We use the imperative mood to give commands. This includes giving orders, instructions and advice, as well as making requests.
Warm Up (for high level students)
Can you identify the problem in each of the sentences? Only one of the sentences is error free. Can you tell me which one it is?
Instructions for hotel staff on how to offer excellent customer service:
1.) You greet each guest warmly as they arrive.
2.) You don’t have to insult the guests no matter how rude they are to you.
3.) We must to always present ourselves as well groomed and attentive.
4.) When meeting important guests, you can opt to shake hands, bow, or nod graciously, depending on the situation.
5.) Be careful with your eye contact! Aim to a constant but gentle gaze.
6.) It is proper to address a man as ‘sir’ and a woman as ‘lady’.
Which of the sentences above are in the imperative form?
How to Form Imperative Sentences
To form the imperative, we use a bare infinitive (the base form of a verb without ‘to’ before it).
Stand up!
An easy way to think about the imperative is to form a Present Simple sentence that begins with ‘you’, but to omit the ‘you’. Let’s compare:
You stand up. – A Present Simple sentence that means standing up is something you often do.
Stand up. – An imperative sentence ordering you to your feet.
You don’t allow people to insult you. – This means that you don’t tolerates insults.
Don’t allow people to insult you. – This is an order telling you not to tolerate insults.
A Note about Including the Implied Subject ‘you’
Occasionally, you will hear the ‘you’ included, when the speaker is exasperated.
I’ve asked you five times nicely already. You leave me alone right this minute, or else!
The Imperative Mood is Not the Only Way!
Imperatives are generally the best way to give instructions and a simple, clear way to give orders, but may not convey the level of respect we want to convey when advising or requesting.
For advice, consider softening your opinion by using modals, like ‘could’ and ‘should’, and starting with “I think” or something similar. You can also soften advice in the following way:
Exercise more. – Imperative
Consider exercising more. – Softer
Maybe you could consider exercising more. – Even softer
Requests require careful wording, as they fall within the realm of persuasion. Definitely add ‘please’. And consider using ‘I would like’, or a modal verb question, like ‘Could I ask you’.
Let’s practice!
