Sentence Functions

What is a Sentence Function?

What is a sentence function? (That's an interrogative sentence)

A sentence function is the purpose of a sentence. (That's a declarative sentence)

How wonderful! (That's an exclamative sentence)

Read on to find out more. (And that's an imperative sentence)

What are the four main sentence functions?

Now that we know what a sentence function is, let's delve a little deeper into the four main sentence functions.

First, take a look at the basic purpose of each sentence function.

• Declarative sentence (makes a statement) E.g. It's warm in Thailand.

• Interrogative sentence (asks a question) E.g. Where is Thailand?

• Exclamative sentence (makes an exclamation) E.g. How beautiful is Thailand!

• Imperative sentence (gives a command) E.g. Stop talking about Thailand!

Let's look at each sentence function in more detail, with examples of how a certain type function in a sentence appears.

Declarative

Declarative sentences are the most common of all sentence functions. We use declarative sentences to:

• Make a statement.

• Give an opinion.

• Provide an explanation.

• Give facts.

We use declarative sentences every day - in informal writing, formal writing, poetry, literature, daily speech, advertising - just about everywhere!

Let's take a look at some examples of declarative sentences.

Fig 1. Example of declarative sentence

Interrogative

Interrogative sentences are used to ask questions and typically require an answer. There are a few different types of interrogative sentences:

• Yes/No interrogatives.

• Alternative interrogatives.

• WH interrogatives.

• Negative interrogatives.

• Tag questions.

Interrogative sentences usually begin with a WH question word (who, what, where, when, why, and how) or an auxiliary verb (are, do, can, may, etc.), and always end with a question mark (?).

Interrogatives that start with a subject are usually tag questions and are commonly used in colloquial speech. For example, 'Butterflies are insects, aren't they?', Or, more informally: 'Butterflies are insects, right?'

Let's take a look at some examples of interrogative sentences.

Imperative

Imperative sentences are mainly used to give a command or make a demand and can be presented in several ways.

• Giving instructions.

• Offering advice.

• Making a wish on behalf of someone else.

• Extending an invitation.

• Giving a command.

There is often no subject present when forming imperative sentences because the subject is assumed to be you, the reader, or the listener. Imperative sentences can end in either a full stop (.) or an exclamation mark (!), depending on the urgency of the command.

Here are some examples of imperative sentences:

Fig 2. Imperative sentence

Exclamative

Exclamative sentences are used to express strong feelings and opinions, such as surprise, excitement, and anger. Exclamative sentences must contain the words What or How and usually end with an exclamation mark (!).

Here are some examples of exclamative sentences:

Sentence functions and sentence structures, what's the difference?

What is the difference between a sentence function and a sentence structure? Sentences can be defined in two ways: by their purpose and by their structure. Be careful not to confuse sentence functions with sentence structures!

Sentence structures are how we form sentences, such as simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences.

Let's break down some sentences based on their function and their structure to highlight the differences.

Function = imperative sentence

This is an imperative sentence because its purpose is to give a command.

Structure = Complex sentence

This is a complex sentence because it contains one independent clause and one dependent clause.

Function = Declarative sentence

This is a declarative sentence because it is declaring a fact.

Structure = Compound sentence

This is a compound sentence because it contains two independent clauses.