How to Identify Imperative Sentences From Exclamatory

Imperative and exclamatory sentences are two types of sentences used in spoken and written English. They are an interesting pair because they are not mutually exclusive. A sentence can be imperative without being exclamatory, but it can also be both. To tell the difference between the two, you need to look at what is being said or written and how it is being said or written.

Instructions

    • 1

      Assess how to respond to a sentence. If you can say "yes, I will do that" or "no, I will not", then it is an imperative sentence. An imperative sentence gives a command. "There is a key in the door" is not imperative because you cannot respond with "yes, I will." The sentence, "Turn the key in the door" is imperative because you can logically say "yes, I will do that."

    • 2

      Look for heightened feelings in the sentence. The exclamation point (!) is a key sign of heightened feelings, so its presence is a good indicator of whether the sentence is exclamatory. "Turn the key in the door!" is exclamatory, as is "Did you turn the key in the door?!"

    • 3

      Consider if a sentence is either both exclamatory and imperative, one of them, or neither. This is important because it proves that sentences don't have to only have one type.

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