Transformation of Sentences - 1 | English Grammar Basic - Class 10 PDF Download

The English Language and Sentence Transformation

The English language is diverse and allows the same idea to be expressed in different ways, leading to various forms a sentence can take while conveying the same meaning.

• Nature says, ‘God is good.’
• Nature exclaims, ‘How good is God!’
• Nature proclaims the goodness of God.
• The goodness of God is proclaimed by nature.
• Nature never ceases to proclaim the goodness of God.
• That God is good is proclaimed by nature.
• We find the goodness of God in nature.
• The goodness of God can be observed in nature.
• Nature teaches us that God is good.
• Nature teaches us the goodness of God.

Transforming or converting a sentence means rewriting it to change its structure without altering its meaning. Sentences can take various forms, including:

• Statement or Assertive (affirmative or negative)
• Question or Interrogative
• Desires or Imperative and Optative
• Exclamatory sentences
• Active and Passive
• Simple, Complex, Double, and Multiple (Compound)
• Direct and Indirect (Narration)

Statement: Questions: Exclamations

Changing the form of a sentence is not always possible. For example, an Assertive sentence (e.g., Sin leads to ruin) cannot be converted into an Imperative or Optative.

An Assertive or Statement sentence can be changed into a Question or an Interrogative sentence.

• Assertive: Everybody knows that the Earth is round.
• Interrogative: Who does not know that the Earth is round?

However, an Interrogative sentence that simply asks for information cannot be changed into an Assertive one: 'Why did you go there?'

Some sentences may be Interrogative in form but Exclamatory in nature. Such sentences can be converted into Assertive ones.

• Interrogative: Did I not help you? Assertive:. did help you.

Interrogative into Assertive

• Interrogative: Can a leopard change his spots? Assertive:. leopard cannot change his spots.
• Interrogative: Who will not help a man in distress? Assertive: Everybody will help a man in distress.
• Interrogative: Can any man, by taking thought, add a cubit to his stature? Assertive: No man can, by taking thought, add a cubit to his stature.
• Interrogative: Is that the way a gentleman should behave? Assertive: That is not the way a gentleman should behave.
• Interrogative: Shall I ever forget those happy days? Assertive:. shall never forget those happy days.

Assertive into Interrogative

• Assertive: Nowhere in the world will you find a mountain peak higher than Everest. Interrogative: Where in the world will you find a mountain peak higher than Everest?
• Assertive: Nobody else could have done it. Interrogative: Who else could have done it?
• Assertive: He saw someone in the house. Interrogative: Did he see anyone in the house?
• Assertive: Surely you will join us. Interrogative: Am I not sure that you will join us?
• Assertive: There is nothing wrong with me. Interrogative: Is there anything wrong with me?
• Assertive: There is nothing better than a pious life. Interrogative: Is there anything better than a pious life?

Exclamations and Statements

An Exclamatory Sentence can be converted into an Assertive sentence, but not all Assertive sentences can be turned into Exclamatory sentences.

• Exclamatory: Was any man ever immortal! Assertive: No man was ever immortal.
• Exclamatory: What a piece of work is man! Assertive: Man is a wonderful piece of work.
• Exclamatory: What an unhappy life he leads! Assertive: He leads a most unhappy life.
• Exclamatory: Oh! how desirous I am to meet you once more. Assertive:. am very desirous to meet you once more.
• Exclamatory: How beautiful is night! Assertive: Night is very beautiful.
• Exclamatory: How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Assertive: The moonlight very sweetly sleeps upon this bank.

Affirmative into Negative

• Affirmative: He failed to notice me when he came in. Negative: He did not notice me when he came in.
• Affirmative: As soon as he came, he made objections. Negative: No sooner did he come than he made objections.
• Affirmative: Only the evening star has yet appeared. Negative: None but the evening star has yet appeared.
• Affirmative: He was a man of some intelligence. Negative: He was a man of no great intelligence.
• Affirmative: Kolkata is the biggest city in India. Negative: There is no other city in India as big as Kolkata.

Negative into Affirmative

• Negative: I am not a little tired. Affirmative:. am very tired.

Negative and Affirmative Statements

Negative Statements

• There is no rose without a thorn.
• We did not find the road was very bad.
• There cannot be smoke without fire.
• Only Hercules could do this.
• A good boy never neglects his lessons.
• No one can deny that he was a great man.

Affirmative Statements

• Every rose has a thorn.
• We found the road fairly good.
• Wherever there is smoke there is fire.
• Only a Hercules could do this.
• A good boy always minds his lessons.
• Everybody must admit that he was a great man.

Active and Passive Voice

• They proposed to build a dam for irrigation purposes.
• It was proposed by them that a dam be built for irrigation purposes.
• The Curator of the Museum showed us some ancient coins.
• We were shown some ancient coins by the Curator of the Museum.
• They laughed at him.
• He was laughed at by them.
• They proposed to hold a meeting.
• It was proposed by them that a meeting be held.
• Brutus stabbed Caesar.
• Caesar was stabbed by Brutus.
• The people will make him king.
• He will be made king by the people.