Types of Sentences Quiz: 16 Questions with Answers

Just like superheroes have special powers, sentences have special jobs. Some tell us things, some ask questions, some give orders and some show big feelings. This guide explains the four types of sentences with examples, adds the four sentence structures, and gives you a 16-question types of sentences quiz with answers to test yourself, your class or your team.

The four types of sentences at a glance

• Declarative: makes a statement and ends with a full stop.
• Interrogative: asks a question and ends with a question mark.
• Imperative: gives a command or request and ends with a full stop or an exclamation mark.
• Exclamatory: expresses strong feeling and ends with an exclamation mark.

Understanding the basics: the four types of sentences

1. Declarative sentences

Declarative sentences are little packages of information. They tell us something or give us facts, and they usually end with a full stop.

Examples:

• The sun shines brightly in the sky.
• My cat sleeps all day.
• She loves to read books about space.

When to use them: Use declarative sentences to share what you know, explain ideas and tell stories. Most of what you write or say will be declarative.

2. Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences are little detectives. They ask questions to get information, often starting with who, what, where, when, why or how, and they end with a question mark.

Examples:

• What is your favourite colour?
• Where did you go for your holiday?
• How do you make a sandwich?

When to use them: Use them to find things out, check understanding and keep a conversation going. Teachers and quiz hosts rely on them heavily.

3. Imperative sentences

Imperative sentences give instructions. They tell someone what to do, they often start with a verb, and the subject (you) is usually left out.

Examples:

• Please close the door.
• Pass me the salt, please.
• Don't forget to water the plants.

When to use them: Use them for instructions, recipes, directions and requests. Adding please keeps the tone polite.

4. Exclamatory sentences

Exclamatory sentences are shouting words. They express strong feelings such as excitement, surprise or joy, and they end with an exclamation mark.

Examples:

• What a beautiful sunset!
• Wow, you did an amazing job!
• I can't believe we won the game!

When to use them: Use them sparingly in formal writing, but freely in speech, stories and messages to friends.

Going deeper: sentence structures

The four types describe what a sentence does. Sentence structure describes how it is built, using clauses. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, and a dependent clause needs a main clause to make sense (Purdue OWL).

• Simple: one independent clause. She loves gardening.
• Compound: two independent clauses joined by a conjunction such as and, but or so. She loves gardening, and he loves cooking.
• Complex: one independent clause plus at least one dependent clause. She loves gardening because it helps her relax.
• Compound-complex: two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. She loves to paint, and her art often sells well, although it takes a lot of effort.

Types of sentences quiz: 16 questions with answers

Use these questions in class, at a team training session or in a quick revision game. Players can write answers on paper, or you can run the quiz live and let everyone answer on their phones.

Round 1: name the type

Is each sentence declarative, interrogative, imperative or exclamatory?

1. The train leaves at nine o'clock.
2. Have you finished your homework?
3. Turn left at the traffic lights.
4. What a fantastic goal that was!
5. Birds build nests in spring.
6. Where is the nearest station?
7. Wow, this cake is delicious!
8. Always wear your seatbelt.

Round 2: name the structure

Is each sentence simple, compound, complex or compound-complex?

9. The dog barked.
10. I wanted to go out, but it was raining.
11. When the bell rang, the students left the room.
12. She stayed in because it was cold, and she watched a film while the rain fell.

Round 3: true or false

13. An imperative sentence can end with an exclamation mark.
14. Every question you ask is an exclamatory sentence.
15. A dependent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.
16. The sentence Where are you going? is interrogative.

Answers

1. Declarative.
2. Interrogative.
3. Imperative.
4. Exclamatory.
5. Declarative.
6. Interrogative.
7. Exclamatory.
8. Imperative.
9. Simple.
10. Compound (two independent clauses joined by but).
11. Complex (the dependent clause comes first).
12. Compound-complex (two independent clauses and two dependent clauses).
13. True.
14. False. Questions are interrogative. Exclamatory sentences express strong feeling.
15. False. A dependent clause needs a main clause.
16. True. It asks a question and ends with a question mark.

Make your own types of sentences quiz with AhaSlides

A live quiz turns grammar practice into a game. With a free AhaSlides quiz you can:

1. Sign up for free and create a presentation.
2. Add a multiple-choice slide for each sentence and mark the correct type.
3. Use a Categorise slide to ask players to drag sentences into the four types.
4. Share the join code. Learners answer on their phones, and the leaderboard shows who is ahead after every question.

Looking for more classroom ideas? Browse our quiz questions for kids or start from a ready-made deck in the AhaSlides template library.

Other websites to practise sentence types

• Merithub: understanding the different types of sentences, a quiz for English learners.
• ProProfs: sentence structure quiz, covering simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentences.

Frequently asked questions

What are the four types of sentences?

Declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamatory sentences.

Can a single sentence have more than one type?

Yes, in tone. For example, an interrogative sentence can express excitement: Wow, did you see that? In formal grammar, though, each sentence is classed by its main purpose.

How can I identify the type of sentence in a paragraph?

Look at the sentence's purpose and its final punctuation. A statement is declarative, a question is interrogative, a command or request is imperative and a strong feeling is exclamatory.

Sources

• Purdue OWL: sentence types