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.