Interrogative Sentences

If you listen to an everyday conversation, you’ll notice the exchange isn’t simply statements of facts or ideas.
 Of course, these types of statements (called declarative sentences) are part of the dialogue, but unless the conversation is
entirely one-way, chances are you’ll also hear requests or commands (imperative sentences), exclamations (exclamatory
sentences) or questions (interrogative sentences).
 That’s how normal dialogue occurs and in order for your writing to be engaging and interesting, you need to do what comes
naturally in everyday language.
 Sentences that ask a question are called interrogative sentences.
 They’re easy to spot -they always end with a question mark (?).
 But it’s not quite as simple as that.
 All interrogative sentences are not the same.
There are 4 types of Interrogative sentences.
1. Yes/No interrogatives
2. Alternative interrogatives.
3. Wh-interrogatives
4. Tag questions.
Yes/no interrogatives are questions that can be answered with a yes or a no response.
 You probably ask or are asked these questions every day.
Here are some examples of yes/no interrogative sentences:
 Can you spare a dime?
 Did you take your vitamin this morning?
 Do you have your homework ready?
 Are you ready to go?
 Did you go to the game Friday night?
For each of the above questions, the answer will be either a yes or no answer.
Alternative interrogatives are questions that provide for two or more alternative answers.
 In other words, you’re providing a choice.
Examples of alternative interrogative sentences:
 Would you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream?
 Should I call or email you?
 Do you want coffee, tea, or soda?
 Wh-interrogatives sentences begin with a wh-word and call for an open-ended answer.
 A yes or no answer isn’t appropriate for these questions, nor does the question provide alternative answers.
 The answer can be a simple response or complex explanation.
Examples of wh-interrogative sentences:
 What are you doing?
 Where do you live?
 Who is playing in the Super Bowl?
 What is the meaning of this?
 Which songs do you like best?
Tag questions are questions attached or tagged onto the ending of a declarative statement. They transform a declarative sentence into
an interrogative sentence.
Examples:
 You live in the city, don’t you?
 We need to get going now, don’t we?
 There’s a game on today, isn’t there?
 You’re coming to the party, aren’t you?
 Sometimes interrogative sentences are actually declarative sentences that have a question mark at the end.
 If you ask this type of question, the last syllable of the final word in the sentence is spoken with a rising intonation.
 Here are a few examples.
 The bus has already left? The bus has already left.
 The Saints won the Super Bowl?
 It’s snowing in Florida?
 You’ve lost 15 pounds already?
 The Subject of Interrogative Sentences
 The subject of interrogative sentences may not be obvious.
 Typically, you can spot them right after the verb. But there’s a way to make the subject easier to spot.
 Simply rewrite the question into a statement and then the subject is then easy to find.
 Here are some examples below. First you’ll find an interrogative sentence.
 Immediately following is the declarative form of the sentence with the subject underlined.
 Did you clean up your room? You cleaned up your room.
 Has Jack come to visit? Jack has come to visit.
 Is this Jill’s wallet? This is Jill’s wallet.
 Interrogative sentences are the most simple to identify.
 They always ask a question or request information.
 Simply look for the question mark at the end and you’ll have no problem finding or understanding the function of
interrogative sentences.

Exclamatory Sentences
.
 Exclamation marks are reserved for powerful feelings so you won’t find them used to express a matter-of –fact emotion or
serenity, or a sense of calm.
 Instead they deliver a jolt of feeling, which is why they’re so common in everyday speech.
 However, exclamation marks need to be used sparingly in your writing.
 Use them to emphasize a point but be careful not to overdo.
 For instance, can you imagine reading line after line of sentences like this!!
 And when it comes to academic writing, such as essays and reports, don’t use exclamatory sentences at all, unless you are
using them in quotations.
 Grammatically speaking, formal English requires exclamations to begin with either the word what or how.
 But in everyday informal English you’ll find exclamations can begin with any word, as you’ll see in the examples of
exclamatory sentences to follow.
 But first, two more grammar rules you need to know about.
Rule Number One: If the noun in your sentence is plural, the correct choice is what, not how.
 “What exceptional children these are!” is correct.
 “How exceptional children these are!” is incorrect.
 What is acceptable with singular nouns as well.
 “What an exceptional child this is!”
 The emotion portrayed in the above examples is one of astonishment.
 You’ll quickly see that any emotion can be expressed with exclamations.
Rule Number Two: When punctuating an exclamatory sentence, the exclamation mark should be at the sentence end, not in the
middle of the sentence.
 “Fantastic, we closed the deal!” is correct.
 “Fantastic! we closed the deal.” is incorrect.
 Examples of exclamatory sentences
The following sentences are all examples of exclamations.
 See if you can determine the emotion expressed in each:
 No, you did not have permission to stay out this late!
 I can’t figure this out!
 Our team won the championship!
 I don’t know what happened here!
 I simply adore you!
 I just won the lottery!
 My life will never be the same without you!
 Oh, I didn’t see you come in!
 Did you find the emotion easy to determine?
 Here are the emotions the writer had in mind…
 No, you did not have permission to stay out this late! (anger)
 I can’t figure this out! (frustration)
 Our team won the championship! (happiness)
 I don’t know what happened here! (confusion)
 I simply adore you! (love)
 I just won the lottery! (elation)
 My life will never be the same without you! (sorrow)
 Oh, I didn’t see you come in! (surprise)
 After reading the sentences a second time, couldn’t you just feel the emotion?
 There will be times when you see an exclamation mark used in an imperative sentence, like this:
Come here now!
Be sure you don’t use an exclamation mark if you’re using “please” in your sentence. Instead, use a simple period.
Please come here now.
An interrogative sentence can become an exclamation, too. Like this…
What did you do to the dog’s hair!
Exclamatory Words
Exclamatory words are words that generate a strong emotional response. Here is a list of common ones but you can certainly add your
own ideas so you’ll have a quick and ready list of exclamatory words to use in your writing.
 Wow!
 Brilliant!
 Awesome!
 Ouch!
 Amazing!
 Bravo!
 Fantastic!
 Tremendous!
 Sheesh!
 Geronimo!
 Timber!
 Eureka
 Hooray!
 Wowsers!
 Gosh!
 Jeepers!
 Magnificent!
 Unbelievable!
 Exclamatory words that can stand alone as a sentence while expressing emotions or reactions are called interjections.
 Interjections don’t require a subject or verb to express a thought. However, they can be inserted in a sentence by using commas.
 Wow, that was a thrilling ride!
 Brilliant, you solved the puzzle!
 Awesome, you got the job!
 Ouch, that really hurts!
 I don’t know what you feel but, sheesh, I think the food was too expensive!
Declarative Sentences
Possibly the most common sentence type in the English language, declarative sentences are used when you want to make a statement.
Whether it’s a bold statement or a simple fact, the sole purpose of a declarative sentence is to give information. It always ends with a
simple period. And if you’d like to see an example of a declarative sentence, you don’t need to look any further. Actually, every
sentence in this paragraph is a declarative sentence.
You’ll find most of your writing contains declarative sentences, too. Practically all of your essays and reports can be made almost
entirely of this sentence type. If the purpose of your work is to give information with statements of facts, or to state an idea, or to
 argue a point, declarative sentences will do the job. And let’s face it; that’s exactly what information seekers are looking for. Just
remember declarative sentences aren’t designed to elicit a response with a command or question. They simply relay information.
Tip – If you ever have writer’s block, you can jumpstart your writing by simply typing a declarative sentence at the top of your
document. For example, if your report is on marine life, you could get your thought processes going by typing: “Plankton is the most
abundant food source in the ocean.” Then follow through with what, when, where, and how to flesh out your work.
How to Write a Declarative Sentence
Writing simple declarative sentences is a matter of following a simple formula:
Subject + Predicate
Declarative sentences always have a subject and a predicate. The subject can be simple with a noun phrase or it can be a compound
subject. Compound subjects are made of more than one simple subject combined with a conjunction such as and, or, and but.
Here is an example for you.
My coat is red.
Simple Subject – “My coat”
Predicate – “is red”
Katie and I rode our bikes to school.
The word Katie and the word I are two simple subjects joined by the conjunction and to make a compound subject.
A Few More Examples of Declarative Sentences
 I have an appointment at 2:00 today.
 Tomorrow I leave for France.
 I told him dinner will be served promptly at six.
 It’s a nice day for a walk along the beach.
 I think you should wear the blue shirt with the khaki pants.
 We’re going to the movies later this evening.
 After the snow storm, the air smelled fresh and clean.
Compound Declarative Sentences
A compound declarative sentence helps vary sentence length within your writing, thereby making it more interesting to read. You can
write a compound sentence in a variety of ways. Here are a few formulas to keep in mind.
1. A comma and conjunction joins the sentences.
The band played for hours, and the audience went wild.
John had to catch the next flight to Boston, so he packed as quickly as he could.
2. A semicolon joins the two sentences.
The band played for hours; the audience went wild.
John had to catch the next flight to Boston; he packed as quickly as he could.
3. A semicolon plus a transition word.
Transition words are actually conjunctions that are adverbs. Not sure about transition words? No problem. Examples of transition
words are below:
 However
 In fact
 Nonetheless
 Besides
 Instead
 Moreover
 Therefore
 On the other hand
 Nevertheless
And many more…
The house had a new roof and exterior paint; however the pipes were old.
Mary’s essay was phenomenal; in fact, it won the Young Author’s contest.
Jim worked hard everyday; therefore, he expected a raise at the end of the year.
As long as people want or need information, declarative sentences will be there to serve the purpose. When you think about it, it
would extremely difficult to write anything at all without some type of declarative sentence.
 Remember declarative sentences come in all forms: simple, compound and complex. They can make a point quickly or they can
include direct objects, prepositions, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions. Whatever the structure, the purpose remains the same
– to deliver a statement or fact.
The point is don’t let the sentence length confuse you. As long as it states something and doesn’t ask a question, make a command or
an exclamation, it’s a declarative sentence.
You enhance your writing when you use a variety of sentence lengths and structures, which should always be your goal. Writing and
reading, especially, should never be a boring task! (That’s an exclamatory sentence.)

Imperative Sentences
The written word is a marvelous thing. We could discuss the reasons why all day long, but for our purpose here suffice it to say that
through the written word we can express different thoughts and emotions. We do this simply through the words we choose and how
we string them together in a sentence. Each type of sentence can express a different emotion or desire.
Let me give you an example…
Suppose you’re going to be late coming home and need to remind a family member the dog needs to be fed at a certain time. What do
you do? The easiest course of action is to write a note before you leave the house that says, “Please feed the dog at 5 o’clock.” That
written sentence leaves no doubt as to what you want to happen – you’re clearly issuing a request and you’re using an imperative
sentence to do it.
Make Your Request Known
An imperative sentence issues a request, gives a command, or expresses a desire or wish. They differ from sentences that make a
statement (declarative sentences), express strong feeling (exclamatory sentences), or ask a question (interrogative sentence).
Typically, imperative sentences are short and simple, but they can be long, compound or complex sentences as well. Some of the
simplest sentences in the English language are actually imperative sentences consisting of a single verb. Like this…
 Stop!
 Go.
 Hurry!
Depending on the strength of emotion you want to convey, either a period or exclamation mark punctuates imperative sentences.
Examples Of Imperative sentences
 Pour me a glass of water.
 Leave the package at the door.
 Take me to the library.
 Walk through this door and turn left at the next hallway.
 Come over here, look at this specimen, and tell me what you think.
 Put that down now!
 Tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Though it may be considered more polite to use the word “please” in imperative sentences, it’s not necessary. Without the word
attached the sentence is still grammatically correct.
The Stuff Great Ads Are Made Of
Though you won’t see imperative sentences as frequently as declarative sentences, chances are you’ll see them quite a bit when
thumbing through magazines. Or when you’re on the highway driving past billboards or stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. That’s
because imperative sentences are often used as catchy slogans for ads and bumper stickers.
Have you ever seen these imperative sentences before?
 Honk if you like my driving.
 Don’t worry, be happy.
 Have a Coke and a smile.
 Just do it.
You’ll also come across imperative sentences in great literature as well. Actually, the 10 commandments of the Bible are stated as
imperative sentences.
 Honor thy father and mother.
 Do not kill.
 Do not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
These sentences make a command…which is the reason why they’re called the 10 Commandments.
Subjects of Imperative sentences
 Though the subject usually isn’t obvious in imperative sentences, it’s there. The subject is always in the second person and is always
the word “you”. In the sentence examples used earlier the subject isn’t written but is implied.
 (You) pour me a glass of water.
 (You) leave the package at the door.
 (You) take me to the library.
 (You) walk through the door and turn left at the next hallway.
 (You) come over here, look at this specimen, and tell me what you think.
 (You) put that down now!
 (You) tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Imperative Verbs
Naturally, imperative sentences contain verbs in the imperative form, meaning the purpose of the verb in the sentence is to make a
command. Imperative verbs can take on other forms in different sentences, meaning they can be used as the object of a sentence, or as
another verb form, as well.
Imperative Verb Form Non- Imperative Forms
Talk quietly. There’s a lot of talk of a new restaurant.
Walk softly, please. It’s just a short walk to the coffee shop.
Turn off the television. We took a wrong turn and got lost.
Hang up your clothes. There is nowhere to hang your hat.
Clean your room. My job is to clean the table after dinner.
Use imperative sentences to add more depth to your writing. Even in academic papers, imperative sentences have a place. For
instance, “Consider these findings.” or “Look at the facts.” You can use an imperative sentence as a title or headline – the title of this
article is an imperative sentence! Did you notice?