Types of sentences

By purpose, there are four (or five): assertive (declarative), interrogative, imperative, exclamatory and, in many Indian textbooks, optative. By structure, there are four: simple, compound, complex and compound-complex. The chart on this page shows all nine with an example.

By purpose: declarative (states something: “The shop is open.”), interrogative (asks: “Is the shop open?”), imperative (orders or requests: “Open the shop.”) and exclamatory (shows feeling: “What a big shop!”). By structure, the four are simple, compound, complex and compound-complex.

Assertive, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory and optative. The fifth, optative, expresses a wish or prayer (“May you live long!”). Many grammar books outside India count only the first four and treat wishes as exclamatory or imperative. If an exam asks for five kinds, include optative; if it asks for four, leave it out.

A sentence that asks a question and ends with a question mark: “Where do you live?”, “Have you eaten?”, “Tea or coffee?”. It usually starts with a helping verb (is, do, have, can) or a question word (what, where, why, how).

A sentence that gives an order, request, advice or instruction: “Close the door.”, “Please sit down.”, “Turn left.” The subject you is understood rather than written, and it usually ends with a full stop (or ! for a strong command).

A sentence that expresses strong feeling and ends with an exclamation mark: “What a beautiful view!”, “How fast she runs!”. Many start with What (+ a noun) or How (+ an adjective or adverb). In formal writing, avoid exclamation marks used only for emphasis.

A sentence that states a fact, belief or opinion, and ends with a full stop. It can be affirmative (“She speaks French.”) or negative (“She does not speak French.”). It is also called a declarative sentence. Most sentences in essays and reports are assertive.

A sentence that expresses a wish, prayer or blessing: “May you live long!”, “May God bless you.”, “Long live the king!”. It often begins with May and can end with a full stop or an exclamation mark. It is mostly used in formal speech, prayers and greetings.

A sentence with one independent clause: one subject and one verb, expressing one complete thought. “The baby is sleeping.” It can still have a double subject or verb: “Ravi and Meena play tennis.”, “She sings and dances.” Simple does not mean short: “The old man in the blue coat walked slowly down the road” is still one clause.

Two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, remembered as FANBOYS) or a semicolon: “I was tired, so I went to bed.” Each clause could stand alone as a sentence. Put a comma before the conjunction, especially when the clauses are long.

One independent clause plus at least one dependent clause, joined by a subordinating word such as because, although, when, if, who, which or that: “I stayed at home because I was ill.” The dependent clause cannot stand alone. If the dependent clause comes first, put a comma after it: “Because I was ill, I stayed at home.”

A sentence with at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause: “Although it was raining, we went out, and we had a great time.” It combines the joining of a compound sentence with the dependent clause of a complex one.

None: they are two names for the same type, a sentence that states something. Indian textbooks usually say assertive; British and American books usually say declarative. Use the name your textbook or exam uses; the definition is the same.

For purpose, look at what it does and how it ends: a statement (.), a question (?), an order (no subject), a strong feeling (!) or a wish (May…). For structure, count the clauses: one = simple; two joined by and/but/or/so = compound; one with because/when/if/who = complex; both = compound-complex.

Move the helping verb before the subject, or add do/does/did: “She is ready.” → “Is she ready?”; “He plays chess.” → “Does he play chess?”. To keep the same meaning, schools often use a negative question: “Everyone loves music.” → “Who does not love music?”

Yes, in the writing and speaking tasks. Using a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences shows grammatical range, which is part of how Write About the Photo, Interactive Writing and the Writing Sample are graded; and in Interactive Speaking you have to understand questions instantly.