The imperative

We can use the imperative to give a direct order.

1. Take that chewing gum out oI your mouth.
2. Stand up straight.
3. Give me the details.
We can use the imperative to give instructions.
1. Open your book.
2. Take two tablets every evening.
3. Take a leIt and then a right.
We can use the imperative to make an invitation.
1. Come in and sit down. Make yourselI at home.
2. Please start without me. I'll be there shortly.
3. Have a piece oI this cake. It's delicious.
We can use the imperative on signs and notices.
1. Push.
2. Do not use.
3. Insert one dollar.
We can use the imperative to give Iriendly inIormal advice.
1. Speak to him. Tell him how you Ieel.
2. Have a quiet word with her about it.
3. Don't go. Stay at home and rest up. Get some sleep and recover.
We can make the imperative 'more polite' by adding 'do'.
O Do be quiet.
O Do come.
O Do sit down.
Form of the imperative

The mperative form is the same as the ''bare infinitive'':
Affirmative form (base form of the verb): Wait!
Negative short form (Don't + base form): Don't wait!
mphatic form (Do + base form): Do wait a moment!
Addressing someone (e.g. pronoun + base form): You wait here!
mperative + question tag: Wait here, will you?
mperatives joined by and: Go and play outside.

$ome common uses of the Imperative

We use the mperative for direct orders and suggestions and also for a variety of other purposes. Stress
and intonation, gesture, facial expression, and, above all, situation and context, indicate whether the use
of this form is friendly, abrupt, angry, impatient, persuasive, etc. The negative form is usually expressed
by Don't. The full form (Do not) is used mainly in public notices. Here are some common uses:
. Direct commands, requests, suggestions:
O Follow me. Shut the door (please). Don't worry!
. Warnings:
O Look out! There's a bus! Don't panic!
. Directions:
O Take the
nd
turning on the left and then turn right.
. nstructions:
O Use a moderate oven and bake for minutes.
. Prohibitions (in e.g. public notices):
O Keep off the grass! Do not feed the animals!
. Advice (especially after always and never):
O Always answer when you're spoken to! Never speak to strangers!
. nvitations:
O Come and have dinner with us soon.
. Offers:
O Help yourself. Have a biscuit.
. xpressing rudeness:
O Shut up! Push off!

&ses of the Imperative with 'do'

We use /o (always stressed) before the mperative when we particularly wish to emphasize what we are
saying: e.g.
when we wish to be polite:
O Do have another cup of coffee.
or when we wish to express impatience:
O Do stop talking!
or when we wish to persuade:
O Do help me with this maths problem.
n response to requests for permission, offers, etc. /o and /on't can be used in place of a full mperative:
O May/Shall switch the light off? Yes, do. No, don't.

%he use of the imperative to address particuIar peopIe

The imperative, e.g. ,t here!, might be addressed to one person or several people: you is implied.
However, we can get the attention of the person or people spoken to in the following ways:
. You + imperative:
O You wait here for a moment.
ntonation and stress are important. f, in the above example, you is unstressed, the sentence means 'th8
8 where you w,t'. f it is stressed, it means 'th8 8 wh,t I w,nt you to /o'. When you is stressed, it might
also convey anger, hostility or rudeness:
O 'You mind your own business!
O 'You try teaching noisy children five days a week!
O Don't (not you) is stressed in the negative:
O 'Don't you speak to me like that!
. You + name(s) or name(s) + you:
O You wait here, Jim, and Mary, you wait there.
. mperative + name or name + mperative:
O Drink up your milk, Sally! Sally, drink up your milk!
. mperative + reflexive:
O njoy yourself. Behave yourself.
. We can use words like everybo/y, 8omeone with the mperative when we are talking to groups of
people:
O veryone keep quiet! Keep still everybody!
O Nobody say a word! Somebody answer the phone please.

Any compounds are used after negative commands:
O Don't say a word anybody! Don't anybody say a word!

%he Imperative with question tags

Tags like w you?, won't you?, c,n you?, c,n't you?, cou/ you? ,n/ wou/ you? can often be used after
an imperative for a variety of purposes: e.g.

to express annoyance/impatience with wwon'tc,n't you? (rising tone):
O Stop fiddling with that TV, will you/won't you/can't you?

to make a request (c,n you? for neutral requests; cou/wou/ you? for more polite ones); or to sound
less abrupt:
O Post this letter for me can you?/could you?/would you?

to offer polite encouragement or to make friendly offers and suggestions (w you? and won't you?):
O Come in, will you/won't you? Take a seat, will you/won't you?

to obtain the cooperation of others with Don't ... w you?
O Don't tell anyone told you, will you?
O And note why don't you? as a tag in: e.g.
O Go off for the weekend, why don't you?

oubIe imperatives joined by 'and'

Some imperatives can be followed by ',n/' and another imperative where we might expect a 'toinfinitive':
O Go and buy yourself a new pair of shoes. (Not *Go to buy*)
O Come and see this goldfish. (Not *Come to see*)
O Come and play a game of bridge with us. (Not *Come to play*)
O Wait and see. (Not *Wait to see*)
O Try and see my point of view. (Note: Try to is also possible.)

n American nglish o is sometimes followed directly by a 'bare infinitive':
O Go fetch some water. (= Go and fetch)

A 'toinfinitive' can follow an imperative to express purpose:
O at to live; do not live to eat.
O nominative of address
O a noun naming the person to whom one is speaking.
lmperaLlves
What are imperatives?
Imperatives are used to directly tell someone to do something, oIten quite strongly. For example,
the speaker says to the listener:
mom to daughter: Go to bed!
teacher to student: Study English harder iI you want to study overseas.
What is the sentence structure?
The sentence structure oI imperatives is relatively easy. Take a look at the Iollowing:
verb (plain Iorm) [ object / complement
Notice that the structure simply drops the subject oI the sentence.
(not okay) You eat vegetables to stay healthy.
(okay) Eat vegetables to stay healthy.
(not okay) You take a money belt when you travel overseas.
(okay) Take a money belt when you travel overseas.
Negative imperatives add do not beIore the plain Iorm oI the verb.
do not [ verb (plain Iorm) [ object / complement
Don't drive Iast in the snow.
Don't Iorget your cell phone.
4 are imperatives used?
The imperative mood is used in the Iollowing situations:
giving instructions: og into the computer network.
giving orders: Do your homework!
giving advice or suggestions: Quit your job iI you really hate it.
offering something: Have some more coIIee.
It's important to note that imperatives can oIten Ieel quite strong, even when meant as advice. As
a result, the speaker may add please to the sentence. ook at the Iollowing examples
You should do your homework iI you want to pass the course.
Please do your homework iI your want to pass the course.
Do your homework iI you want to pass the course!
All three sentences oIIer advice. The Iirst sentence is the weakest. The second sentence is a little
IorceIul, but the listener may still ignore the speaker. However, the listener should deIinitely
Iollow the speaker's advice in the third sentence.
s there additi4nal inf4rmati4n 4n imperatives?
Yes. Both always and never may be added to imperatives to state always-true situations. These
adverbs oI Irequency must come beIore the verb.
Always wear your seatbelt.
Never drink alcohol beIore you drive.
How to Teacb tbe Imperative Form
Teaching The Imperative
1. 1
Warm up
It has probably been a long time since your students played Simon Says so give them a
review oI body parts while practicing the imperative Iorm by playing this game. Rather
than have only one person give instructions, have students stand in a circle and take turns
being Simon. This way when you give your introduction, students will have already had
some practice using the imperative structure.
2. 2
Introduce
Introduce the imperative Iorm using both positive and negative examples. '!lease, stand
up. would be a positive Iorm that students should be Iamiliar with Irom class while the
negative 'Dont text in class is hopeIully not needed very oIten. Elicit other imperative
sentences Irom your students and write down Iurther examples oI your own. Explain that
this structure is used when giving directions and orders and give students some speaking
practice by having them read the sentences you have written on the board aloud.
3. 3
Practice
Have students match images with sentences. The images should depict either scenarios or
actions where use oI an imperative sentence would be appropriate. A good example
would be to match the universal 'no smoking sign with the sentence 'Dont smoke.
You can also have students complete a Iill in the blank exercise where the missing words
are listed Ior them to choose Irom. Check the answers as a class and review why certain
choices were correct by asking questions about the images or sentences.
4. 4
Discuss
Students have already been given many examples and completed a worksheet so they
should have a good idea oI when to use the imperative. At this point, talk about being
polite while still giving orders and lead by example using please when giving instructions
to your students. Discuss situations where use oI the imperative Iorm would be
appropriate. Shouting Ior someone to '$top' iI he is about to cross the street when a car
is coming would be Iine. On the other hand, iI someone is simply making lots oI noise or
distracting you, shouting '$top' would be considered impolite. Tell students that
directions in the Iorm oI a recipe or an instructional manual would also commonly use
the imperative Iorm.
5. 5
Practice
Prepare passages which include several imperative sentences and write the individual
sentences on strips oI paper. These can be conversations, sets oI instructions, or recipes.
A conversation could start oII like this 'e quiet' I think I hear something. Come here. I
heard it again' Listen carefully. Have students work in groups. Each group should be
given the strips oI paper to complete one passage and work together to place sentences in
the correct order. Since each group has a diIIerent passage, it may be Iun to have students
share them with the class when the activity has been completed.
6. 6
Produce
Directions lessons will give students lots oI practice using the imperative. At this time,
instead oI practicing giving directions, Iocus on cooking vocabulary and recipes instead.
Have students write recipes Ior their Iavorite dishes using the imperative Iorm. They can
practice reading the instructions as well but it may be necessary to make corrections
beIore asking students to read their recipes aloud. In order to challenge students, you may
have to speciIy how many sentences are required to complete this activity. Giving
students an example on the board, will help them immensely. Encourage students to ask
you questions as you move around the class monitoring their progress.
7. 7
Review
Ask Ior volunteers to give you imperative sentences. Once a student has volunteered, he
can sit down while the rest oI the class thinks oI sentences. Continue this activity until all
the students are seated or the bell rings and do not accept duplicate sentences.
The imperative Iorm is something students will have a lot oI practice with especially when
studying directions. Ensuring that students understand this structure now will make Iuture classes
much easier Ior both you and them.
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ZYisb Cames to Teacb Imperatives
1. Simon Says
4 The Iamiliar children's game oI "Simon Says" is a natural candidate Ior adaptation
Ior use in the English classroom. Instead oI mimicking actions, however, students
respond to verbal instructions -- Ior example: "Simon says: Put your hand on your
head." It Iunctions well strictly as a listening and comprehension exercise either
with the teacher or selected students giving instructions. It's a good way to teach
vocabulary related to the body, and may turn quite raucous as more creative
students think oI ways to contort the bodies oI their classmates into improbable
shapes.
Draw This
4 As an activity that can be conducted in pairs, groups or with the whole class,
"Draw This" is a game that an instructor can use to consolidate the imperative
Iorm while incorporating practice in understanding abstract Iorms and processes.
One student either draws a picture or Iinds one in a book and instructs others in
reproducing it. Simple pictures work best Ior beginners and young children, while
more complex ones are more appropriate Ior advanced learners and those who are
studying English as part oI a technical or design curriculum.
Dear Abby
4 "Dear Abby" is primarily a game Ior adults, although some younger learners may
also be able to play it under the right circumstances. Students in pairs or in a
group decide who is Abby, then describe a problem, such as "I have a hard time
sleeping at night." Abby then oIIers instructions to remedy the problem. It's a
game that works well in a conversation-oriented ES because it helps to break the
ice between learners who may not have much contact outside the classroom.
Students oIIer the content, Ireeing the instructor to Iocus on grammar points and
pronunciation.
Do You Know the Way
4 Any English learner will be conIronted at some point in liIe with the need to give
directions, and practicing in the English classroom is also a good exercise in the
imperative Iorm. In pairs or groups, one student asks: "Do you know the way
to...," Iilling in the blank with a Iamiliar or obscure local landmark. Another
student answers with directions, Iorming the sentences as commands: "Turn leIt
at..." or "Walk three blocks." A passive listening variation is to give students a
map and have them pinpoint a location on directions Irom the instructor or a
student.