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What is the difference between expression and statement

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An expression is typically something that reduces to a value (usually a part of a statement). A statement is something that performs an action. For example:

x + y * 5

is an expression

z = x + y * 5

is a statement that computes a value (from the expression), then assigns it to the variable, z (an action)

Typically a statement will cause a change of state. For example, the following two lines will cause two changes of state

int x                     allocates space for the variable x
x = 19                    modifies the location pointed to by x

whereas an expression will not change state (barring side effects). For example

x + 5

computes a result, then throws it away

Edited by Reverend Jim
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