Sentence Functions

Test yourself

The Function of Sentences

The way a sentence is shaped tells you the function of the sentence. There are 4 main types or purposes of sentences:

Questions

Questions include asking about something or someone.
Questions are really easy to spot because they end with a ‘?’.
Questions must begin with a certain word, such as what, who, which, why, when, or where.

Exclamations 1

There are 2 types of exclamatory sentences.
One type of exclamatory sentence shows a sense of urgency, passion or anger in the voice.
- Sentences to show a sense of urgency, passion or anger in the voice end in a '!'.
- E.g. ‘I love this game!’, ‘Never eat cheese at night!’ and ‘I hate you!’

Exclamations 2

The other type of exclamation is when you begin with a question word (e.g. what, how, etc.), but you don’t ask a question.
- E.g. ‘What big ears you have!’ and ‘How lovely you look today!’
When you end a sentence with an exclamation mark, you don’t need another piece of punctuation.

Statements

Statements make up the bulk of our language. We use statements all the time.
A statement is any sentence that is providing a fact, an opinion or a new piece of information.
- E.g. ‘John likes jelly’ is a statement providing us with new information about John.
- E.g. ‘Mary went to the shop’ also tells us something new about Mary.

Commands

Command sentences are called imperatives.
Command sentences are used when you are insisting on someone doing something, or giving them an order.

Commands examples

The subject of the command sentence is always omitted, but it is implied that it is the second person ‘you’.
- ‘Get in the car’ is implying that 'you' should get in the car.
- ‘Stop that’ is implying that 'you' should stop that.
- If you wanted to add intensity to the expression, you would add the exclamation mark at the end of the command.

1Spelling

1.1Spelling

1.1.1Hard 'U' & 'I' Sounds

1.1.2Words Ending in '-sure', & '-mure'

1.1.3Words Ending in '-sion'

1.1.4'Ei', 'Eigh' & 'Ey' Spellings

1.1.5Spelling Words with 'Ch'

1.1.6Spelling Words with 'Sc'

1.1.7Silent Letters

1.1.8i Before e Rule

1.1.9Hard & Soft 'c' Sounds

1.1.10End of Topic Test - Spelling

1.2Prefixes

1.2.1'Anti-' & 'Auto-'

1.2.2Not & 'Inter-'

1.2.3'Mis-', 'Dis-' & 'Re-'

1.2.4'Sub-' & 'Super-'

1.3Suffixes

1.3.1Vowel Suffixes

1.3.2Short Vowel Suffixes

1.3.3Suffixes: '-ous'

1.3.4Rules for Suffixes: '-ous'

1.3.5Rules for Suffixes: '-ous' 2

1.3.6Suffixes: '-ly'

1.3.7Suffixes: '-ation'

1.3.8Suffixes: '-ation' 2

1.3.9Spelling: '-tion' Endings

1.3.10Spelling: '-sion' Endings

1.3.11Spelling: '-ssion' Endings

1.3.12Spelling: '-cian' Endings

1.3.13End of Topic Test - Prefixes & Suffixes

1.4Making Words Plural

1.4.1Plurals

1.5Homophones

1.6Word Meanings

1.6.1Homonyms

2Punctuation

3Grammar

3.1Word Classes

3.1.1Nouns

3.1.2Pronouns

3.1.3Verbs

3.1.4Adjectives & Adverbs

3.1.5Qualifiers & Quantifiers

3.1.6Determiners

3.1.7Prepositions

3.1.8Synonyms & Antonyms

3.1.9End of Topic Test - Word Classes

3.2Conjunctions

3.2.1Coordinating Conjunctions

3.2.2Subordinating Conjunctions

3.3Writing Coherently

3.3.1Building Cohesion in Writing

3.3.2Avoiding Ambiguity in Writing

3.4Verbs

3.4.1Subject-verb Agreement

3.5Modal Verbs

3.5.1Modal Verbs

3.5.2Can & Could

3.5.3May & Might

3.5.4Should & Shall

3.5.5Will & Would

3.5.6Must & Have To

3.6Phrasal Verbs

3.6.1Phrasal Verbs

3.7Subjunctive Verbs

3.7.1Subjunctive Verbs

3.7.2End of Topic Test - Verbs

3.8Sentences

3.8.1Subject of a Sentence

3.8.2Object of a Sentence

3.8.3Main & Subordinate Clauses

3.8.4Simple Sentences & Compound Sentences

3.8.5Complex Sentences

3.8.6Relative Clauses

3.8.7Relative Clauses Without Relative Pronouns

3.8.8Participle Clauses

3.8.9Run-on Sentences

3.8.10Sentence Functions

3.8.11End of Topic Test - Sentences

3.9Tenses

3.9.1Present Tense

3.9.2Past Tense

3.9.3Past Tense Using Have

3.9.4Future Tense

3.9.5Present vs Past vs Future

3.9.6Continuity of Tenses

3.9.7End of Topic Test - Tenses

3.10Adverbials

3.10.1Adverbial

3.10.2Saying Where & When

3.10.3Saying How Often

3.10.4Saying How & Why

3.10.5Using Commas for Fronted Adverbials

3.11Language Techniques

3.11.1Figurative & Emotive Language

3.11.2Active & Passive Voice

3.11.3Idiomatic Expressions

4Decoding Words

4.1Common Word Roots

4.1.1End of Topic Test - Common Root Words

4.1.2Saving

4.1.3Certainty & Clarity

4.1.4New & Alone

4.1.5Believing & Thinking

4.1.6End of Topic Test - Common Root Words 2

4.1.7Carrying & Leading

4.1.8Shape & Place

4.1.9Doing & Making

4.1.10Climbing & Going

4.2Common Prefixes

4.2.1For & Against

4.2.2End of Topic Test - Common Prefixes 2

4.2.3All & Same

4.2.4Away & Far

4.2.5Colour & Shape

4.2.6End of Topic Test - Common Prefixes

4.2.7Back & Down

4.2.8Numbers

4.2.9Across & Through

4.2.10Life & Earth

4.2.11Empty & Broken

4.2.12Great & Greater

4.2.13Hearing & Speaking

4.2.14Apart & Together

4.2.15Over & Under

4.2.16In

4.2.17Less & Smaller

4.2.18Before & After

4.3Common Suffixes

4.3.1Characterised By

4.3.2End of Topic Test - Common Suffixes

4.3.3Disease

4.3.4Lover & Lacking

4.3.5Belief & Study

4.3.6People

4.3.7State & Quality

4.3.8End of Topic Test - Common Suffixes 2

4.3.9Sound & Colour

4.3.10Capable & Relating

5Reading & Writing

Jump to other topics