In English grammar, a "sentence" is a group of words that express a complete thought. Teaching kids about sentences helps them understand how to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively.

What is a Sentence?

  • Sentence: A sentence is a group of words that makes sense and tells us something. A capital letter appears at the beginning, followed by a period, question mark, or exclamation point at the conclusion. 

Types of Sentences


1️⃣Declarative Sentence: Tells us something or gives information. States a fact or opinion.  It ends with a period.
  • Example: "The cat is sleeping."

2️⃣Interrogative Sentence: Asks a question. It ends with a question mark.
  • Example: "Where is your book?"
3️⃣Exclamatory Sentence: Shows strong feeling or emotion. It ends with an exclamation mark.
  • Example: "Wow, that's amazing!"
4️⃣Imperative Sentence: Gives an order or submits a request. An exclamation point or a period might be used to end it instead of the standard period.
  • Example: "Please close the door."

Parts of a Sentence

1️⃣Subject: The subject of the sentence is the person or thing it is discussing. Usually, a noun or pronoun is included. The subject is the person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about. It usually contains a noun or pronoun.

  • Example: "The dog (subject) barks."
  • Example: "The teacher (subject) is explaining the lesson."
2️⃣Predicate: The predicate provides information about the subject's actions or circumstances. It contains a verb and may contain other subject-related information.
  • Example: "The dog barks (predicate)."
  • Example: "The teacher is explaining (predicate) the lesson."

Building Sentences/ Sentence Structures

1️⃣Simple Sentences: A simple sentence has a single predicate and subject.

  • Example: "The sun shines."
2️⃣Compound Sentences: A compound sentence incorporates two or more basic sentences connected by a conjunction such as "and," "but," or "or."
  • Example: "I like apples, and she likes oranges."
3️⃣Complex Sentence: has a minimum of one dependent clause (which cannot stand alone) and one independent clause.
  • Example: "Although it was raining, we went for a walk."

4️⃣Compound-Complex Sentence: has one or more dependent clauses and at least two independent clauses.

  • Example: "She loves music, but she doesn’t play an instrument, even though she has always wanted to learn."

Tips for ESL Learners

1️⃣Understand Clause Relationships: Learn how independent and dependent clauses work together to form complex sentences.
2️⃣Use Conjunctions: Practice using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions to link ideas smoothly.
3️⃣Vary Sentence Length: To make writing seem more natural and interesting, combine short and long sentences.
4️⃣Practice Punctuation: Correct punctuation is essential for clarity, especially in distinguishing between different types of sentences.
5️⃣Read and Analyze: Read a variety of texts to see how sentences are constructed and how they convey meaning.


Activities for Kids

1️⃣Sentence Building: Give kids a set of words and ask them to arrange them into a sentence.

  • Words: "the," "runs," "cat"
  • Sentence: "The cat runs."
2️⃣Sentence Sorting: Mix up sentences and ask kids to sort them by type (declarative, interrogative, etc.).
3️⃣Story Creation: Encourage kids to write a short story using different types of sentences.

Importance of Sentences

  • Communication: Sentences help us share our thoughts, ask questions, and express our feelings.
  • Clarity: Using sentences correctly makes our speech and writing clear and easy to understand.

Teaching kids about sentences in a fun and engaging way helps them develop strong language skills and enjoy learning English!


Importance of Sentence Mastery

Mastering sentence structure and variety enables ESL learners to express themselves clearly, engage in meaningful conversations, and improve their writing skills. Practicing constructing and analyzing sentences helps learners gain confidence in their language abilities.