Meaning
When commands are expressed as imperatives, they are straightforward and are expected to be followed. This is contrasted with deontic statements — through which the speaker conveys which actions or states would be ideal and can express varying degrees of necessity — and with requests — which provide the listener with an option to decline.
Furthermore, imperatives usually convey a sense of urgency.
Form
Standard Imperatives
Imperative clauses are similarly structured to declarative (or exclamatory) clauses except that:
- they typically do not voice the subject;
- the main verb is only ever in its base form (the bare infinitive) and is never accompanied by any auxiliary verb except DO.
The most common word order begins with the verbs string, followed by any complements and modifiers.
The Understood You
The subject of imperatives is the person or people whom the sentence is directed toward. Grammatically, the subject is called ‘the understood you‘.
For example, “Hand me your phone,” doesn’t seem to have a subject. The meaning here is “(You) hand me your phone,” but the subject ‘you’ is rarely ever spoken or written for imperatives.
To specify a subject — that is, to clarify or call attention to which person is being addressed — we can include the name or title of the subject, as in “Phoebe, hand me your phone.” These vocatives typically come at the very beginning or very end of the sentence and should be set apart by punctuation, usually a comma.
The Verb
Without vocatives, imperatives usually begin with verbs. In fact, this are the only sentence formation that regularly begins with the main verbs.
Imperative verbs do not inflect; they never take on the -s form, the -ing ending, past forms, etc. Imperative verb phrases exist without tenses.
To make a negative command, imperative clauses include “do not” (or “don’t“) or “never” immediately before the verb, as in “Don’t play so rough,” or “Lonnie, never do that again!“
Starting Adverbs
It’s possible (but rare) for an imperative to begin with an adverb of manner — though this is commonly limited to select adverbs like ‘please’ or ‘kindly’ — or a discourse adverb for focus or sequence (like ‘anyway’, ‘actually’; ‘first’, ‘next’, ‘finally’, etc.).
‘Please’ is a unique adverb that only applies to imperative clauses. Including ‘please’ makes the imperative more polite.
Let & Shall Imperatives
An alternative to standard imperatives is to begin the clause with either ‘Let’ or ‘Shall’. These imperatives are less authoritative and more cooperative.
- ‘Let’ should be followed by a 1st-person object pronoun: either us or me.
- ‘Shall’ should be followed by a 1st-person subject pronoun: either we or I. Also, ‘shall’ sentences should end with a question mark.
Cooperative imperatives that feature a plural 1st-person pronoun serve as invitations for the speaker and the addressed person/people to do a task together, as in “Let’s go home now,” or “Shall we go home now?“
Cooperative imperatives that feature a singular 1st-person pronoun serve as offers for the speaker to carry out the task, perhaps as a favor, as in “Let me hold that for you,” or “Shall I hold that for you?“
Although it depends on the tone of voice, ‘Let’ is usually fairly insistent (though not as demanding as standard imperatives) while ‘Shall’ is more deferential.
Usage
- The primary usage of the imperative construction (especially for standard imperatives) is for issuing commands.
- Let and shall imperatives are more like suggestions, except they are volitional (which means the speaker is ready and willing to engage in the verb phrase).
- On occasion, standard imperatives can be used to wish a particular state upon someone else, as in “Get better soon!” or “Break a leg!”. While these take the same form of commands, the recipient has no control over those actions. Instead, the speaker merely communicates a desire or hope.
More Directives
There are a few alternatives to the imperative structure, which (among other things) allow the speaker to integrate the subject ‘you’ into the command.
Indirect Imperatives
Commands can be delivered in a slightly roundabout way using Verb Patterns. The format is: 1st-Person Pronoun > Verb of Desire > ‘you’ > Full Infinitive Phrase. The desire verb should almost always be ‘expect’, ‘need’, ‘want’, or ‘would like’. For example:
- “I need you to take out the trash tonight.”
- “I expect you to be on your best behavior.”
- “We would like you to turn the music down, please.”
These are technically structured as declaratives. However, they are typically not meant as mere statements of desire. Rather, they are meant to be interpreted as directions; the listener is expected to fulfill the verbs expressed by those infinitives.
Indirect Imperatives like these are often less harsh than standard imperatives tend to be. However, depending on the speaker’s tone of voice, they can still come off as very forceful.
Deontic Modals
Modal auxiliaries in declarative structures can be used to issue commands. Different modal verbs express different levels of force.
- SHOULD is used for advice or recommendations.
- An alternative modal expression is ought to.
- MUST is used to strongly express an obligation. Unlike imperatives, must rarely conveys its own authority; instead the speaker typically aligns with some external authority and relays their regulations.
- Alternative modal expressions are had better, have to, have got to, and need to.
- WILL is used as an attempt to enforce compliance. Unlike imperatives, where obedience is assumed, will makes an effort to enforce that compliance (perhaps, but not necessarily, expecting resistance).
Imperatives and expressions with Modals of Obligation can often be used interchangeably. However, the slight differences in their implications are often significant enough for speakers to specifically choose one form of issuing commands over another.
Polite Requests
Instead of issuing a demand, a speaker can make a request. The intended result may be the same, but when the sentence is structured as a question, it acknowledges the addressed person’s agency — they may consent or deny.
The most common way to present a request is through Indirect Questions. For example:
- “Phoebe, would you hand me your phone, please?”
- “Would you mind not doing that again?”
- “Could you repeat that?”
The way in which an Indirect Question is phrased can make it particularly polite or formal. Similar to ‘shall’ imperatives, such requests are differential rather than demanding.
Further Reading
RUDIMENTARY Topics
CEFR Levels A1-A2: Beginner/Starter to Pre-Intermediate courses