imperative sentences ed mccorduck english 402--grammar suny cortland

Imperative Sentences

Ed McCorduckEnglish 402--GrammarSUNY Cortland http://mccorduck.cortland.edu

Imperative sentences

•give commands or orders

•usually have no overt subject (if there is one, it’s normally you)

•always have the base form of the verb

slide 2: characteristics of imperative sentences

English 402: Grammar

exx

Bring me a beer.

Be here by midnight.

Shut your mouth.

slide 3: examples of imperative sentences


exx

Shut your mouth. / You shut your mouth.

Get the hell out of here. / You get the hell out of

here.

slide 4: examples of imperatives and imperatives with an overt subject


Reed-Kellogg diagrams of imperative sentences


As thus demonstrated, since most imperatives can have an overt subject with you, in Reed-Kellogg diagrams of imperative sentences without an overt subject an x is put in the subject slot on the main horizontal line before the vertical subject/predicate dividing line and the first letter of the first word in the imperative sentence is capitalized.

example of a Reed-Kellogg diagram of an imperative sentence


ex

Reed-Kellogg diagram of Bring me a beer:

another example of a Reed-Kellogg diagram of an imperative sentence


ex

Reed-Kellogg diagram of Be here by midnight:

Reed-Kellogg diagram of an imperative sentence with an overt you subject


ex

Reed-Kellogg diagram of You shut your mouth (both imperative and declarative):

Negative imperative sentences result from the application of the do support transformation and the negative transformation such that do not (usually contracted to don’t in both the spoken and written language) occurs before the base form of the verb:

Don’t bring me a warm beer.

Don’t be cruel.

slide 9: negative imperative sentences


Like other imperative sentences, negative imperative sentences can have an overt subject you, but in negative imperatives this subject occurs after the initial don’t (i.e., the inversion transformation applies):

Don’t touch that. / Don’t you touch that.

Don’t screw around. / Don’t you screw around.

slide 10: negative imperatives with an overt subject


Reed-Kellogg diagrams of negative imperative sentences


Negative imperative sentences are diagrammed like regular imperative sentences with an x for the unexpressed subject except that don’t is placed along with the main verb after the vertical subject/predicate dividing line (similar to negative declarative sentences with do-support; cf. slide 10 of the “Negative Sentences” lecture).

example of a Reed-Kellogg diagram of a negative imperative sentence


ex

Reed-Kellogg diagram of Don’t touch that:

Reed-Kellogg diagram of a negative imperative sentence with an overt you


ex

Reed-Kellogg diagram of Don’t you touch that:

imperative sentences ed mccorduck english 402--grammar suny cortland

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