Kinds of Sentences

Kinds of Sentences

Those that make statements or assertions – Assertive Sentences.

    Assertive Sentences can be Affirmative (Positive) or Negative; e.g

    1. Mary is an intelligent girl.
    2. Betty did not break the glass.
    3. Brad plays football.
    4. He does not like to study.

    Those that ask Questions – Interrogative Sentences; e.g.

      1. What is your name?
      2. How old are you?
      3. Where do you live?
      4. Are you going to the market?

      Those that express commands, advice, requests – Imperative Sentences; e.g.

        1. Stand up. (Command)
        2. Don’t smoke. (Prohibition)
        3. Please get me a glass of water. (Request)
        4. Exercise daily to stay fit. (Advice)

        Those that express strong emotion/sudden feeling – Exclamatory Sentences; e.g.

          1. What a beautiful baby!
          2. Isn’t it lovely!
          3. Oh! What a disaster.
          4. Alas! He is no more.

          The Sentence – Subject and Predicate

          The Sentence

          We use words to form Sentences. But any group of words cannot be called a Sentence.

          A Sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense/has clear and full meaning.

          For  e.g.

          1. The boy closed the door.
          2. A cow gives milk.
          3. C hildren like sweets.
          4. She sat in a corner.
          5. My name is Tom.
          6. Jerry is a doctor.
          7. A cat is a pet animal.
          8. Minnie goes to school everyday.
          9. A baker sells bread.
          10. Sam broke a cup.

          A Sentence always begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop(.), an exclamation mark(!) or a question mark(?).

          A  Sentence has two parts – the Subject and the Predicate.

          The person or thing we speak about is the Subject. The Subject is a Noun, a Noun Phrase or a Pronoun.

          In the above sentences the words in bold italics – The boy, A cow, Children, She, My name, Jerry, A cat, Minnie, A baker, Sam, are Subjects.

           We are saying something about them (the Subject) in the other part of the sentence.

          What we say about the subject is the Predicate – closed the door, gives milk, like sweets, sat in a corner, is Tom, is a doctor, is a pet animal, goes to school everyday, sells bread, broke a cup, are Predicates.

          Always remember the Predicate begins with the Verb.

          Learn English

          Learn English

           English, today, has achieved the status of the global language – it is the international link language. Those who know this language have abundant opportunities these days. Knowledge of English and Computers open avenues in various fields especially the customer service based areas, such as the BPO industry, call industries , aviation and hospitality industry ,fast food chains, travel and tourism related organizations, marketing, sales and client servicing units, radio, television and print media, banking and IT sectors etc. There are jobs galore if you know this language English.

          The importance of spoken English in our day-to-day lives is undeniable. The skill of speaking English with a good degree of fluency and intelligibility can bring personal success and career advancement to you. Moreover if you want to tap international business opportunities, contribute to the economy of your state/country, you should let go your prejudice or fear of the language and master it.

          Speak Well

          Speak Well

          In his play Pygmalion (1913), George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), emphasizes the importance of correct speech and pronunciation. He shows how a common flower girl can pass off as a duchess by transforming her manner of speech. Although it takes much more than proper pronunciation and enunciation to pass off as a duchess, the message is very clear – Speech is a very important aspect of one’s personality – it makes or mars one’s chances in life.

          Henry Higgins, the professor of phonetics in Shaw’s play gives rigorous training in English elocution to Eliza and at the end of the play we find her running a prosperous florist’s and greengrocer’s business with her husband Freddy Hill.

          We have to keep this message in our mind in today’s highly competitive world. We should realize the importance of proper communication. Newspapers today are full of advertisements which demand candidates with good command over English. To gain proficiency in English, two things are very essential:

          1. What to say?
          2. How to say it?

          The first deals with the content and the structure. This will come with exposure to the language and practice. The more you hear, listen to, read and speak, the more confidently you will use the language.

           

          The second deals with proper pronunciation and enunciation i.e. proper refinement of speech sounds and manners. For this you should be:

          1. Aware of the sounds of English.
          2. You should use the right sound at the right place.
          3. You should have control over your rate of speech.

          If you know all this , it is good, But if you don’t, then do not waste your time. These skills can be acquired with proper training and practice.