02 April 2012 / by Radmila Gurkova

The imperative: Go to bed!

What are imperatives?

Imperatives are used to directly tell someone to do something, often quite strongly.

For example:

  • Parent to child: Go to bed!

  • Teacher to students! Stand up!


Structure:

verb (simple form) - object - complement

Watch out - we drop the subject for the imperative

  • (incorrect) You run to stay healthy.

  • (correct) Run to stay healthy.

  •  (incorrect) You take your passport to travel.

  • (correct) Take your passport when you travel.


Structure for Negative imperatives:

do + not | verb (simple form) | object / complement

  • Don't drive fast in the rain.

  • Don't run on the platform.

  • Don't forget your mobile.


USE:

giving instructions: Open the file.

giving orders: Go to bed!

giving advice or suggestions: Leaver her if you don't like her.

offering something: Have some more chocolate.

Note: When using the imperative, it is important to start the sentence with the verb (simple form) however, this can often feel too aggressive so we can add please in the sentence.

Giving advise: Quit your job if you please.

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