What you learned
A sentence is a group of words that tells a whole idea. To be a sentence, a group of words needs both of these:
- a naming part that tells who or what it is about
- a telling part that tells what happens
Run both questions on any group of words. Two yes answers means you have a sentence.
Three things that fool people
| What people think | What is true |
|---|---|
| A long group of words must be a sentence. | Length does not matter. “Frogs hop.” is a sentence with two words. |
| A capital letter at the front makes it a sentence. | It does not. “Ten ducks on the pond.” has one and is still not a sentence. |
| A period at the end makes it a sentence. | It does not either. Add the missing part first. |
Writing one correctly
Once a group of words passes the check, write it the right way:
- Capital letter on the first word.
- Period at the end.
“The wet dog shakes.”
Quick warm-up before the check
Say sentence or not a sentence for each one.
- “My kite flies high.”
- “The small blue truck.”
- “Naps in the sun.”
- “Ava reads to me.”
Answers
- Sentence.
- Not a sentence. No telling part.
- Not a sentence. No naming part.
- Sentence.
Now take the final check below.
Where to go next
- Word Order in Sentences: put mixed-up words in an order that makes sense
- Naming Parts of Sentences: work with subjects on their own
- Telling Parts of Sentences: work with predicates on their own
- Telling Sentences and Periods: statements and how to punctuate them