A declarative sentence is a sentence we use in our daily life to convey a message or to express what is in our mind. They are just normal sentences, conveying an information and do not express any strong emotion or interrogation.
Think about the statements you make in your everyday life like, I have to go to school, I am getting late, the chemistry teacher is absent today etc. These statements are declarative statements. That is, a declarative statement is used to express an idea, communicate a desire or tell an opinion or to share information.
Are the declarative sentences the only statements we make in our daily life? No! In our day to day communication with others we also communicate strong emotions, express anger or frustration, ask questions and express various other emotions; but those will be covered under interrogative, exclamatory or imperative sentences.
Declarative sentences are the most commonly used sentences in our daily life. Below given are few examples of declarative sentences-
1) I am going to college tomorrow.
2) We must study well for the exams.
3) Today we have to attend Physics lab.
4) India is the fastest growing economy.
5) I would like to go to the annual fest.
6) My friend is participating in the cleanliness campaign.
7) We should leave early.
8) My dog likes milk and bread.
9) She looked a little nervous during exams.
10) My father is coming to the hostel tomorrow.
All the above sentences are normal declarations, used to convey a message, thought, information etc; they don’t ask any questions neither do they express any strong emotion.
Declarative sentences always end with a full stop (.).
A declarative sentence is divided into three parts-
All the three parts of a declarative sentence are explained below with the help of suitable examples.
A subject in a declarative sentence is a noun or pronoun about whom the information is being conveyed or who constitute the topic of conversation. We will go through few examples of declarative sentences and identify the subjects in them-
The speaker is making a statement about Ronit; therefore, ‘Ronit’ is the subject.
A pronoun ‘He’ is executing the verb; therefore, the subject in the declarative sentence is ‘He’.
The subject is a noun- ‘man’.
‘Market’ is the subject in above declarative statement.
‘Cat’ is the subject in the above declarative sentence.
Try forming as many declarative statements as you can and identify the subjects.
The part of a declarative statement excluding the subject is known as ‘predicate’; that is, a predicate includes the verb and also other information. Read the below sentences-
Subject- ‘Life’; Predicate- ‘becomes easier if you plan it’.
Predicate- ‘is going to teach us physics today’.
Predicate- ‘got late for the meeting’.
Predicate- ‘was barking incessantly’.
Predicate- ‘judge by appearance’.
Practice by forming other declarative statements and determine their subjects and predicates.
The punctuation mark of a declarative sentence is what makes the sentence different from other types of sentences. A declarative sentence always ends with a full stop (.) as punctuation; in other words any sentence that ends with a full stop (.) is declarative.
There are three basic things you should look upon before declaring a statement as declarative; or, even forming a declarative sentence as given below-
A declarative sentence always ends with a period or a full stop (.). If a sentence doesn’t end with a full stop then you are probably looking at some other type of sentence; perhaps an imperative or interrogative sentence.
All the above sentences are declarative sentences ending with a full stop (.).
Now go through the same sentences with a changed punctuation mark-
The above statements are not declarative as they end with a different punctuation i.e. an exclamation (!).
The next thing you should look into before identifying or forming a declarative sentence is that- they only share information. A declarative sentence doesn’t make requests or expresses emotions, or give a command; it rather just conveys information.
Imperative sentences (making a request or a command) also end with a full stop; but, should not be confused with declarative statements.
For Example-
The above statements are not declarative even though they end with a period (.).
Another point to look into before deciding on whether the given statement is declarative or not or even before forming a new declarative statement is – the subject must always come before the verb.
For example, go through the below sentences-
In all the above declarative statements the subject comes before the verb or the auxiliary verb. If we place the verbs before the statements then the statements no longer remains declarative, like-
The statements become interrogative ending with a question mark (?) and no longer remain declarative. Therefore the correct order of forming a declarative statement is that the subject should always come before the verb.
MCQs Exercises/Worksheet/Activities on Declarative Statements with Answers:
Complete the below given statements with the choices given to make a declarative statement. Check your answers with those provided at the end of the exercise-
1) _________ going home tomorrow.
2) ________ wrote a letter to the head of the department.
3) _______ guard was sleeping on duty.
4) ________ was a good movie.
5) ________ sister was sick.
6) _________ a beautiful car.
7) __________ is pursuing a course in economics.
8) ___________ leaving for Wellington tomorrow.
9) ________ to attend the practical today.
10) _________ someone on the door.
11) ___________ seen the movie many times.
12) _________ studying well for the exams.
13) _________ loves shopping for festival.
14) _______ very cold outside.
15) ________ new car is red on color.
16) _______ going for the annual meet.
17) _________ received the best student’s award.
18) ___________ hates doing homework on Sundays.
19) ________ finding it difficult to meet the demands.
20) __________ fresh in the morning.
Answers:
1)a, 2)c, 3)b, 4)c, 5)b, 6)a, 7)b, 8)c, 9)c, 10)a, 11)a, 12)b, 13)a, 14)c, 15)b, 16)a, 17)c, 18)b, 19)a, 20)b
Identify the Declarative Statements/ (True or False) Exercises/Worksheet/Activities:
Identify the declarative statements from the below given statements and also verify your progress with the answers provided at the end of the exercise. If the statement is declarative, mark it as true; else, mark it as false.
1) The kids are going to school.
2) What a beautiful day!
3) My friend called to wish me good luck.
4) Please don’t judge people on appearance.
5) She is the best teacher in school.
6) Please maintain silence.
7) Cows love greener pastures.
8) Complete the assignment by tomorrow.
9) I am watching a movie.
10) Is she the best teacher in school?
11) The kids love chocolates.
12) Do the kids need longer recess period?
13) He purchased a new bike.
14) Get off my back!
15) Get out from this room.
16) The politician was distributing sweets among the poor.
17) Was it necessary to send him an invitation?
18) Close the door.
19) Switch off the fan.
20) I like strong coffee with lots of sugar on top.
Answers:
1)True, 2)False (Hint: Punctuation), 3)True, 4)False (Hint: Request-imperative), 5)True, 6)False (Hint: Command), 7)True, 8)False (Hint: Command), 9)True, 10)False (Hint: Interrogative), 11) True, 12)False (Hint: Interrogative), 13)True, 14)False (Hint: Punctuation), 15)False (Hint: Command), 16)True, 17)False (Hint: Interrogation), 18)False (Hint: Command), 19)False (Hint: Command), 20)True
Convert to the Declarative Statements Exercises/Worksheet/Activities with Answers:
Place the verb, auxiliary verb and the subject appropriately in the below given sentences to make the sentences declarative. You can change the punctuations or add a suitable noun or pronoun wherever necessary. Answers are given at the end of the exercise.
1) Is it raining outside?
2) Are they expecting better grades this time?
3) Is she participating in the annual fest?
4) Is her car black?
5) It is a beautiful and sunny day!
6) Do I have to complete the home work?
7) Is it working well?
8) Is the principal inspecting the classes?
9) Switch off the lights.
10) Was he listening to the teacher?
11) Were they convinced by the performance?
12) Complete all the pending works by tomorrow.
13) Are we going to the movie today?
14) Is the dog sleeping on the couch?
15) Have you noticed his new attire?
16) Will she cook the dinner tonight?
17) Have they recorded his statement?
18) Am I going to market with him?
19) Is she scared of dogs?
20) Have they been to a hill station?
Answers:
1) It is raining outside.
2) They are expecting better grades this time.
3) She is participating in the annual fest.
4) Her car is black.
5) It is a beautiful and sunny day.
6) I do have to complete the home work.
7) It is working well.
8) The principal is inspecting the classes.
9) I will switch off the lights. (Hint: A command has been changed into a declarative statement)
10) He was listening to the teacher.
11) They were convinced by the performance.
12) I have to complete all the pending works by tomorrow. (Hint: A command is changed into a declarative statement).
13) We are going to the movie today.
14) The dog is sleeping on the couch.
15) You have noticed his new attire.
16) She will cook the dinner tonight.
17) They have recorded his statement.
18) I am going to market with him.
19) She is scared of dogs.
20) They have been to a hill station.
Related Links:
Sentence
Negative Sentence
Interrogative Sentence
Imperative Sentence
Exclamatory Sentence