English Sentence Types Quiz
Test your knowledge of English sentence types with our free interactive quiz. Declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences.
Start the Quiz →What This Quiz Covers
Every English sentence belongs to one of four functional types: declarative, interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory. Understanding the differences between these types — how each is formed, when it is used, and how punctuation signals its function — is a foundational skill for both reading comprehension and writing accuracy. This quiz tests all four sentence types across 20 multiple-choice questions pitched at A2 and B1 level.
Questions cover identifying sentence types from examples, forming correct question structures (yes/no questions and wh- questions), understanding the subject-less structure of imperative sentences, and recognising the features of exclamatory sentences with what and how. The quiz also tests tag questions, negative imperatives, and polite requests — areas where learners frequently confuse sentence type categories.
Whether you are a student learning English grammar foundations, a teacher preparing materials for A2–B1 learners, or an exam candidate needing to sharpen your sentence analysis skills, this quiz gives you clear, targeted feedback on each of the four core sentence forms.
What You Will Learn
- How to identify and produce all four English sentence types: declarative (statements), interrogative (questions), imperative (commands and instructions), and exclamatory (expressions of strong feeling).
- How question formation works in English, including subject-auxiliary inversion for yes/no questions, wh- question word order, and the structure of indirect and embedded questions.
- Why imperative sentences have no explicit subject, how to form negative imperatives ("Don't open the window"), and how polite requests relate to the imperative form.
- How exclamatory sentences use what and how in a specific structure, and how they differ from exclamations that use a simple declarative or imperative form.
How to Prepare
Before taking this quiz, review how each sentence type is formed and what punctuation it uses. Pay special attention to question formation, as this is the area where most A2–B1 learners make errors — particularly with auxiliary verb inversion and the use of do/does/did in questions and negatives.
To strengthen your foundation, try the Word Order Quiz, which covers the structural rules that underpin sentence formation across all four types. The Questions Quiz offers more focused practice on interrogative structures. You can also use the Complete the Sentence exercise to practise producing correct sentence forms in context.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The four main sentence types in English are: Declarative — a statement that gives information and ends with a full stop: "She works in London." Interrogative — a question that asks for information and ends with a question mark: "Does she work in London?" Imperative — a command, instruction, or request that often has no stated subject and ends with a full stop or exclamation mark: "Close the door." "Please be quiet." Exclamatory — an expression of strong emotion using what or how, ending with an exclamation mark: "What a beautiful day!" "How quickly time flies!"
A declarative sentence makes a statement. It follows the standard Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order and ends with a full stop. Both positive and negative statements are declarative: "The train arrives at 9am." "She hasn't finished yet." Declarative sentences are the most common sentence type in English. They can be simple (one clause), compound (two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction), or complex (a main clause plus one or more dependent clauses).
English forms interrogative sentences by inverting the subject and the first auxiliary verb (or the verb be): "She is happy" → "Is she happy?" "They have finished" → "Have they finished?" If the declarative sentence has no auxiliary verb, use the dummy auxiliary do/does/did: "He works here" → "Does he work here?" Wh- questions use a question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) at the start, followed by the same inversion: "Where does she work?" All interrogative sentences end with a question mark.
An imperative sentence gives a command, instruction, request, or advice. Its key structural feature is that the subject (you) is usually not stated — the sentence begins directly with the base form of the verb: "Sit down." "Open your books." "Don't touch that." The understood subject is always you (singular or plural). Adding please makes the imperative polite: "Please wait here." The negative imperative uses don't + base verb: "Don't be late." This subject-less structure is what distinguishes imperatives from all other sentence types in English.
An exclamatory sentence expresses a strong emotion such as surprise, admiration, or anger. In formal grammar, exclamatory sentences use a specific structure beginning with what or how: What + (a/an) + adjective + noun + subject + verb: "What a brilliant idea she had!" How + adjective/adverb + subject + verb: "How fast she runs!" In everyday speech, exclamations can also take a declarative or imperative form with an exclamation mark added: "That's incredible!" "Stop right there!" Only the what/how structures are grammatically classified as exclamatory sentences.
A tag question is a short question attached to the end of a declarative sentence, turning it into an interrogative. It is formed with an auxiliary verb + pronoun: "She's coming, isn't she?" "You don't know him, do you?" The general rule is: if the main clause is positive, the tag is negative; if the main clause is negative, the tag is positive. Tag questions can seek genuine information (rising intonation) or seek agreement (falling intonation). Because they end with a question mark, they are classed as interrogative — they are declarative sentences that have been converted into questions.
A direct question uses inverted word order and ends with a question mark: "Where does she live?" An indirect question (also called an embedded question) is a question embedded inside another sentence. It uses normal (declarative) word order — no inversion — and may end with a full stop or question mark depending on the main clause: "Could you tell me where she lives?" "I wonder whether they have arrived." "Do you know what time it is?" The lack of inversion in indirect questions is one of the most common sources of error at A2–B1 level.
In English exclamatory sentences, what and how are exclamative words (also called exclamative determiners or adverbs) that intensify the adjective or noun phrase that follows. What modifies a noun phrase: "What a fantastic performance!" How modifies an adjective or adverb: "How extraordinary!" "How gracefully she danced!" The subject and verb follow the exclamative word and noun/adjective in standard order. This structure is more formal and literary; in everyday speech, intensifiers like so, such, and really are more common: "That was such a fantastic performance!"
The 20-question sentence types quiz typically takes 5 to 10 minutes. All questions are multiple-choice with four options, and no typing is required. You receive an instant score at the end with no registration needed. The quiz is suitable for A2 and B1 level learners, and teachers can use it as a warm-up activity or formative assessment tool in ESL and EFL classrooms.
Knowledge of sentence types is embedded throughout Cambridge A2 Key, B1 Preliminary, and B2 First exams. In Use of English, you may need to transform sentence types (e.g., convert a direct question to an indirect one). In Writing, the ability to vary sentence types — mixing statements, questions, and imperatives in letters and essays — demonstrates grammatical range and earns higher marks. In IELTS General Training, question formation is particularly relevant for letter-writing tasks. This quiz builds the A2–B1 foundations needed for confident performance in these areas.