Grammar Bites:
Sentences
Kinds of Sentences
► Write
Declarative, interrogative, imperative, or
exclamatory to identify each sentence below.
► 1. Have you heard about the horse Clever Hans?
► 2. Could it really count and read?
► 3. Its owner gave signals to the horse.
► 4. What a good trick it was!
► 5. Read an article about the horse.
Declarative
►A
declarative sentence makes a statement.
It ends with a period.
► Example:
 Edgar Allan Poe wrote suspenseful short stories.
Interrogative
► An
interrogative sentence asks a question.
It ends with a question mark.
► Example:
 Did Poe also write poetry?
Imperative
► An
imperative sentence gives a command or
makes a request. It ends with a period.
► Example:
 Read “The Pit and the Pendulum.”
Exclamatory
► An
exclamatory sentence expresses strong
feeling. It ends with an exclamation point.
► Example:
 What a great writer Poe was!
 How I enjoy his stories!
Complete Sentences vs. Sentence
Fragments
► Every
sentence has two parts: a subject and
a predicate. Together, they express a
complete thought.
► Example:
 Emily Dickinson wrote poetry.
Emily Dickinson is the subject of the sentence.
Wrote poetry is the predicate.
Subject vs. Predicate
► The
subject part of a sentence names whom
or what the sentence is about.
► The predicate part of a sentence tells what
the subject does or has. It can also tell what
the subject is or is like.
► Identify the subject and predicate in each of
the following sentences:
 A musical is a play set to music.
 We saw a musical last week.
Sentence Fragments
►A
sentence fragment does not express a
complete thought. It may also be missing a
subject, predicate, or both.
► Examples:
 The poems.
 Wrote about her emotions.
 Of meaning.
Practice