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Statements are sentences that it makes sense to regard as being either
true or false.
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Here are some examples of statements:
I'm shocked!
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Not all sentences are statements, i.e., sentences that assert
that something is true or false.
Here are some examples of sentences that are not statements:
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3. A statement can be expressed by a phrase or a dependent
clause rather than as a complete sentence.
Example: Considering Ian's near-perfect SAT scores, he should be able to get
into an Ivy League college.
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4. Rhetorical questions should be regarded as statements.
Rhetorical questions are sentences that have the grammatical form of questions but a
meant to be understood as assertions.
The point of such "questions" is not to ask for information, but to make a
positive assertion that the speaker or writer expects at least some of his
readers or listeners to agree with. For that reason, rhetorical questions should
be treated as statements rather than as questions.
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5. Ought imperatives should be regarded as statements.
Ought imperatives are sentences that have the grammatical form of
imperatives (i.e., commands) but are intended to be understood as “ought
statements,” i.e., statements that express a judgment about what ought to be
done.
Here is an example of a passage that contains an ought imperative:
Never fuel your vehicle while the motor is running. If for some reason the
vehicle starts moving, it could cause a serious gasoline spill and possibly a fire
or explosion.
In this passage, the sentence “Never fuel your vehicle while the motor is
running” is an ought imperative. Although it has the grammatical form of an
order or command, it really functions as a piece of advice. It is not an order
but an emphatic way of saying “You shouldn’t fuel your vehicle while the
motor is running.” Assertions about what a person ought or should do can
be true or false. Thus, ought imperatives should be treated as statements.