Types & Parts of Sentences and Tenses

Types & Parts of Sentences

1. Assertive or declarative sentence —Those which make sentences. Statements are the sentences that state or declare something. They are also called Assertive or Declarative sentences.

Ex: The earth moves around the sun (Affirmative).

 I will not go there (Negative).

2. Interrogative sentence - A sentence that asks a question is called an Interrogative sentence.

Ex: Why is she late today?

Who has not finished the work?

3. Imperative sentence---A sentence that expresses commands, requests, or a desire is called an Imperative sentence.

Ex: Lend me some money, please.

Go to the market at once.

4. Exclamatory sentence---A sentence that expresses strong or sudden feelings is called an Exclamatory sentence.

Ex: What a beautiful building!

How hot it is!

5. Optative sentence---A sentence which wishes, prayer or blessings is called an Optative sentence.

Ex: May you live long!

He prayed that God might bless me.

Parts of a Sentence

1. Subject

2. Predicate

1. SUBJECT—The subject is the person, place, thing or idea about whom or which something is being said.

2. PREDICATE--- Whatever is said about the subject is called predicate.

Subject: Kites, We, Lions                                                               

Predicate:  fly, slept, cooked and roar

Note- Here subjects are noun or pronoun and predicates are the verb. But they have other parts too.

• In a Declarative sentence---The milkman brings milk.

Here “milkman” is the subject and “brings milk” is the predicate.

• In an Interrogative sentence---Has anyone seen Harry?

Here “anyone” is the subject and “Has seen Harry ? ” is the predicate.

• In an Imperative sentence---You keep off the grass.

Here “You” is the subject and “Keep off the grass” is the predicate.

• In an Exclamation sentence---How brittle this coal seems!

Here “This coal” is the subject and “seems how brittle ! ” is the predicate.

• In an Optative sentence---He prayed that God might bless me.

Here “He” is the subject and “prayed that God might bless me” is the predicate.

Analysing a sentence into subject and predicate

Three points must be kept in mind in the division and analysis of the sentence.

1) The word-order is not necessarily a guide to the division of the sentence. The normal order, first subject and then predicate may be altered for purposes of emphasis.

Ex--  Never home came she.

Here “she” is the subject and “never came home  ” is the predicate.

The subject has been placed not first, but last, in the sentence.

2) It is advisable to reconstruct in our minds sentences in the form of questions and commands into the normal order of a statement-sentence before deciding on the subject and the predicate .

Ex---What are you doing?                            You are doing what?

Here “you” is the subject and “are doing what ” is the predicate

3) See all words in the sentence are attached to the part, the subject or the predicate, to which they naturally belong. Consider two sentences:

a) The dog curled up before the fire.

Here “The dog” is the subject and “curled up before the fire” is the predicate.

But suppose the sentence reads:

b) The dog exhausted after his long chase, curled up before the fire.

Does “exhausted after his long chase” tell us about a dog or does it tell about the curling up? It describes the dog, therefore it belongs to the subject. Does “before the fire” tell us about the dog or the curling up? It says where the do curl, therefore it belongs to the predicate. 

EXERCISE :

1. The Cardinal drew off each plum-coloured shoe.

2. Two nice little boys, rather more than grown, carried lavender bags.

3. Have you ever seen a dream walking?

4. How daintily she treads, like a cat on hot bricks!

5. With what disdain your glower upon me!

6. Never was heard such a terrible curse.

7. Consumers don’t like to spend too much on gasoline.

8. Small cars use less gasoline than large vehicles.

9. Some owners of large cars have traded them for smaller models.

10. Many larger vehicles have an extra tax on them.

SOLUTION:

1. Subject — The Cardinal

Predicate — drew off each plum-coloured shoe

2. Subject—Two nice little boys, rather more than grown

Predicate—carried lavender bags

3. Subject—you

Predicate— have ever seen a dream walking?

4. Subject—She

Predicate—treads, like a cat on hot bricks!

5. Subject—your

Predicate—disdain glower upon me

6. Subject—such a terrible curse

Predicate— Never was heard

7. Subject—Consumers

Predicate— don’t like to spend too much on gasoline

8. Subject—Small cars

Predicate— use less gasoline than large vehicles

9. Subject— Some owners of large cars

Predicate— have traded them for smaller models

10. Subject— Many larger vehicles

Predicate— have an extra tax on them

Tenses

 In a sentence,  Tense is used to give you an idea of the time when the action mentioned in the sentence occurred. We can say that tenses are the soul of English Grammar. Until you are well aware of different tenses, you can not form or understand sentences. So let's understand ''Tenses'' in this part of Study Plan

In Grammar,  we use 'Tenses' to define the time of occurring of the action. The tenses in a sentence show the time of an action or state of being as shown by a verb. Actions can take place in Past state,  Present state or future state. So there are 3 main types of tenses which are defined as follows: 

Present Tense: The actions which are doing presently are classified into 'Present tense'. For example:

• He is eating Pasta. (Presently he is doing this action of eating)

Past Tense: The actions which we have already done are classified into 'Past tense'.

• He ate Pasta (He has already done the action of eating)

Future Tense: The actions which we are going to do/will do/planning to do are termed as 'Future tense' sentences.

• He will eat Pasta (He is going to do the action of eating)

These 3 tenses are  split into 4-4  parts, resulting in total 12 types of Tenses, which are described as following:

Present Tense

1) Simple Present Tense:

• If an action has regularity, which means if an action happens every day/every time/every week/every month/every year, then we use 'Simple Present tense for such actions. 
• To indicate facts that are universally true.
• Habitual action that happened in past, happening in present and will happen in future

Catchwords for Simple Present Tense:  usually, often, sometimes, seldom, always, rarely, never, every day, every week, every time, on Mondays, etc

2) Present Continuous Tense:

• Some action is happening now while speaking and has a definite end as well.
• When some action or plan is already decided and arranged as well to perform it at some time.

Catchwords for Present continuous tense :  now, right now, this quarter, etc.

3)Present Perfect Tense:

This tense explains the incident/action that has happened in the past and still it has relevance.

Catchwords for Present Perfect Tense:  just, ever, never, already, yet,

4)Present Perfect Continous Tense :

Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used for a situation that has occurred in the past and which continues until that moment. 

Catchwords for Present Perfect Contionous tense : for, since, lately

 Past Tense 

5) Simple Past Tense :

To describe an action of the past , we use Simple past tense. In this tense the verb ends with an '-ed' . Also some verbs end differently , for example for 'eat' , we use 'Ate' in simple past tense.

Catchwords for Simple Past Tense: yesterday, last week, last month, this morning (when meaning is past), etc.

6) Past Continous Tense :

Past continuous tense is used in those sentences in which the actions that have already happened in the past and have been completed before the time of mention. These sentences are formed with the help of an auxiliary verb and giving the main verb an 'ing' ending.

Catchwords for Past Continous Tense:  while

7) Past Perfect Tense :

This tense refers to a noncontinuous action that was already completed in the past. Such sentences are formed by using the Simple Past form of the auxiliary verb 'to have', followed by the past participle form of the verb. 

Catchwords for Past Perfect Tense: already, before. by the time

8) Past Perfect Continous Tense :

A continuous action that was completed sometime in the past falls under Past Perfect Continuous tense. Such sentences are framed by using the modal, 'had' + 'been' + the present participle of the verb (-ing).

Catchwords for Past Perfect Continous Tense: for, since

 Future Tense 

9) Simple Future Tense :

This tense is used for those sentences which refer to the actions which will occur later, in future. This requires a future tense auxiliary verb even though the verb would be unmarked.

10)Future Continous Tense:

This tense defines those acts which will be continued at a future point in time. In order to form a future continuous tense sentence, a future auxiliary verb is required followed by the main verb that ends with -ing.

11) Future Perfect Tense:

This tense is used to express an act that is predicted to be finished within a certain span of time in the future. Such sentences are formed by 'will' + 'have' + 'past participle of the verb'. 

Catchwords for Future Perfect Tense : when, by the time

12) Future Perfect Continous Tense:

This tense form indicates an action that is continuous and, at some point in the future, it will be completed. It is formed using the modal 'will/shall' + 'have' + 'been' + 'the past participle of the verb (-ing)'.

 Catchwords for Future Perfect Continuous Tense: for, by the time

Important Rules of Tenses:

Most Important Study Notes 

BPSC/CDPO के लिए Complete Free Study Notes, अभी Download करें

Download Free PDFs of Daily, Weekly & Monthly करेंट अफेयर्स in Hindi & English

Daily, Weekly, Monthly Current Affairs Digest, Daily Editorial Analysis, Free PDF's & more, Join our Telegram Group Join Now