The Sentence – Kinds
Sentences have 5 main kinds.

1) Assertive – An assertive sentence simply makes a statement. It states facts describe thing or report events. They are also called declarative sentences. Some sentences make positive statements and they are called affirmative statements. Some sentences make negative statements using word such as not, never, no etc. They are called negative statements. For example:
(i) I am Indian.(positive statement)
(ii) You are not very tall.( negative statement)
2) Interrogative – Such sentences ask a question :
(i) Who are you?
(ii) Are you Indian?
3) Imperative - A sentence which expresses a command, a request, an advice, etc is called imperative sentence:
(i) Please give me your pen?
(ii) Don’t disturb me.
(iii) Obey your parents.
4) Exclamatory – A sentence which expresses strong feelings such as surprise, joy, sorrow, pity etc is called exclamatory sentence.
(i) Hurrah! I won the match.
(ii) Alas! I lost my book.
5) Optative – A sentence which expresses a wish, a prayer etc.
(i) May God help you!
(ii) May you live long!

Negatives

We use not in negative sentences. We add not after the auxiliary verbs am, is, are, was, were, has, have, had, and after the modal auxiliaries like can, could, will, would etc.
He is a cricket player. (Positive)
He is not a cricket player (Negative)

Exercise (Elementary)

Change the following, sentences into their negative form.
1. My brother is English teacher.
2. I can speak English.
3. We have purchased this car.
4. You are very smart.
5. It was dark outside.
6. He has done his work.
7. We must obey our elders.
8. She has been living in this city for two years.
9. John is a good singer.
10. My friend will come in the evening.

Negatives with do not (don’t), does not (doesn’t) and did not (didn’t)

If a positive sentence has only the main verb, we use do not (don’t), does not (doesn’t) or did not (didn’t) before the bare form of the main verb.
In the simple present tenses, we add don’t (don’t) if the subject is I, we, you, they, and a plural noun etc.
In the simple present tense, we add doesn’t (don’t) if the subject is, he, she, it, and singular noun etc.
I take tea in the morning (positive)
I don’t take tea in the morning (Negative)
Rajesh studies with me. (Positive)
Rajesh doesn’t study with me. (Negative)
You saw a movie yesterday. (Positive)
You didn’t see a movie yesterday. (Negative)

Exercise – (Elementary)

Re write the following sentences in their negative forms.
1. I take tea everyday.
2. We work here.
3. She sings well.
4. You speak French.
5. They went to the station in the morning.
6. Ravi and Rakesh play together.
7. He stands first in the class.
8. My friend speaks the truth.
9. Your friend wants to become a doctor.
10. We visited Shimla last summer.
11. It gets warmer in the day.
12. He always feels cold.
13. Birds fly in the sky.
14. His team won by 5 wickets.
15. The teacher gave him punishment.

Negatives of Have and have got

The most usual way of forming the negative with ‘have’ is to use do not (don’t) does not (doesn’t) or did not (didn’t) before have. She has a book. (Positive)
She does not have a book. (Negative)
He had his driving license with him. (Positive)
He did not have his driving license with him. (Negative)
No or Not + any
The Not + any combination is used when we negate the verb but ‘no’ is usually used before a noun when the verb is not negated.
Negative Statements with negative adverbs
We can make negative statements with adverbs such as never, hardly, hardly ever, none, seldom, and rarely.
I don’t eat meat.
I never eat meat.
Never, hardly, rarely etc are more emphatic than not.
The Important thing to note is that we can’t use a negative verb and a negative adverb together in sentences. It is wrong to say: I don’t never eat meat.

Exercise (Intermediate)

Rewrite the following sentences in their negative forms:
1. He has a car.
2. I have a small bat.
3. Mohan had a bicycle.
4. Rakesh has a sharp memory.
5. We have a good teacher.
6. She has excellent knowledge of English.
7. He had a fever yesterday.
8. Ankit and Nitin have good friends.
9. You have a small refrigerator.
10. My neighbour had a beautiful car.

Exercise (Intermediate)

Rewrite the following sentences with ‘no’.
Ex.
1. He does not have any money. He has no money.
2. I can’t see you anywhere.
3. There are not any books on the table.
4. You don’t have any lights in the house.
5. I will not give you any book.
6. I did not receive any letter.
7. He does not have any free time.
8. My uncle can’t read anything at night.
9. There are not any students in the class.
10. Rakesh does not have any pen.

Exercise- (Intermediate)

Fill in the blanks with no or any.
1. There are not ___books lying on the table.
2. He does not have ____ friends.
3. I have____ friends.
4. You don’t have ____ books.
5. Naresh has not ______ pen.
6. There are _____ buses on the road.
7. I have _____ money left with me.
8. Sanjay has _____ mobile with me.
9. Rakesh does not have _____ car.
10. There is ______ room in the bus.

Yes –No Questions

There is a simple rule. If a Positive sentence has an auxiliary or model verb like is, am, are, was, were, has, have, had, can, could, may, might, etc., we form the question by placing the auxiliary verb or model verb before the subject. We also use the question mark (?) at the end of the sentence.
She is a doctor. (Positive)
Is she a doctor? (Question)
Ramesh can sing. (Positive)
Can Ramesh sing? (Question)
If a Positive sentence has a main verb only, we change it into a question by using do, does, or did before the subject. We use does if the subject is third person singular (he, she, it, Ravi etc.) and the verb is in the simple present Tense. We use the base form of verb again.
We use do if the subject is I, We, You, They, and any plural noun like Boys, Girls. We use the base form of the verb again.
We use did if the verb is in the Past tense. We use the base form of the verb again.

Exercise – (Intermediate)

Write yes-no question with the help of the statements and the words given in brackets.
1. I am reading a book. (and you?)
2. He sleeps in the afternoon. (and Sita?)
3. I have already seen this movie. (and you?)
4. I met Ravi in the party. (and you?)
5. I am waiting for the bus.(and you?)
6. Your friend is a doctor.(and Rohit?)
7. He runs fast.(and his friend?)
8. I teach English. (and you?)
9. We will watch T.V. tomorrow.(and you?)
10. She was late for the class.(and Raju?)
11. He passed the examination. (and she?)
12. I had a nice holiday. (and you)
13. Sanjay speaks English. (and Sonu?)
14. I can teach you English. (and you?)
15. The food taste good. (and the water?)

Exercise (Advanced)

Write questions with the help of the following words in brackets. The second bracket has a word / words which can be used as the subject.
1. (a bus outside?) (there) Is there a bus outside?
2. (Sleep well last night?) (she) Did she sleep well last night?
3. (Work in a company) (Ravi)?
4. (been to Goa) ( We)?
5. (have a car?) (We)?
6. (married) (you)?
7. (like tea) (she)?
8. (Break the window – yesterday?) (Sonu)?
9. ( A teacher) (his father)?
10. (have a T.V.) (You)?
11. (rain a lot in Nainital) (it)?
12. (very beautiful) (Rajni)?
13. (Live in Canada) (he)?
14. (Have a dog) (he)?
15. (Watch TV last night ) (you)?

Wh – Question –

The second type of question is the wh - question, which questions a particular element of a sentence. A wh – question may question the subject, the object, complement, adverbial, verb etc. of a sentence.
Raju wrote this letter. (Positive).
Who wrote this letter? (Subject)
I met Sonu at the party. (positive)
Whom did you meet at the party? (object)
I got up in the morning. (Positive)
When did you get up in morning? (Adverbial)

Subject Questions

We use ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘which’, or ‘whose’ as the wh – words to question a subject. A subject – question asks for the identity of the subject.
We use ‘who’ (m) ‘what’, ‘which’, and ‘whose’ to question an object. ‘Who is informal and ‘whom’ is formal.
We use ‘when, where, why and how’ to questions the adverbial elements of a statement. ‘When’ questions adverbials of time, ‘where’ adverbials of place, ‘why’ adverbials of reason and ‘how’ adverbials of means / manner.
How much + uncountable noun can be used to ask about quantity. How much can also be used to ask about cost.
How many + plural noun can be used to ask about number
Ex. How much milk is there in the bottle?
How many people attended the party?

Exercise – (Elementary)

Make Wh – questions with the help of the following words. Use a question mark at the end.
1. Is the car / parked / where
2. Have you / how / it / done
3. start / acting / where / did you
4. do you / in the morning / when / get up.
5. is the next train / when
6. did she/ why / go / to Delhi
7. Have you / how / done / in the examination
8. is my bag / where
9. reach / your home / how / can I
10. he / go out / did / why

Exercise (Intermediate)

Rewrite the following statement as Wh – questions by using a Wh – word in place of the underlined words.
1. He lives in Delhi.
2. I met her yesterday.
3. Amir is going to Mumbai because his brother is ill.
4. He went to Delhi by train.
5. Rohit goes for a walk in the morning.
6. Shyam goes to school by bus.
7. I started working when I was 20.
8. He goes to Oxford to learn English.
9. Ranjeet is working very hard to pass the examination.
10. You can call me in the morning.
11. Sita studies in a girls college.
12. I met my friend yesterday.
13. He takes exercise for an hour everyday.
14. She spends six hours in school.

How + adjective / adverb can also be used to begin a questions.

1. How old is your brother?
2. How often do you go to Mumbai?

How much + an uncountable noun can be used to ask about quantity. How much can also be used to ask about cost.
How many + plural noun can be used to ask about quantity. How much can also be used to ask about cost.
How many + plural noun can be used to ask about number.
1. How much time is left?
2. How much does it cost?
3. How many children attend the class?

Exercise (Intermediate)

Rewrite each of the following statements as a question. Use how + adjective / adverb / much / many in place of the underlined word.
1. Twenty students attended the class.
2. This building is hundred years old.
3. There is plenty of sugar in the kitchen.
4. His paintings are marvelous.
5. We have enough time to complete this letter.
6. His friend is six feet tall.
7. She visits the museum every day.
8. This cloth is 10 meters long.
9. Ravi stayed in Mumbai for three days.
10. This tower is hundred feet high.
11. He is very intelligent.
12. I am 25.
13. This book costs fifty rupees.
14. The word Cong. is held every four years.
 

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