Sentence | Phrase and Clause | Parts of Speech

The Sentence

When we speak or write we use words. We generally use these words in groups; as There are beautiful flowers growing in the garden.

A group of words like this, which make complete sense, is called Sentence. A sentence is the basic unit of language which express a complete thought.

Sentences are of four kinds:

1. Declarative or Assertive Sentences:

A sentence that makes a statement or assertion is called a Declarative or Assertive sentence. This is the most common type of  sentence. Generally, it ends with a full stop.
E.g. : Humpty Dumpty set on a wall. The Dog is happy.

2. Interrogative Sentence:

A sentence that asks a question is called an Interrogative sentence. It ends with a question mark (?). E.g. : Where do you live ? Is the dog happy?

3. Imperative  Sentences:

A sentence that expresses a command or an entreaty is called an Imperative sentence. These sentence express  commands, requests, or entreaties. E.g. : Be quite. Have mercy upon as.

4. Exclamatory Sentence:

A sentence that express strong feeling is called an Exclamatory sentence. It ends with an exclamation mark (!). E.g. : How cold the night is ! what a shame !

Subject And Predicate

When we  make a sentence-

• We name some person or thing; and
• Say something about that person or thing.

In other words, we must have a subject to speak about  and we must say or predicate something about that subject. Hence every sentence has two parts-

• The part which names the person or thing we are speaking about. This is called the Subject of the sentence.
• The part which tells something about the subject. This is called the Predicate of the sentence.

The subject of a sentence usually comes first, but occasionally it is put after the predicate. E.g. :   Here comes the bus.   Sweet are the uses of adversity.

In Imperative  sentences the subject is left out. E.g. : Sit down.    Thank him.

The Phrase And The Clause 

Examine the group of words "in corner". It makes sense, but not complete sense. Such a group of words, which make sense, but not complete sense, is called Phrase. In the following sentences, the group of words in italics are phrases:-

• The sun rises in the east.
• Humpty Dumpty set on a wall.
• There came a giant to my door.
• it was a sunset  of great beauty.
• The tops of the mountains were covered  with snow.
• show me how to do it.

Examine the group of words in italics in the following sentences;-  

• He has a chain of gold.
• He has a chain which is made of gold.

we recognize the first group of words as a phrase. The second group of words,unlike the phrase of gold, contains a subject (which) and a predicate (is made of gold). Such a group of words which forms part of a sentence, and contains a subject and a predicate, is called a clause. In the following sentences, the groups of words in italics are clauses:-

People who pay their debts are trusted.

We cannot start while it is raining.

I think that you have made a mistake.

Parts Of Speech:

Words are divided into different kinds or classes, called Parts of speech, according to their use ; that is, according to the work they do in a sentence. The parts of speech are eight in number :-

More detailed information on all eight types of Part of Speech will be provided separately.

1. A Noun is a word used as the name of a person, place, or thing. E.g. :

Akbar was a great King.

Kolkata is on the banks of the river Hooghly.

The rose smells sweet.

The sun shines bright.

His courage won him honour.

Note: The word thing includes

a) all objects that we can see, hear, taste, touch, or smell; and

b) something that we can think of, but cannot perceive by the sense.

2. An Adjective is a word used to add something to the meaning of a noun. E.g. :

He is brave boy.

There are twenty boys in this class.

3. A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun. E.g. :

John is absent, because he is ill.
The books are where you left them.

4. A Verb is a word used to express an action or state. E.g. :

The girl wrote a letter to her cousin.
London is a big city.
Iron and Copper are useful metals.

5. An Adverb is a word used to add something to the meaning of a verb, an adjective, an another adverb. E.g. :

This flower is very beautiful.
She pronounced the word quite correctly.
He worked the sum quickly.

6.  A Preposition is a word used with a noun or a pronoun to show how the person or thing denoted by the noun or pronoun stands in relation to something else. E.g. :

There is a cow in the garden.
The girl is fond of  music.
A fair little girl sat under a tree.

7. A Conjunction is a word used to join word or sentences. E.g. :

Shyam and Mohan are cousins.
I ran fast, but missed the train.

8. An Interjection is a word which expresses some sudden feeling. E.g. :

Alas ! She is dead.
Hurrah ! India won the match.

A determiner or determinate is a word,phrase, or affix that occurs together with a noun or noun phrase and serves to express the reference of that noun or noun phrase in the context.

Determiners are words like a, an, the, this, that, these, those, every, each, some, any, my, his, one, two, etc., which determine or limit the meaning of the nouns that follow.

Important Notes:

As words are divided into different classes according to the work they do in sentences, it is clear that we cannot say to which part of speech a word belongs unless we see it used in a sentence.

They arrived soon after. (Adverb)

They arrived after us. (Preposition)

They arrived after we had left. (Conjunction).