Transformation of Sentences: Rules, Types, Examples & Quiz for Practice

Transformation of Sentences

Learn how to change the form of sentences—simple, compound, complex, exclamatory, and more—without changing their meaning.

Types of Sentences

• Simple Sentence
• Compound Sentence
• Complex Sentence

A simple sentence has one clause. A complex sentence has one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. A compound sentence has two or more main clauses.

Transformation involves expanding or reducing clauses and phrases without changing meaning.

Transformation of Exclamatory Sentences

Exclamatory sentences often begin with How or What.

Exclamations with "How"

• How clever he is!
• How intelligent you are!
• How nice it is!
• How he has changed!

Exclamations with "What"

• What a lovely girl!
• What a surprise!
• What terrible weather!

Transformation Examples

• What a wonderful opportunity! → It is a wonderful opportunity.
• O that I were young again! → I wish I were young again.
• How noble he is! → He is truly noble.

Assertive to Exclamatory Sentences

Rules

• Very/So + Adjective → How + Adjective + Subject + Verb!
• A/An + Adjective + Noun → What a/an + Adjective + Noun!
• Absolute Statements → Use What or How to show emotion

Examples

Assertive: The night is very beautiful.
Exclamatory: How beautiful the night is!

Assertive: It was a great experience.
Exclamatory: What a great experience it was!

Quiz: Convert to Exclamatory

1. The sunset is very beautiful.

2. It was an exciting match.

3. She is a brilliant student.

Transformation of Interrogative to Assertive Sentences

• Is not wisdom better than riches? → Wisdom is better than riches.
• Why worry? → It is foolish to worry.
• Did I ask you? → I never asked you.

Exercise 2: Interrogative to Assertive

1. Is this the kind of dress to wear to work?
2. Is that the way a gentleman should behave?
3. Who does not know the vulture?
4. Can you gather grapes from thorns?
5. Shall I ever forget that experience?

1. This is not the kind of dress to wear to work.
2. This is not the way a gentleman should behave.
3. Everybody knows the vulture.
4. You cannot gather grapes from thorns.
5. I shall never forget that experience.

Imperative to Interrogative Sentences

• Stop talking. → Will you stop talking?
• Shut the door. → Will you shut the door?
• Get me water. → Will you, please, get me a glass of water?

Interrogative forms sound more polite. Adding “or not” can add firmness or threat.

Affirmative to Negative Sentences (Rules & Examples)

When transforming affirmative sentences into negative ones, the goal is to retain the original meaning while using negative expressions (e.g., not, never, no one, nothing but, etc.).

🔁 Common Rules and Examples

1. Rule 1: "Only" → "None but / Nothing but"
   
   • Affirmative: Only he can do it.
     Negative: None but he can do it.
   • Affirmative: He eats only rice.
     Negative: He eats nothing but rice.
   • Affirmative: Only the brave deserve the fair.
     Negative: None but the brave deserve the fair.
2. Rule 2: "Always" → "Never...not"
   
   • Affirmative: He always comes on time.
     Negative: He never fails to come on time.
   • Affirmative: She always tells the truth.
     Negative: She never tells a lie.
3. Rule 3: "Everyone / Everybody" → "There is no one who does not..."
   
   • Affirmative: Everybody loves their country.
     Negative: There is no one who does not love their country.
   • Affirmative: Everyone appreciated her courage.
     Negative: There was no one who did not appreciate her courage.
4. Rule 4: "As soon as" → "No sooner...than"
   
   • Affirmative: As soon as he reached, it started to rain.
     Negative: No sooner had he reached than it started to rain.
   • Affirmative: As soon as the bell rang, the students left.
     Negative: No sooner had the bell rung than the students left.
5. Rule 5: "Too...to" → "So...that...cannot"
   
   • Affirmative: He is too weak to walk.
     Negative: He is so weak that he cannot walk.
   • Affirmative: The bag is too heavy for me to lift.
     Negative: The bag is so heavy that I cannot lift it.
6. Rule 6: Superlative → "No other...as/so...as"
   
   • Affirmative: Mount Everest is the highest mountain.
     Negative: No other mountain is as high as Mount Everest.
   • Affirmative: He is the best student in the class.
     Negative: No other student in the class is as good as he is.
7. Rule 7: "Both A and B" → "Not only A but also B"
   
   • Affirmative: Both Rima and Sima passed the test.
     Negative: Not only Rima but also Sima passed the test.
   • Affirmative: Both the teacher and the student are present.
     Negative: Not only the teacher but also the student is present.
8. Rule 8: "Must" → "Cannot but / Cannot help + Verb-ing"
   
   • Affirmative: We must respect our parents.
     Negative: We cannot but respect our parents.
   • Affirmative: She must cry at such a loss.
     Negative: She cannot help crying at such a loss.
9. Rule 9: "All" → "There is none who does not..."
   
   • Affirmative: All men must die.
     Negative: There is no man who does not die.
   • Affirmative: All the players performed well.
     Negative: There was no player who did not perform well.
10. Rule 10: "Always believes" → "Never disbelieves"
    
    • Affirmative: He always believes his friends.
      Negative: He never disbelieves his friends.

Note: While transforming sentences, make sure that the meaning remains unchanged and the sentence remains grammatically correct.

📝 Quiz: Transform the Affirmative Sentences into Negative

Type your answers below. Click "Check Answer" to see if you’re correct!

1. Only the king can order this.

2. He always speaks the truth.

3. As soon as she heard the news, she fainted.

4. He is too lazy to work.

5. Everyone admired her singing.

Practice regularly and revisit rules for mastery. Bookmark this page for quick reference!