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The Imperative Sentence

Learn About It Here!

An imperative sentence gives a command.

It usually ends with a period, but it may also end with an exclamation point (!). Commands ask or tell people to do something.

Please pass the salt.

Get out of my way!

Both of those sentences are commands.

The first one doesn't sound as commanding as the second one, but both of them are commands because they both ask or tell someone to do something.

Finding the Subject of An Imperative Sentence

Subjects are nouns or pronouns that tell us whom or what a sentences is about. Here are some example sentences for you to check out. I've underlined the subjects for you.

The dog ran around the block.

Jimmy happily skipped to school.

Dog and Jimmy are the subjects of those sentences. They tell us whom or what the sentences are about.

Now, take a look at some imperative sentences.

Pass the salt.

Shut the door.

Smile.

What are the subjects of those sentences? Hmm... that's tricky!

The Subject Is (You)

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 that 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 you is not written or spoken in the sentence, it is simply understood and is written in parentheses.

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

When a command begins with a noun of direct address, you might get tricked into thinking that it is a declarative sentence.

Bob, shut the door!

Grandma, be there at 5:00.

But, don't get tricked! These sentences are still commands and their subjects are still (you). Learn more about nouns of direct address beginning commands here.

Diagramming Commands

Sentence diagrams show us how the words work in our sentences. We diagram the subject on the left and the verb on the right.

Here are some example diagrams for you! You can see that (you) is the subject of these sentences.

Shut the door.

Be there at 5:00.

Have fun and learn more about diagramming with these exercises and these video lessons.

Imperative sentences give commands. Look around. Be good. Find yourself. Smile. Do something. www.GrammarRevolution.com/imperative-sentence.html

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Other Helpful Resources

This PDF quizzes you on all four sentence types.

Thanks for learning about commands with us!

If you want to teach or learn grammar the easy way, follow our step-by-step program that clearly lays everything out and allows you to move at your own pace. The Get Smart Grammar Program is presented in a logical sequence, so it's not an overwhelming mishmash of information. Just watch the videos and complete your assignments. Before you know it, you'll be a grammar and sentence diagramming pro!