Author: Emma Soden

What there is to know about sentences
Information about writing sentences

Terms and Definitions
Sentence: a group of words expressing a complete thought. That is, it tells who or want and the action that is performed.
Statement: a sentence informing or telling the reader about something.
Question: a sentence asking something
Command: a sentence telling someone to do something.
Exclamation: a sentence showing strong feeling.
Subject: the part of the sentence information the reader who or what the sentence is about.
Predicate: the part of the sentence informing the reader what the subject is or doing.
Run-on sentence: Two sentences incorrectly written as a single sentence.

The Sentence
Sentences are important to good writing. How do you decide whether a bunch of words on paper is a sentence? What do you have to do to write a sentence? Working through the information, you will learn about sentences and at the same time show you some interesting things about animals. Let’s get started!

What is a Sentence?
A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought. That is, it tells who or what and the action that is performed. Let’s look at some groups of words called sentences.
My dog’s name is Rex.
I feed him and play with him every day.
Rex is a good friends.
He sleeps by my bed.
Rex likes to play in water.
Why are these groups of words sentences? They are sentences because they tell who or what, and they tell you what happens.
Let’s look at this next group of words. These are not sentences. Can you figure out why they aren’t sentences?
Groups of Words Why it isn’t a sentence
My dog It doesn’t let you know what happens to my dog.
Plays with Yuki It doesn’t inform you who plays with Yuki.
Flew by me It doesn’t tell what flew by me.
A big bird It doesn’t show what the big bird does.
Is my sister It doesn’t explain who my sister is.

Let’s try it!
Set #1 A Trip to the Zoo
Read the group of words after each number. If the group of words makes a sentence, write, “This is a sentence.” on the line following the words, If the group of words does not make a sentence, write, “This is not a sentence.” on the line following the words.
Examples
The zoo is close to our school. This is a sentence.
Rode on a bus to the zoo. This is not a sentence.
The class rode on a bus to the zoo. This is a sentence.
Our class went on a trip to the zoo.
We watched the gorilla eat fruit.
Funny monkeys,
Swung from tree branches.
I want to go back to the zoo.
Think about it!
Set #2 More Fun at the Zoo
The following groups of words are not sentences. Do you know why? Let’s make them into sentences by choosing from the group of words listed at the beginning of the exercise. Write the words you select on the line before or after each group of words below to make the group of words a sentence.
Remember: the first word of a sentence must begin with a capital letter.
My friends and I
The lions and tigers
has a lot of big animals
follow their mother
are swinging from branch to branch
The zoo
The tiger cubs
eat only meat.
Some of the monkeys
waved to the monkeys.
Careful!
Remember every sentence must begin with a capital letter.

Key Points!

A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought. A sentence tells who or what and the action that is performed.
I play with my dog.
My dog chases a ball.
My dog likes to play with me.

Kinds of Sentences
Now that you can spot sentences, let’s learn about four different kinds of sentences.
Listed below are the four kinds of sentences.
Statements
Questions
Commands
Exclamations

Statements
A statement is a sentence informing the reader about something. A statement ends with a full stop (.). The sentences below are examples of statements.
German shepherds have pointed ears.
Bassett hounds have long, floppy ears.
Chihuahuas are small dogs.
Questions
A question is a sentence asking something. A question ends with a question mark (?). A question usually begins with one of the following words Who, What, When, Where, Why or How. The sentences below are examples of questions.
Where is the zoo?
What is your favourite animal?
Who is going to the zoo?
When does the zoo close?
Why are the monkeys screeching?
How do the animals get food?

Let’s try it!
Set #3 Polar Bears
Change each statement into a question. Write your question on the line following the statement. Questions usually begin with one of these words: Who, What, When, Where, Why, or How.

Examples
Polar bears live near the North Pole. Where do polar bears live?
Polar bears eat seals and fish. What do polar bears eat?
Polar bears are about 4 feet tall. How tall are polar bears?
Polar bears are excellent swimmers. Who are excellent swimmers?
Polar bears live where it is very cold.
A polar bear’s fur is white.
Male polar bears are between 7 and 10 feet long.
A polar bear usually gives to birth to two cubs.
Humans should not try to bother polar bears

Commands
A command is a sentence telling someone to do something. A command ends with a full stop (.).
The sentences below are examples of commands.
Ugo, please meet me by the bears.
Don’t make a lot of noise around the animals.
Rosa, look at the hawk sitting in the tree.
Don’t feed the animals.

Exclamations
An exclamation is a sentence showing strong feeling, such as excitement, surprise, or fear. An exclamation ends with an exclamation mark (!). The sentences below are examples of exclamations.
Watch out, Khanh!
I really had a good time at the zoo!
The tiger is running towards us!
This is fun!

Think about it!
Set #4 Taking Care of a Pet
Complete each sentence about taking care of a pet as either an exclamation or a command. Use the words provided below to complete each sentence by writing the correct words on the line at the beginning or end of the sentence.

Hint: The end mark will show you whether the sentence is an exclamation or a command.
Remember: The first word of a sentence must begin with a capital letter.

Examples
My dog has grown so big! (Exclamation)
Don’t feed your pet table scraps. (Command)
Our bird is so loud! (Exclamation)
Please feed the cat. (Command)
please clean
dog
chasing a mouse
please pour
is huge
Bonita, walk your
My cat is !
water in your dog’s bowl.
My dog !
your hamster’s cage.

Key points!
Remember that every sentence must have an end mark. The end mark can be a full stop (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation point (!).
A sentence’s end mark show you the type of sentence you are reading.
Commands and statements end with full stops (.)
Questions end with question marks (?).
Exclamations end with exclamation marks (!).
Always use the correct end mark for the type of sentence you have written.

Think about it!
Set #5 Sharks
On the line following each sentence, write whether the sentence is a statement, question,
command, or exclamation.

Examples
Sharks live an average of 25 years statement
Have you ever seen a shark? question
Its teeth are scary! exclamation
Listen to the shark story command
Do you want to learn about sharks?
Great White Sharks can grow up to 14 feet long.
That is a big fish!
Whale Sharks have 300 rows of teeth.
Don’t go in water where sharks are swimming.

Subject and Predicates
Every sentence has two parts: a subject and a predicate.
Subjects
The subject is the part of a sentence informing the reader who or what the sentence is about. In the sentences below, the subject of each sentence is underlined.
The tiger had large, sharp teeth.
Gorillas and chimpanzees have large hands.
A toad is am amphibian.
Let’s try it!
Set #6 Butterflies
For each of the sentences below, underline the subject
Examples
We are learning about butterflies in science class.
My friends and I think butterflies are beautiful.
Butterflies like warm weather
Butterflies have three body parts: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen.
The thorax is the butterfly’s chest.
Maria and I counted six legs on a butterfly
All butterflies have two sets of wings.
The wings and legs are connected to the thorax.

Predicates
The predicate is the part of the sentence informing the reader what the subject is or what it does. In the sentences below, the predicate of each sentence is double-underlined.
The rabbit hops over the rocks.
The snake slithers through the grass.
The shark swims in the ocean.
My dog is very big.
Jose’s dog is funny looking.
Let’s Try it!
Set #7 Spiders
For each of the sentences below, double-underline the predicate.
Examples
Our teacher, Mr Vu, told us about spiders.
Mr Vu teaches the third grade.
He is very nice.
We learned that there are thousands of different kinds of spiders in the world.
Spiders have eight legs.,
Insects have six legs.
Spiders are not insects but rather are arachnids.
Spiders trap insects in their webs.
Key Points!
Every sentence must express a complete thought.
Every sentence must have a subject and a predicate.
The subject informs the reader who or what the sentence is about.
The predicate lets the reader know what the subject is or does.
Think about it!
Set #8 More about spiders
Complete the following sentences and learn about spiders. Draw a line to match each subject to its predicate. After you have done this, write the complete sentences on the lines below. The first sentence has been done for you.
Subject Predicate
Spiders cover each of a spider’s legs.
Webs is at the end of each of a spider’s leg.
Arachnid have eight legs.
A tiny foot is another name for spider.
Thick brushes of hair help spiders trap insects

Spiders have eight legs.
Watch out for run-ons!
A run-on sentence is two sentences incorrectly written as one sentence. The following are examples of run-on
sentences.
Jose owns a dog Ugo owns a cat.
The dog’s name is Max the cat’s name is Felix.
Max likes to chase a ball Felix likes to sleep.
Run-on sentences make your writing hard to understand because you have too many ideas in one sentence not separated by punctuation. Too may ideas written together will confuse your reader. You must correct run-on sentences so your reader doesn’t get confused.
Correcting run-on sentences
There are two ways to correct a run-on sentence. Use the one that works best for you.
Split the run-on sentence into two sentences.
Separate the run-on sentence into two or more sentences and then use end marks (full stop (.), question marks (?), and exclamation marks (!)) and capital letters to write two complete sentences. You can separate each of the run-on sentences written earlier into separate sentences.
Jose owns a dog.
Ugo owns a cat
The dog’s name is Max.
The cat’s name is Felix.
Max likes to chase a ball.
Felix likes to sleep.
or
Correctly punctuate the run-on sentence.
After the first sentence, add a comma (,) and the word and to make one complete sentence. By doing this, you can write the run-on sentences written earlier like this:
Jose owns and dog, and Ugo owns a cat.
The dog’s name is Max, and the cat’s name is Felix.
Max likes to chase a ball, and Felix likes to sleep.

Careful!
You must use a comma (,) followed by the word and when correctly punctuating a run-on sentence.
Let’s try it!
Set #9 Eagles
Use what you have just learned to correct each of the following run-on sentences. Write the corrected sentence or sentences on the line below each run-on sentence.
Examples
The bald eagle is a beautiful bird the bald eagle is our national bird.
The bald eagle is a beautiful bird. The bald eagle is our national bird.
There are nearly 70,000 bald eagles over half of them live in Alaska.
There are nearly 70,000 bald eagles, and over half of them live in Alaska.
A salmon is a kind of fish there are a lot of salmon in Alaska.
A salmon is a kind of fish. There are a lot of salmon in Alaska.
Alaska is a state in the United States many different kinds of animals live there.
Alaska is a state in the United States, and many different kinds of animals live there.
Lots of salmon live in the rivers of Alaska bald eagles like to eat salmon.
The bald eagle is not really bald it has white feathers on the top of its head.
At one time in the English language, the world “bald” meant white that is why they were named bald eagles.
A female bald eagle grows to a height of 36 inches she is taller than the male eagle.
Eagles have wingspan of nearly 90 inches that’s long!
Wrapping it up
A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought. That is, it tells who or what and the action that is performed
There are four kinds of sentences: statements, questions, commands, and exclamations.
Every sentence must have a subject and a predicate and an end mark.
Run-on sentences are not correct English, and they are confusing. They must be corrected either (1) separating the run-on sentence into two sentences or (2) correctly punctuating the run-on sentence by adding a comma (,) followed by the word and after the first sentence.