1.2 What Constitutes a Sentence

What is a Sentence?

In English, sentences consist of various kinds of words (the parts of speech). When various parts of speech are grouped, they can form

  • phrases (groups of related words) or
  • clauses (groups of words that have a subject and a verb).  Clauses can express either complete or incomplete ideas.
  • If the clause expresses a complete idea, it is an independent clause.  A stand-alone independent clause can also be termed a sentence.

What Qualifies as a Sentence?

To quality as a sentence an independent clause must include

  • a subject
  • a complete verb form (sometimes called a predicate)
  • a complete idea
  • proper punctuation
  • capitalization of the first word

What Sentences Can Express

In English, sentences can express statements.

  • The bank manager approved the loan.
  • As soon as Jagmeet reviews the report, he will contact you.
  • Vesna would like to move ahead with the project; however, John would like to wait for more information on the supply chain.
  • Our network is down, so we must reschedule this afternoon’s virtual meeting

In English, sentences can express questions.

  • Stan, have you had a chance to finalize our yearly report?
  • Will IT support be available once we launch our new platform?
  • Why has our supply chain been compromised?
  • How does HR deal with employee complaints about bullying?

In English, sentences can express commands. Commands are also called imperatives.

  • Contact your airline to clarify your baggage allowance.
  • Please complete the report by Monday.
  • Select the “products” tab from the drop-down menu.

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Writing and Critical Thinking Skills for BUSN732 Students Copyright © by Sylvia Vrh-Zoldos and Lillian Mak is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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