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Working on academic writing assignments, students rarely think about the types of sentences they include in their works. However, there are multiple sentence types that vary in structure, purpose, and use. Why do writers use different types of sentences in their projects? How can a properly selected sentence type predetermine the effectiveness of the whole essay? Once you find the answers to these questions, writing academic papers will become much simpler, while their quality will enhance to a completely different level.
Do you want to express your ideas and thoughts more distinctly? Are you excited about the advancement of the structure of an essay you are working on? Keep reading to find different types of sentences examples and more information about each one of them. Additionally, I will help you understand their prominence and learn how to implement them in the text to achieve the desired results.
What Is a Sentence?
The first time I started researching the different types of sentences, I knew I made a mistake. Before diving into the peculiarities of various sentence types, it is indispensable to deal with definitions. What is a sentence? How many words should be included in one sentence? What are the extra symbols that can be used in the sentence? These are the questions I had to deal with during my study.
A sentence is a fundamental unit of the language that starts with the capital letter and finishes with a period, question mark, or exclamation point. In fact, punctuation can guide inexperienced writers, giving a hint on what type of sentence is used. The content of the unit can be different, but it should be a combination of words aimed at expressing certain ideas, making statements, asking a question, or showing emotions.
What is the min number of elements included in the sentence? It can surely vary depending on the selected style, but in most instances, it should contain a subject, which specifies the theme of the sentence, and a verb, which shows the action of or the attitude to the subject. Take your time to analyze the basics before you immerse yourself in the types of sentences practice.
Four Types of Sentences to Use in Academic Essays
When it comes to writing a sentence structure essay, I try to recall the information about the four different types of sentences available in English. Depending on their purpose, they are divided into declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. What makes them different apart from the goal? Punctuation and use are the extra aspects that can make a difference. Additionally, when it comes to the structure, it also plays a critical role dividing the sentences into simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex. Are you interested in the functions and specifications of each sentence type? Read the information mentioned below to get a deeper understanding of the sentence variety and enhance your chances to write an influential and appealing sentence structure essay.
Declarative Sentence
Declarative is the most common type of sentence used in academic writing. The main idea of this sentence type is to present critical information by making a statement. It tells about the action, event, person, or any other detail. Working on academic projects, I usually use a traditional word order in the declarative sentence, being a subject, verb, and object. Thus, the subject is a noun or pronoun, the verb is a state or an action, and the object can be anything.
“The boy plays the guitar every single day” is the simplest example of a declarative sentence that follows the pattern.
Students who prefer writing an essay in a sentence type know that declarative sentences end with a period. Additionally, it is critical to emphasize that declarative sentences can be further categorized into positive and negative. While the first ones state something, the second ones reject the action or event.
As for the use of declarative sentences, I should mention that it is widely spread in writing and speaking. When people strive to share some information, they use mainly declarative sentences that unveil the details without any biases.
Interrogative Sentence
While the main idea of the declarative essay sentence is to provide readers with critical information, the goal of the interrogative one is to get extra details. When it comes to the definition of the interrogative sentence, most people specify its question form. This category ends with a question mark, so it is complicated to confuse it with others.
If you check out a few examples of interrogative sentences, you will notice a critical discrepancy in the word order, as it starts with the question word, which is followed by the auxiliary verb and a subject. However, I should also mention a similar point, as the interrogative sentences can also be positive and negative.
As for the use of sentence type, it is quite common for everyday speech, academic writing, and other types of methods to express certain ideas. At the same time, one should mind that, unlike the previous type, interrogative sentences do not usually fit in the context, so it may take advanced skills and a lot of practice to thrive with the undertaking. However, it is a great instrument that can be used for the advancement of the essay’s relevance.
Imperative Sentence
The main idea of the imperative sentence is to give commands. An exclamation mark and a period are the punctuation signs that are commonly used in such types of sentences. If you decide to write an imperative sentence in an essay, you may have a hard time implementing it correctly.
The structure of sentences should be taken into account, as it may be a little bit different. Such sentences can have no subject and just contain a verb and extra details. Imperative sentences can also be positive and negative, though.
When it comes to the use of imperative sentences, they are most typical for oral communication, but in some cases, they can be used to emphasize the emotions and mood of the characters.
Exclamatory Sentence
This is the most emotional type of essay sentences, as it is aimed at the expression of strong feelings. It always finishes with an exclamation mark. The structure of such sentences can vary a bit, but there are two most common patterns to follow.
- What + adjective + noun + subject + verb
- How + adjective or adverb + subject + verb
Exclamatory sentences cannot have a negative form. Additionally, they can serve as unique instruments for narrative and descriptive essays, adding a little bit of details, emotions, and feelings to the story.
Extra Writing Tips
Now, when you are aware of the four types of sentence structure, you are ready to start working on the most influential, appealing, and scholarly-looking academic papers. The students who manage to implement their theoretical knowledge in practical assignments have a chance to succeed with every single project. Keep in mind that variety is key, so the more sentence types you use in the essay, the more appealing and decent the text will look.
It is impossible to deny that the undertaking is challenging for inexperienced writers, but following the guidelines, learners have a chance to advance their writing skills and make their papers more authentic. From my personal experience, I can tell that apart from the basic rules, there are a few tips and tricks that may be used in written papers to contribute to their relevance.
- Learn to start your paper with a question. This is the best way to hook the readers and make them excited about the content of the whole piece. An impressive introductory part will draw the attention of the audience to the prominence of the theme and its specifications.
- Imperative sentences are the best for the guidance establishment. Although imperative phrases are more common for oral speech, pro writers will find a way to use them in the papers to present a unique tone of the paper and heat the interest of the readers to the essay.
- Unusual word order will add to your writing style. The subject + verb pattern is not a rule to follow, so you are free to use other scenarios that will make your writing impeccable.
- Ask a question to sum up the key points of an essay. No matter if you want to make another statement or draw conclusions, you can start with a question that will make readers analyze the topic and stay more concerned about it.
FAQ
How Many Types of Sentences Are There?
There are four main types of sentences that include declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory.
What Is the Most Common Type of Sentences Used in Academic Papers?
In the vast majority of instances, writers use declarative sentences working on scholarly papers.
What Are the Functions of Sentences?
Depending on the selected sentence type, its function can also differ. There are sentences aimed at presenting information, emphasizing the emotional appeal, or clarifying some facts.
