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| Arup Roy, Lecturer in English Language & Literature, Kanchkura University College |
We know that sentence is of five types based on meaning. They are assertive, interrogative, imperative, optative, and exclamatory. Each type has its own structure and meaning. For example, an assertive sentence describes anything; an interrogative sentence asks questions etc. This chapter is going to deal with the imperative sentence.
The imperative sentence carries command, order, advice, request, offer, direction or instruction, wishes, desire, proposal forbiddance. So, we can see that function of an imperative sentence is many. Let’s go to understand with some examples.
Command/order
- Open the door.
- Close the window.
- Clean your hands.
Here, you are ordering or commanding someone to open the door or close the window. In the third sentence, you are ordering someone to clean his or her hands.
Advice
- Be your best at all times.
- Be honest.
- Consider milk over soft drinks.
Here, these examples belong to advice. You are advising someone to have milk instead of a soft drink because milk is good for health; on the other hand, soft drink is not.
Offer
- Have a cup of tea.
- Have a slice of cake.
- Have a cup of coffee.
These examples belong to offer.
Instructions/directions
Ø Open the book and read page
number 5.
Ø Go straight and turn left.
Ø Call the hospital and confirm the appointment.
If you see these examples, you will see that imperative sentence starts with the base form of the verb or root form of the verb. It means that imperative sentence does not start with the past or past participle form of the verb.
For example, “do” is a verb. “eat” is a verb. So, these two verbs are the base form of the verb. The past form of "do" is “did,” past form of “eat” is “ate,” past participle form of “do” is “done” and past participle form of “eat” is "eaten".
Another thing you can notice is that imperative sentence does not have a subject. We have a subject in a sentence, but this subject remains implied or hidden at the beginning of the sentence. For example:
- Do the work.
What we have come to know is that an imperative sentence starts with the base form of the verb and an imperative sentence does not have a subject. We have a subject but this subject remains implied at the beginning of the sentence.
An imperative sentence may not start with the base form of the verb. We may start with some adverbs such as always, never, please, kindly, etc.
- Please, do me a favor.
- Always speak the truth.
- Never tell a lie.
In general imperative sentence starts with the base form of the verb or root form of the verb, but sometimes, an imperative sentence may start with some adverbs.
The imperative sentence follows another structure: Imperative sentence also starts with “let.” It follows a completely different structure:
let + objective form of the subject + base form of the verb. For example:
Ø Let me do the work.
Ø Let him have something to eat.
Ø Let us go out for a walk.
Here, I am expressing my wish that he might have something to eat. In the first example, I am expressing my desire to do my work. In the third sentence, I am proposing someone to walk with me. So, we can see that imperative sentences, in general, start with the base form of verb but the imperative sentence may also start with some adverbs. The imperative sentence follows another structure: imperative sentence starts with “let” and it follows a different structure:
let + objective form of the subject + base form of the verb.
Like an assertive and interrogative sentence, an imperative sentence has its negative form. This negative form starts with “don’t.
Ø Do the work.
Ø Do not do the work.
Ø Open the door.
Ø Do not open the door.
Ø Listen to the lecture carefully.
Ø Do not listen to the lecture
carefully.
Ø Run in the sun.
Ø Do not run in the sun.
So, we can see that we have the negative form of an imperative sentence. This negative form of imperative sentence starts with “don’t.” Moreover, we can also use “let not” instead of don’t in some cases. “Let not” is really very old-fashioned. Earlier, in the middle ages, we used to use “let not.” If we use it now, it will sound archaic.
- Let not my mind be corrupt.
- Don’t let my mind be corrupt.
Though “let not” sounds archaic, in some cases, it sounds poetic. We can use the negative form of an imperative sentence with “don’t”, but it has another use that is “let not.”
Exercise:
1. What is an imperative
sentence?
a. Imperative sentence asks a question.
b. Imperative sentence
expresses command, request, etc.
c. Imperative sentence
expresses our sudden emotion.
d. Imperative sentence
describes anything.
2. Which one is the example
of an imperative sentence?
a. Do you know her?
b. Let me do the work.
c. Birds are flying in the
sky.
d. How beautiful the
scenery is!
3. Choose the structure of imperative
sentence.
a. auxiliary verb + subject
+ main verb + object/complement/adverbial
b. W/H + auxiliary verb +
subject + main verb
c. Subject + verb + object