Different Types of Sentences
Take a look at these two excerpts.
Take a look at these two excerpts.
1.
"I don't know why you thought it was okay."
"I made a mistake. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well, I don't think we can be friends anymore."
"Drama queen. I want a soda."
2.
"I don't know why you thought it was okay!"
"I know! I know! I made a mistake! I'm sorry! Now can you please get over it?"
"Yeah, well, I don't think we can be friends anymore."
"Drama queen. Now get me a soda."
Which one is more interesting to read? The second one, right? What do you think makes it so? One reason could be different kinds of sentences. Take a look at these different kinds:
1. Interrogative
2. Declarative
3. Exclamatory
4. Imperative
If you're going whaaaat, hang on! Let's break this down. Interrogative is the question sentence, like: "Now can you please get over it?" Hmm . . . let's see what could help us remember . . . cake! What would you do if you were at a birthday party and someone announced that you were going to eat interrogative cake, instead of vanilla or chocolate? Ask questions, right? That can help you remember that interrogative (cake) has questions. A declarative sentence is a statement. Often, writing can tend to be lots and lots of declarative sentences, like the first example did. You need to have a variety! Some examples of declarative sentences are: "Yeah, well, I don't think we can be friends anymore," and "Drama queen." Do you know why "Now get me a soda" is NOT a declarative sentence? Because it's imperative! Not all sentences that end with a period are declarative. Do you know anyone bossy? An employee or friend? Maybe it is yourself! People who are sometimes bossy like to be in charge and sometimes they give commands. An imperative sentence is a command. It doesn't matter if you say please, if your mom is telling you to clean up your room, or if you are on your knees and begging. It's still declarative! Picking apart these two sentences can be a little tricky. Have you ever asked two people the same thing and got two of the same kind of answers? Well, that could be just the thing to help you remember. If you were asking them about wanting an apple, the conversation could go like this:
Donald Declarative:
"Yeah. Apples are nice. I really want one."
Izzy Imperative:
"Ooohh . . . please get one."
The difference between the two are that Donald Declarative is simply stating facts- he wants an apple. Izzy Imperative, however, is asking you to go get her one. Exclamatory sentences get excited! Often, they end in exclamation points! Like! I! Am! Right! Now! Can't you just see this sentence jumping up and down on a pogo stick? An example of exclamatory sentences from our example are: "I know! I know! I made a mistake!" A sentence to help you remember this could be: "Edna Exclamatory is often in fits of ecstasy."
Want to practice more? Print a worksheet, lesson, and other printables here for some more practice.
Figurative Language
There are lots of figurative language. Today, we are going to be discussing similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, idioms, and hyperboles. You ready?
Section 1: Similes and Metaphors
Similes and metaphors both compare one thing to another. However, a metaphor says that the thing we are comparing to something else is that thing, while simile compares it using "like" or "as." If we were comparing a hot day at the beach to the Sahara desert, a metaphor would say something like: "The Saturday morning at the beach was the Sahara desert." Our clue that this is a metaphor instead of a simile is the word was. The words was and is are key words for metaphors. If it was a simile, it could say something like: "The Saturday morning at the beach was like the Sahara desert." Our clue that this is a simile is the word like. Like and as are key words for similes.
Section 2: Personification
Look at the word personification closely. What do you see? If you just try to pronounce it like it's spelled, you'll say "person." That's because we are turning the item we are talking about into a "person!" Let's pretend we were talking about the wind. "The wind blew around us" is boring. "The wind danced and spun around us, knocking us off our feet" is an example of personification and sounds more interesting.
Section 3: Onomatopoeia
Though "onomatopoeia" is a big word, you've heard it a lot of times before. Onomatopoeia are sound words, like BAM!, POP!, and hiss. Onomatopoeia is a great way to start stories and chapters.
Section 4: Idioms and Hyperboles
Hyperboles are exaggerations. "The speech went on forever" and "I have a billon things to do" are both examples of hyperboles. Of course it isn't true, but it can make reading more fun for your audience.
Idioms are not like exaggerations, they actually don 't mean what they say. "Penny for your thoughts" doesn't mean they're actually going to give you a penny if you tell them what you're thinking (if it did, we'd make them change it to a dollar), it means they want to know what you are thinking.
Figurative language is a terrific way to make your writing more fun to read!
Hope you enjoyed the post! Tell me in the comments what you think. I love hearing back from my readers!
If you're going whaaaat, hang on! Let's break this down. Interrogative is the question sentence, like: "Now can you please get over it?" Hmm . . . let's see what could help us remember . . . cake! What would you do if you were at a birthday party and someone announced that you were going to eat interrogative cake, instead of vanilla or chocolate? Ask questions, right? That can help you remember that interrogative (cake) has questions. A declarative sentence is a statement. Often, writing can tend to be lots and lots of declarative sentences, like the first example did. You need to have a variety! Some examples of declarative sentences are: "Yeah, well, I don't think we can be friends anymore," and "Drama queen." Do you know why "Now get me a soda" is NOT a declarative sentence? Because it's imperative! Not all sentences that end with a period are declarative. Do you know anyone bossy? An employee or friend? Maybe it is yourself! People who are sometimes bossy like to be in charge and sometimes they give commands. An imperative sentence is a command. It doesn't matter if you say please, if your mom is telling you to clean up your room, or if you are on your knees and begging. It's still declarative! Picking apart these two sentences can be a little tricky. Have you ever asked two people the same thing and got two of the same kind of answers? Well, that could be just the thing to help you remember. If you were asking them about wanting an apple, the conversation could go like this:
Donald Declarative:
"Yeah. Apples are nice. I really want one."
Izzy Imperative:
"Ooohh . . . please get one."
The difference between the two are that Donald Declarative is simply stating facts- he wants an apple. Izzy Imperative, however, is asking you to go get her one. Exclamatory sentences get excited! Often, they end in exclamation points! Like! I! Am! Right! Now! Can't you just see this sentence jumping up and down on a pogo stick? An example of exclamatory sentences from our example are: "I know! I know! I made a mistake!" A sentence to help you remember this could be: "Edna Exclamatory is often in fits of ecstasy."
Want to practice more? Print a worksheet, lesson, and other printables here for some more practice.
Figurative Language
There are lots of figurative language. Today, we are going to be discussing similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, idioms, and hyperboles. You ready?
Section 1: Similes and Metaphors
Similes and metaphors both compare one thing to another. However, a metaphor says that the thing we are comparing to something else is that thing, while simile compares it using "like" or "as." If we were comparing a hot day at the beach to the Sahara desert, a metaphor would say something like: "The Saturday morning at the beach was the Sahara desert." Our clue that this is a metaphor instead of a simile is the word was. The words was and is are key words for metaphors. If it was a simile, it could say something like: "The Saturday morning at the beach was like the Sahara desert." Our clue that this is a simile is the word like. Like and as are key words for similes.
Section 2: Personification
Look at the word personification closely. What do you see? If you just try to pronounce it like it's spelled, you'll say "person." That's because we are turning the item we are talking about into a "person!" Let's pretend we were talking about the wind. "The wind blew around us" is boring. "The wind danced and spun around us, knocking us off our feet" is an example of personification and sounds more interesting.
Section 3: Onomatopoeia
Though "onomatopoeia" is a big word, you've heard it a lot of times before. Onomatopoeia are sound words, like BAM!, POP!, and hiss. Onomatopoeia is a great way to start stories and chapters.
Section 4: Idioms and Hyperboles
Hyperboles are exaggerations. "The speech went on forever" and "I have a billon things to do" are both examples of hyperboles. Of course it isn't true, but it can make reading more fun for your audience.
Idioms are not like exaggerations, they actually don 't mean what they say. "Penny for your thoughts" doesn't mean they're actually going to give you a penny if you tell them what you're thinking (if it did, we'd make them change it to a dollar), it means they want to know what you are thinking.
Figurative language is a terrific way to make your writing more fun to read!
Hope you enjoyed the post! Tell me in the comments what you think. I love hearing back from my readers!
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