English is a beautiful language, and one of its many perks is the one-word sentences. One-word sentences — as the name suggests is a sentence with a single word, and which makes total sense.
One word sentences can be used in different forms. It could be in form of a question such as “Why?” It could be in form of a command such as “Stop!” Furthermore, it could be used as a declarative such as “Me.” Also, a one-word sentence could be used to show location, for example, “here.” It could also be used as nominatives e.g. “David.”
Actually, most of the words in English can be turned into one-word sentences. All that matters is the context in which they are used. In a sentence, there is usually a noun, and a verb. In a one-word sentence, the subject and the action of the sentence is implied in the single word, and this is why to understand one-word sentences, one has to understand the context in which the word is being used.
Saying only a little at all times is a skill most people want to learn; knowing when to use one-word sentences can help tremendously. However, you cannot use one-word sentences all the time so as robotic or come off as rude.
Here are common one-word sentences, and their meanings:
Here are common one-word sentences, and their meanings:- Help: This signifies a call for help.
- Hurry: Used to ask someone to do something faster
- Begin: Used to signify the beginning of a planned event.
Basically, the 5 Wh-question words — where, when, why, who and what? can also stand as one-word sentences.
By Bizhan Romani
Dr. Bizhan Romani has a PhD in medical virology. When it comes to writing an article about science and research, he is one of our best writers. He is also an expert in blogging about writing styles, proofreading methods, and literature.
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Here I’m going to highlight some of the simplest sentences in English. All of these sentences are only ONE word long! Sit back, relax, and enjoy; these are going to be some of the easiest English sentences you’ve ever learned. (It is about time something in English was easy, right?!)
One-word sentences in English come in a few different forms:
interrogatives or questions (example: Who?)
imperatives or commands (example: Stop!)
declaratives (example: Me.)
locatives (example: Here.)
nominatives (example: Jesse.)
In fact a lot of words in English can be one-word sentences, it all depends on the context.
A complete sentence, even a one-word sentence, needs to have a noun and a verb. In one-word sentences the subject (noun) or the action (verb) of the sentence is implied. That means it is understood in the context of the sentence (or the sentences around it) so that the subject and/or verb do not need to be stated explicitly.
Being brief and saying as much as you can in as few words as possible is something a lot of people want to do. Be careful though, sometimes you can sound robotic or rude if you use too many one-word sentences.
Here is a list of some common one-word sentences. I’m sure you already use some of these. Along side the one-word sentences I have written out what you could say, with more words, to mean the same thing.
Hi. (Hi there.)
Wait. (Please wait.)
Begin. (You may begin.)
Stop. (You need to stop.)
Hurry. (Hurry up please.)
Catch. (Catch this.)
Here. (Here you go.)
Go! (Get going now!)
Help! (I need help!)
Eat. (Go ahead and eat.)
Yes. (Yes, that would be great.)
No. (No, thank you.)
Thank you. (Thank you, I really appreciate it.)
The wh-question words: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
A lot of swear words: Sh*t., F*ck., etc.
Do you have a favorite one-word sentence? Add to this list by posting a comment below! Thank you.
In my native language, there is a singe word to say to someone who apparently are doing something they never did before, or being in state they never were before. Like:
Mr. X had always been late. But today he came on time.
Mr. Y said, «[…], you’re always late before.»
Or:
Ms. A had never kept in touch with Mr. B. One day she dropped him a line all of a sudden.
Mr. B said, «[…]. What makes you call me? I thought you’d forgotten we’re friends.»
Or:
A student had always been so much lazy. But one day he finished all of his homework and listened to the teacher during the whole class.
So the teacher said, «[…]. You’re being diligent. You usually are not.»
I know that this condition is described by means as in you are being diligent, or you’re not usually like this.. Or perhaps this is not you.?
But I need an expression for that (one-word expression, if possible), and I can only think of these:
- How odd!
- For the first time.
- What happened? (Or what’s happening?)
- Hey, is this really you?
Well, I don’t think I’m doing this right.
P.S.: What we say to this person (according to my mother tongue, Indonesian): Tumben!.
P.P.S.: I’m looking for an insinuating or joking expression, not swear-word interjections like the ones in the suggested possible duplicate.
Check out IH Bristol’s extensive list of over 1000 of the most useful expressions in English, available for free for Beginner/Elementary students to Advanced speakers.
Learning English is one of the best ways to improve your life and the prospects of getting a good job. English is used all over the world as the language of education and business and it is becoming normal to expect everybody to be able to speak it. IH Bristol has more than 30 years’ experience of teaching English as a foreign language, of helping students to pass Cambridge Exams, to achieve the right score in IELTS or OET or just to learn to communicate more effectively in the language. Whatever your reasons for learning English, we know the kind of language you need to learn. We want to share our expertise with students of all ages from every corner of the planet. All you need is a desire to be better at speaking or writing in English.
However, not everybody can come to Bristol to learn in person. So, IH Bristol has created hundreds of pages of Useful Expressions in English at three different levels, Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced. These are free to anybody using our website and can help you to improve your English. Check out IH Bristol’s extensive list of over 1000 of the most useful expressions in English.
How to use the Useful Expressions
1. Choose the level you want to work at
2. Click on the expression you are interested in
3. Read the expression and the explanation
4. Try to use the expression in a sentence
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6. Sign up for one of our Face-to-Face English courses or one of our Online English courses!
We’ve covered a wide range of everyday situations, and for each one there are 10 common phrases with explanations of how or when you would use each one. Context and cultural understanding is important: for example, some phrases are more polite/formal than others, while some are more colloquial and should be used in informal situations with friends. Learning these frequently used expressions and the will help you sound more natural when speaking to native speakers of English.
The more you use them, the more you will improve! IH Bristol offers courses and social events online – contact us for more information, and don’t forget to check out our phrase of the day, too.
A common writing error occurs when students use the wrong version of a compound word or phrase. It’s important to know the difference between everyday and every day because these expressions have very different meanings.
Improve your writing by learning the differences between expressions that are very similar but that fill very different roles when it comes to sentence structure.
A Lot or Alot?
“A lot” is a two-word phrase meaning very much. This is an informal expression, so you shouldn’t use it “a lot” in your writing.
“Alot” is not a word, so you should never use it!
It’s a good idea to avoid this expression altogether in formal writing.
All Together or Altogether?
Altogether is an adverb meaning completely, entirely, wholly, or «considering everything.» It often modifies an adjective.
«All together» means as a group.
The meal was altogether pleasing, but I would not have served those dishes all together.
Everyday or Every Day?
The two-word expression “every day” is used as an adverb (modifies a verb like wear), to express how often something is done:
I wear a dress every day.
The word “everyday” is an adjective that means common or ordinary. It modifies a noun.
I was horrified when I realized I’d worn an everyday dress to the formal dance.
They served an everyday meal—nothing special.
Never Mind or Nevermind?
The word “nevermind” is often used in error for the two-word term “never mind.”
The phrase “never mind” is a two-word imperative meaning “please disregard” or “pay no attention to that.” This is the version you’ll use most often in your life.
Never mind that man behind the curtain.
All Right or Alright?
“Alright” is a word that appears in dictionaries, but it is a nonstandard version of “all right” and should not be used in formal writing.
To be safe, just use the two-word version.
Is everything all right in there?
Backup or Back Up?
There are many compound words that confuse us because they sound similar to a verb phrase. In general, the verb form usually consists of two words and the similar compound word version is a noun or adjective.
Verb: Please back up your work when using a word processor.
Adjective: Make a backup copy of your work.
Noun: Did you remember to make a backup?
Makeup or Make Up?
Verb: Make up your bed before you leave the house.
Adjective: Study for your makeup exam before you leave the house.
Noun: Apply your makeup before you leave the house.
Workout or Work Out?
Verb: I need to work out more often.
Adjective: I need to wear workout clothing when I go to the gym.
Noun: That jog gave me a good workout.
Pickup or Pick Up?
Verb: Please pick up your clothes.
Adjective: Don’t use a pickup line on me!
Noun: I’m driving my pickup to the mall.
Setup or Set Up?
Verb: You’ll have to set up the chairs for the puppet show.
Adjective: Unfortunately, there is no setup manual for a puppet show.
Noun: The setup will take you all day.
Wake-Up or Wake Up?
Verb: I could not wake up this morning.
Adjective: I should have asked for a wake-up call.
Noun: The accident was a good wake-up.