Sentence types: statement, question, command, exclamation
The four jobs a sentence can do, the clues in its words, and why an exclamation mark alone does not make an exclamation.
The answer
Every sentence does one of four jobs: a statement tells you something, a question asks something, a command tells someone to do something, and an exclamation shows strong feeling, starting with What or How.
Examples
You are my friend.
A statement: it tells you something.
Are you my friend?
A question: the verb are moves in front of the subject you.
Be my friend!
A command: it starts with the verb be, and the subject, you, is left out.
What a good friend you are!
An exclamation: it starts with What and has a verb.
How tall that tree is!
An exclamation starting with How.
How to spot it
- A statement tells you something and usually ends with a full stop.
- A question asks something: look for a question word (who, why, when) or a verb moved to the front (Are you, Can we). It ends with a question mark.
- A command usually starts with a verb telling someone what to do (Sit down, Close the door). It ends with a full stop or an exclamation mark.
- An exclamation starts with What or How, has a verb, and ends with an exclamation mark.
The common mistake
Calling every sentence with an exclamation mark an exclamation.
‘I won the race!’ ends with an exclamation mark but it is a statement. In KS2 grammar, an exclamation sentence starts with What or How: What a race that was!
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 2
- On the pupil word list
- Year 2, as “statement”
Year 2 learns how the grammar of a sentence shows whether it is a statement, question, exclamation or command, and names all four. Year 6 adds question tags, such as He’s your friend, isn’t he?
Try a question
Which sentence is an exclamation? Tick one.
- Watch out for the ice!
- What a cold morning it is!
- Is it cold this morning?
- It is very cold this morning!
Show the answer
Answer: What a cold morning it is!
It starts with What and has a verb (is). Watch out for the ice! is a command, and the last one is a statement with an exclamation mark.
Related terms
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Can a command end with an exclamation mark?
Yes. ‘Sit down!’ is still a command. A quiet command such as ‘Please close the door.’ ends with a full stop.
Why must an exclamation start with What or How?
That is how the KS2 grammar test framework describes exclamations: sentences such as What a good friend you are! Other sentences that end in an exclamation mark are statements or commands.
What is a question tag?
A short question added to the end of a statement: He’s your friend, isn’t he? Year 6 learns it as an informal structure, and the whole sentence becomes a question.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.