Sentence or Not a Sentence?

The two-question check

You now have a way to test any group of words. Ask both questions in order.

1. Does it tell who or what?
2. Does it tell what happens?

Two yes answers means it is a sentence. One no answer means it is not, no matter how it looks.

Watch out for the trick

Read this.

“The big red pot on the stove.”

It starts with a capital letter. It ends with a period. It looks like a sentence at first glance.

Now run the check. Who or what? The pot. What happens? Nothing is said. The pot just sits there in the words. So this is not a sentence.

A capital letter and a period do not turn a group of words into a sentence. They are marks you add after you already have one.

“The big red pot sits on the stove.”

Now something happens. Now it is a sentence.

Sort these out

Words	Who or what?	What happens?	Sentence?
Ava paints.	Ava	paints	Yes
Ten ducks on the pond.	ten ducks	nothing is said	No
Runs down the hall.	nothing is said	runs down the hall	No
The wind blows hard.	the wind	blows hard	Yes

Look at rows two and three again. Both start with a capital and end with a period. Neither one is a sentence.

Which part is missing?

When the answer is no, say which part is gone. That makes the fix easy later.

• “the tall pine tree” is missing the telling part.
• “hides under the bed” is missing the naming part.

Your turn

For each one, say sentence or say which part is missing.

1. “My shoes are wet.”
2. “The three loud birds on the fence.”
3. “Sings a song.”
4. “Leo shuts the door.”
5. “A soft grey kitten.”

Check your answers

1. Sentence.
2. Not a sentence. The telling part is missing. You never find out what the birds do.
3. Not a sentence. The naming part is missing. You never find out who sings.
4. Sentence.
5. Not a sentence. The telling part is missing.

Remember

• Run both questions every time.
• A capital letter and a period do not make a sentence.
• When a group of words fails the check, name the part that is missing.