Business Writing

Types of sentences

My last post looked at subjects and predicates. This tip introduces you to the four different types of sentences.

The Four Types of Sentence

  1. Declarative—these sentences make a statement and end with a full stop (US English: period)
    I will submit the report on Friday.
  2. Interrogative—these sentences ask questions and end with a question mark.
    Will the report be finished by Friday?
  3. Imperative—these sentences are the ones we use to make a request or give a command and they usually end with a full stop. These are the sentences we use for to-do lists, agendas and to outline instructions.
    Book the venue.
    Make the catering arrangements for morning and afternoon tea, and lunch.
    Brief the audio-visual contractors about our requirements.
    Draft the agenda.
  4. Exclamatory—these sentences are the ones we use to express strong feelings and they end with an exclamation mark (US English: exclamation point). They are rare in business English but may be used in sales/advertising copy or in emails when we have a strong rapport with the recipient.
    Buy one, get one free!
    Can you believe it? It’s budget time again! Can we get together for a chat tomorrow, say at ten, and start working on the draft?

Happy writing.

Rubriky