It's A Sentence!

A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought.

I found this information online today when I was browsing after finishing some work. It reminded me about how I was taught in school.

This is the most satisfying definition I've yet to come across. Some sources go further with simple, complex, and compound sentences, but they're all variations on the main theme, which is:

A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought.

I jot it down again because it seems like not everybody understands the concept. A complete thought doesn't have to be deep and meaningful. It could simply be:

Get lost!

That's a complete thought, right? Or how about:

Jesus wept.

That's a complete thought, too. All you need is a subject (or an implied subject in the case of Get lost!) and a predicate (think verb). And you're good.

Which one of these is a sentence?

A. The long and winding road

B. That road is long and winding.

If you said B, have a cookie. Example A is just an phrase. No action going on. Not a complete thought because nothing happens to the road and nobody seems to be on or near it.

Ain't words brilliant? Especially in combination...