Imperatives tell someone to do something. They can be used to give someone a command, give instructions and make offers. To use imperatives, we use the base form of verbs. What makes imperative sentences special is that they appear to have no subject. Look at these example sentences:
| Base Form of Verb | |
| Run | for ten more minutes. |
| Go | as fast as you can! |
| Mix | the sugar and the butter together. |
| Have | some more tea, Leila. |
In imperative sentences, the subject is always you, but we don't usually say or write the subject. The imperative is the same whether we are talking to just one person or more than one person.
Teacher talking to one student
Teacher talking to many students
"Read carefully! Look at the pictures."
The sentence is the same whether the teacher is talking to one person or many people.
To make negative imperative sentences, simply put do not in front of the base verb. For example:
| Do not | Base Form of Verb | |
|
Do not/Don't |
forget | your homework! |
| eat | all of the chocolate! | |
| step | on the wet grass. | |
| do | your homework too quickly. |