LECTURE 4

Types of Sentences
according to the Aim of the
Speaker
 SUMMARY OF THE PREVIOUS
LECTURE

Sentence is…
Group of words
the expression of a connected in a
complete thought grammatical and
logical way

One of the
A pattern having An utterance used in
essential unit or
a subject and with a certain communicatio
component of
predicate intonation n
Syntax
 SUMMARY OF THE PREVIOUS
LECTURE
 There exist many definitions of a
sentence but none of them is
generally accepted. These
definitions differ from each other
because that the scientists
approach from different view
points to this question. All
definitions fall into logical,
psychological, phonetico-
intonational and formal
 A LOGICAL APPROACH TO
SENTENCE DEFINITION
 The earliest definition of the sentence is logical.
It reads that the sentence is the expression of
a complete thought. Later this definition was
added by the idea of the subject and
predicate to be necessarily present to
express a complete thought.
 A logical approach to a sentence definition is

criticized by American scholars who are of the

opinion that there are too many sentences in
English which have the subject and the predicate
but which don't express a complete thought.
 E.g. Would you give me some bread? Take

some.
 A PHONETICO-INTONATIONAL
APPROACH
A phonetico-intonational approach to
a sentence definition is connected
with intonation presence. It reads that
a sentence is a linguistic unit which has
a definite intonation. So any unit which
lacks an intonation contour (form)is not
a sentence.
 A FORMAL APPROACH
 A formal approach was put forward by
American linguists. They regard a sentence
as a syntactic construction which is not
included into any bigger structure.
 Thus, “He was ill” is a sentence but in “He

says that he was ill” "he was ill" is not a

sentence any more, it is a clause because it is
a part of a bigger unit He says that he was
ill which is a sentence.
 SUMMARY OF THE PREVIOUS
LECTURE
 Despite the great number of definitions any of them
must meet the following demands formulated by B. A.
Iliysh:
 1. It must state the relation of the sentence to thought;
 2. It must take into account the specific structure of the
language in question;
 3. It must leave the room for as many possible varieties
of sentences as can be reasonably expected to occur in a
given language
 1.The rat was eaten by the cat.
 2. It was the cat that ate the rat.
 3. It was the rat that the cat ate.
 4. What the cat did was ate the rat.
 5. The cat, it ate the rat.
 CLASSIFICATION OF SENTENCES

There are 1) types of

2) according
communicatio
many n
to structure
approache
s to
declarative simple
classify
sentences.
B. Ilyish interrogativ
composite
classifies e

sentences
applying
imperative
two
principles:
THE MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA ARE AS FOLLOWS:
1. THE CRITERION OF THE STRUCTURE OF
SENTENCES
2. THE CRITERION OF THE AIM OF THE SPEAKER
3. THE CRITERION OF THE EXISTENCE OF ALL PARTS
OF THE SENTENCE

1 • simple
• composite
criterion
• declarative, interrogative,
2 imperative and
criterion exclamatory

3 • elliptical
• non-elliptical
criterion
 TYPES OF SENTENCES ACCORDING TO
THE AIM OF THE SPEAKER
Types of
Sentences Types of
according to Sentences
the purpose of according to
communicatio the meaning
n

Types of
Sentences Communicativ
according to e types of
the Aim of the sentence
Speaker THE
SAME
 PLAN
 1. The Declarative sentence
 2. The Interrogative sentence
 3. The Imperative sentence
 4. The Exclamatory sentence
 TYPES OF SENTENCES ACCORDING
TO THE AIM OF THE SPEAKER
 According to the purpose of communication we
speak about the following types of sentence;
all of them show marked peculiarities in their
structure.

 1. Declarative sentences expressing a statement;

 2. Imperative sentences expressing inducement;

 3. Interrogative sentences expressing a question.

 4. Some linguists include one more type –

exclamatory sentences expressing people’s

emotions.
 COMMUNICATIVE TYPES OF
SENTENCES.
 The sentence is a communicative unit, therefore
the primary classification of sentences must be
based on the communicative principle.
 In accord with the purpose of communication three

cardinal sentence-types have long been

recognized in linguistic tradition: the
declarative sentence; the imperative (inducive)
sentence; the interrogative sentence. These
communicative sentence-types stand in strict
opposition to one another
 The • expresses a statement, either
declarative affirmative or negative
sentence
The • expresses a question, i.e. a
interrogative request for information wanted
sentence by the speaker from the listener

The • expresses inducement, either

imperative affirmative or negative
sentence
Alongside the three cardinal communicative sentence-types, another
type of sentences is recognized in the theory of syntax, namely,
the so-called EXCLAMATORY SENTENCE. It doesn’t possess any
complete set of qualities that could place them on one and the same
level with the
three cardinal communicative types of sentences.
 THE DECLARATIVE SENTENCES
 This type of sentence may be called basic, when
compared with other types of sentences because
all other types of sentences are the result of
transformation of kernel sentences which are
affirmative in their origin (kernel sentences).
 - they convey some statement. Maybe

because of this fact these sentences are

called declarative.
 - they usually have the falling an intonation

 - usually they have regular order of words

with no inversion.
 THE DECLARATIVE SENTENCE
 The Declarative sentence conveys
some statements, usually have falling
intonation and usual order of words.
 E.g.: We study English at the high

school.
 “We live very quietly here, indeed we

do; my niece here will tell you the

same.” – “Oh, come, I’m not such a
fool as that,” answered the squire (D.
du Maurier)
 THE INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE
 The Interrogative sentence inquires
something, requires answer. There
may be a special interrogative word
and usually there is inversion.
 E.g.: Have you learnt this poem? Yes,

I have. Where do you work?

 There are four kinds of questions:
general, special, alternative and
disjunctive.
 INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
 Interrogative sentences differ from the declarative or
interrogative ones by some their specific features.
 There are two structural types of interrogative sentences in
Modern English – general questions (yes- or no-
questions) and special (or wh-) questions. Both of them
are characterized by having partial inversions:
 Are we staying here?
 Where are we staying?
 Besides, the first one has a special (rising) intonation
pattern. The second one (wh-question) has interrogative
words. But the intonation pattern of wh questions is
identical with that of the affirmative sentences.
 And it is important to point out that the interrogative
sentences require answers (if they are not rhetorical ones).
 THE IMPERATIVE SENTENCE
 The Imperative sentence makes the listener to
perform some action, so it expresses a command,
a request, an invitation, etc. There may be oral or
active response. The verb is always in the infinitive
form without the particle "to". The subject of the
sentence is usually the personal pronoun "you"
and in zero option, i.e. the subject is not
expressed, being sufficiently understood.
 E.g.: Open the door of that room!

Do these exercises for the next lesson.

 IMPERATIVE SENTENCES
 The imperative sentences are opposed to non-imperative
ones because.
 1. In imperative sentences the predicate is used in only
one form in the imperative one, while in non-imperative
sentences predicate may be used in any form except the
imperative.
 2. In imperative sentences no modal verb is used.
 3. The imperative sentences are most often directed to the
second person.
 4. The subject of the imperative sentences are almost always
represented by the zero alternant of you, that is, elliptically.
 5. The imperative sentences urge the listener to perform an
action or verbal response.
 The above said is quite sufficient to characterize the structure
of imperative sentences to be specific and distinct from that
of the structure of non-imperative sentences.
 THE EXCLAMATORY SENTENCE
 The Exclamatory sentence expresses
some kind of emotion or feeling, wish or
desire, it often begins with the words
"what" and "how". Sometimes the
sentence begins with the word "may". Such
sentences are always in the declarative
form with a falling intonation.
 E.g.: What a lovely garden this is!

 How wonderful!

 May your dreams come true!

 Long live our sunny motherland!

 EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES
 The peculiar features of these sentences
are:
 1. exclamatory sentences usually express

some sort of emotion, feeling or the spirit

of the person who pronounces it;
 2. in their structure they have such

introductory words as what and how:

 3. they are always in the declarative form;

 4. there’s usually no inversion;

 5. they are pronounced with a falling

intonation;
IN OTHER WORDS, EACH OF THE CARDINAL
COMMUNICATIVE TYPES OF SENTENCES CAN BE
REPRESENTED IN THE TWO VARIANTS, EXCLAMATORY AND
NON EXCLAMATORY.

Declarative prototypes
What a very small cabin it was! It was a very small cabin.
–Why, if it isn’t my lady! It is my lady.

Interrogative
Whatever do you mean, Mr,Smith? sentences
What do you mean?
Then why in God's name did you
come? Why did you come?

Imperative sentences
Peter, will you please try to speak loudly! Try to speak loudly
Never so long as you live say I made you do
that! Don't say I made you do that
 TO ILYSH’S POINT OF VIEW
SENTENCES ARE DIVIDED INTO:
 1. Declarative including emotional
words;
 2. Interrogative including emotional

words;
 3. Imperative including emotional

words;
 4. Purely exclamatory sentences.

(“Great Heavens!”, “Good Lord!”, etc.)