Assertive Sentence
This presentation will deal with assertive sentence. If you go to look at the classification of sentences, you will see that sentences can be classified from two perspectives: structural and meaning. From the structural perspective, sentences are of three types: simple, complex, and compound. From the meaning perspective, the sentence is of five types: assertive, interrogative, imperative, optative, and exclamatory. Through this chapter, we are going to learn assertive sentences elaborately.
What is an assertive sentence? If you go to look at the definition of the assertive sentence, you will see that the assertive sentence asserts or declares any statement, feeling, event, opinion, incident, history, or anything. It sounds very bookish, doesn't it? I think so. Let me make you understand in the simplest possible way. Most simply, an assertive sentence describes anything. At that point, I believe that a comparative study with the other four types of sentences will clarify your understanding. An assertive sentence does not make any question. It is the function of an interrogative sentence that an interrogative sentence makes questions. We will learn about the interrogative sentence from the next chapter. An assertive sentence does not give you any command or advice or it does not make any request. It is the function of an imperative sentence. An assertive sentence does not make any wish. It is the function of an optative sentence. And, we use exclamatory sentences to release our sudden emotions. So, you can see these five types of sentences one by one. You can understand the functions of these five types of sentences. And, the author will need at least 3 to 4 chapters to discuss these five types of sentences elaborately. Let's return to today's topic, which is the assertive sentence. So, in the simplest sense, an assertive sentence describes anything. And, this assertive sentence is of two types--affirmative and negative sentence. Let's have some examples of affirmative sentences.
An assertive sentence describes anything.
I eat rice.
I play football.
I watch TV.
I read books.
Through the assertive sentences above, the author is describing his daily work.
The Sun rises in the East.
The Sun sets in the West.
The Earth moves around the Sun.
Through these assertive sentences, the author is describing universal truth or scientific fact.
I am learning piano.
I am helping the flood-affected people.
Through these assertive sentences, the author is describing what he is currently doing.
It is too cold.
It is too hot.
Through these assertive sentences, the author is, here, describing my feelings.
I hate him.
I love him.
Through these two affirmative sentences, the author is, here, describing my opinion. So, we can see through assertive sentences we can describe anything.
Let's see the structures of affirmative sentences. An affirmative sentence can be of any length. But we can follow three structures to understand affirmative sentences better.
Let's have some examples of the first structure. We can see this kind of structure when the verb is intransitive because an intransitive verb does not require any object to complete the meaning.
I sleep.
He runs.
They are two complete sentences without objects.
I sleep in the morning. (subject + verb + adverbial)
He runs fast. (subject + verb + adverbial)
If you want to add more to the intransitive verb, you can add but these words are not objects; they are adverbials. If you want to understand the object, complement, or adverbial, you should deal with another presentation on ‘Object, Complement and Adverbial’.
I play football.
I kick the ball.
I hit the table.
Here, we have subject + verb + object.
The final structure is subject + auxiliary verb + main verb + object/complement/adverbial
I have done this work.
I am writing a book.
I had finished the work.
I had been playing football.
Here, am/is/are/was/were/shall/will/have been/has been are the auxiliary verbs. Auxiliary verbs can be four types: be verbs, do verbs, have verbs, modal auxiliary verbs. If you want to understand them, you should read the chapter on ‘Verb’. �What is about the negative sentence? You can convert these affirmative sentences into negative sentences by adding ‘not’ with the auxiliary verb.
You can convert affirmative sentences into their negative forms by adding ‘not’ with the auxiliary verb.
I've done the work.
I've not done the work.
I'm writing a book.
I'm not writing a book.
I was watching a movie.
I was not watching a movie.
I'll buy a book.
I'll not buy a book.
I'll be watching a movie.
I'll not be watching a movie.
So, you need to add ‘not’ with the auxiliary verb to convert the affirmative sentences into negative sentences. But you should keep in mind that, sometimes, the auxiliary verb remains hidden in the sentence. And, you should keep in mind that you don't have an auxiliary verb visible in present and past simple sentences. They remain hidden in the sentence. Whenever you go to convert these affirmative sentences of present and past simple into negative sentences, you have to use ‘do’, ‘does,’ and ‘did’, ‘Do’ and ‘does’ for present simple and ‘did’ for past simple.
Keep in mind that auxiliary verbs 'do,' 'does,' and 'did' remain hidden in the affirmative sentence.
I eat rice.
I don't eat rice.
He helps the poor.
He doesn't help the poor.
He helped the poor.
He didn't help the poor.
He ate rice.
He didn't eat rice.
You watched a movie.
You didn't watch a movie.
So, you can convert an affirmative sentence into a negative sentence by adding ‘not’ with the auxiliary verb. However, in present simple and past simple, auxiliary verbs are not explicitly shown. In that case, you use ‘do’, ‘does,’ and ‘did’ along with ‘not’ to convert this affirmative sentence into a negative sentence.
So, through this chapter, you have learned what an assertive sentence is and its two types. At the same time, you can understand what interrogative, imperative, optative, and exclamatory sentences are. But, if you want to know about them elaborately, you should read the following chapters.
Exercise:
Thank You