A sentence is a group of words that tells a complete thought. Every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark.
Remember: A sentence must make sense on its own. It should not feel like something is missing.
A statement tells something. It ends with a period (.).
Statements give information. If you are just telling something, it’s a statement.
A question asks something. It ends with a question mark (?).
Questions often begin with words like who, what, when, where, why, or how.
A command tells someone to do something. It usually ends with a period (.), but sometimes can end with an exclamation point (!).
Commands can be polite or firm. Look for action words that tell someone what to do.
An exclamation shows strong feeling. It ends with an exclamation point (!).
Exclamations show excitement, surprise, or urgency. The exclamation point tells you to read it with strong feeling.
Sentences can tell, ask, command, or exclaim. Knowing the type of sentence helps you understand the meaning and how it should sound when read aloud.
When you write, think about what you want to say: Are you telling, asking, commanding, or showing strong feeling?