Top 6 Best Lesson Plans on 'Declarative Sentences' for Grade 8

I. CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS

Read the provided excerpts.

Answer the questions.

Sentences a, b, and c do not exhibit features typical of interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory sentences.

Sentence a expresses a judgment about a social issue.

Sentence b narrates an event.

- “Bẩm... the dike has broken!” tells the story while expressing emotions. Sentence c describes a character.

Sentence d contains the exclamatory sentence “Oh Tào Khê!”

In the excerpt, sentences that are not exclamatory are declarative. The declarative sentence is the most commonly used type because it serves a wide range of human communication needs.

II. EXERCISES

Exercise 1. Identify the sentence type and function of sentences a and b:

a) The sentences in example a are declarative, narrating the death of Dế Choắt and expressing Dế Mèn's emotions and thoughts.

b) - “Mã Lương looked at the golden pen and exclaimed in joy” is a declarative sentence that tells a story.

- “This pen is so beautiful!” is an exclamatory sentence expressing joy. “Thank you, sir! Thank you!” is a declarative sentence expressing gratitude.

Exercise 2. - The sentence “What should I do in the face of such beauty tonight?” is an interrogative sentence, but it does not inquire. Instead, it affirms the beauty of the moonlit night and expresses emotions.

- The sentence “The beauty of tonight’s scene is hard to ignore” is a declarative sentence that expresses enjoyment of the moonlit night’s beauty.

Exercise 3. a) “Please turn off the cigarette!” is an imperative sentence.

b) “Could you turn off the cigarette, please?” is an interrogative sentence.

c) “Sorry, smoking is not allowed here” is a declarative sentence, stating a rule.

All three sentences imply stopping smoking, but sentence a states this directly; sentence b uses a question to make the request more polite; sentence c uses a declarative form to gently inform the rule, making the request more courteous and formal.

Exercise 4. - Sentence a is a declarative sentence used to express an opinion or a request.

- Sentence b is a declarative sentence narrating an action performed by a character.

Exercise 5. Create declarative sentences for the following situations:

- Promise: I promise to return the book “The South's Forests” to you in a week.

- Apology: I apologize for my harsh words yesterday.

- Gratitude: Thank you for your help throughout the past school year.

- Congratulations: Congratulations on your excellent performance in the National Math Olympiad!

- Assurance: I assure you that I will never break the flowers in the school garden again.

Exercise 6. Write a short dialogue using all four types of sentences:

At school’s dismissal, Nam asked Lân as they walked:

- Hey, did you bring the book “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” for me to borrow?

Lân replied:

- Yes, I brought it. But first, you owe me a glass of sugarcane juice.

Nam exclaimed happily:

- Wow! That’s awesome! I’m happy to treat you.

I. FORM CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS

Exercise 1: Only the sentence “Oh Tào Khê!” exhibits the characteristics of an exclamatory sentence. All other sentences in the excerpts are declarative sentences.

Exercise 2: These sentences serve the following purposes:

- To express the writer’s thoughts on the patriotic spirit of our people (Excerpt a).

- To narrate (the first sentence) and inform (the second sentence) (Excerpt b).

- To describe the appearance of a man (Excerpt c).

- To express emotions (the second and third sentences in Excerpt d).

Exercise 3: Among the interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, and declarative sentence types, the declarative sentence is the most commonly used. This sentence type has multiple functions, including those of the other sentence types, and does not have the distinct features of the other types.

II. EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Identify the sentence type and function of the sentences:

a. All three sentences are declarative. Sentence 1 is used for narration, while sentences 2 and 3 express the emotions and thoughts of Dế Mèn regarding the death of Dế Choắt.

b. Sentence 1 is a declarative sentence used for narration. Sentence 2 is exclamatory, expressing emotions, while sentences 3 and 4 are declarative, conveying feelings and actions such as gratitude.

Exercise 2: The second sentence in the poem “Moon Watching” by Hồ Chí Minh is an interrogative sentence (similar to the one in the original Chinese: Đổi thử lương tiêu nại nược hà?), whereas its corresponding sentence in the English translation is declarative. Although the sentence types differ, both convey the same meaning: the moonlit night evokes a deep emotional response in the poet, prompting a desire to act.

Exercise 3: – Identify the sentence types:

+ Sentence (a): Imperative.

+ Sentence (b): Interrogative.

+ Sentence (c): Declarative.

– These sentences all serve the purpose of requesting, differing only in tone (the last two are more polite and subtle compared to the first).

Exercise 4: – The sentences provided here are all declarative.

– These sentences serve the following purposes:

+ Sentence (a) is used to make a request.

+ Sentence (b): The part before the colon is a narrative, while the part after the colon is a request.

Exercise 5: Create declarative sentences for the following situations:

- Promise: I promise to arrive early tomorrow.

- Apology: I apologize to you.

- Gratitude: Thank you, uncle.

- Congratulations: Congratulations on your achievement!

- Assurance: I assure you this is genuine.

Exercise 6: – Mother, my friend Lan has been asking the teacher for leave for the whole month.

– Why is your friend absent?

– She’s very sick, mother!

– Oh no! That poor girl! I’ve noticed she hasn’t come over lately. I’ll visit her mother at the hospital after I finish work today.

– We shouldn’t go before 5 PM, as that’s when the hospital allows family visits.

I. FORM CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS

- The sentences in the excerpt above do not exhibit the form characteristics of interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory sentences. These are:

+ "Our history has seen… a heroic nation."

+ "Cai Tứ is a short man… his cheeks are hollow."

- These sentences are used to narrate events, describe, and make observations.

- Among the sentence types—interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, and declarative—the declarative sentence is the most widely used, as it serves the purpose of conveying information in communication.

II. EXERCISES

Exercise 1 (Page 46, 8th Grade Literature Textbook):

a. Dế Choắt passed away.

→ A declarative sentence recounting the death of Dế Choắt.

I feel so sad. I feel sorry and regretful for what I did.

→ Expresses Dế Mèn’s sorrow and remorse for the wrong he caused Dế Choắt.

b. Declarative sentence: "Mã Lương looked at the shining golden pen and exclaimed:"

→ Narrates the story of Mã Lương receiving the magical pen.

- Exclamatory sentence: "What a beautiful pen!"

→ Expresses joy over the beautiful pen.

- Declarative sentence: "Thank you, grandfather! Thank you!"

→ Expresses gratitude for receiving the magical pen.

Exercise 2 (Page 46, 8th Grade Literature Textbook):

- Sentence: "How can I describe the beauty of tonight's scene?"

→ An interrogative sentence with the question phrase "how" and a question mark.

- Declarative sentence: "The beauty of tonight’s scene is overwhelming."

→ A declarative sentence with a period.

→ Both sentences serve to express emotions of awe and joy at the beautiful moonlit night.

Exercise 3 (Page 46, 8th Grade Literature Textbook):

a. The imperative sentence with the word "go" and an exclamation mark asks the listener to stop smoking.

b. The interrogative sentence with the phrase "is it okay" seeks permission to extinguish a cigarette.

c. The declarative sentence ends with a period and requests that the listener refrain from smoking.

Exercise 4 (Page 46, 8th Grade Literature Textbook):

a. Sentence (a) is a declarative sentence used to request (Lý Thông asks Thạch Sanh to guard the temple).

b. The first declarative sentence in section (b) narrates the situation. The second declarative sentence requests: wishing for a brother to go and accept the prize together.

Exercise 5 (Page 46, 8th Grade Literature Textbook):

- I promise to go to bed earlier.

- I apologize, I couldn't attend your birthday due to being so busy.

- Congratulations on winning the top prize in the recent entrance exam.

- I guarantee I will send the books to you on time.

Exercise 6 (Page 6, 8th Grade Literature Textbook):

A: Do you have the book "The Scarlet Sails"?

B: Yes, I have that book.

A: Oh, that’s amazing! Can you lend it to me?

B: Sure, I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.

PART I: FORM CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS

Read the following excerpts and answer the questions.

(Page 46, 8th Grade Literature Textbook, Volume 2)

a) Our history has seen many great resistances that demonstrate the patriotic spirit of our people. We have the right to be proud of the glorious historical pages of the Trưng Sisters, Bà Triệu, Trần Hưng Đạo, Lê Lợi, Quang Trung, and more... We must remember the contributions of our national heroes, as they represent a heroic nation.

(Hồ Chí Minh, The Patriotic Spirit of Our People)

b) Suddenly, a peasant, dirty, clothes drenched, rushed in breathlessly:

- Sir… the dyke has collapsed!

(Phạm Duy Tốn, Life and Death at the Mercy of the Wind)

c) Cai Tứ is a short and thin man, around forty-five or fifty years old. His face is square, but his cheeks are hollow.

(Lan Khai, Hardship)

d) Oh Tào Khê! The water of Tào Khê wears down stone! But the stream of Tào Khê will never run dry, just like my loyalty!

(Nguyên Hồng, A Literary Childhood)

Questions:

- Which sentences in the excerpts above do not have the form characteristics of interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory sentences?

- What are these sentences used for?

- Among the interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, and declarative sentence types, which is used the most? Why?

Answer:

- Only the sentence: "Oh Tào Khê!" has the characteristics of an exclamatory sentence. The other sentences in these excerpts are declarative sentences.

- These sentences are used to:

a) Present information

b) Tell a story and inform

c) Describe the appearance of a man

d) Express emotions

- Among the interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, and declarative sentence types, declarative sentences are used the most. This type has many functions (including the functions of the other sentence types) and does not have the formal markers of other sentence types.

PART II: EXERCISES

Exercise 1 (Page 46, 8th Grade Literature Textbook)

Identify the sentence types and functions of the following sentences:

a) Then, Dế Choắt passed away. I feel so sorry. I feel both sorrowful and regretful for my actions.

(Tô Hoài, Adventures of Dế Mèn)

b) Mã Lương looked at the shiny golden pen and exclaimed joyfully:

- What a beautiful pen! Thank you, grandfather! Thank you!

(The Magic Pen)

Answer:

a) - "Dế Choắt passed away." ⟶ A declarative sentence recounting Dế Choắt’s death.

- "I feel so sorry. I feel both sorrowful and regretful for my actions." ⟶ Expresses Dế Mèn’s sorrow and remorse for his wrongdoings towards Dế Choắt.

b) Declarative sentence: "Mã Lương looked at the shiny golden pen and exclaimed joyfully:" ⟶ Narrates the event of Mã Lương receiving the magic pen.

- Exclamatory sentence: "What a beautiful pen!" ⟶ Expresses joy at the beautiful pen.

- Declarative sentence: "Thank you, grandfather! Thank you!" ⟶ Expresses gratitude for receiving the magic pen.

Exercise 2 (Page 47, 8th Grade Literature Textbook)

Read the second sentence from the translated poem "Looking at the Moon" by Hồ Chí Minh (How can I describe the beauty of tonight’s scene?) and the second sentence from the translated poem (Tonight's scene is too beautiful to ignore). Discuss the sentence types and their meanings.

Answer:

- Sentence: "How can I describe the beauty of tonight’s scene?" ⟶ An interrogative sentence with the question phrase "how" and a question mark.

- Declarative sentence: "Tonight’s scene is too beautiful to ignore." ⟶ A declarative sentence with a period.

- Both sentences aim to express emotions of awe and joy at the beautiful moonlit scene.

Exercise 3 (Page 47, 8th Grade Literature Textbook)

Identify the sentence type for the following sentences and discuss their meanings. Discuss the differences in meaning among the sentences.

a) Please stop smoking!

b) Could you please stop smoking?

c) Sorry, smoking is not allowed here.

Answer:

a) Imperative sentence with the word "please" and an exclamation mark. It demands the listener stop smoking.

b) Interrogative sentence with the phrase "could you please". It asks the listener to stop smoking.

c) Declarative sentence with a period. It suggests that the listener should not smoke here.

Exercise 4 (Page 47, 8th Grade Literature Textbook)

Are the following sentences declarative? What are they used for?

a) Tonight, it's your turn to guard the temple, but since I am still making the wine, please go in my place, and come back by morning.

(Thạch Sanh)

b) Even so, he whispered into my ear: "I want both of us to go accept the prize together."

(Tạ Duy Anh, My Little Sister’s Painting)

Answer:

- Sentence (a) is a declarative sentence used to request (Lý Thông asks Thạch Sanh to guard the temple).

- The first declarative sentence in (b) tells the story. The second declarative sentence is a request: wishing for his brother to join him in accepting the prize.

Exercise 5 (Page 47, 8th Grade Literature Textbook)

Write a declarative sentence to express a promise, apology, gratitude, congratulations, and assurance.

Answer:

- I promise to study harder.

- I apologize for not being able to attend your birthday due to my busy schedule.

- Congratulations on winning the top prize in the entrance exam.

- I guarantee that I will return the book to you on time.

Exercise 6 (Page 47, 8th Grade Literature Textbook)

Write a short dialogue using all four sentence types studied.

Answer:

Minh: Do you have the book "The Magic Mirror"?

Lan: Yes, I have that book.

Minh: Oh, that's fantastic! Can you lend it to me?

Lan: Sure, I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.