Types of sentences
Statement:
A statement simply states (or says) something. They express a fact, opinion or idea. They do not ask questions, make requests or give commands. Statements are always followed by a full stop. Here are some examples of statements:
The sun is very warm today. I prefer rugby to football. She doesn't like tomatoes.
Command:
A command tells someone or something what to do. We hear many commands in school and at home in order for us to follow instructions. Again, commands are always finished with a full stop. Commands will usually (but not always) begin with an imperative verb - these are sometimes called 'bossy verbs' because they are being bossy and telling you to do something:
Push your chair under the table. Before dinner, wash your hands. Please underline the date.
Question:
A question is a sentence type that we ask in order to gain further information. Questions require an answer (unless it is a rhetorical question which is not meant to be answered!). These sentence types are followed by a question mark.
Did you empty the dishwasher? You have returned the library book, haven't you? Are you okay?
Exclamation:
These are the trickiest of the sentence type and they have very strict rules. An exclamation is a sentence which exclaims something through surprise, delight or possibly shock (always a high-level emotion). The main rule for an exclamation is that they always begin with 'what' or 'how'. However, questions can also begin with these words so we have to check carefully.
Exclamation: How lovely of you to visit!
Question: How are you feeling today?
Exclamations are always followed by an exclamation mark. Sometimes in our writing, exclamation marks are used to show shouting but in grammatical terms, they are used to punctuate exclamatory sentences.
What a goal that was! How extraordinary! What beautiful daffodils you have in your garden!