Declarative Sentences and Word Order in English

Definition of Declarative sentences with helpful and easy to understand examples in English. In this lesson, we will learn the usage, examples, rules, definition, and exercises of declarative sentences and word order in English.

Declarative Sentences

Declarative sentences in English consist of a subject and predicate. The verb in the predicate is conjugated appropriately for the subject and in a specific tense:

Subject + Predicate

Mary + speaks English

Let’s look at some examples that illustrate this. Declarative sentences can have a singular or plural noun as their subject and can be followed by a verb in any tense and by the complement of the sentence.

• John repairs the car.
• The boys ran into the forest.

Other declarative sentences use a pronoun as their subject, and again the tense of the sentence can vary.

• She has never been to England.

singular-pronoun subject, present-perfect-tense verb

• We shall visit them soon.

plural-pronoun subject, future-tense verb

Since English verbs can show an incomplete action or one in progress (he is going) or a completed or habitual action (he goes), when changing tenses, you have to conform to the type of action of the verb. For example:

• he is going, he was going, he has been going
• he goes, he went, he has gone

The conjugation of English verbs is, with few exceptions, a relatively simple matter, but using the proper tenses of verbs is something else. It is particularly important to understand the tense differences between verbs that describe an action in progress and verbs that describe a completed or habitual action.

Incomplete actions

Let’s look at some sentences that illustrate the meaning of incomplete actions—or ones in progress—in the present, past, and future tenses. Note that in some cases, it is an interruption of some kind that causes the action to be incomplete. (To the right of the examples are italicized clarifications that will help you fully understand the example sentences.)

Present tense

• He is washing the car.

He has not finished. The car still has some dirty spots.

• We are building a tree house.

The tree house is not yet finished.

Past tense

• I was sleeping when he called.

I didn’t finish my nap. His call interrupted my sleep.

• The men were working in the mine but suddenly quit.

The work in the mine is unfinished, because  the men quit.

Future tense

• He will be playing in a rock band.

There is no apparent end to his job in the band.

• Sarah will be needing more money.

There is no apparent end to Sarah’s need for money.

Completed actions

Compare those examples with the following sentences that illustrate verbs that describe completed or habitual actions:

Present tense

• He washes the car every Sunday.

His habit is to wash the car on Sunday.

• They live in the capital.

Their regular place of residence is the capital.

Past tense

• The puppy slept with me every night.

The puppy’s habit was to sleep with me.

• I worked in Mexico for five years.

My work for five years was in Mexico. I work elsewhere now.

Future tense

• He will play a hymn for us on the piano.

He is going to play the hymn just once.

• Uncle Bill will arrive today.

Uncle Bill will arrive today only once.

The perfect tenses conform to the same kinds of meanings. For example:

Incomplete action or one in progress

• He has been washing the car for three hours.
• I had been sleeping in the den.
• The men will have been working on it for twenty-four hours by tomorrow.

Completed or habitual action

• They have lived here since June.
• The puppy had never slept so long before.
• Uncle Bill will have arrived home by the time we get there.

Practice Exercise-1 of Declarative Sentences

Rewrite the following declarative sentences in the missing tenses.

1. a. Present ————————————————
Past Thomas found the wallet.
b. Present perfect ————————————————
c. Past perfect ————————————————
d. Future ————————————————

2 Present The men are trying to raze the barn.
a. Past ————————————————
b. Present perfect ————————————————
c. Past perfect ————————————————
d. Future ————————————————

3. a. Present ————————————————
b. Past ————————————————
c. Present perfect ————————————————
d. Past perfect ————————————————
Future They will drop by at two p.m.

4. a. Present ————————————————
b. Past ————————————————
Present perfect She has been working here as a counselor.
c. Past perfect ————————————————
d. Future ————————————————

5. Present I have no time.
a. Past ————————————————
b. Present perfect ————————————————
c. Past perfect ————————————————
d. Future ————————————————

6. a. Present ————————————————
b. Past ————————————————
c. Present perfect ————————————————
Past perfect The wealthy couple had traveled the world on their yacht.
d. Future ————————————————

Practice Exercise-2 of Declarative Sentences

Change the following sentences from actions in progress to completed or habitual actions. Add or remove words as needed to make sense. Keep the same tense as the original sentence.

EXAMPLE:

• Bill is still eating his breakfast.

Bill eats his breakfast at seven thirty a.m.

1. The attorneys were drawing up the contracts for the merger.

———————————————— ————————————————
2. I will probably still be cooking when you arrive.

———————————————— ————————————————
3. The boys will be sleeping in the little room in the attic.

———————————————— ————————————————
4. I have been hoping for a long time to have a visit from you.

———————————————— ————————————————
5. They had been sitting on the porch when the storm came up.

———————————————— ————————————————
Follow the same directions, but change from completed or habitual actions to actions in progress.

6. We shall work even harder.

———————————————— ————————————————
7. They traveled to Greece this year.

———————————————— ————————————————
8. She cried when he left.

———————————————— ————————————————
9. Bill and I often play catch in the backyard.

———————————————— ————————————————
10. I hope the two boys will finally pass the test.

———————————————— ————————————————

Recognizing tense from context

With certain verbs, it is the context of the sentence that tells you which tense is implied, because these verbs are identical, except for the third-person singular, in both the present and past tenses. Six such verbs are cut, put, let, set, quit, and read. Let’s look at one of these verbs (cut) and how it is conjugated in the present and past tenses.

• Present: I cut, you cut, he cuts, we cut, you cut, they cut
• Past: I cut, you cut, he cut, we cut, you cut, they cut

As you can clearly see, it is only in the third-person-singular present tense (he cuts) where there is any difference between the present-tense and past-tense conjugations. Therefore, in order to know which tense is being used in a sentence, you must consider the context of the sentence. (Naturally, in the case of the verb read, there is a difference in the pronunciation of the two tenses. It is in their written form where the distinction must be made.)

Certain adverbs act as signals that tell whether these verbs are being used in the present or past tense, adverbs such as today, yesterday, and tomorrow. Remember that an English present tense can indicate the future tense; therefore, tomorrow is an appropriate signal for distinguishing the tense of these verbs. For example:

• Present: He quits working here today.
• Past: He quit yesterday after only five days on the job.
• Future: He quits tomorrow after more than thirty years with us.

Let’s look at some examples, in which the subject is not a third-person singular. Also keep in mind that other adverbial phrases and expressions can indicate the past or the future; for example: last year or next week. Other verbs in a sentence also signal the tense.

Present-tense verb as a tense signal

• You are careless and always let the dog run away.
• I get the dishes and set the table.
• I find the right paragraph and read in a loud voice.

Past-tense verb or adverbial expression as a tense signal

• He quit school when still a teenager.
• The bread is stale because I cut it two days ago.
• She opened the book and put on her glasses.

When these verbs describe an action in progress or are used with an auxiliary, there is no difficulty in determining the tense of the sentence. For example:

• They were reading the newspaper. (past)
• The sun is setting. (present)
• I won’t let this happen again! (future)

Practice Exercise-3 of Declarative Sentences

In the space provided, write the tense of the sentence: present, past, or future.

1. ———————— She lets me borrow her notebook.
2. ———————— I read that novel back in high school.
3. ———————— The toddler cut his finger again.
4. ———————— The explorers set out on another journey last month.
5. ———————— She was putting on her dress when she fell.
6. ———————— My brother quits a new job every few weeks.
7. ———————— No one read the article.
8. ———————— The judge put the thief in jail again.
9. ———————— Tomorrow I quit for sure!
10. ———————— We won’t set foot in this restaurant ever again!

There are several other verbs that are identical in the present and past tenses. They are as follows:

• beat, hit, split, bet, hurt, spread, burst, rid, thrust, cast, slit, wet, cost, shed

The tense of these verbs is determined by usage and certain signals included in a sentence. For example:

• Present: Those houses cost more than they did a month ago.
• Past: It hurt for about an hour, but it feels a lot better now.
• Future: Tomorrow morning we hit the road for home.

Types of Complements

The complement of a declarative sentence can be an adjective, an adverb, a prepositional phrase, an object, or a combination of these elements.

subject + predicate + adjective/adverb/prepositional phrase/object

Consider these examples with an adjective and an adverb:

• The children were noisy. (adjective)
• His eyes blinked rapidly. (adverb)

The following examples illustrate a prepositional phrase and a direct object:

• Our relatives sat in the garden. (prepositional phrase)
• I don’t know Mr. Walker. (direct object)

The following example illustrates a combination of those elements.

• They approached the house cautiously from the rear. (combination of elements)

Practice Exercise-4 of Declarative Sentences

Using the verbs provided as cues, write original sentences in the tenses specified.

EXAMPLE:

• buy / present habitual

He buys something new every day.

1. apply / present completed or habitual

———————————————————————

2. suggest / present in progress or incomplete

———————————————————————

3. annoy / present perfect in progress or incomplete

———————————————————————

4. remain / future completed or habitual

———————————————————————

5. attempt / past in progress or incomplete

———————————————————————

6. trick / present perfect completed or habitual

———————————————————————

7. rub / past completed or habitual

———————————————————————

8. earn / future in progress or incomplete

———————————————————————

9. harvest / past perfect completed or habitual

———————————————————————

10. lend / present perfect in progress or incomplete

———————————————————————

Practice Exercise-5 of Declarative Sentences

Complete the following sentences twice with the type of complement specified.

EXAMPLE:

adverb or adverbial phrase

• The men had to work slowly.
• The men had to work every day.

1. adverb or adverbial phrase
a. Tina wrote him ———————————
b. Tina wrote him ———————————

2. prepositional phrase
a. James chatted ———————————
b. James chatted ———————————

3. direct object
a. Dad wanted to sell ———————————
b. Dad wanted to sell ———————————

4. direct and indirect object
a. Bob sent ———————————
b. Bob sent ———————————

5. adjective
a. She was always ———————————
b. She was always ———————————

6. combination of elements
a. Mary drove ———————————
b. Mary drove ———————————

7. adverb or adverbial phrase
a. She was practicing ———————————
b. She was practicing ———————————

8. prepositional phrase
a. I met him ———————————
b. I met him ———————————

9. direct and indirect object
a. I will give ———————————
b. I will give ———————————

10. combination of elements
a. The soldiers ran ———————————
b. The soldiers ran ———————————

Placing emphasized elements first

In order to emphasize a specific element (such as an adverb or prepositional phrase) in a declarative sentence, it is possible to place that element ahead of the subject. The positions of the other elements of the sentence (subject, verb, predicate) do not change.

emphasized element + subject + predicate + complement

Emphasized elements tend to tell when or how often something is done (usually, ordinarily, in the winter, today, during summer vacation). For example:

• They went to a concert yesterday. = Yesterday they went to a concert.
• He brushes his teeth every morning. = Every morning he brushes his teeth.
• The girls play chess in the evening. = In the evening the girls play chess.

If a long prepositional phrase is the first element of a sentence, it is common to separate it from the rest of the sentence by a comma. For example:

• Without looking back at his parents, John quickened his pace and turned the corner.
• After hearing the good news, Mary embraced Bill and kissed him.
• Although Johnny was a rather short boy, he was chosen as captain of the basketball team.

Commas can also be used to separate a highly emphasized adverb from the rest of the sentence:

• Truthfully, I really never saw the accident happen.

Practice Exercise-6 of Declarative Sentences

Begin each sentence that follows with four different adverbs or prepositional phrases.

EXAMPLE:

• Today she finally felt well again.
• After a long illness, she finally felt well again.
• Incredibly, she finally felt well again.
• Happily, she finally felt well again.

1. a. ——————————— Granddad arrived soaking wet.
b. ———————————Granddad arrived soaking wet.
c. ———————————Granddad arrived soaking wet.
d. ——————————— Granddad arrived soaking wet.

2. ———————————a. I spent too much money.
b. ——————————— I spent too much money.
c. ——————————— I spent too much money.
d. ——————————— I spent too much money.

3. a. ——————————— his son had learned a serious lesson.
b. ——————————— his son had learned a serious lesson.
c. ——————————— his son had learned a serious lesson.
d. ——————————— his son had learned a serious lesson.

4. a. ——————————— we will go sightseeing in Madrid.
b. ——————————— we will go sightseeing in Madrid.
c. ——————————— we will go sightseeing in Madrid.
d. ——————————— we will go sightseeing in Madrid.

5. a. ——————————— their village was completely destroyed.
b. ——————————— their village was completely destroyed.
c. ——————————— their village was completely destroyed.
d. ——————————— their village was completely destroyed.

6. a. ——————————— he finally grew to like the new house and neighborhood.
b. ——————————— he finally grew to like the new house and neighborhood.
c. ———————————he finally grew to like the new house and neighborhood.
d. ——————————— he finally grew to like the new house and neighborhood.

Using Negatives

Declarative sentences do not have to make positive statements. They can be negated by using any of a variety of negative words: no, not, not any, none, nothing, no one, never, nowhere, or nobody. Let’s look at an example with each of these negative words:

• I have no time for this now.
• You are not allowed to smoke here.
• She does not want any contact with you.
• None of the contestants knew the answer.
• I have nothing more to say to you.
• He spoke to no one about it.
• They never really expected to win the lottery.
• There’s nowhere I’d rather live than right here.
• Nobody saw the burglar enter the house.

Except with the verb to be, a form of do is used when negating a verb with not. The object of the verb will be preceded by a form of any. If a form of no is used as the negative, do is not required. Compare the following sentences:

• I want no money from you. = I don’t want any money from you.
• Tom has no time. = Tom does not have any time.
• There is no one here to help me. = There isn’t anyone here to help me.

The forms of no and any are as follows:

• no = not any
• no one = not anyone
• nobody = not anybody
• nowhere = not anywhere
• nothing = not anything

A form of no or a form of not any can be used to replace one another.

a form of no = a form of do not + a form of any

• I have no money. = I do not have any money

A form of do is used only with the negation of verbs in the present and past tenses. With modal auxiliaries or auxiliaries of the perfect and future tenses, avoid do.

• She could do no better. = She couldn’t do any better.
• The boy has caused no problems. = The boy hasn’t caused any problems.
• Mr. Cole will accept no excuses. = Mr. Cole won’t accept any excuses.

auxiliary with a form of no = auxiliary with not + a form of any

• I will buy no gifts. = I will not buy any gifts.

Practice Exercise-7 of Declarative Sentences

Rewrite each sentence with a form of not any. Retain the tense of the original sentence.

EXAMPLE:

• The teacher found no errors.

The teacher didn’t find any errors.

1. John could take no one’s advice. ————————————
2. I will accept nothing but excellence. ————————————
3. There is nowhere for you to hide. ————————————
4. Ms. Brooks spoke with nobody about the problem. ————————————
5. You should give no one so young that kind of responsibility. ————————————
6. That will take no time at all. ————————————
7. There was none left for the little children. ————————————
8. There was no one for him to turn to. ————————————
9. My parents had found no place to spend the night. ————————————
10. They will achieve nothing from their efforts. ————————————