According to the purpose of the utterance, we distinguish four kinds of sentences:

  1. Declarative
  2. Interrogative
  3. Imperative
  4. Exclamatory

Overview

Declarative Sentences
A declarative sentence states a fact in the affirmative or negative form. In a declarative sentence the subject precedes the predicate. It is generally pronounced with a falling intonation.

Charles Dickens was born at Landport, Portsmouth. (Laing)
They don’t want anything from us — not even our respect. (Douglas)

There is adifference between English and other languages in negative sentences. Whereas in English the predicate of a sentence can have only one negation, in other languages it can have more than one.

He does not go anywhere.
He never goes anywhere.

Interrogative Sentences
An interrogative sentence asks a question. It is formed by means of inversion, by placing the predicate (or part of it) before the subject (unless the subject of the interrogative sentence is an interrogative word, in which case there is no inversion).

There are four kinds of questions:

#1. General questions requiring the answer yes or no and spoken with a rising They are formed by placing part of the predicate, i. e. the auxiliary or modal verb before the subject of the sentence.

Do you like art?
Can you speak English?

If the predicate is expressed by the verbs to be or to have (the latter expressing possession) used in a simple tense form, the question is formed by placing the predicate before the subject.

Is he at home?
Have you many English books?

Sometimes such questions have a negative form and express astonishment or doubt.

Haven’t you seen him yet?

General questions are sometimes rhetoric questions, they do not require any answer, but are veiled statements expressing some kind of emotion.

Can you commit a whole country to their own prisons? Will you erect a gibbet in every field and hang men like scarecrows? (Byron)

#2. Special questions beginning with an interrogative word and spoken with a falling intonation. The order of words is the same as in general questions, but the interrogative word precedes the auxiliary verb.

Where do you live?

When the interrogative word is the subject of the interrogative sentence or an attribute to the subject, the order of words is that of a statement, i. e. no inversion is used.

Who lives in this room?
Whose pen is on the table?

#3. Alternative questions, indicating choice and spoken with a rising intonation in the first part and a falling intonation in the second

Do you live in town or in the country?

#4. Disjunctive questions requiring the answer yes or no and consisting, of an affirmative statement followed by a negative question, or a negative statement followed by an affirmative The first part is spoken with a falling intonation and the second part with a rising intonation.

You speak English, don’t you?
You are not tired, are you?

Exclamatory Sentences
An exclamatory sentence expresses some kind of emotion or feeling. It often begins with the words what and how, it is always in the declarative form, i. e. no inversion takes place. It is generally spoken with a falling intonation.

What a lovely day it is!
What fine weather! How wonderful!
Beautiful!

Imperative Sentences
An imperative sentence serves to induce a person to do something, so it expresses a command, a request, an invitation, etc.

Commands are characterized by a falling tone.

Come to the board!
Stop talking!

Requests and invitations are characterized by a rising intonation.

Open the door, please!
Do come to see me tomorrow!