Complete Sentences in English – Definition, Rules & Examples (Grade 5)

What Is a Complete Sentence?

A complete sentence is a group of words. It gives a clear meaning to the reader or listener. A full sentence has a:

• Subject
• Verb
• Capital letter
• Full stop, question mark or exclamation mark

When you complete the sentence, it tells you a full idea of what it means.

In simple words:

• It tells us what the sentence is about
• It tells us what is happening
• It makes full sense and does not feel incomplete

When a sentence has all these things, we can understand it clearly.

Definition: 

A complete sentence is a group of words arranged in a proper order that expresses a complete idea.

Example:

The sentence “The boy is playing.” is a clear and complete one.

• We understand who is doing something: the boy
• We also understand what he is doing: playing

This sentence makes full sense. We know who is doing what and their actions.

But look at this line:

• Playing in the park.

This does not give you the full idea. We do not know who is playing. It could be a child, a group of friends or anyone. Because it does not have a subject, it is not a complete sentence. A complete sentence must tell us who is doing something and what they are doing.

Understanding Complete Sentences with Examples

1. A doctor is talking to a person. 
2. The nurse is taking a patient on a wheel chair.  
3. Three people are waiting to meet the doctor.  

The sentences follow a particular pattern, which we will discuss later on in the session, based on which we make grammatically sound sentences that make sense to the reader. 

Complete Sentence vs Sentence Fragment

It is important to know the difference between a complete sentence and a sentence fragment.

Complete Sentence

A complete sentence gives you the full idea. It tells you who and what they are doing. It gives you a meaning.

A complete sentence has:

• A subject
• A verb
• A complete meaning

Example:

• The cat is sleeping.
• The children are playing in the park.

This is complete because we know who and what they are doing.

Sentence Fragment

A sentence fragment is not complete. It does not give the full idea. It may be missing who is doing the action or what is happening.

A Sentence fragment has:

• A subject
• A verb
• Or both

Example:

• Playing in the park.

This is a fragment because we do not know who is playing.

Sentence Fragment Explained with Examples

A sentence fragment is a group of words that does not give you a full meaning. It looks like a sentence, but you will not get the full idea.

A complete sentence must tell:

• Who is doing something
• What they are doing
• And give a clear idea

Now look at these sentences:

• I slept.
• She wrote.
• We sang.

These sentences have a subject and a verb, but they do not tell the full idea. We do not know when, where or what exactly. So, for Grade 5, they are called sentence fragments because the meaning is not complete.

More examples of sentence fragments:

• In the morning.
• Running very fast.
• Under the table.

These are not sentences because:

• They do not tell who is doing the action
• They do not tell what is happening clearly

For example:

• In the morning: You do not know who or what happened
• Running very fast: You do know who is running
• Under the table: You do not know who is there and what is happening

They are called sentence fragments because they do not give you a full idea.

What Makes a Complete Sentence?

A complete sentence is a group of words that has a clear meaning. When we read it, we understand who is doing what. It is incomplete if any part is missing.

To be a complete one, it must have three parts.

• Subject
• Verb
• Object (or complete idea)

Subject in a Complete Sentence

The subject is the part of a sentence that tells us its meaning. You get to know who is doing the action or what the sentence is about. Every complete sentence must have a subject.

The subject can be:

• A noun
• A pronoun

Examples:

• The girl is reading.
• He is my best friend.
• The birds are flying.

Verb in a Complete Sentence

A verb is a word that tells us what someone does or what someone is. It shows you an action or it shows a state. Every complete sentence must have a verb. Without it, the sentence does not make sense.

Examples of verbs:

• run
• eat
• play
• is
• are

Examples in sentences:

• The dog runs fast.
• She is happy.
• They are friends.
• I eat an apple.

Object in a Complete Sentence

The object tells us what receives the action. You will know what or whom the action is done to.

Not all sentences need an object. But for Grade 5 grammar, sentences with objects are easier to understand. They give a clear and full meaning.

Examples:

• I wrote a letter.
• She is eating an apple.
• We read a book.

Here, the objects are:

• letter
• car
• apple
• ball
• book

These words help us know exactly what is happening in the sentence.

Rules for Writing a Complete Sentence

A complete sentence tells you a full idea. To write a good sentence, you must follow these:

• A sentence must start with a capital letter
• A sentence must have a subject
• A sentence must have a verb
• The words must be in the correct order
• A sentence must end with a punctuation mark like:

• A full stop (.)
• A question mark (?)
• An exclamation mark (!)

Examples:

• She is my sister.
• Where are you going?
• What a beautiful day!

Incorrect sentence:

• sings well very Riya

Correct sentence:

• Riya sings very well.

Complete Sentence Examples

Read the sentences: 

• We cooked.  

• We cooked pasta.   

Sentence 1 

• We cooked.  

It simply gives us a glimpse of the action that is being done. It doesn’t tell us what the subject was cooking. This sentence, as it lacks an object, can be called a sentence fragment. 

In Sentence 2 

• We cooked pasta.   

It has a subject which is a pronoun, followed by an action verb, which itself is later on followed by an object upon which the verb cooked is done.  

Here, unlike the previous sentence, we have the sentence conveying a complete thought to the reader and we understand fully what is actually happening. Therefore, we can call sentence 2 a complete sentence. 

A complete sentence is a collection of words that expresses a complete idea. 

A complete sentence must contain at least three elements: a subject, a verb, and an object.  

Typically, the subject is a noun or a pronoun. And, if there is a subject, there must be a verb because all verbs require a subject.  

In a sentence, the object is the thing on which action is being done by the subject.  

If a sentence lacks a subject, or a verb, or an object, it is considered a sentence fragment. 

Examples of complete sentences: 

• I wrote a poem. 
• My mother is a teacher. 
• My father bought a new car. 
• Jerry is upset because he flunked the exam. 

Examples of sentence fragments: 

• I slept. 
• She wrote. 
• We sang. 

Key Points to Remember About Complete Sentences

A complete sentence gives a full idea. When someone reads it, they can clearly understand what you want to say. 

• It must have a subject
• It must have a verb
• The words must be in the correct order
• It should not have a sentence fragment
• It should start with a capital letter
• It should end with proper punctuation

Learning to write complete sentences helps students in many ways:

• It helps them speak clearly so others can understand them
• It helps them write better answers in exams and homework
• It helps them read better and understand stories and lessons easily.

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