Sentence Formation

Sentence Formation is a subsection of the correct sentence section of IBPS PO, SO, SBI, RBI, SSC and many other exams. In this section, we will see various types of sentences and methods to form such sentences. We will also see how to detect and check for errors in the sentences with regards to the sentence formation. In the section below, we will see the different types of sentences and the various types of errors that can be present in them. Let us see!

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Sentence Formation

A sentence is a meaningful collection of words. However, with the rules of grammar in mind, we can say that a sentence is a group of words that has a subject, a verb, and an object. In English, this is known as the SVO structure or the SUbject-Verb-Object structure. The subject comes first, then comes the verb and, following which comes the object. Let us first see the different types of the sentences. In the space below we will discuss definitions and examples of the various types of sentences. Let us begin with what is known as the simple sentence.

Simple Sentence

A sentence is a simple sentence if it contains only an independent sentence. This type of sentence doesn’t contain any dependent clause. Let us see some of the examples:

The dog barked. This is a simple sentence. Harsh takes a walk in the morning. The trains are late today etc. are all simple sentences. All of these sentences have a single independent clause. Let us see a sentence correction example of this section:

Example 1: He always gets into trouble for hurt his classmates.

A) hurting his              B) having been hurt           C) his hurt               D) his hurting         E) No correction required.

Answer: In the context of the sentence the correct option here would be A) hurting his. This is the present continuous tense and is thus suitable with respect to the given sentence.

Browse more Topics under Correct Sentences

• Error Detection
• Sentence Improvement
• Sentence Connectors
• Phrase Replacement
• Common Errors in Spoken English
• Sentence Correction Practice Questions

Compound Sentence

These sentences are of two clauses. Each of them is an independent clause, so we can say that every combination of two independent clauses will form a compound sentence. The two clauses will be connected with what we call the “FANBOYS” conjunctions. The FANBOYS conjunctions are the following:

F	for
A	and
N	nor
B	but
O	or
Y	yet
S	so

All of these conjunctions signal that the sentence is a compound sentence. We call them the coordinating conjunctions. For example, The teacher said good grades are for good students only. He waited for her, but she had made her mind.

Example 2: A man or a woman are not to be told what to do and what not to!

A) is              B) were             C) might               D) could               E) No need for improvement

Answer: The correct answer is A) is as the conjunction here is or.

Complex Sentence

The third type of sentences are the complex sentences. The complex sentences have one or more than one dependent clauses. They may also contain an independent clause but must have at least one dependent clause. The dependent clauses can be identified with the help of conjunctions that are known as the subordinating conjunctions.

Following are some of the examples of subordinating clauses: if, when, as, before, until, after, since, while, though, before, even, though, unless etc. are all subordinating clauses that if put in front of a clause making it a dependable clause. Examples of complex sentences are: If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. It will not rain until August.

Example 3: His admission was delayed if the summer internship doesn’t take him.

A) is delayed            B) was delay              C) is delaying              D) would be delayed        E) No improvement needed.

Answer: The correct sentence here is: “His admission would be delayed if the summer internship doesn’t take him.” So the correct option is A) is delayed.

Other Sentence Types

There are other sentence types that are based on the mood or the tempo of the speaker or the writer. They are given below with examples:

Assertive or Declarative Sentences: These are the sentences that state facts, or declare statements. For example, India is a secular country. The sun rises in the East etc.

Interrogative Sentences: The sentences that ask questions or inquire about something are interrogative sentences. For example, Is she serious? Are you going to the party? etc.

Imperative Sentence: These sentences convey orders, pieces of advice, orders, requests etc. For example, Shut the door.

Exclamatory Sentences: They express the strongest emotions of fear, excitement, happiness, sorrow, shock etc. The exclamatory sentences often end in an exclamatory mark ‘!’. For example, Alas! I forgot my phone.

Practice Questions

Q 1: Policies to improve the health sector, which is one of the worst in the world, requires commitment from the country’s politicians.

A) which is one of the worse in the world.

B) which is among the worse in the world.

C) who is one of the worst in the world.

D) which is very bad in the world.

E) No improvement needed.

Ans: E) No improvement needed.

Q 2: The Chief Minister lied when he said that he will give a job to all the unemployed.

A) to each of the unemployed.

B) to the unemployed.

C) to many unemployed.

D) to every unemployed.

E) No improvement needed.

Ans: A) to each of the unemployed.