Imperative in English

This chapter will discuss the imperative in English. The imperative is used to give orders and instructions or to make a suggestion.

Lesson outline

Imperatives in English can be used to give an instruction or to request something or to make a suggestion.

Situation	Example
To give an instruction	Take the first turning on the right. Go straight ahead.
To give out orders	Sit down! Be quiet!
To request something	Please, close the door. Please, open the window.
To make a suggestion.	Let's go outside! Let's listen to music!

Keep in mind:

To use the imperative form to request something, just simply add 'please' first.
To use the imperative to make a suggestions, add 'let's' or 'let's not' to the beginning of the sentence.

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In the English language there are two forms of imperative: affirmative and negative. Take a look at the tabel below to see the difference.

Form	Example
Affirmative	Enjoy your weekend! Close the door!
Negative	Do not disturb! Do not feed!

The imperative form is usually aimed at 'you', singular or plural. However, the personal pronoun is not mentioned in the sentence.

The affirmative form of the imperative is formed with the infinitive of the verb.

'Always' and 'never' should be before the infinitive verb. These adverbs are used to emphasize the advice.

The negative form of the imperative is formed with 'do not + infinitive'.

Train your skills by doing the exercises below!