Sentence | English Olympiad for Class 6 PDF Download

A sentence is a group of words that convey complete sense. Some features of a sentence include the following:

• It begins with a capital letter 
• It ends with punctuation mark (a full stop, a question mark, or an exclamation mark). 
• It contains a subject that is given only once 
• It contains a verb or a verb phrase. 
• It follows Subject + Verb + Object word order. 
• Subject: A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that does an action. Determine the subject in a sentence by asking the question “Who or what?” 
• Verb: Expresses what the person, animal, place, thing, or concept does. Determine the verb in a sentence by asking the question “What was the action or what happened?” 
• Object: A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that receives the action. Determine the object in a sentence by asking the question “The subject did what?” or “To whom?/For whom?” 
• A sentence must have a complete idea that stands alone. This is also called an independent clause.

It’s important to understand clauses in order to understand the sentence structure.

Clauses

A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb.
A clause can be distinguished from a phrase which does not contain a subject and a verb
For example: In the morning, at the table (phrases)
Clauses are of four main types:

• Main [or independent] 
• Subordinate [or dependent] 
• Relative [or adjective] 
• Noun

Every clause has at least a subject and a verb. Other characteristics will help you distinguish one type of clause from another.

Main Clauses

Every main clause will follow this pattern:
Subject + Verb = Complete Thought
For example:
Hardworking people progress
people= subject; progress = verb
Cola spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter.
Cola = subject; spilled, splashed = verb
Every sentence must have at least one main clause; else, you have a fragment, which is incorrect.

Subordinate Clauses

A subordinate clause will follow this pattern:
Subordinate Conjunction + Subject + Verb = Incomplete Thought
For example:
Whenever hardworking people progress
Whenever = subordinate conjunction; people = subject; progress = verb.
As cola spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter
As = subordinate conjunction;
cola = subject;
spilled, splashed = verbs.
Remember a subordinate clause can never stand alone as complete sentence. To complete the thought, you must attach each subordinate clause to a main clause.
Generally, the punctuation looks like this:
Main Clause +, + Subordinate Clause. Or
Subordinate Clause +, + Main Clause.
For example:
Whenever lazy students whine, Mrs. Anita throws chalk erasers at their heads. Dorothy fetched the paper towels as cola spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter.

Relative Clauses

A relative clause will begin with a relative pronoun [such as who, whom, whose, which, or that] or a relative adverb [when, where, or why].
The patterns look like these:
Relative Pronoun or Adverb + Subject + Verb = Incomplete Thought.
Relative Pronoun as Subject + Verb = Incomplete Thought.
For example:
Whom did Mrs. Anita hit on the head with a chalk eraser
Whom = relative pronoun; Mrs. Anita = subject; hit = verb.
That had spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter
That = relative pronoun; had spilled, splashed = verbs.
Like subordinate clauses, relative clauses cannot stand alone as complete sentences. You must connect them to main clauses to finish the thought.
Look at these revisions of the relative clauses above:
The lazy students whom Mrs. Anita hit in the head with a chalk eraser soon learned to keep their complaints to themselves.
Dorothy fetched paper towels for the cola that had spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter.

Noun Clauses

Any clause that functions as a noun becomes a noun clause. Look at this example:
You really do not want to know the ingredients in Renu’s cake.
Ingredients = noun.
What Renu adds to her stew = noun clause. If we replace the noun ingredients with a clause, we have a noun clause:
You really do not want to know what Renu adds to her cake

Kinds of sentences

Simple Sentences
A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb, and it may also have an object and modifiers. However, it contains only one independent clause.
For example: 
She read.
They moved into a new house.

Compound Sentences

A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses.  These two independent clauses can be combined with a comma and a coordinating conjunction or with a semicolon.

• With a coordinating con junction. For example: “She ran quickly but still did not catch the escaping puppy.”

Note: A comma is not necessary before the conjunction if the second clause does not have a subject before the second verb.

• With correlatives (either-or, neither-nor, not only-but also, both-and): “Either the girl will catch the puppy or the puppy will escape.”
• With a semicolon. For example: “The puppy has been waiting to go outside; finally the day has arrived.”

Some compound sentences are joined by a coordinating conjunction. The coordinators are: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. A helpful hint to help you remember them is the first letter of each coordinator spells “fanboys.”
Other compound sentences are joined with a semicolon. If a semicolon is used, it may or may not have a conjunctive adverb. Some examples of conjunctive adverbs are:

• also 
• then 
• besides 
• so 
• therefore 
• finally 
• hence 
• as a result 
• for example 
• earlier 
• however 
• that is 
• meanwhile 
• in fact

Complex Sentences

A complex sentence contains at least one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Dependent clauses can refer to the subject (who, which) the sequence/time (since, while), or the causal elements (because, if) of the independent clause.
If a sentence begins with a dependent clause, use a comma after this clause. If, on the other hand, the sentence begins with an independent clause, no comma is required to separate the two clauses.
For example:
Though they moved into a new house and started organizing they have not brought all their furniture yet.

Types of Sentences

Depending on what the sentence is trying to convey, there are five types of sentences.

1. Assertive or Declarative sentence 

2. Imperative sentence 

3. Interrogative sentence 

4. Exclamatory sentence 

5. Optative sentence

1. Assertive or Declarative Sentence 
These sentences give information. They make a statement which could either be a universal truth or an opinion. An assertive sentence ends with a fullstop.
For example: 
(a) The maid has not come as yet.
(b) Children love chocolates.

2. Imperative Sentence 
These sentences give a command, a request, advice or a suggestion. Any of the three punctuation marks i.e. full stop, exclamation marks or question mark may be used.
For example: 
(a) Stay quiet. (a command)
(b) Go! (a command)
(c) Will you please help me with the books? (a request)
The imperative sentence allows the speaker to drop the subject. (Since the speaker is speaking directly). Also an imperative sentence that conveys a command begins with a verb.
For example: Pack the car into the garage.
The imperative sentences and assertive sentences can either be positive or negative.

Positive Sentences: 
Assertive: Rohan likes coffee
Imperative: Please come
Negative Sentences: 
Assertive: Geeta doesn’t dance.
Imperative: Don’t go there.
3. Interrogative Sentence 

Sentences that enquire about something or someone are called interrogative sentences. They end with a question mark. These sentences begin with question words or by moving the helping verb before the subject.
For example:
(a) What time is it? (using question word)
(b) Do you have any tissue paper? (moving helping verb)
A fragment of a question can be added at the end of a declarative or imperative sentence. This is called a “question tag”.
For example: 
(a) You are comin g to the party, aren’t you?
(b) Please give me your book, will you?
4. Exclamatory Sentence 
Sentences that exclaim or express emotion are called exclamatory sentences. They end with an exclamatory mark. These sentences may also begin with question words.
(a) What a lovely surprise!
(b) Ah! How nice of you.
(c) Wow! I’m glad you could come.
5. Optative Sentences 
A sentence that conveys a wish, hope or desire is called an optative sentence. They end with an exclamatory mark.
For example:
(a) May you live long!
(b) May the best team win!
(c) Hope for the best!