Updated On : September 15, 2022
Every day, we use tens of thousands of words to convey our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and each word will have a specific purpose depending on its context.
You must have heard about assertive and interrogative sentences too. But what exactly are they, and how are they defined?
An assertive sentence claims a declaration, whereas an interrogative sentence asks a question.
Suppose you are asked to transform an assertive sentence into an interrogative sentence and vice-versa; how would you do it?
The article will give you a complete insight into how to convert assertive to interrogative sentences in CLAT 2023 exam.
Before learning the rules, let us understand the difference between assertive and interrogative sentences.
An assertive sentence is used to make simple statements, which may be positive or negative.
When it comes to interrogative sentences, they are used to give a command, requests, advice, proposals, or suggestions.
Let us understand the primary difference between these two types of sentences that will help enhance your preparation for the CLAT 2023 Entrance Exam.
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Examples:
An Interrogative sentence asks a question. In general, any question you ask is an interrogative sentence.
A question always ends with an interrogation mark (?). There are three types of questions:
Examples:
Now, as we have understood the primary difference between these two types of sentences, let us see how to change an assertive sentence to an interrogative sentence.
Also, Following a few CLAT English Preparation Tips will help you easily interchange assertive and interrogative sentences.
Here are some of the rules that you need to follow while changing these sentences.
Rule 1:
If a sentence is in the affirmative, it has to be changed into a negative interrogative. If it is negative, then change it into bare interrogative.
Example:
Rule 2:
If there is no auxiliary verb in the sentence, you have to change it by using do/does/did/don't/doesn't/didn't/dodon't.
Example:
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Rule 3:
If there is never in the sentence, you have to replace it with ever in an interrogative sentence.
Example:
Rule 4:
Nobody or no one or none must be replaced by who.
Example:
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Are you in a position to change Assertive Sentences to Interrogative Sentences? If yes, Answer these three questions.
You can follow two simple steps to change the assertive sentence to an interrogative sentence without changing its meaning.
Step 1: If the sentence is affirmative or positive, convert it to negative. If negative, then convert it to a positive sentence.
Step 2: Move the helping verb to the first position in the sentence.
Let us understand with an example:
To help you understand the difficulty level and the type of questions asked in the exam, we have provided a few examples of transforming assertive sentences into Interrogative sentences.
These questions are curated from the Previous Year's CLAT Question Papers.
Assertive | Interrogative |
Man cannot die better than facing fearful odds. | How can man die better than facing fearful odds? |
We bleed if you prick us. | If you prick us, do we bleed? |
It does not matter if I fail. | What does it matter if I fail? |
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In a few cases, when a question is affirmative, a negative answer is implied; and when a question is negative, an affirmative answer is implied.
Hence an Interrogative sentence is often changed to an Assertive sentence and vice versa.
Examples:
Interrogative | Assertive |
What is the use of this statue? | There is no use for this statue. |
Can their glory ever fade? | Their glory can never fade. |
Is he not a great fool? | He is a great fool |
Frequently Asked Questions
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