In this section we’ll see the meaning of declarative sentence, explore some examples and it’s different types and At the end we will see some rules for writing a correct declarative sentence.
What are Declarative Sentences?
A declarative sentence is a sentence that makes a statement or declares something. These kind of sentences are the most common type of sentences in English Language out of the four sentence types . These are used to share facts or something that you want the reader or listener to know .
Declarative in a general sense means to declare something that is why these sentences are there for us, to make our communication simple and easy.
These types of sentences are used to tell people our thoughts, opinions, ideas and usually something we want the other person to know or tell. This kind of communication is done through plain simple sentences also know as declarative statements.
All declarative sentences always ends with a period and just like every other type of sentence it must have a subject and a predicate.
Examples of Declarative Sentences
- Ekta is running.
- They traveled for months.
- He is a good guy.
- I want to run, but she wants to walk.
- He ran fast but I was able to catch up.
- She could be your partner.
- I missed you a lot.
- She could be your partner.
- He is a good guy, but I don’t like talking to him.
- I love ice-cream.
- These are my shoes yet my brother keeps on borrowing it.
- Ice is cold.
- You close the door.
- You do not disobey your elders.
- He cried out loud.
- This is my cute pet.
- The sun is hot.
- These are my clothes.
- My shirt is white.
- she dances really well.
After looking at these examples you’ll see that sentence 1,2,3 look quite different from sentences 4 and 5, It is so because Sentences 1,2,3 are simple declarative sentences while 4 and 5 are compound declarative sentence. We’ll have a look at them at the following section.
2 Types of Declarative Sentences
Declarative sentences can be of two types simple or Compound.
A simple declarative sentence is a one which consists of a finite verb i.e a subject and a predicate.
Examples of Simple Declarative Sentences:
- He is a good boy.
- I like running.
- Ankit is sad.
- Babies are cute.
- He loves pizza.
- Ice is cold.
A compound declarative sentence consists of two phrases which are joined together with a conjunction such as yet, but, while etc. and a comma. the phrases Can also be joined by a semicolon, with or without a transition word such as however, besides or therefore.
Following is a list of examples of compound declarative sentences :
- He wanted to play, but she wanted to work.
- Marie loves the beach, yet she hates Sand.
- she plays the piano, and he sings along.
- the house has new Windows; however, the roof still leaks.
- It had rained for days; the town was flooded.
Rules to Write a Correct Declarative Sentence
a. Ends with a period / Full Stop.
As mentioned at the very start of the topic that declarative sentences end with a period let’s see an example
Example 1 : She is hot.
This simple sentence is a declarative sentence. But watch what happens if we change the end punctuation mark:
Example 2 : She is hot!
Example 2 is no longer a declarative sentence by using the exclamation mark(!) it is not an exclamatory sentence, while declarative sentence is simply a statement. Therefore, A declarative sentence cannot end in exclamation marks!
b. Express a Direct Statement
Example 1 : I don’t want to play.
Example 2: Please I don’t want to play.
Example 1 is a declarative statement while example 2 is an Imperative one as we are making a request here. As we know that So this sentence is not just sharing information, and it is not a declarative sentence.
c. The Subject Should come before the Verb
Example 1: She is running.
Example 1 is a declarative sentence, the subject comes before the verb which is completely different from what we see in the case of interrogative sentences where the verb often comes before the subject.
Example 2: Is she running ?
In Example 2 verb comes before the subject hence it is an interrogative sentence.
As we know that we use declarative sentences are used to make a statement. But, do we know that they can also be used to ask questions ?, Yes we can use them to get the information we want using indirect questions.
Use Declarative Sentences to Ask Indirect Questions
Whether a sentence is open-ended or not, interrogative sentences always used to ask direct questions. While the case is different for the indirect questions, which are declarative sentences that report a question that was asked in some another context. for example:
- He asked if I am able to do the work.
Here the word “if” is used to set up the indirect question that is embedded in this declarative sentence. the purpose of this sentence is to report to someone other listener that he asked something, it is not to ask the question “Do you want to go to the show?”. Have a look at the differences between direct and indirect questions.
Let us see more examples :
- He asked if she is going to office.
- My dad asked if I am studying.
- She asked him if he is ready for the show.
So it is better whenever you want an answer to a question, it’s perfect to ask it in a direct manner, instead of creating an indirect question like “I am not sure If I could do it.” while you may still be clear with what you are trying to say, but it’s not the most preferred way and technically speaking it’s not an interrogative sentence.
Overall, the declarative sentence is by far the most common type of sentence. When read aloud, their tone is always relaxed and conversational.
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