The English Imperative

This volume offers the first comprehensive description of English imperatives made from a Cognitive Linguistic perspective. It proposes a new way of explaining the meaning and function of the imperative independently of illocutionary act classifications, which allows for quantifying the strength of imperative force in terms of parameters and numerical values. Furthermore, the book applies the theory of Construction Grammar to account for the felicity of imperatives in complex sentences. The model of description explains explicitly a wide range of phenomena, including frequency of use, prototypical vs. non-prototypical uses of the English imperative and the choice between longer vs. shorter directives including the imperative. A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of the English Imperative: With Special Reference to Japanese Imperatives is intended for both researchers and students interested in the English imperative and Directive Speech Acts at large and for the linguists working within the Cognitive Linguistics and/or Construction Grammar approach.

In recent work the imperative seems to have attracted much less attention than the interrogative, perhaps because it appears to be a rather simple structure, easily accounted for in a page or two in manuals of English grammar, and probably also because in so many respects it seems to be a rather awkward exception to otherwise powerful generalisations. This has meant that quite general analyses sometimes find it necessary to relegate the imperative to a footnote or exclude it from the discussion altogether, and that even when linguists have addressed themselves specifically to an account of imperatives, they have sometimes concluded that the imperative is simply an inherently idiosyncratic construction where we should not expect to find the tidy regularities we look for elsewhere. However, this study demonstrates that there are many interesting regularities to be accounted for, and that useful generalisations can be made which relate the imperative to other constructions. Throughout the work the emphasis is on detailed description of present-day usage, with the aim of identifying patterns which have previously been ignored and seeking explanations for those which have previously been dismissed as arbitrary. As well as examining the syntactic behaviour of the imperative, the book proposes a semantic characterisation quite different from the types usually adopted, and links this to a pragmatic account of the wide range of ways in which imperatives may be used and interpreted. There is no attempt to formulate syntactic rules within a specific theoretical framework; rather, generalisations are stated which any descriptively adequate grammar, of whatever theoretical slant, should be able to capture.

What are “Imperative Sentences”? The word "imperative" is derived from the term "emperor". Imperative sentences are used to give commands (orders). Imperative sentences are also used to give instruction/advice/suggestion/warning/invitation/appeal. Imperative sentences are also used to make a request. You should use ‘please’ (or another polite word) in the beginning or at the end of the sentence to make a request. An imperative sentence begins with the base (first) form of a verb which is also called a verb word. In an imperative sentence, the subject - ‘you’ - is understood. However, for the first and third-person imperative, the imperative sentence begins with ‘let’. You can end an imperative sentence with the period (.) or exclamation (!). Exclamation is used to show direct and firm command. ‘Imperative’ is one of the three moods of an English verb (indicative, imperative and subjunctive). EXAMPLES OF IMPERATIVE SENTENCES: (A). DIRECT ORDER Attend the meeting. Discharge your duty. Enforce the law. Quash the previous order. Return to work. Vacate this place. (B). INSTRUCTION Climb the stair. Fill out this form. Go on foot. Hang a painting. Light a candle. Note this down. Open up the cage. Push a trolley. Spell it out. Tie your shoelaces. Unpack the luggage. (C). INFORMAL ADVICE Book a hotel room. Improve your appearance. Mend your ways. Walk elegantly. (D). SUGGESTION Follow your dreams Keep up your English. (E). WARNING Don’t Jump that gate! Watch out for a traffic signal! (F). INVITATION Come to the party with me. Have a meal with us. Let’s stay at my house. (G). APPEAL Be Silent. Let’s curb the menace of drugs addiction. (H). REQUEST Give me five hundred dollars, please. Come soon, please. Other Uses of Imperative Sentences: 1. Wish -- Have a safe journey. 2. Apology -- Pardon me. 3. Permission -- Join us if you want. 4. Public Notice -- Imperatives are used on signboards or notice boards: Keep off the grass. Insert your ATM card. Pull the door. Push inside. Important Note -- An imperative sentence can imply different senses (command/instruction/advice, etc.) based on the intonation. [Note: ‘Intonation’ is defined as the rise and fall of the voice in speaking, as this affects the meaning of what is being said.] English Imperative Sentences -- A Abide by the commission’s verdict. Accept his decision. Achieve your target. Acknowledge the achievements of women. Acquire land for road infrastructure. Act quickly. / Act swiftly. Add details to this report. Address a press conference. Address his concerns regarding payments next week. Address their demands. Adhere to the standard operating procedure. Adjust the rules to help consumers. Adjust to a new location. Admire your parents. Adopt a good strategy in choosing the right candidates. Adopt a long-term vision for the industry. Adopt modern technology. Adopt a wait and watch policy. Aim it. Airlift the injured to the state capital for treatment. Allow her to explain herself completely without interrupting her. Allow him to return home. Alter the course of your life. Amend the act. Analyze the reasons for your defeat. Analyze the sample. Announce your candidacy. Answer the question. Anticipate rate hikes. Apologize if you hurt someone. Apply colors on his forehead. Apply for a job. Apply for marks verification. Apply for a passport. Appoint a manager. Appreciate compassionate behavior. Approach him for help. Approach the court. Approve the plan. Arrange everything before it is late. Arrange for cash to meet your expenses. Arrange funds from your relatives. Arrange funds on your own. Arrive early on the scene. Ask for a receipt. Ask for more information. Ask him his name. Ask him what had happened. Ask politely. Ask the right questions.

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This volume offers the first comprehensive description of English imperatives made from a Cognitive Linguistic perspective. It proposes a new way of explaining the meaning and function of the imperative independently of illocutionary act classifications, which allows for quantifying the strength of imperative force in terms of parameters and numerical values. Furthermore, the book applies the theory of Construction Grammar to account for the felicity of imperatives in complex sentences. The model of description explains explicitly a wide range of phenomena, including frequency of use, prototypical vs. non-prototypical uses of the English imperative and the choice between longer vs. shorter directives including the imperative. A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of the English Imperative: With Special Reference to Japanese Imperatives is intended for both researchers and students interested in the English imperative and Directive Speech Acts at large and for the linguists working within the Cognitive Linguistics and/or Construction Grammar approach.

What is an imperative sentence

First Published in 1998. This work is an unrevised version of my 1996 University of California, Santa Cruz Ph.D. dissertation. The only changes that have been made are corrections of typographical errors, minor rewording, updating of references, and the inclusion of an index. I would like to thank Rosemary Plapp and Kristi Long for help with proofreading and preparation of the manuscript.

The legendary Greek figure Orpheus was said to have possessed magical powers capable of moving all living and inanimate things through the sound of his lyre and voice. Over time, the Orphic theme has come to indicate the power of music to unsettle, subvert, and ultimately bring down oppressive realities in order to liberate the soul and expand human life without limits. The liberating effect of music has been a particularly important theme in twentieth-century African American literature. The nine original essays in Black Orpheus examines the Orphic theme in the fiction of such African American writers as Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, James Baldwin, Nathaniel Mackey, Sherley Anne Williams, Ann Petry, Ntozake Shange, Alice Walker, Gayl Jones, and Toni Morrison. The authors discussed in this volume depict music as a mystical, shamanistic, and spiritual power that can miraculously transform the realities of the soul and of the world. Here, the musician uses his or her music as a weapon to shield and protect his or her spirituality. Written by scholars of English, music, women's studies, American studies, cultural theory, and black and Africana studies, the essays in this interdisciplinary collection ultimately explore the thematic, linguistic structural presence of music in twentieth-century African American fiction.