The imperative form is the base form of the verb. It is a second-person form. When we say Come in, we mean that you should come in.

Section 1

the imperative mood

1 Form

The imperative form is the base form of the verb. It is a second-person form. When we say Come in, we mean that you should come in.

· Affirmative imperatives have the same form as the infinitive without to; negative imperatives are constructedwith do not (don’t) + infinitive.

Affirmative: Come in.

Read the instructions carefully.

Negative: Do not remove this book form the library.

Don’t make so much fuss.

2 Use

The basic use of the imperative is to give orders, to get someone to do something. The speaker expects that the hearer will obey.

Teacher (to pupils): Get out your books please.

Doctor (to patient): Just keep still a moment.

Boss (to employee): Don’t tell anyone about this.

Traffic sign: Stop.

· But an imperative can sound abrupt. There are other ways of expressing orders.

I want you to just keep still a moment.

You must hand the work in by the weekend.

You mustn’t tell anyone about this.

· We often make an order less abrupt by expressing it as a request in question form.

Can you get out your books please?

Could you just keep still a moment?

· It is generally safer to use a request from, but the imperative can be used informally between equals.

Give me a hand with these bags.

Hurry up, or we’re going to be late.

watch out! When an imperative is used to tell someone to be quiet or to go away, it usually sounds abrupt and impolite.

Shut up.

Go away – I’m busy.

Get lost.

· If a number of actions are involved, the request form need not be repeated for every action.

Can you get out your books, please? Open them at page sixty and look at the photo. Then think about your reaction to it.

3 Other uses of the imperative

· Slogans and advertisements:

Save the rain forests.

Visit historic Bath.

· Suggestions and advice:

Why don’t you spend a year working before you go to college? Take a year off from your studies and learn something about the real world.

· Warnings and reminders:

Look out! There’s a car coming.

Always switch off the electricity first.

Don’t forget your key.

· Instructions and directions:

Select the programme you need by turning the dial to the correct number. Pull out the knob. The light will come on and the machine will start.

Go along here and turn left at the lights.

· Informal offers and invitations:

Have a chocolate. (= Would you like a chocolate?)

Come to lunch with us.

· Good wishes:

Have a nice holiday. (= I hope you have a nice holiday.) Enjoy yourselves.

4 Emphatic imperative

We can make an emphatic imperative with do + infinitive. This is common in polite requests, complains and apologies.

Do sit down.

Do be a bit more careful.

Do forgive me – I didn’t mean to interrupt.

5 Passive imperative

To tell people to arrange for things to be done to them, we often use get + past participle.

Get vaccinated as soon as you can.

6 subject with imperative

The imperative does not usually have a subject, but we can use a noun or pronoun to make it clear who we are speaking to.

Mary come here – everybody else stay where you are.

Somebody answer the phone.

Nobody move.

Relax, everybody.

All of you sit down!

· You before an imperative can suggest emphatic persuasion or anger.

You just sit down and relax for a bit.

You take your hands off me!

You be careful what you’re saying

· The negative don’t comes before the subject.

Don’t you believe it! (not You don’t believe me)

Don’t anybody say a word.

Don’t you talk to me like that.

7 Question tags

After imperatives, the normal question tags are will you? won’t you? would you? can you? can’t you? and could you?

· We can use a positive tag after a positive imperative.

Teacher: Get your books, will / would / can / could you?

The meaning is the same as Will you get out your books? but the pattern with the tag is more informal.

· A negative tag expresses greater feeling.

Doctor: Keep still, won’t / can’t you?

This suggests that the doctor is especially anxious that the patient should keep still, or annoyed because the patient cannot keep still.

· In warnings, reminders and good wishes, the tag is won’t you? after a positive imperative and will you? after a negative.

Have a nice holiday, won’t you?

Don’t forget your key, will you?

· In offers and invitations the tag is will you? or won’t you?

Have a chocolate, will / won’t you?

These tags make the sentences more emphatic.

8 word order

Always and never come before imperatives.

Always remember what I told you. (not Remember always ….)

Never speak to me like that again.

9 let

Some languages have a first person imperative form (used to suggest that ‘I’ or ‘we’ should do something). English does not have this. But there is a structure with let + infinitive that has a similar meaning.

· Let’s (let us) + infinitive expresses a suggestion.

It’s a lovely day. Let’s sit outside.

Let’s have some coffee (, shall we?).

· The negative is let’s not or don’t let’s, and for emphasis we use do let’s.

Negative: Let’s not waste any time. Don’t let’s waste any time.

Emphatic: Do let’s get started. We’ve wasted enough time already.

· The long form let us is formal and old-fashioned.

Let us give thanks to God.

· Let me means that the speaker is telling him/herself what to do.

Let me think. (= I’m going to think. / Give me time to think.) Where did I put the letter?

Let me see what’s in my diary.

Let me explain.

Note. Let can also have the meaning ‘allow’.

Oh, you’ve got some photos. Let me see. (= May I?)

· Let can also be used with third person nouns or pronouns.

‘Mr Parker’s in the waiting room.’ ‘Let him stay there all day as far as I’m concerned’.

Let the person who made this mess clean it up.

Let the voters choose the government they want.

Exercises

Make these imperatives more polite or urgent.

1 Have a cup of coffee.

2 Make yourself at home.

3 Stop talking!

4 Hurry!

5 Try and ring us.

6 Help me with this letter.

7 Be quiet.

8 Mail these letters at once.

9 Open the door!

10 Do not lean out of the window.

Unscramble the sentences:

1 before / in / look / you / the / off / mirror / drive|.

2 more / some / have / tea|.

3 holiday / your / enjoy|.

4 temper / up / or / lose / my / I’ll / shut|.

5 into / me / let / diary / my / look|.

6 to / put/ forget / table / it / don’t / the / on|.

7 first / to make / remember / off / wheels / the|.

8 difficulties / you / meet / let / never|.

9 to face / afraid / be / truth / don’t / the|.

10 and / meet / cinema / after / go / the / let’s / to / classes|.

11 in / them / warn / mountain / against / weather / the / climbing / bad / such|.

12 high / drive / at / car / don’t / speeds / the|.

13 a / slowly / speak / into / more / microphone|.

14 sure / a / they / uniform / wear / make|.

Tick (√) the sentence that is correct. Rewrite incorrect ones.

1 Don’t let anybody to come into my room while I’m away.

2 Be attentive when looking for errors in this test.

3 Don’t to upset your dears and nears by telling them lies.

4 Never apologize for things that are not your fault.

5 Do say something, I’m so much worried.

6 Let’s to go for a drive to the country.

7 Don’t forget to switch off the light before leaving the room.

Write these imperatives again to address particular people. Alternatives are possible.

Example: Enjoy …………….

Enjoy yourself / yourselves.

1 Try teaching 40 noisy children every day! …………………………….

2 Make the coffee today! (Meg) …………………………………………

3 Turn off that TV! ………………………………………………………

4 Don’t turn the lights on! ……………………………………………….

5 Carry this case! (John)………………………………………………….

6 Sit down! ………………………………………………………………

7 Have a short break! …………………………………………………….

8 Don’t move! ……………………………………………………………

9 Post these letters. (John) ……………………………………………….

10 Don’t listen to her! ……………………………………………………

11 Enjoy (children). ……………………………………………………..

Rewrite each request as an imperative + tag.

Example: Will you stop whistling?

Stop whistling, will you?

1 Can’t you do something useful?

2 Won’t you stop asking questions?

3 Could you post this letter?

4 Would you hold this bag?

5 Can you get me some stamps?

6 Won’t you come in?

7 Will you take a seat?

8 Will you give me a hand?

9 Can you get me something to drink?

10 Can you be quiet?

Fill each of the gaps with one suitable word or phrase. (In this exercise, words such as don’t and let’s count as one word.)

1 ……. forget to switch off the light before leaving the room.

2 ……. hurry if you want to be there in time!

3 ……. have another try

4 ……. go home.

5 ……. do that again or you’ll be in trouble.

6 ……... understand a word of what I am saying.

7 …….. think – it’s too cold for the black dress.

8 …….. go to the picture gallery on Sunday.

7. Put in the missing imperatives.

ask avoid come and ask do keep mind think! don’t waste

Think!

It’s a case of …….. (1) as you’re told in our company! I work for a small firm and my boss is so bossy that we all call him ‘Napoleon’. He doesn’t mind a bit. Wherever you look in our building there’s a notice of some kind. The first thing you see when you arrive is …….. (2) off the grass! You come into the building and see …….. (3) the steps! The walls are covered with advice. if in doubt …….. (4) me! …….. (5) making mistakes! …….. (6) me first! …….. (7) time! We have learnt to ignore this advice, but lately notices have begun to appear in every part of the building. We have a small kitchen at the back where we make coffee. Yesterday there was a new notice over the kitchen sink. It said: …….. (8) I was pleased to see it wasn’t long before someone added another notice under it which said thoap!

8. Note the use of the verbs in the Imperative mood in the following proverbs and sayings. Try to memorize them. Give their Ukrainian equivalents.

1 Catch you bear before you sell its skin.

2 Cut your coat according to your cloth.

3 First try and then trust.

4 Strike while the iron is hot.

5 Live and learn.

6 Forgive and forget.

7 Cross the stream where it is shallowest.

8 Make haste slowly.

9 Make hay while the sun shines.

10 Love me little, love me long.

11 Live not to eat, but eat to live.

12 Practice what you preach.

13 Learn to walk before you run.

9. Express the idea of the following by using appropriate proverbs and sayings with the verb in the Imperative mood. Use exercise 8 as a key.

1 Experience is a good teacher. The longer we live, the more we learn.

2 Adjust your expenditure according to your resources.

3 Behave in the same way as you advise others to behave.

4 Don’t make difficulties for yourself by doing things the hard way. Find the simplest means of achieving your object.

5 Don’t expect your road through life to be always easy. Accept bad times philosophically.

6 Do not let your passion for a person become too strong, for it may soon burn itself out. Mild affection is more likely to be long-lived.

7 Knowledge cannot be acquired all at once; it must be gained step by step. Don’t try to spell ‘catastrophe’ if you cannot spell ‘cat’.

8 Eating should not be the main purpose of life. We should, on the contrary, eat just enough to lead a useful life.

9 Don’t do anything in too much a hurry.

10 Do not wait until tomorrow, for rain main ruin your harvest. By extension this means that we should always take advantage of favourable circumstances.

11 Choose the right moment to act, take advantage of a sudden opportunity.

12 First make sure the person is reliable and then trust him.

13 Act prudently and don’t be over-optimistic.

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