Index :

Use of the imperative

Forms of the imperative

Emphatic imperatives

Use of the imperative

The imperative forms of verbs are used for several specific but similar purposes:

• To give orders
• To instruct
• To warn
• To encourage
• To invite

Forms of the imperative

Imperatives are most commonly used in the active and in the second person, i.e. implying you. The pronoun is however omitted.
They are occasionally used in the first and third persons, with the help of the auxiliary let.
In all cases, the verb or the auxiliary stands at the start of the sentence.

Sample verb:  Look	Affirmative	Negative
Common imperative : second person (you)	Look	Don't look
First person ( I, we)	Let me look Let's look	Don't let me look Let's not look
Third person ( he, she, it, they etc)	Let him look etc.	Don't let him look (etc)

Passive imperatives

These are rare : here are a couple of examples :

The imperative form by itself can be rather blunt, rather abrupt, even rude. It can be made less abrupt, more polite, by the addition of softeners such as please, would you please, etc
First and third person imperatives are not common, but there are some common expressions that use them.

Emphatic imperatives

There are two ways of adding emphasis to an imperative.

• Occasionally the pronoun you is added to simple imperatives, in order to add emphasis or to specify to whom the imperative is addressed. See examples 1 - 4
• Alternatively do can be added at the start of the sentence, as a redundant auxiliary (examples 5 - 7)

The examples with added you may not look like emphatic imperatives, but they are. The yous can be omitted, and the sense remains the same. They are thus optional, not required as in an indicative context.

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