Unit 2
Sentences
Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this unit, the learner will be able to:
|
Prerequisites
|
What do you think is the purpose of a language? Most obviously, communication. While we are communicating with someone, we ask questions, we make statements, sometimes we make a request. In fact, we are able to distinguish whether someone is asking a question or making a request. Imagine that you are asked to write an article for a newspaper. What techniques will you use to communicate with your readers? How can your reader understand whether you are asking a question or expressing your anxiety or anger? Let us see. |
Key words
Sentences, Subject, Predicate, Assertive, Imperative, Interrogative, Simple, Compound,Positive and Negative sentences
Discussion
Read the following sentences.
He is cooking food for the guests.
He is cooking food for the guests!
Is he cooking food for the guests?
Do you think that all the above-mentioned sentences have the same meaning? If not, what makes each one of them different from the other? Note down your observations.
3.2.1 What is a Sentence?
Read the following list of words given below.
scientist Mohan is a.
What do you think about it? Is it a sentence? No, it is only a group of jumbled words. Now let us rewrite the above list of words in such a way that it conveys a meaning.
Mohan is a scientist.
Now you might have understood that every group of words is not a sentence. A sentence is a group of words which expresses a complete thought. When a set of words are put together to convey a meaning, it is called a sentence
Eg: Mohan is a scientist.
Which book is Mohan reading now?
Please give me Mohan’s address
Hurrah! Mohan’s team won the match.
3.2.2 Subject and Predicate
Look at the following sentence and answer the questions.
Mohan is a scientist.
What is the name of the person that
we are talking about?
Ans: Mohan
What is Mohan’s profession?
Ans: Mohan is a scientist
Subject and Predicate are two main components of a sentence. The Subject is the naming part in a sentence. It names the person, place or thing that we are talking about. It includes all the words which describe the Subject. The Predicate is that part of the sentence which tells something about the Subject.
Eg: Mohan is a scientist.
Subject: Mohan
Predicate: is a scientist.
Eg: Mohan is living in a palace.
Subject: Mohan
Predicate: is living in a palace.
Eg: That man wearing a red shirt is
working with Mohan.
Subject: That man wearing a red
shirt
Predicate: is working with Mohan.
3.2.3 Types of Sentences
Sentences are divided into four classes based on their word order and meaning.
3.2.3.1 Assertive Sentence
Action speaks louder than words.
Delhi is the capital of our country.
The above-cited sentences express certain facts. A sentence which explains a fact or makes a statement or an assertion is known as an Assertive Sentence. It is also known as a Declarative Sentence. It ends with a full stop.
3.2.3.2 Interrogative Sentence
What is your ambition?
Are you going to town?
Generally, sentences which begin with question words are called questions. An interrogative sentence is a sentence which asks a question. It should end with a question mark (?).
Interrogative sentences are classified as;
- Yes or No Interrogatives
Are you happy?
Can you write well?
What are your answers to the above questions? Probably, Yes or No.
Yes or No Interrogatives are questions which demand a Yes or no answer.
- Wh-interrogatives
What is your name?
Where are you studying?
Unlike the Yes or No Interrogatives, the above-mentioned questions ask for information. Questions which begin with question words, such as who, what, where, whose, which, when, how, etc. are termed as Wh- interrogatives.
Question Tags
Look at the following sentence:
You have a sister, don’t you?
In the above sentence, a statement is followed by a short question which is asking for confirmation. Now read the following sentence:
He is very happy today, isn’t he?
Here the short question isn’t he is used to emphasize the statement. Such short questions which are used to emphasize a statement or to express an opinion, probability etc. are called Question tags or tag questions. It consists of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun. If there is no auxiliary, the do form of the verb is used in the question tag. Rules of question tags are as follows:
General rule regarding the question tag is that, if the statement is positive, tag is negative and if the statement is negative, tag is positive.
Eg: He is a pilot, isn’t he?
They are helping the poor man, aren’t they?She doesn’t have a car, does she?
He walked through the forest, didn’t he?
She can sing well, can’t she?
Note: If a sentence has the following semi-negative or negative words, the tag is positive
Hardly, scarcely, barely, seldom, few, little, no, none, neither, nothing, etc.
Eg: He rarely visits his home, does he?
- The Question tag for an imperative sentence is will you? But won’t you? is used to indicate urgency.
Eg: Please, lend me a book, will you? - For suggestions or proposals be-ginning with Let us, the tag is shall we?
Eg: Let us go for a movie, shall we? - The tag for sentences beginning with I am is aren’t I? The tag for sentences beginning with I am not is am I?
Eg: I am reading, aren’t I?
I am not very greedy, am I? - Didn’t is the tag used for sentences which have used to in them
Eg: They used to play hockey in their school, didn’t they?
She used to draw well, didn’t she? - For sentences beginning with this or that, the pronoun it should be used in the tag.
Eg: This is a wonderful idea, isn’t it? That was your old car, wasn’t it?
Note: If the subject of the statement is there, the tag must have the same subject there.
Eg: There were many flowers in my garden, weren’t there?
If the subject of the statement is any one of the following, they is used in the tag;
Somebody, someone, anybody, anyone, nobody, none, neither, none of, no one, etc.
Eg: Anyone can solve this problem, can’t they?
If the subject of the statement is one, the tag must have the same subject one.
Eg: One should believe in one’s ability, shouldn’t one?
3.2.3.3 Imperative Sentence
Read the following sentences.
Get out of the room.
Please help me to clean the room.
The former sentence is an example of a command and the latter is a request. A sentence which makes a command or wish or request is known as an Imperative sentence.
3.2.3.4 Exclamatory Sentence
Sometimes we express our sudden feelings or emotions in a few words like:
What a huge building!
Oh! What a nice idea!
A sentence which expresses a sudden feeling or an emotion is known as an Exclamatory sentence. It ends with an exclamation mark (!).
3.2.4 Transformation of one sentence type to another.
3.2.4.1 Statements to Questions
Statements can be converted into questions in different ways:
a) He can study well. (Statement)
Can he study well? (Question)
Terrorism is a crime. (Statement)
Is terrorism a crime? (Question)
The above statements are converted into questions by inverting the word order.
b) London is the capital of England.(Statement)
Which is the capital of England? (Question)
He is staying at my aunt’s house. (Statement)
Where is he staying? (Question)
Here we have used question words for the conversion of statements to questions.
He loves travelling. (Statement)
Does he love travelling? (Question)
He built a new house. (Statement)
Did he build a new house? (Question Using do forms is another method of conversion
3.2.4.2 Questions to Statements
Is it good to revise your topics before the examination? (Question)
It is good to revise your topics before the examination. (Statement)
Why don’t you try to help him? (Question).
You should try to help him. (Statement
Why couldn’t you go to sleep earlier? (Question)
You should go to sleep earlier. (Statement
Why are you wasting your time by playing online games? (Question)
You should not waste your time by playing online games. (Statement)
3.2.4.3 Exclamatory Sentences to Assertive Sentences
What a lovely scene it is! (Exclamatory)
It is a lovely scene. (Assertive)
What a hot climate it is! (Exclamatory)
It is a hot climate. (Assertive)
Wow! What a delicious dessert! (Exclamatory)
It is a delicious dessert. (Assertive)
How clever she is! (Exclamatory)
She is very clever. (Assertive)
What a thrilling experience it was! (Exclamatory)
It was a thrilling experience. (Assertive)
3.2.4.4 Assertive Sentences to Exclamatory Sentences
He behaves like a child. (Assertive)
How childish he is! (Exclamatory)
The park is very crowded. (Assertive)
How crowded the park is! (Exclamatory)
It is a haunted place. (Assertive)
What a haunted place it is! (Exclamatory)
This flower is beautiful. (Assertive)
What a beautiful flower it is! (Exclamatory)
He is making a lot of noise. (Assertive)
What a noisy person he is! (Exclamatory)
3.2.4.5 Imperative Sentences to Interrogative Sentences
Speak louder. (Imperative)
Will you speak louder? (Interrogative)
Keep the books on the shelf. (Imperative)
Will you keep the books on the shelf? (Interrogative)
Take him to hospital. (Imperative)
Will you take him to hospital? (Interrogative)
Talk properly. (Imperative)
Will you talk properly? (Interrogative)
Walk fast. (Imperative)
Will you walk fast? (Interrogative)
3.2.4.6 Imperative Sentences to Assertive Sentences
Let him take some rest. (Imperative)
He should be allowed to take some rest. (Assertive)
Don’t tell lies. (Imperative)
You should not tell lies. (Assertive) Listen carefully. (Imperative)
You should listen carefully. (Assertive) Don’t play with fire. (Imperative)
One should not play with fire. (Assertive) Obey the laws of the government.(Imperative)
One should obey the laws of the government. (Assertive)
3.2.5 Simple, Compound, Complex Sentences
Based on the Clause structure, sentences are classified into Simple, Compound and Complex.
Note: What is a Clause?
A group of words which contains a subject and a predicate and forms part of a sentence is termed as Clause.
Eg: When it rained, they stopped playing.
The two clauses in the above sentence are when it rained and they stopped playing.
Clauses are of two types;
a) Main clause/ Principal clause- Clause which contains the main idea of the sentence.
b) Subordinate clause/ Dependent clause-Clause which does not have an independent meaning, but depends upon another clause to convey a complete thought.
Eg: When it rained, they stopped playing.
Main clause: They stopped playing.
Subordinate clause: When it rained.
3.2.5.1 Simple Sentence
Look at the following sentences: Radha is a smart girl.
Did she arrive yesterday?
She went to church to pray.
All these sentences have only one Main clause, i.e., a clause which contains the main idea of that sentence. Such a sentence which has only one Main clause is termed a Simple sentence.
3.2.5.2 Compound Sentence
Look at the following sentence:
Radha went to the bookstall and bought some new books.
The above sentence has two parts;
- Radha went to the bookstall.
- She bought some new books.
These two parts are joined by the conjunction and. Each of these parts has an independent meaning. In other words, the above sentence has two Main clauses. A sentence which has two or more Main clauses are termed a Compound sentence. In a compound sentence, the clauses are mainly joined by co-ordinating conjunctions like and, but, or, etc.
Eg: She was very sick, so she took medicines. She is a short girl, but she runs fast.
3.2.5.3 Complex Sentence
Look at the following sentence:
As she was a brilliant student, she answered all the questions.
The above sentence has two clauses;
- As she was a brilliant student.
- She answered all the questions
The above-cited sentence has one Main clause and a subordinate clause. A sentence which has only one Main clause and two or more subordinate clauses is termed a Complex sentence.
Eg: Although she is tired, she chose not to take rest.
While she was cooking food, all her friends were watching television.
3.2.6 Positive and Negative Sentences
Read the following sentences:
He is a thief.
He is not a thief.
How is the first sentence different from the other? The negative word not changes the entire meaning of the above-mentioned sentences. A Positive sentence is an affirmative sentence without any negative words, such as not, no, never, neither…nor, not at all, etc.
Eg: The sun sets in the west. India won the first T-20 world cup.
A Negative Sentence is a sentence which has any of the following negative words; no, not, never, none, nothing, nowhere, neither…nor, no one, hardly, scarcely, barely etc.
Eg: He has done nothing to win the election.
Recap
|
Objective Questions
|
Answers
|
Assignments
|
Suggested Reading
|