• 2-minute read
• 5th July 2023

Fifteen Examples of Imperative Sentences

Imperative sentences give instructions, orders, and warnings.

The basic grammatical rule for sentences is that they contain a subject and a verb. But imperative sentences are the exception to that rule because the subject (the person “doing” the verb) is the person receiving the instruction.

A regular sentence might be:

The imperative version of the same sentence is:

Grammatical Mood

The imperative is one of the grammatical moods. The term “mood” here has nothing to do with state of mind or emotion. A grammatical mood just tells us what type of verb or structure we’re using in our sentence.

You can find out more about grammatical moods (imperative is only one type of mood) in our blog.

Examples of Positive Imperative Sentences

Examples of Negative Imperative Sentences

To write a negative imperative, we just add “do not,” “don’t,” or “never.” Our instructions and orders can then sometimes become warnings or prohibitions.

Being Polite With Imperative Sentences

Sometimes, we want to give an instruction, but we don’t want it to sound like an order. We can make it more polite and give it a softer tone by adding “please.”

Please read our blog about imperative verbs.

Summary

Imperative sentences give instructions, orders, and warnings.

They don’t contain a subject, but they do contain an imperative verb.

To make a negative imperative sentence, add “do not,” “don’t,” or “never.”

To be more polite, add “please,” either at the start or end of the sentence.

FAQs

Is the imperative difficult to use?

No, not if you follow the simple rules in this post.

What can I do if I’m not sure I’ve used imperative sentences correctly?

Proofed’s experts can check your writing for you. Follow this link! See what we did there?