Sentence Essentials

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

• What things are required to make a sentence?

As long as there is a minimum of a subject, verb, and complete idea, it's a sentence. But it gets increasingly complex from there (and compound, too)!

A subject tells who or what is the primary actor of the sentence. This is who or what the sentence is about.

A verb tells what the subject is doing or being.

The most basic, simple sentences can be made of two words.

He ran.

It is.

Rex, sit!

As long as there is a simple subject, a verb, and it expresses a complete thought, it's a sentence.

There are four basic types of sentences. They are defined by purpose and differentiated by punctuation.

Declarative

• simple statements that relay information
• punctuated with a period

Example: I want pizza for dinner.

Exclamatory

• expressions of significant emotion like surprise, excitement, or anger

Example: Oh my goodness!

Imperative

• command or instruction
• can end with a period or exclamation mark

Example: Do these dishes!

Interrogative

• a question statement
• punctuated with a question mark

Example: Could you pick me up at 6:30?

• Ready for a quick review?

To recap:

• A sentence has to have a subject, a verb, and express a complete thought.
• There are four sentence types: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory.
• Each has its own purpose and punctuation rules.

Click through to the Got It? section to continue applying what you've learned about sentences.