Imperative mood

The imperative mood in English

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• published: 04 Nov 2014
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The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. Whenever we want to tell someone to do something, or sometimes just how to go about doing it, we use the imperative. Forming the Imperative: The imperative is formed, in the affirmative, by simply using the verb in its base form, with no conjugation whatsoever. For example: Work ⇒ Work on your homework! Travel ⇒ Travel safely on the interstate! Read ⇒ Read your book, Timmy! More examples: • To get to my house, take the highway and turn left on Michigan Road. • Tell Mom I will be home for supper. • Study for your exam so you can get a good grade! • Fix your attitude young man! • Tell Ms. Foster that I am sick today and cannot make class. • As you can see, not all imperative phrases are urgent, harsh affairs, especially when giving directions (as in the first example in the list). • Whenever there is a certain urgency involved, however, an exclamation point (!) is used to make this clear. The imperative is formed, in the negative, as follows: Do + not + verb Do + not + shoot the ball! Don’t shoot the ball! Examples: • Do not come with me to school! • Don’t ask me out ever again! • Don’t use the needle-nose pliers, your can do that with your hands. • Don’t take highway 33 at night, you’ll get lost if you’re not familiar with the area.