Sentences and Their Types
ICSE Class 6 · English · Chapter 2
What this chapter covers
- Sentence and phrase
- Subject and predicate
- Kinds of sentences
- Affirmative and negative sentences
- Question formation
- Transitive and intransitive verbs
Key points
- A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense; a phrase does not.
- Every sentence has a subject (who or what) and a predicate (what is said about it).
- In imperative sentences, the subject "you" is usually understood.
- Assertive sentences state, interrogative sentences ask, imperative sentences order or request, and exclamatory sentences show strong feeling.
- The job of a sentence, not its first word, decides its kind.
- Make a sentence negative with "not" after the helping verb, or with do, does or did plus "not".
- After do, does or did, the main verb takes its plain form.
- Form a yes-or-no question by putting the helping verb, or do, does or did, before the subject.
- A wh-question begins with a question word such as what, where, when, why or how.
- A transitive verb has an object; an intransitive verb does not.
Questions answered
Is "on the crowded platform" a sentence or a phrase? Give a reason.
It is a phrase, because it does not make complete sense. It does not tell us who did what on the platform.
Divide into subject and predicate: "The tall boy in the front row answered first."
Subject: "The tall boy in the front row". Predicate: "answered first".
What is the subject of "Bring me a glass of water"?
The subject is "you", which is understood and not written.
Name the kind of sentence: (a) How sweet these grapes are! (b) Please wait here. (c) Who drew this picture?
(a) exclamatory (b) imperative (c) interrogative.
Make negative: "Seema went to the fair."
Seema did not go to the fair.
Make a yes-or-no question: "The children are playing outside."
Are the children playing outside?
Make a wh-question with "where" that asks about the place in this sentence: "Grandmother lives in Shimla."
Where does Grandmother live?
Is the verb transitive or intransitive? (a) The tiger roared. (b) Arjun painted the gate.
(a) intransitive, because "roared" has no object. (b) transitive, because "painted" has the object "the gate".