DEFINITION
Beginning with a capital letter, a sentence is a group of words containing two parts—a subject and predicate—and expressing a complete thought.
EXAMPLES:
EXAMPLES:
Classifying Sentences
You can classify a sentence depending on its purpose:
- A declarative sentence states a fact or declares information. It ends with a period. EXAMPLE: Ohioans see more black bears in the summer months.
- An imperative sentence states a command or request. It ends with a period or exclamation point, depending on how strong the command is. EXAMPLE: Watch out for bears on your walk. Look at that bear!
- An interrogative sentence asks a question. It ends with a question mark. EXAMPLE: Was that a bear?
- An exclamatory sentence expresses strong emotion. It ends with an exclamation mark. EXAMPLE: That's a bear!
fragments
As a word group, a sentence fragment does not contain a subject or a verb or a complete thought.
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Usually, sentences begin with the subject and end with the predicate; however, varying the pattern can make an effective shift in emphasis.
Traditional Pattern: A black bear emerged from the woods.
Inverted Order: From the woods emerged a black bear.
![Picture](/uploads/8/6/2/9/86293172/published/img-9640_7.jpg)
Sentences beginning with an expletive (there is, there are, it is) are wordy and tend to lack clarity. Try putting the subject in the normal position.
Weak: There are black bears migrating into Northeast Ohio.
Better: Black bears are migrating into Northeast Ohio.