- These sentences all tell something: 'I wake up at seven. I brush my teeth. I eat breakfast.' Which choice adds a question AND a command?
Answer: 'What time do you wake up?' and 'Try to wake up early!'
A question asks something and a command tells someone to do something. 'What time do you wake up?' is a question and 'Try to wake up early!' is a command, so this choice adds a question and a command. The other choices add two of the same kind.
- Which student used a sentence that tells someone to do something?
Answer: Alex used a sentence that tells someone to do something when he showed his hamster picture.
Alex said 'Look at this picture of my hamster,' which tells someone to do something (look). Tom's sentence tells something (gives information), and Sarah's sentence asks something (asks a question). Only Alex gave a command.
- Which sentence in the blank is a question? 'My party was so much fun! _____ We played games for two hours.'
Answer: What games do you like to play at birthday parties the most?
A question asks something and ends with a question mark. 'What games do you like to play?' is the question.
- Which sentence is a telling sentence (it tells something and ends with a period)?
Answer: The door handle feels cold when I touch it.
A telling sentence states a fact and ends with a period. 'The door handle feels cold when I touch it.' is the telling sentence.
- Which sentence in the student's paragraph might confuse readers because it doesn't match the type of sentence it appears to be?
Answer: The second sentence might confuse readers because it seems like a command but asks something.
When you're reading, it's important to recognize different types of sentences and understand how they should sound. Each sentence type has a specific purpose and structure that helps readers understand the writer's intention.
Let's examine the second sentence: "See all the different animals there?" This sentence creates confusion because it looks like a command (telling someone to do something) but ends with a question mark, making it seem like it's asking something. Commands typically start with action words and end with periods or exclamation points, like "Look at the animals!" Questions ask for information and end with question marks, like "Did you see all the animals?" This sentence mixes both forms, which confuses readers about whether the writer is giving a direction or asking for a response.
Looking at the other choices: Answer A is incorrect because the first sentence ("We went to the zoo on Saturday") is clearly a statement that tells something and ends properly with a period. Answer B is wrong because the fourth sentence ("Don't get too close to the lion cage") is actually a clear command that correctly tells someone what to do. Answer C is incorrect because the third sentence ("The monkeys were swinging from branch to branch") is a proper statement that tells about the monkeys' actions.
When reading student writing, watch for sentences where the punctuation doesn't match the sentence's structure. Commands should end with periods or exclamation points, while questions should genuinely ask for information and end with question marks.
- Here are sentences about a pet: 'My cat loves to play with yarn. Does your cat like to climb trees? Please give my cat some treats.' Which new sentence is a question?
Answer: How often does your cat purr when you pet it gently?
A question asks something and ends with a question mark. 'How often does your cat purr?' is the question.
- What makes this a good example of using different types of sentences in storytelling?
Answer: It uses all three types: one tells something, one asks something, and one tells someone to do something.
When you're looking at sentence variety in stories, you need to identify the three main types of sentences: statements (tell something), questions (ask something), and commands (tell someone to do something). Good writers mix these types to make their stories more interesting and natural-sounding.
Let's examine each sentence in Mrs. Kim's example. "The little bird sat on the branch" is a statement that tells us something about what happened. "'Are you lost?' asked the friendly squirrel" contains a question where the squirrel asks something. "'Follow me to safety,' the squirrel said kindly" contains a command where the squirrel tells the bird to do something. This shows all three sentence types working together, making answer D correct.
Answer A is wrong because the passage doesn't use only statements—it includes a question and a command too. Answer B is incorrect because the passage doesn't use only commands; there's also a statement and a question. Answer C is wrong because the passage doesn't use only questions; it has a statement and a command as well.
When you see questions about sentence variety, always count the different types of sentences carefully. Look for statements that give information, questions that ask for information, and commands that tell someone what to do. Writers use this mix to create dialogue that sounds real and stories that feel lively rather than flat or repetitive.
- Which instruction is different from the others because it asks something instead of telling students what to do or giving information?
Answer: Instruction 3 is different because it asks students about their color choices.
Instruction 3 'What colors will you use?' actually asks something (asks a question). Instructions 1 and 2 tell students to do something (commands), and Instruction 4 tells something (gives information). Only Instruction 3 is asking for an answer.
- Which person used two different types of sentences, and what types were they?
Answer: Mom used two different types: one that tells someone to do something and one that tells something.
Mom used two different sentence types: 'Put on your coat' (tells someone to do something) and 'It's very cold outside today' (tells something). The child only used one type - asking something. Only Mom used two different types.
- Maria said three different things to Jake. Which choice correctly identifies what kind of sentence each one is, in the order she said them?
Answer: A sentence that asks something, a sentence that tells something, a sentence that tells someone to do something
The first sentence 'What time does the movie start?' asks something (question). The second sentence 'I hope we can get good seats' tells something (statement). The third sentence 'Don't forget to bring your jacket!' tells someone to do something (command). Choice A correctly identifies all three in order.
- Two friends are talking about lunch. Emma says: "I brought a sandwich today." Then Jake responds: "Share some with me." What kind of sentence did each friend use?
Answer: Emma used a sentence that tells something, and Jake used a sentence that tells someone to do something.
Emma's sentence 'I brought a sandwich today' tells something (shares information). Jake's sentence 'Share some with me' tells someone to do something (gives a command or makes a request). Even though Jake's request might sound polite, it's still telling Emma what to do.
- In what order did the teacher use the three different kinds of sentences?
Answer: First a sentence that tells someone to do something, then a sentence that asks something, then a sentence that tells something.
The teacher first said 'Sit in a circle, everyone' (tells someone to do something), then 'Do you remember yesterday's story?' (asks something), then 'That story was about a brave little mouse' (tells something). Choice B correctly identifies this order.
- Which sentence is a command that tells someone to do something?
Answer: Put the cards in the middle to start.
A command tells someone to do something. 'Put the cards in the middle to start.' tells someone what to do, so it is the command. The others are an exclamation, a question, and a telling sentence.
- Even though the character used a question mark, which type of sentence did the character actually say first?
Answer: A sentence that tells something, because the character is sharing what they are thinking about.
Even though 'I wonder if it will rain tomorrow?' has a question mark, it's actually a sentence that tells something - it tells us what the character is thinking or wondering about. The character isn't asking someone else for an answer; they're sharing their thoughts.
