Материал: doichik_oia_moods_theory_and_practice

The Imperatives with Be

Be + noun (also idiomatic); be + adjective + noun: e.g. Be a man!

Be an angel and fetch me my slippers, please Be a good girl at school!

Be a better cook! Don’t be a silly idiot!

Don’t be is more common:

e.g. Don’t be an ass/an idiot/a fool/a clown – I am not!

Don’t be often expresses advice:

e.g. Don’t be a racing driver! It’s dangerous. – I won’t be.

Be = pretend:

e.g. (You) be the fairy godmother. Be a monster, granddad.

Be + adjective (referring to behavior: careful / silly / rude / quiet / patient, etc.):

e.g. Be quiet! – I won’t / I will.

Don’t be so impatient – I’m not!

Be + past participle: be combines with a few past participles: e.g. Be prepared!

Be seated! Be warned!

After do, after you, with tags: e.g. Do be careful with that vase!

You be quiet!

Be quiet for a moment, will you?

The Imperatives with Have

Offers: Do have some oysters!

Suggestions: Have a bath and you’ll feel better

Encouragement: e.g. Have a go! Have a try! Have a shot at it!

Good wishes (in particular occasions):

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The Imperatives with Get

Get is often used with past participles to express the command: e.g. Get dressed!

Get washed!

Get your hair cut! Get your eyes tested!

or an insult:

e.g. Oh, get lost, will you!

The Imperative with Let

When the command or request is referred to the 1st or the 3rd person we use let + infinitive.

e.g. Let me do it. Let the child go to bed. Don’t let him interrupt you.

Let me not interrupt you (very formal)

The exception to the use of the 2nd person is when you want to include yourself in your suggestion, here we use Let's ...

e.g. Let's go to the pub.

Let's stop now, I'm getting a headache.

Let’s is often associated with shall we?: e.g. Let’s take a taxi, shall we?

The negative form of Let’s in suggestion is the following: e.g. Let’s not / Don’t let’s argue about it.

The Imperative with Question Tags

Tags like will you?, won’t you?, can you?, can’t you?, could you?, would you? can be used after the Imperative:

to express impatience, annoyance (will/won’t/can’t you?) in rising tone:

e.g. Stop fiddling with that TV, will you?/won’t you?/can’t you?

to make a request (can you? (neutral) / could you?/would you?

(polite)) to sound less abrupt:

e.g. Post this letter for me, can you? / could you? / would you?

to offer polite encouragement, to make friendly offers and suggestions (will you?/ won’t you? or why don’t you?):

e.g. Take a seat, will you?/ won’t you?

Go off for the weekend, why don’t you?

to obtain the co-operation with others (Don’t… will you?) e.g. Don’t tell anyone what I told you, will you?

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Double Imperatives Joined by And

Some imperatives are followed by and + another imperative instead of a to-infinitive:

e.g. Go and buy yourself a new pair of shoes Come and see this goldfish

Come and play a game of bridge with us Wait and see

Try and see my point of view (or Try to see)

Go fetch some water (Am. E) Go and fetch some water (Br. E) *Note. Imperatives + to-infinitive express purpose: Eat to live, do not live to eat!

The Imperatives in Conditional Sentences

Imperatives can be used instead of if-clauses with the conjunctions and / or / or else / otherwise. The imperative conveys more urgency than the if-clause:

comment: Fail to pay and they’ll cut off the electricity (If you fail to pay, they’ll cut off the electricity)

request: Tell us what to do and we’ll get on with it (If you tell us what to do, we’ll get on with it)

threat: Stop eating sweets, or you won’t get any dinner (If you don’t stop eating sweets, you won’t get any dinner)

advice: Take a taxi, otherwise you’ll miss your train (If you don’t take a taxi, you’ll miss your train)

The Imperatives in the Indirect Speech

To report Imperatives the verbs ask / advise / instruct / remind / tell / warn, etc. + personal object + to-infinitive are used:

e.g: ‘Remember to switch off the lights’, she said. – She reminded me to switch off the lights.

The negative imperative is rendered by Verb +not + to-infinitive: e.g.‘Don’t make a mess in the kitchen’, she asked – She asked / told /

warned him not to make a mess in the kitchen.

Direct orders can sometimes be reported by be to:

e.g. ‘Wait’, he says – He says I am to wait for him / He said I was to wait for him

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EXERCISES:

1.Make a polite imperative:

1.Be quiet!______________________________________________

2.Stop talking!___________________________________________

3.Hurry up!_____________________________________________

4.Give me your pen!______________________________________

5.Pass me the salt!________________________________________

6.Help me with my bags!___________________________________

7.Have a cup of tea!_______________________________________

8.Make a coffee for me!____________________________________

________________________________________________________

9.Don‟t make so much noise!_______________________________

________________________________________________________

10.Ask before you do!______________________________________

2.Write imperatives addressing people (you / somebody / anybody / nobody / Jane, etc.)

1.Be quiet_____________________________________________

2.Turn off the music_____________________________________

3.Don‟t turn the lights on__________________________________

4.Help me with this box____________________________________

5.Sit down______________________________________________

6.Say anything__________________________________________

7.Don‟t listen to him______________________________________

8.Don‟t go outside________________________________________

9.Stay silent_____________________________________________

10.Stay where you are______________________________________

3.Rewrite each request using tags (will you? / won’t you? / can you? / can’t you? / could you? / would you?).

1.Take a seat____________________________________________

2.Post this letter for me____________________________________

_____________________________________________________

3.Stop annoying everyone__________________________________

_____________________________________________________

4.Don‟t ask silly questions_________________________________

_____________________________________________________

5.Do something for her____________________________________

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