4.1 Proper sentences
A sentence is a group of words that are put together to give a complete piece of information. There are no rules for how many words there has to be in a sentence.
A sentence must make sense on its own, begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
Activity 24 Recognising sentences
Allow about 5 minutes
Read each group of words below. Check the box next to the ones you think are sentences.
Discussion
Only two of these examples are sentences: ‘This is my favourite programme’ and ‘Send me a text tomorrow.’ They are the only ones that make sense on their own.
A sentence can also ask a question or give a command. For example:
Where are you going?
Go away!
Activity 25 More recognising sentences
Allow about 5 minutes
Select which of the statements below you think are sentences.
Discussion
The only three statements that make sense are ‘What time does the film start?’, ‘Be quiet!’ and ‘He was late.’ These are all sentences.
The other two statements seem to have words missing and don’t make sense.
OpenLearn - Everyday English 1
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