วันอาทิตย์ที่ 19 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2553

The Imperative Sentence


The Imperative Sentence


An imperative sentence is a sentence which is used to give orders, advice, instructions, requests and commands.  An exclamation mark (!) is used at the end of this sentence when there is a strong force to the expression, but for the other ‘not so strong expressions’ a full stop (.) is used.


Examples:        

Go away.

Shut up and listen to me!

Help me with these bags, please.

You should not usually use an exclamation mark with the word "please":


Wash the windows!

Please wash the windows.


Normally, you should not use imperative sentences in academic writing. When you do use an imperative sentence, it should usually contain only a mild command, and thus, end with a period:


Consider the Incas.

Sentence Structures


<Imperative Sentence> = <predicate> = <verb> <complement>

Examples: 

Spend the money!

Go to your room!

Look in the drawer of the dresser


To make the imperative, use the infinitive of the verb without "to"

For example:

  • Come here!
  • Sit down!

To make a negative imperative, put "do not" or "don't" before the verb:

For example:

  • Don't go!
  • Do not walk on the grass.

You can also use "let's" before the verb if you are including yourself in the imperative. The negative of "let's" is "let's not".

For example:

  • Let's stop now.
  • Let's have some lunch.
  • Let's not argue
  • Let's not tell her about it.

Tag questions are sometimes added to the end of imperatives:

Leave your coat in the hall, will you?

Write soon, won't you?


Finding the Subject


This may sound strange, but every single command has the same subject! Yikes! How is that even possible?

Well, since commands are always speaking to someone or something (you've got to address them if you're going to ask them to do something), the subject is always the word you.

You may have noticed, the word "you" is not even in a command. Because of this, the subject is actually called you understood, and it is written like this: (you)

This means that the subject is the word you, but since it is not written or spoken in the sentence, it is understood and is therefore in parentheses.




Imperative
Subject
Please find my yellow leotard.
(you)
Shut the door!
(you)
Be there at 5:00.
(you)


Diagramming Commands

You'll notice that every command has the same subject, (you).


Please find my yellow leotard.


Shut the door!


Be there at 5:00.


Imperative Moods
Orders
Adults do not usually give each other orders, unless they are in a position of authority. However, adults can give orders to children and to animals. The intonation of an order is important: each word is stressed, and the tone falls at the end of the sentence:

For example:

  • Sit down now! 
    * "Sit", "down" and "now" are all stressed, and the tone falls on "now".

Warnings
You can use the imperative to warn someone of danger. All the words in the warning are stressed, but the last word has a higher tone than the first word:

For example:

  • Sit down now! 
    * "Sit", "down" and "now" are all stressed, and the tone falls on "now".
  • Watch out!
  • Look out!
  • Don't cross!

Advice
When you give advice using the imperative, the words are stressed normally.

For example:

  • Don't tell him you're resigning now! Wait until Monday when he's in a better mood.
  • Don't drink alcohol
  • Don't eat heavy meals

Requests
You can also use the imperative to make a request, but you should use a polite word before the verb:

For example:

  • Please take a seat.
  • Please wait here.
  • Please hold the line.
  • Please don't smoke here.




    Notes:
    Note that an imperative sentence does not require a subject; the pronoun "you" is implied.


    References:







    Exercises:


    http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/various/imperative.htm
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    วันศุกร์ที่ 10 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2553

    Present Simple Tense


    The Present Simple is the most basic and common tense in the English language. It is also an interesting tense because it can express both the present and the future.
    FORM
    [VERB] + s/es in third person
    Examples:
    •      You speak English.
    •      Do you speak English?
    •      You do not speak English.
    Use
    1.    Facts and generalization
    2.    Habits and routines  
    3.    Permanent situations
    4.    State verbs (e.g. be, have, think, know)
    5.    Fixed / official arrangement that we can't change
    6.    Narrations (e.g. telling a story or a joke)
    USE 1: Facts and Generalizations      
    The first and most important use of the Present Simple is to talk about things we believe are (or are not) true. It's also used to generalize about somebody or something.
    Examples:
    •      It is a big house.
    •      He talks a lot.
    •      Berlin is the capital city of Germany.
    •      Buenos Aires is a large city.
    •      The Elephant doesn't fly.
    •      Dogs don't smoke cigarettes.
    •      A dog is not large than an elephant.
    •      London is the capital city of France. (Remember: the sentence doesn't have to be true)

    The Earth goes around the Sun.


    USE 2: Habits and Routines

    We also use this tense to indicate that an activity is a habit or a routine.
    Examples:
    •      We leave for work at 7.30 every morning.
    •      Susan often meets with her friends after school.
    •      They usually play football on Sunday.
    •      Mark rarely visits his sick grandmother.



    I play basketball every Friday.



    USE 3: Permanent Situations
    Use the Present Simple to talk about situations in life that last a relatively long time.
    Examples:
    •      I live in Boston
    •      He works as a fireman.
    •      Margaret drives a Porshe.
    •      Jerry doesn't teach maths at highschool.
    USE 4: State Verbs
    You should use the Present Simple with state verbs.
    Examples:
    •      I like swimming.
    •      We know this man.
    •      Margaret drives a Porshe.
    •      Jerry doesn't teach maths at highschool.
    USE 5: Fixed / Official arrangements
    Use the Present Simple to talk about events that we can't change (for example, an official meeting or a train departure).
    Examples:
    •      The meeting starts at 4 pm.
    •      The train leaves at the noon.
    •      When does the plane take off?
    •      Jerry doesn't teach maths at highschool.
    USE 6: Narrations

    The Present Simple is also used in narrations (e.g. to tell a story or a joke).
    Examples:
    •      A man goes to visit a friend and is amazed to find him playing chess with his dog. He watches the game in astonishment for a while [...]

              Declarative Sentences
    Subject
    +
    Verb
    e.g. I/a dog etc.
    e.g. work/go/make

    Examples:
    •       A dog is an animal.
    •       I learn English twice a week.
    •       I have two eggs.
    •      The course starts in April.
    •       I come from Basil

              Questions
    Auxiliary Verb 
    +
    Subject
    +
    Verb

    do or does
    e.g. I/a dog etc. 
    e.g. work/go/make

    Questions require the auxiliary verb to do or, in the third person singular, does.
    Compare these examples:
    •      A: Does she like going to the mountains?
    •      B: Yes, she does.
    •      A: Does John have a dog?
    •      B: No, he doesn't.

    Keep in mind that when you ask a question, the verb does not conjugate:

    •      Does she have a dog?
    •      Does she has a dog?

    For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary:

    •      Is he tall?
    •      Does he be tall?


              Negative Sentences
    Subject
    +
    Auxiliary verb+not
    +
    Verb
    e.g. I/a dog etc.
    do not (don't) / does not (doesn't)
    e.g. work/go/make

    Contracted forms
    •      do + not = don't
    •      does + not = doesn't
    Examples:
    •      They don't live in New York anymore.
    •      I don't like winter.
    •      They don't live in New York anymore.
    •      He doesn't go to the cinema at all.
     
    How do we make the Simple Present Tense?
    There are three important exceptions:
    1.    For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.
    2.    For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the auxiliary.
    3.    For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.

    Look at these examples with the main verb like:
    subject
    auxiliary verb
    main verb
    +
    I, you, we, they
    like
    coffee.
    He, she, it
    likes
    coffee.
    -
    I, you, we, they
    do
    not
    like
    coffee.
    He, she, it
    does
    not
    like
    coffee.
    ?
    Do
    I, you, we, they
    like
    coffee?
    Does
    he, she, it
    like
    coffee?

    Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:
    subject
    main verb
    +
    I
    am
    French.
    You, we, they
    are
    French.
    He, she, it
    is
    French.
    -
    I
    am
    not
    old.
    You, we, they
    are
    not
    old.
    He, she, it
    is
    not
    old.
    ?
    Am
    I
    late?
    Are
    you, we, they
    late?
    Is
    he, she, it
    late?

     -s or -es ?
    With most verbs, the third person singular form is created simply by adding -S. However, with some verbs, you need to add -ES or change the ending a little. Here are the rules:

    Verb ending in...
    How to make the 3rd person singular
    Example
    s
    Add -ES
    He passes
    z
    Add -ES
    She waltzes
    sh
    Add -ES
    She wishes
    ch
    Add -ES
    He watches
    x
    Add -ES
    She mixes
    consonant + y
    Change Y to I, then add -ES
    It flies
    [anything else]
    Add -S
    He sings

    Adverbs of frequency
    Adverbs of frequency say how often an activity happens. We can use one word or a phrase.
    Examples:
    •      Always
    •      Never
    •      frequently/often
    •      usually
    •      seldom/rarely
    •      nowadays
    •      every week/year
    •      sometimes/occasionally
    •      from time to time
    Here are a few examples of how to use them in sentences:
    •      I always go to church on Sundays.
    •      I never eat anything after 10 p.m.
    •      My computer freezes from time to time.
    •      Seldom do I go to bed before midnight.
    •      Nowadays most people have a mobile phone.

    Position of adverbs of frequency

    a) always, continually, frequently, occasionally, often, once, twice, periodically, repeatedly, sometimes, usually, etc.
    b) ever, hardly ever, never, rarely, scarcely ever, seldom
    Adverbs in both the above groups are normally placed:
    1. After the simple tenses of to be:
    ·         He is always in time for meals.
    2. Before the simple tenses of all other verbs:
    ·         They sometimes stay up all night.
    With compound tenses, they are placed after the first auxiliary, or, with interrogative verbs, after auxiliary + subject:
    •      He can never understand.
    •      You have often been told not to do that.
    •      Have you ever ridden a camel?
    Exceptions:
    a)"used to" and "have to" prefer the adverb in front of them:
    ·         You hardly ever have to remind him; he always remembers.
    b) Frequency adverbs are often placed before auxiliaries when these are used alone, in additions to remarks or in answers to questions:
    ·         "Can you park your car near the shops?" "Yes, I usually can."
    ·         I know I should take exercise, but I never do
    and when in a compound verb, the auxiliary is stressed:
    ·         I never can remember. She hardly ever has met him.
    Similarly when do is added for emphasis:
    ·         I always do arrive in time!
    But emphasis can also be given by stressing the frequency adverb and leaving it in its usual position after the auxiliary:
    ·         You should always check your oil before starting.
    Adverbs in group (a) above can also be put at the beginning or end of a sentence or clause.
    Exceptions
    "always" is rarely found at the beginning of a sentence/clause except with imperatives.
     "often", if put at the end, normally requires "very" or "quite": Often he walked. He walked quite often.
    Adverbs in group (b) above, hardly ever, never, rarely etc. (but not ever alone), can also be put at the beginning of a sentence, but inversion of the following main verb then becomes necessary:
    ·         Hardly/Scarcely ever did they manage to meet unobserved.

    hardly/scarcely ever, never, rarely and seldom are not used with negative verbs.
    never, ever

    never is chiefly used with an affirmative verb, never with a negative. It normally means "at no time":
    •      He never saw her again. I've never eaten snails.
    •      They never eat meat, (habit)
    •      I've never had a better flight.
    (For never + comparative) never + affirmative can sometimes replace an ordinary negative:
    I waited but he never turned up.
    (He didn't turn up) never + interrogative can be used to express the speaker's surprise at the non-performance of an action:
    ·         Has he never been to Japan? I'm surprised, because his wife is Japanese.
    References
    Exercises

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