Myriora English › Grammar and punctuation › Chapter 2: Sentences
Four kinds of sentence
Ages 5–7Chapter 2 · Lesson 2✓ Watched
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Practise
Ten new questions every time. Answer them all, then check: you get your score, and the working for anything you missed.
In this lesson
- A statement tells, and ends with a full stop.
- A question asks, and ends with a question mark.
- A command tells you to do something, often with a bossy verb.
- And an exclamation starts with What or How, and ends with an exclamation mark.
Your turn
What kind of sentence is this?
Show the answer
It's an exclamation. It starts with How, and it ends with an exclamation mark.
The common mistake
Here's a common mistake. This has an exclamation mark, so lots of people say it's an exclamation. But it's telling someone what to do. So it's a command. A real exclamation starts with What or How.
Try it at home
Sentence switch: say one idea four ways: a statement, a question, a command and a What or How exclamation (The cake is big. Is the cake big? Eat the cake. What a big cake it is!).
Read the whole lesson
Hello, and welcome to Myriora English! There are four kinds of sentence. Each one has its own job.
A statement tells you something. It ends with a full stop: the sun is hot. A question asks something. It ends with a question mark: is the sun hot? A command tells someone to do something. It often starts with a bossy verb: shut the door.
An exclamation shows a strong feeling, like surprise. In grammar tests, a real exclamation starts with What or How. What a huge cake that is! How fast you ran! And it ends with an exclamation mark.
Let's try one together. What kind of sentence is this? Put your coat on. Say it out loud!
A command! It starts with the bossy verb, put, and it tells you to do something. Well done if you said a command!
Here's a common mistake. This has an exclamation mark, so lots of people say it's an exclamation. But it's telling someone what to do. So it's a command. A real exclamation starts with What or How.
Your turn! What kind of sentence is this? Pick the right card. You've got eight seconds, or pause the video. Go!
Time's up! It's an exclamation. It starts with How, and it ends with an exclamation mark.
Quick review. A statement tells, and ends with a full stop. A question asks, and ends with a question mark. A command tells you to do something, often with a bossy verb. And an exclamation starts with What or How, and ends with an exclamation mark. See you next time!