Overview

When people first started writing, they ran their words together. Theresultlookedlikethis. Then they began finding ways to show how writing would sound if it were read aloud. They used spaces and punctuation to combine words into sentences.

Today we have four kinds of sentences with four different purposes. A declarative sentence makes a statement. An interrogative sentence asks a question. An exclamatory sentence shows strong feeling. An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request.

To express a complete thought, each type of sentence must have a subject and a predicate. The subject names whom or what the sentence is about. The predicate tells what the subject does, has, is, or is like.