Identifying Statements

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Identifying Statements
 
The aim of this tutorial is to help you to
distinguish statements from non-statements.
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Statements are sentences that it makes sense to
regard as being either true or false.
Put otherwise, a statement is a sentence that
makes good grammatical sense when it is prefaced
with the words "It is true that" or "It is false
that"
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Here are some examples of statements
Paris is the capital of France.
The South won the American Civil War.
Ford makes better trucks than Chevy.
Same-sex marriage should be legalized.
I wish Ashley would call.
I'm shocked!
Each of these sentences is a statement, because
each makes an assertion that is either true or
false.
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In thinking about statements, it is helpful to
keep in mind the following points.
1. A single grammatical sentence can express two
or more statements.
Example Jill is a Democrat, but Matt is a
Republican.
This is a compound sentence that expressed two
distinct statements ("Jill is a Democrat" and
"Matt is a Republican"). Each of these clauses is
a statement, because each is capable of standing
alone as a complete declarative sentence.
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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
How was your summer? (question)
Pick up your room! (command)
Suffering succotash! (exclamation)
Hi! (greeting)
Let's go to the ball game tonight. (proposal)
None of these are statements, because none can
sensibly be preceded by the phrases "It is true
that" or "It is false that"
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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.
In this sentence, the phrase "considering Ian's
near-perfect SAT scores" is a dependent clause
that is not capable of standing alone as a
complete sentence. Nevertheless, the intent of
the speaker or writer is clearly to defend one
claim ("Ian should be able to get into an Ivy
League college") on the basis of another ("Ian
made nearly perfect SAT scores"). For critical
thinking purposes, therefore, it's important to
recognize that there are two statements in this
passage, rather than one.
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4. Rhetorical questions should be regarded as
statements.
Rhetorical questions are sentences that have the
grammatical form of questions but are meant to be
understood as assertions.
Here are some examples of rhetorical questions
 Is not life more than food, and the body more
than clothing?
Isn't it time African Americans receive the
reparations they deserve?
Don't you realize the tax-and-spend Democrats are
leading this country straight into a recession?
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 shouldnt 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.
This is the end of the tutorial