What term describes a sentence that makes a statement?

• A. Interrogative
• B. Declarative
• C. Exclamatory
• D. Minor sentence

Answer: (B)

A sentence that makes a statement is called a declarative sentence. Declaratives convey facts or opinions and end with a period, presenting information rather than asking something or showing strong emotion. This contrasts with an interrogative, which asks a question and ends with a question mark, and with an exclamatory, which expresses strong emotion and ends with an exclamation point. A minor sentence is a fragment that lacks a complete independent clause, so it doesn’t fulfill the function of stating information. For example: “The sun is shining.” is declarative; “Is the sun shining?” is interrogative; “What a wonderful day!” is exclamatory; “Running late.” is a minor sentence.