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Glossary: clause type

A classification of clauses into four grammatical types: declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamative (sometimes called sentence moods or sentence functions). Each type is typically associated with a different discourse function: statement, question, directive (or command), and exclamation, respectively. The National Curriculum uses only the latter set of terms for both structure and function.

Politeness and directness

This task is about using verbs and modal verbs in different ways. We all know that people can be direct or indirect in the ways they phrase things. We often use commands to give instructions, but sometimes these might be seen as too direct and blunt. We sometimes soften them with modal verbs, among other tools.

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Englicious (C) Survey of English Usage, UCL, 2012-21 | Supported by the AHRC and EPSRC. | Privacy | Cookies