sentence types

Question 1

what are the four main sentence types?

Answer 1

1. declarative
2. interrogative
3. imperative
4. exclamative

Question 2

what are the main properties if declarative sentence types?

Answer 2

• direct word order (Subject before Verb)
• decreasing intonation
• can express any communicative function
• mood: indicative, subjunctive

Question 3

what are the main properties of interrogative sentence types?

Answer 3

• usually inverted word order (Subject after Verb), if direct word order –> declarative questions (Who told u? Smoking is allowed here?)
• usually rising intonation

Question 4

what are the three types of interrogative sentences?

Answer 4

1. yes-no questions (polar, closed interrogatives)
2. alternative questions
3. wh-questions

Question 5

properties of yes-no questions?

Answer 5

• rising intonation
• inversion
  ex. Is it raining? Do you agree?

Question 6

main function of yes-no questions?

Answer 6

• which polarity is true (yes-no) – epistemic modality
  ex. Does he know about it?
• composites with ‘any’, ‘yet’, ‘over’
  ex. Have you seen the book anywhere?

Question 7

secondary functions of yes-no questions?

Answer 7

1. polite request, offer, invitation
   ex. Would you mind going instead of me? Could you stay a little longer?
2. rhetorical (opposite polarity)
   ex. Are not all men sinners?
3. declarative question - rising intonation
   ex. He has left? The lift is still out of order?
4. echo question - rising intonation
   ex. John didn’t turn up. - John didn’t turn up?

Question 8

kinda of question tags

Answer 8

1. opposite polarity - rising or decreasing intonation (if decrease then true)
   ex. We’ll finish before five, won’t we? It makes no difference, does it?
2. constant polarity - always rising intonation
   ex. So you’re back, are you?
3. other types of
   - change of operator, ex. I don’t think she’ll be pleased, would she?
   - fixed expression, ex. innit? right? yeah?, Bit old, this programme, innit?

Question 9

main properties of alternative questions?

Answer 9

• alternative coordinator ‘or’
• inversion
• rising intonation except the last alternate
  ex. Will you have cake or ice cream?
• if opposite polarity – function of yes-no (ex.Did you like the concert or not?)

Question 10

main properties of wh-questions?

Answer 10

• wh-word (who, what, when, how, why, where, etc)
• inversion (except with wh- in subject)
• decreasing intonation
  ex. Who told you that? When did you arrive?

Question 11

main function of wh-questions?

Answer 11

• filling in information
  ex. Which of you attended? Who wants that?

Question 12

secondary functions of wh-questions?

Answer 12

1. imperative, invitation
   ex. Why don’t you be more careful?
2. rhetorical (emphatic about opposite polarity)
   ex. What girl doesn’t like clothes?
3. echo question (asks for repetition, rising intonation)
   ex. He is a pugilist. – He is what?

Question 13

what are the two types if interrogative questions without a finite verb?

Answer 13

1. elliptical replicating utterances
   ex. The meeting has been cancelled. – Why? Loosen the nuts first. – What with?
2. interrogatives with infinitives
   - ex. Why ask me? Why not accept? – imperative (let’s accept!)
   or
   - ex. Where to turn? Whom to ask? –deliberation