The C# Programming Language, Third Edition

10. Classes

A class is a data structure that may contain data members (constants and fields), function members (methods, properties, events, indexers, operators, instance constructors, destructors, and static constructors), and nested types. Class types support inheritance, a mechanism whereby a derived class can extend and specialize a base class.

10.1 Class Declarations

A class-declaration is a type-declaration (§9.6) that declares a new class.

        class-declaration:                attributes_opt class-modifiers_opt partial_opt class identifier type-parameter-list_opt                                            class-base_opt type-parameter-constraints-clauses_opt class-body ;_opt

A class-declaration consists of an optional set of attributes ...