﻿ The problem of one-member sentence. ﻿

The problem of one-member sentence.

The type included into one-member fall into different variants: which ones are and which once are elliptical.

One-member sentence proper:

1) nominal sentence (winter) sunny day

2) imperative sentence

3) infinitive sentence: to merry a second time and without family

4) why-sentences: why do this?

5) Contextual (elliptic)

- I am looking for the dog

- Dog? What dog? (What dog are you looking for?)

One more type of English sentence (stage remarks)

Desdemona in bed, asleep. A light burning.

The special type was investigated by ….

She called it “participle type”


Should London at 11 p. m. Torrance of heavy rain. Cab whistles blanking frantically.


Whether Imperative and Exclamatory sentences must be reflected to this classification.

Is Imperative sentence a special type or mood?

Traditionally exclamatory sentence refer to one type of sentence. Exclamatory sentence do have a special way is expressing them

Example: The girl is beautiful. What a beautiful girl! How beautiful the girl is!

Arguments against

Pr. Blokh states the fact that it’s not reasonable to refer exclamatory sentence to the same group with declarative, interrogative because they express emotions: every sentence from the previous 3 may become exclamatory and we pronounce it in a certain way.


Declarative: Nothing shell happen to you

Exclamatory: Nothing shell happen to you!

Interrogative: What is that?

Exclamatory: What is that!

Imperative: Wit till I come

Exclamatory: Wait till I come!