It is a general opinion that a sentence must contain at least an action word that shows what is done or performed. A verbless sentence, however, exists and defies this rule. A verbless sentence lacks a verb but functions as a sentence.
A verbless sentence is also referred to as a broken sentence, and in rhetoric, it is called scesis onomaton. It is a form of minor sentence because some units have been omitted.
Examples:
- To a brighter future (e.g. before clinking glasses of wine).
- Good job.
- Of course not.
- So far so good.
- Better safe than sorry.
- So far so good.
- No pain, no gain.
However, it is pertinent to know that a verbless sentence is usually preceded by a normal sentence or action, without which the former becomes meaningless. Even if there were no previous conversation, the verbless sentence is still meaningful in some situations. For example: when you do an excellent job for someone and they pat you on the back and say, ‘Good job.’
A verbless sentence should not be confused with interjection, a part of speech we throw into sentences but does not affect their grammatical construction. Interjections are emotional words or phrases and always end with an exclamation mark.
Examples:
- Oh!
- My goodness.
- Poor you!
Be that as it may, some grammarians have argued that a verbless sentence should be avoided by all means, though it has always been acceptable in English: some writers use it, others don’t.
However, verbless sentences should be used sparingly, with good taste and avoided in formal writing and school work.