imperative sentence

The Imperative Sentence

Learn About It

The word "imperative" is derived from the term "emperor". Emperors gave commands, and imperative sentences are commands. Imperative sentences consist of predicates that only contain verbs in infinitive form; verb phrases are not allowed. Imperative sentences are generally terminated with an exclamation mark instead of a period.

<Imperative Sentence> = <predicate> = <verb> <complement>

Examples:
Spend the money!
Go to your room!
Look in the drawer of the dresser.

An imperative sentence gives a command. It usually end with a period, but it may also end with an exclamation point (!).

Commands ask or tell people to do something.

"Please pass the salt." is a command, that does not sound as commanding as, "Get out of my way!" But, both of these sentences are imperatives because they are both asking or telling someone to do something.

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Finding the Subject

This may sound strange, but every single command has the same subject! Yikes! How is that even possible?

Well, since commands are always speaking to someone or something (you've got to address them if you're going to ask them to do something), the subject is always the word you.

You may have noticed, the word "you" is not even in a command. Because of this, the subject is actually called you understood, and it is written like this: (you)

This means that the subject is the word you, but since it is not written or spoken in the sentence, it is understood and is therefore in parentheses.

Imperative	Subject
Please find my yellow leotard.	(you)
Shut the door!	(you)
Be there at 5:00.	(you)

Wash the car.

Clean up your room.

Martin, report to the counselor.
Please donate to the community charity fund.

We say that sentences must have a subject and a verb. Note that some of the above sentences do not seem to have a subject. The subject is implied, and the implied subject is you. You wash the car. You clean up your room. You is a second person pronoun. It isn't possible to make a command statement in first person or third person. 

imperative sentence examples

• It must have seemed imperative that the co-operation and goodwill of the profession be regained, as without it the Scheme must founder.
• It emphasizes the military imperative of stabilizing Baghdad and lower expectations about a democratic polity along Western lines.
• Nothing has any point - except of course the categorical imperative.
• This is a compound sentence consisting of three independent clauses, all with imperative verbs.
• Securing a place to work, however small or improvised, seemed imperative to me during my final year at college.
• This spiritual dimension addresses the gospel imperative for equity and compassion among all peoples.
• The very nature of the relations makes it absolutely imperative that every victim of unlawful appetite, in whatever direction, shall totally abstain.
• Leaders have a moral imperative to develop the next generation of school leaders.
• A further, far more detailed and specified development of these principles is an imperative necessity.
• Thus it became imperative to relate the seaman's guess logged in Beaufort numbers to the wind speed in knots.
• It is therefore imperative to include all names of jointly liable people from the start.
• Reasons for action which are contingent in this way on desires and inclinations are furnished by what Kant called hypothetical imperatives.
• The Organizational function often belongs grammatically to the imperative mood.
• Moreover, there is an ethical imperative not to destroy the wonderful diversity of life on Earth.
• The module will include an in-depth study of a declarative language through a significant programming application, contrasting it with the imperative paradigm.
• The " pedagogical imperative " includes the obligation to inquire into the consequences of one's work with students.
• In the context of imperative programming, the emphasis shifts from describing control flow to describing interacting objects.
• Examples of the management of change under the technological imperatives we were subjected to were few, apart maybe from the Carnegie Mellon initiatives.
• An abstract machine for the execution of the imperative language.
  

       An imperative sentence gives a direct command to someone -- this type of sentence can end either with a period or with an exclamation mark, depending on how forceful the command is:

Sit!

Read this book for tomorrow.

You should not usually use an exclamation mark with the word "please":

Wash the dishes!

Please wash the dishes.

Normally, you should not use imperative sentences in academic writing. When you do use an imperative sentence, it should usually contain only a mild command, and thus, end with a period:

imperative exercises > LET´S!!

Choose the correct sentences and write them in the white boxes:  Let's drink some water -  Let's clean his car - Let's buy a cake for her-  Let's go to the cinema - Let's buy one ticket for you and one for me -  Let's watch TV - Let's do some exercise - Let's sit on that bench -  Let's dance - Let's eat a sandwich - Let's look at the calendar -   Let's telephone her -Let's take an umbrella -   Let's close the window -    It's very cold here.                                              It's very hot. I am thirsty.                                   I haven't visited Granny this week.                    Dad's car is very dirty.                                         It's mum's birthday today.                                  It's raining. We can't play outside.                     I want to see the film "Avatar".                           What's the date today?                                          It's raining.                                                             We are going to Oxford by bus.                            I like this music a lot and I feel so happy...        I am tired of walking around the park.                I want to be healthy and fit                                   I am so hungry

English Exercises > imperative exercises > Love me by Justin Bieber - Imperative

Complete with the correct verb in the imperative form.

Love me

by Justin Bieber

My friends say I'm a fool to think that you're the one for me I guess I'm just a sucker for love 'Cause honestly the truth is that you know I'm never leavin' 'Cause you're my angel sent from above Baby, you can do no wrong My money is yours, give you a little more because I love ya, love ya With me, girl, is where you belong Just right here, I promise my dear I'll put nothin' above ya, above ya me, me, that you love me  me, me, oh how you do me  me, me,  that you miss me me what I wanna hear, me you love me X2 People try to tell me, but I still refuse to listen 'Cause they don't get to spend time with you A minute with you is worth more than a thousand days without your love Oh your love, oh Baby, you can do no wrong My money is yours, give you a little more because I love ya, love ya With me, girl, is where you belong Just stay right here, I promise my dear I'll put nothin' above ya, above ya me, me, that you love me  me, me, oh how you do me  me, me,  that you miss me me what I wanna hear, me you love me X2 My heart is blind, but I don't care 'Cause when I'm with you, everything has disappeared And every time I hold you near I never wanna let you go, oh me, me, that you love me  me, me, oh how you do me  me, me,  that you miss me me what I wanna hear, me you love me X2

English Exercises > imperative exercises > IMPERATIVE

IMPERATIVE

PERSON	AFFIRMATIVE	NEGATIVE
I	X	X
YOU	the pronoun you* isn´t used be quiet stay here  It can be used with always Always review you compositions *you is used when we are distributing you do this, you do that you is used when YOU  insit on the action(rudeOR POLITE IT DEPENDS ON THE CONTEXT) you keep them Do is used before an affirmative verb if I want to insist) Do sit down.	the pronoun you* isn´t used don´t be silly don´t stay here It can be used with never Never open this door
HE,SHE,THEY	We use Let or May+infinitive Let for orders: Let him know May for wishes May the force go with you It can be used with somebody,everybody: Somebody* help me Everybody* help me	We use Let +infinitive Let for orders: Don´t let him know It can be used with nobody: Nobody* move *remember this is not simple present
WE	Let us=,Let´s Let´s stay for a while Do let´s stay for a while* *reinforcement	Let us not,Let´s not Let´s not stay here Don´t lets stay here* *reinforcement

1.-USE AN IMPERATIVE TO CHANGE THESE SENTENCES

1. Achiles´soldiers must attack LET´S ACHILES ATTACKLET ACHILES' SOLDIERS ATTACK

2.Nobody must leaveNOBODY LEAVENOBODY LEAVES

3.Somebody should phone an ambulance SOMEBODY PHONES AN AMBULANCESOMEBODY PHONE AN AMBULANCE

4.Helen must come hereLET HELEN COME HEREI WANT HER TO COME HERE

5.They shouldn´t  go now.DON´T LET THEM GOLET´S NOT GO

6.Somebody should say something SOMEBODY SAY SOMETINGSOMEBODY SAYS SOMETING

7.Nobody should say anything NOBODY SAY ANYTHINGNOBODY SAYS ANYTHING

8.A doctor should see him LET A DOCTOR SEE HIMLET´S A DOCTOR SEE HIM

9.I wish it snowed LET IT SNOWLET´S IT SNOW

10.He should rest.LET HIM RESTLET HE REST

11.-Why don´t you come and visit meYOU VISIT MEDO COME AND VISIT ME

12.-It would be nice you could bring the children(INSIST)BRING YOUR CHILDRENDO BRING YOUR CHILDREN

13.-I´m very interested in this house we should buy itLET´S BUY THE HOUSEI WANT TO BUY THE HOUSE

14.-We should solve this as soon as possible(INSIST)DO LET´S SOLVE THIS INMEDIATELYLET'S SOLVE THIS INMEDIATELY

15.-Everybody must stay in hereEVERYBODY STAYS HEREEVERYBODY STAY IN HERE