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I know all sentences must have a verb to be grammatical. But where is the verb in:

Best Day Ever!

Best is an adjective. (what kind of day). Day is a noun. Ever is an adverb. (Of all times)

So where is the verb?

I also noticed that:

Hurray!

is only an interjection.

So if we repeatedly keep breaking grammar rules, why use grammar at all? And can't we just change grammar to fit our every needs, making it a lot easier to use?

Coding4el
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  • If you find evidence that contradicts your hypothesis, then you should conclude that your hypothesis was wrong. If your hypothesis is that all animals have four legs, and you find an animal that clearly has only two, you should conclude that not all animals have four legs. If your hypothesis is that all sentences must have a verb, and you find a sentence that clearly does not have a verb, then you must conclude that not all sentences must have a verb, or that not all human utterances must always be sentences to begin with, or both. (Hint: it's both.) – RegDwigнt Jan 07 '20 at 14:03
  • 'All sentences must contain a finite verb' is one definition of a sentence. Apparently the one you've been taught / read about. But there is a view that any statement / command / query showing completeness should be called a sentence. If someone wandered into a room and said to the people already there "Thursday" or "At the station", these could not be called sentences and the person would be regarded as (or worse). But in response to questions like "When did you arrive?" or "Where did is your luggage?", these utterances make complete sense and are thus regarded by some as sentences. ... – Edwin Ashworth Jan 07 '20 at 14:04
  • So it's a matter of defining terms. I reaserve the term 'sentence' for strings containing a finite verb, and call other sensible utterances (/strings in print) 'sentence fragments / substitutes'. In your example, the subject + verb is fairly transparent: "This has been/That was/I've just had the best day ever!" So, a sentence substitute, with conversational deletion in this case. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 07 '20 at 14:04
  • Ok. Thanks. This really helps – Coding4el Jan 07 '20 at 14:08
  • Just to add to this, the rules for prose, and more generally for grammar, are different to the "rules" for speech (mainly because speech doesn't really have rules). For example, consider someone saying "What?" in response to the question "You'll never guess what I just bought!". That's a perfectly reasonable thing to say, but is it a sentence? Probably not - i don't know. It depends on your definitions. In the same way, "Best day ever!" is a reasonable thing to say, but works less well as prose, and may or may not stand up to the rules of grammar. – Max Williams Jan 07 '20 at 16:21
  • Ok this makes alot mosre sense. – Coding4el Jan 08 '20 at 07:27
  • How do I close the question? – Coding4el Jan 09 '20 at 10:12

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