The sentence is the largest independent unit of grammar, a string of words that expresses a complete idea and contains a subject with or without a verb. It is also a string of words arranged in a particular order to convey a fact, ask a question or make a command.
Sentences come in four basic types: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. Each type has a distinct purpose: to express a fact, pose a question, issue an order or a statement, and to express a strong feeling.
The simplest sentences are called simple sentences and have one independent clause with a subject and a verb. Compound sentences have more than one independent clause and use coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so, known as FANBOYS) to join them together. Complex sentences have more than two independent clauses and use subordinating conjunctions, which are words like because, since, although, unless, and while.
Understanding how a sentence is constructed allows you to identify grammatical errors and improve your writing. A writer who can write a well-formed sentence is a writer who can communicate clearly. Moreover, a writer who understands how a sentence is structured can analyze great sentences and learn from them. This article will provide you with an introduction to sentence structure, its components and some examples of different kinds of sentences. It will also help you develop a better vocabulary of sentence structures, and show you how to use Grammarly’s AI Sentence Rewriter to correct your mistakes and improve your writing.