sentence

The word “sentence” means a group of words that forms a complete grammatical statement, usually with a subject and a verb. In plain terms, either a complete unit of grammar (a "sentence" in writing) or the legal punishment handed down in court.

“Sentence” is pronounced SEHN-tuhns ([ˈsɛntn̩(t)s] in IPA).

Here is “sentence” used in a sentence: “Try to write a shorter sentence.”

Words with a similar meaning to “sentence” include verdict and conviction.

Depending on how it is used, “sentence” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “sentence” comes from Latin. From Latin sententia, "opinion, way of thinking," from sentiō, "to feel or think.".

“Sentence” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Sentence” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a group of words that forms a complete grammatical statement, usually with a subject and a verb.

A sentence expresses a complete thought and normally contains a subject and a verb, as in 'The dog barked.' A phrase is a smaller group of words that lacks that complete structure, such as 'the big dog' or 'under the table.' Every sentence can contain phrases, but a phrase alone cannot stand as a full statement.

By purpose, there are four: declarative (a statement), interrogative (a question), imperative (a command), and exclamatory (a strong feeling). By structure, sentences are simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex, depending on how many clauses they contain and how those clauses are joined together.

A complete sentence needs a subject, who or what it is about, and a predicate containing a verb, what happens, and it must express a finished thought. 'She runs' qualifies; 'running fast' does not. In writing, it also begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.