What Is a Sentence?
A group of words that fully expresses a thought is a sentence, bakyo. Every sentence has two parts: the subject, uddeshyo, which is what is talked about, and the predicate, bidheyo, which is what is said. In "chheleti boi porchhe", chheleti is the subject and boi porchhe is the predicate.
By Structure
A simple sentence has only one finite verb. Example: ami bhat kheye school-e gelam (finite verb is gelam only). A compound sentence joins two or more independent sentences with a conjunction such as o, ebong, kintu or tai. Example: she gorib, kintu shot. A complex sentence has a main clause and one or more dependent clauses, usually linked by pairs such as je-she, jokhon-tokhon or jodi-tobe. Example: je porishrom kore, she safol hoy.
By Meaning
Declarative sentences give information: surjo purbodike othe. Interrogative sentences ask: tumi kothay jachho? Imperative sentences command: mon diye poro. Exclamatory sentences show feeling: oh, ki shundor phul! Optative sentences express a wish: tumi shukhi hao.
Voice (Bachyo)
In active voice the subject is stressed: Rahim boi pore. In passive voice the object is stressed: Rahimer dwara boi pora hoy. In impersonal or bhab voice the action is stressed: amar jawa holo na. In the middle voice, the object acts like a subject: boiti bhalo bikri hochhe.
Converting Sentences
To convert simple to complex, add clauses such as jehetu-shehetu. To convert simple to compound, turn the non-finite verb into a finite one and join with ebong. Example: simple, tar sototar jonyo sobai take bhalobashe; compound, she shot, tai sobai take bhalobashe; complex, jehetu she shot, shehetu sobai take bhalobashe.
Shortcut
Count the finite verbs: one is simple. More than one joined by a conjunction is compound. A dependent clause with a relative pair is complex.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Classify 'Tini dhoni, otochh kripon'.
Solution: Two independent clauses joined by 'otochh': a compound sentence.
Example 2: Classify 'Jodi porishrom koro, tobe safol hobe'.
Solution: It has a dependent clause and a main clause with the jodi-tobe pair: a complex sentence.
Quick Check
Question 1: How many types of sentence by structure?
Answer: Three: simple, compound and complex.
Question 2: What is the subject and predicate in 'chheleti boi porchhe'?
Answer: Subject: chheleti. Predicate: boi porchhe.
Question 3: Which voice has 'dwara' or 'kortrik'?
Answer: Passive voice (kormobachyo).