough idea by giving a statement/order, or asking a question, or exclaiming.

Example:

He is a good boy (statement), Is he a good boy? (question), What a nice weather! (exclaiming).

Ideally, a sentence requires at least one subject and one verb. Sometimes the subject of a sentence can be hidden, but the verb must be visible and present in the sentence. Verb is called the heart of a sentence.

Example:

Do it. (In this sentence, a subject ‘you’ is hidden but verb ‘do’ is visible)

“[A sentence is] a group of words, usually containing a verb, that expresses a thought in the form of a statement, question, instruction, or exclamation and starts with a capital letter when written.” - (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press.)

More Examples of Sentences

In other words, a complete English sentence must have three characteristics:

First, in written form, a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period (i.e., a full stop) [.], a note of interrogation (i.e., a question mark) [?], or a note of exclamation (i.e., an exclamation mark) [!].
Second, it must express a complete thought, not fragmented.
Third, it must contain at least one subject (hidden/visible) and one verb comprising an independent clause. (An independent clause contains an independent subject and verb and expresses a complete thought.)

Types of Sentences

Structurally, sentences are of four types:

Simple sentence

A simple sentence must have a single clause (a single verb) which is independent, and it cannot take another clause.

Example:

I always wanted to become a writer. (One clause – one verb)

Compound sentence

A compound sentence must have more than one independent clause with no dependent clauses. Some specific conjunctions, punctuation, or both are used to join together these clauses.

Example:

I always wanted to become a writer, and she wanted to become a doctor. (Two independent clauses – two verbs)

Complex sentence

A complex sentence also has more than one clause but of one them must be an independent clause and the other/others must be (a) dependent clause(es). There are also some particular connectors for the clauses of a complex sentence to be connected.

Example:

I know that you always wanted to be a writer. (Here, a dependent clause is followed by a connector and an independent clause. The other way around is also possible.)

More Complex Sentence Examples

Compound-complex sentence

A compound-complex sentence (or complex–compound sentence) is a mixture of the features of compound and complex sentences in one sentence. So, it must contain at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

Example:

I know that you always wanted to become a writer, but I always wanted to become a doctor. (Here, one dependent clause is followed by a complex connector and two independent clauses with a compound conjunction between them.)

Functionally, sentences are of mainly four types:

Declarative sentence:

An assertive sentence (declarative sentence) simply expresses an opinion/feeling, or makes a statement, or describes things. In other words, it declares something. This type of sentence ends with a period (i.e., a full-stop).

Examples:

I want to be a good cricketer. (a statement)
I am very happy today. (a feeling)

More Examples of Declarative Sentence

Imperative sentence:

We use an imperative sentence to make a request or to give a command. Imperative sentences usually end with a period (i.e., a full stop), but under certain circumstances, it can end with a note of exclamation (i.e., exclamation mark).

Examples: