Chapter 1. Sentence types
A sentence is a unit in which words are grammatically linked to make a statement or to describe something (typically via a declarative sentence), to express a command (typically via an imperative sentence), to elicit information from an addressee (typically via an interrogative sentence), or to convey surprise (typically via an exclamative sentence). Sentences can be classified according to two main dimensions: their type (declaratives, imperatives, interrogatives, and exclamatives) and their internal complexity. A sentence is simple when it consists of a single independent clause (‘Gianni arrived on time’), while it is complex when it consists of a main and a subordinate clause (‘I think that Gianni arrived on time’) or of two (or more) coordinate clauses (‘Gianni arrived on time but Maria arrived late’). In principle, the number of subordinated clauses is unlimited (‘Gianni said that I think that Maria claimed that Piero is convinced that you arrived on time’) although in practice there are limitations of the sentence length due to cognitive limitations (for example, working memory).
The most prominent categorization of sentences is according to their function: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamative.
