Mood in English grammar is the verb form that tells us the way we should regard or understand the context of an action. For example, is the action part of a statement or question, or does it involve a command or a preference?<\/p>\n
English uses the indicative<\/a>, imperative, and subjunctive<\/a> moods to establish these contexts. This review will focus on the imperative mood.<\/p>\n We use the imperative mood to issue a command, such as requests, orders, warnings, advice, or instructions.<\/p>\n Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Stay<\/u> there.<\/p>\n Wait<\/u> before you call her back.<\/p>\n Turn<\/u> right at the corner.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n With the imperative mood, the omitted but understood sentence subject is almost always the singular or plural second person (you<\/em>).<\/p>\n Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n (You) stay<\/u> there.<\/p>\n (You) wait<\/u> before you call her back.<\/p>\n (You) turn<\/u> right at the corner.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The exception is when we include ourselves in the imperative mood to express a suggestion in the form of the first-person plural let’s <\/em>(let us<\/em>).<\/p>\n Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Let’s<\/u> (Let us<\/u>) meet at the restaurant at seven p.m.<\/p>\n Let’s<\/u> (Let us<\/u>) see the movie this weekend.<\/p>\n Let’s<\/u> (Let us<\/u>) paint the fence red.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The imperative mood is typically formed with the verb’s infinitive without the inclusion of to<\/em>: to stay <\/em>> to<\/span> stay <\/em>> stay there<\/em>. This is also the verb form that accompanies the second-person you<\/em> in the present tense: you stay.<\/em><\/p>\n The exception to this is the verb to be<\/em>, which maintains its infinitive form: to be <\/em>> to<\/span> be <\/em>> be kind to all. <\/em>Compare this form with the verb in the second person: to be <\/em>> to<\/span> are <\/em>> are kind to all<\/em>. You can see how this would no longer be a command, but rather the predicate of a statement in the indicative mood<\/a> (they are kind to all<\/u><\/em>).<\/p>\n English grammar further offers us ways to express different tones of the imperative mood in writing. Consider the effect of each statement:<\/p>\n Be kind to all.<\/em><\/p>\n Be kind to all!<\/em><\/p>\n Please be kind to all.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The first treatment speaks as a general directive or a mild command. Including an exclamation point gives the second approach more force. The third version comes across as a softer command by using the politeness marker please<\/em>.<\/p>\n So far we’ve discussed the positive form of the imperative mood (e.g., stay, turn, be<\/em>). To form a negative command in the imperative mood, we add do not <\/em>or its contraction<\/a>, don’t.<\/em><\/p>\n Positive imperative mood: Stay<\/u> there.<\/em> Positive imperative mood: Turn<\/u> right at the corner.<\/em> For let’s <\/em>(let us<\/em>), we include only not<\/em> after the verb.<\/p>\n Positive imperative mood: Let’s<\/u> (Let us<\/u>) paint the fence red.<\/p>\n Negative: Let’s<\/u> (Let us<\/u>) not<\/u> paint the fence red.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Because the imperative mood functions almost exclusively in the second-person you<\/em>, the only reflexive<\/a> object pronouns we would use would be yourself<\/em> or yourselves<\/em>. We would use regular object pronouns for the singular and plural first and third persons.<\/p>\n Correct:<\/strong> Give yourself<\/u> extra time to finish the work.What Is the Imperative Mood?<\/h2>\n
Imperative Mood: Person<\/h2>\n
Imperative Mood: Verb Form<\/h2>\n
Imperative Mood: Negation<\/h2>\n
\nNegative: Do not stay<\/u> there. Don’t stay<\/u> there.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nNegative: Do not turn<\/u> right at the corner. Don’t turn<\/u> right at the corner.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nImperative Mood: Objects<\/h2>\n
\nCorrect:<\/strong> Give yourselves<\/u> extra time to finish the work.<\/p>\n