Narrative sentence

What is a narrative sentence? In this article, you will learn the concept, function of declarative sentences, and types of declarative sentences. Illustrate with an example of a declarative sentence.

1. Concepts

Narrative sentence is a sentence used to declare a fact or to convey some information. Declarative sentences usually end with a period (.).

2. Classification

  • There are two types of declarative sentences: affirmative sentences and negative sentences:

 Recipe

For example
Confirm Subject + (Auxiliary verb) + Verb

  • He is free after 8pm.

  • She can play the guitar.

  • Their family went to Thailand last year.

  • I have been to Berlin before.
Negative Subject + Auxiliary Verb + NOT + Verb

  • He is not free after 8pm.

  • She cannot play the guitar.

  • Their family didn't go to Thailand last year.

  • I have not been to Berlin before.


2.1. Affirmations

Affirmations is simply a statement about something happening.

The affirmative sentence has the formula: Subject + Verb, where the subject is the subject performing the action, and the verb is the action.

For example:

  • He is free after 8pm.

  • She can play the guitar.

  • Their family went to Thailand last year.

  • I have been to Berlin before.

Narrative sentence

She can play the guitar.

2.2. Negative sentence

Negative sentence is the opposite of a positive sentence: a negative sentence says something Are not happen.

For example:

  • He is not free after 8pm.

  • She cannot play the guitar.

  • Their family did not go to Thailand last year.

  • I have not been to Berlin before.

Narrative sentence

He is not free after 8pm.

- To form a negative sentence, you just need to add words not into the affirmative sentence according to the following rule:

  • With verbs to be or modal verbs:
    • More not directly into the verb.
  • With other regular verbs: add not after the auxiliary verb, specifically:

    • If the verb is in the present simple tense: Add not comes after the auxiliary verb do or does then move the main word back to the infinitive.

    • If the verb is in the past simple tense: Add not comes after the auxiliary verb did then move the main word back to the infinitive.

    • If the verb is in other tenses: Add not comes after the auxiliary verb.

- We can better understand this rule through the examples above:

  • He is free after 8pm. → He is not free after 8pm.

    This sentence does is is a verb to be, so negation needs addition not after the verb to be.

  • She can play the guitar. → She can not play the guitar.

Narrative sentence

- This sentence does can is a modal verb, so the negation needs to be added not after modal verbs.

- You should also note that not writing is associated with can (can+ not = cannot), and other modal verbs are written out (should + not = should not)

  • Their family went to Thailand last year. → Their family did not go to Thailand last year.

This sentence does went is a verb that is usually in the simple past tense, so the negation needs to be added not after the auxiliary verb did, still went the original form is go.

  • I have been to Berlin before. → I have not been to Berlin before.

    This sentence does have been is a verb to be In the present perfect tense, the negative needs to be added not after the auxiliary verb have, still been keep stable.