Hello, little fact finder! Do you know how to share news? How do you tell someone about your day? We use a special kind of talking for that. It is called a declarative sentence. A declarative sentence simply tells something. It shares a fact, an idea, or a piece of news. It is the most common way we talk! Today, we are reporters with Tara the Tour Guide. Tara's job is to tell us facts. She says, "The sky is up. The ground is down." Those are declarative sentences! Let's explore and tell facts about our home, the park, school, and the world.
What Is a Declarative Sentence? A declarative sentence is a sentence that makes a statement. It declares something. It tells information. Think of it like a friendly tour guide. The guide says, "This is our school. Your class is here. The library is there." The guide is not asking you. The guide is not telling you to do something. The guide is not shouting with joy. The guide is simply telling you facts. That is a declarative sentence. It usually ends with a calm period (.). "My name is Leo. I have a red ball. The cat is soft."
Why Do We Need to Make Statements? We use declarative sentences all the time. They are super useful. They help your ears listen. You learn new things when people tell you facts. "Your shoes are untied." They help your mouth speak. You can tell stories about your day. "I saw a big dog today." They help your eyes read. Most words in your storybooks are these telling sentences. They help your hand write. You can write in your journal, "Today was sunny." Knowing how to make clear statements is a powerful tool.
What Can a Declarative Sentence Tell Us? A declarative sentence can tell us many different things. Let's look at the main kinds of facts it can share.
It Can Tell a Simple Fact. "The sun is bright. I am six. Grass is green. My toy is broken."
It Can Tell What Someone or Something Is Like. "My mom is kind. The soup is hot. The dog is fluffy. You are my friend."
It Can Tell What Someone or Something Has. "I have two hands. The house has a blue door. She has a new book. We have a cat."
It Can Tell What Someone or Something Is Doing. "The bird flies. I eat lunch. Dad reads the paper. We play outside."
It Can Tell a Feeling or Thought. "I feel happy. I like ice cream. I think it is fun. I love you."
How Can You Spot a Telling Sentence? Tara the Tour Guide has some easy tricks. Use them to find a declarative sentence.
Look at the end mark. Does the sentence end with a period (.)? It is very likely a declarative sentence. "My bike is blue."
Listen to the sound. When you say it, does your voice go flat and down at the end? It sounds calm and finished. That is the sound of telling a fact.
Look at the start. Does it begin with a "Who", "What", "Where", "When", "Why", "How", "Do", "Can", or "Is"? Those often start questions. A telling sentence often starts with a person, place, thing, or "I", "He", "She", "It", "We", "You", "They".
Ask yourself. Is this sentence sharing news or a fact? Or is it asking, commanding, or shouting? If it is sharing, it is declarative.
How Do We Build a Good Declarative Sentence? Building a declarative sentence is like building a little train of facts. It has a simple pattern.
The basic formula is: [Who/What] + [Is/Does/Has] + [The Rest]. The "Who/What" is the subject. The "Is/Does/Has" is the verb. The "Rest" gives more detail. Always end with a period.
For facts about being: [Subject] + am/is/are + [description]. "I am tall. You are funny. The ball is red."
For facts about doing: [Subject] + action verb + [the rest]. "I run fast. Dogs chew bones. Mom drives the car."
For facts about having: [Subject] + have/has + [the rest]. "I have a sister. She has a doll. We have a house."
Where Do We Put the Words? The words go in a straight line. Subject first, then verb, then the rest. "The cat (subject) sleeps (verb) on the sofa (rest)." Your voice should be calm. It should not go up at the end like a question. Remember your period. It is the full stop for your fact train.
Let’s Fix Some Wobbly Fact Trains! Sometimes our telling sentences get a little mixed up. Let's fix them together.
Forgetting the Period. Wrong: "My dog is brown" This sentence is fine, but it is missing its stop sign. It feels unfinished. Right: "My dog is brown." The period tells the reader the fact is complete.
Using a Period for a Big Feeling. Wrong: "I love this toy." This is a statement, but if you are SUPER excited, the period sounds too calm. For big feelings, we use an exclamation mark. But for a simple fact, a period is okay. Let's see a clearer error: Using a period when you mean to ask a question. Wrong: "You are coming." (said with a questioning voice). If you are asking, use a question mark. Right: "You are coming?" or, better, "Are you coming?"
Starting Like a Question But Ending with a Period. Wrong: "Where is my ball." The word "Where" starts a question, so it needs a question mark. Right: "Where is my ball?" That is a question, not a declarative sentence. A correct declarative sentence would be: "My ball is under the bed."
Making a Sentence That Is Not a Complete Thought. Wrong: "The big, fluffy, white." This is not a sentence. It has no verb. What about the cat? Right: "The cat is big, fluffy, and white." or "I see a big, fluffy, white cat." A declarative sentence must be a complete thought.
Can You Be a Fact Guide? You are great at this! Let’s play. I will say a fact. You tell me if it is a declarative sentence. "The park has swings." Yes! It tells a fact and ends with a period. "Do you like swings?" No. That is a question. It ends with a ?. "Go on the swing!" No. That is a command. "I love the swing!" That is an exclamation. But "I love the swing." (with a period) is a declarative sentence too. It is a statement of fact. You are a fantastic fact spotter!
Tara's Fact Book: 100 Common Declarative Sentences. Here is a book of one hundred simple facts. They are all declarative sentences. You can use them every day.
At Home: My mom is in the kitchen. Dad is cooking dinner. I have a blue cup. My bed is soft. Our house is big. The TV is on. My toy is under the table. Dinner smells good. I love my family. The baby is sleeping. My room is messy. The phone is ringing. My shoes are by the door. The light is bright. The window is open. Milk is in the fridge. My book is on the shelf. The floor is clean. The sofa is comfy. My dad reads the news. I help my mom. We eat at six o'clock. My brother is taller than me. The cat is on my lap. The dog wants to go out.
At the Playground: The sun is hot. The slide is fun. My friend is here. The swing goes high. The sand is warm. I see two birds. My hands are dirty. The sky is blue. The monkey bars are tricky. My ball is red. The park is busy. My sister is on the seesaw. The grass is green. My shoes have mud. I like this game. The tree gives shade. My water bottle is full. The kids are loud. My turn is next. The playground is my favorite place.
At School: My teacher is nice. The school bell is loud. My desk is small. I have a yellow crayon. The book is about bears. My friend sits next to me. Art class is fun. Lunchtime is at noon. My backpack is heavy. The classroom is big. We learn about numbers. The letters are on the wall. My picture is on the board. The glue is sticky. The clock is on the wall. Reading time is quiet. My name is on my paper. The principal is in the office. Our class has a pet fish. I am a good helper.
In Nature and Animals: The flower is pretty. A bird is in the tree. The dog has a wet nose. The cloud is fluffy. The river is cold. A butterfly is on the flower. The rock is hard. The leaf is brown. The bee is busy. A squirrel eats a nut. The moon is white. The rain is wet. The snow is cold. The wind is strong. A spider makes a web. The fish swims fast. The worm is in the dirt. A rabbit hops away. The sun gives us light. The stars are far away. A ladybug has spots. The ant is very small. The tree is very old. The ground is muddy. My pet hamster runs on its wheel.
You Are a Master of Telling Facts! You did it! You know that a declarative sentence is for telling facts. It is calm and clear. It ends with a period. Tara the Tour Guide gives you a reporter's notebook. You have seen one hundred common telling sentences. You can now share news about your world.
Here is what you learned from our fact-finding trip. You know a declarative sentence makes a statement. You learned it ends with a period. You can spot it by its calm, finishing sound. You can build one using the "[Who/What] + [Is/Does/Has] + [Rest]." formula. You know how to fix common mistakes.
Now, let’s do some life practice! Your mission is today. Be a fact reporter for five minutes. Look around your room. Say three declarative sentences out loud. Tell what you see. Say: "My bed is made. The floor is clean. My toy box is full." You are a wonderful teller of truths!