Declarative Sentence

Declarative sentences are the most common type of sentence.

Table of Contents

• Examples of Declarative Sentences
• The Word Order in a Declarative Sentence
• Video Lesson
• Other Sentence Types
• Why Declarative Sentences Are Important
• Test Time!

Examples of Declarative Sentences

• Five million people are at risk.
• London is the capital of England.
• I am no wine connoisseur, but I know what I like.
• She asked whether I liked her dress. (Although this is an indirect question, it is still a statement and, therefore, a declarative sentence.)

The Word Order in a Declarative Sentence

The usual word order for a simple declarative sentence is subject-verb-object-place-time.

• The rabbits eat the vegetables in the garden in the early morning. Subject: The rabbits
  Verb: eat
  Direct Object: vegetables
  Place: in the garden
  Time: in the early morning

• Just before the sun rises, the rabbits eat the vegetables in the garden. (This is a complex sentence, i.e., one with a main clause and a subordinate clause. You can see that the word order is different (specifically, the time comes first). You will notice, however, that the subject-verb word order is maintained in both clauses ("the sun rises" and "the rabbits eat"). This is a strong trait of the declarative-sentence structure.)

• Rachel is Irish. (This is a declarative sentence. The word order is subject-verb.)
• Is Rachel Irish? (This is an interrogative sentence. The word order is verb-subject.)

• She asked whether I liked her dress. (The word order of "whether I liked her dress" is subject-verb ("I"-"liked"). This tells us that it is not a question. It is, in fact, an indirect question.)

Video Lesson

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos.

Other Sentence Types

Here are some examples of other sentence types:

• Fetch my umbrella!
• Please bring my umbrella.

• Can you find my umbrella?

• You've broken my umbrella!

Why Declarative Sentences Are Important

Declarative sentences are by far the most common type of sentence. For that reason, if you're learning or teaching English, it is worth learning how they are structured.

For native English speakers, there are two common writing issues related to declarative sentences.

(Issue 1) Don't use a question mark with a declarative sentence (even if it looks like a question).

The most common mistake related to declarative sentences is using a question mark at the end of a sentence that isn't a question.

• The boss has asked when the party starts?
• I wonder if I can reach it ?
• Mark wants to know whether he was selected ? (These are not questions. There should be no question marks.)

• "The boss has asked. " (subject-verb)
• "I wonder. " (subject-verb)
• "Mark wants. " (subject-verb)

• "the party starts" (subject-verb)
• "I can reach" (subject-verb)
• "he was selected" (subject-verb)

(Issue 2) Get the word order right in an indirect question.

This point overlaps with Issue 1. Remember that the word order in an indirect question is the same as for a declarative sentence.

Question Word Order:

• Where is he? (The question word order is verb-subject: verb (is) then subject (he).)

• He is here. (The statement word order is subject-verb: subject (he) then verb (is).)

• I want to know where he is . (The word order is subject-verb: subject (he) then verb (is), i.e., the same as for a declarative sentence.)
• I want to know where is he . (It is a mistake to use question word order in an indirect question.)

Key Points

• An indirect question does not warrant a question mark. Only a direct question does.
• The word order of an indirect question is the same word order as a declarative sentence (subject-verb) not a question (verb-subject).

This page was written by Craig Shrives.