what is imperative sentence and when to use

• Imperatives do not show personal contrasts. It always implies
a second person subject. It does not show tense change. It refers always
to future.

In the above passage, sentences in bold letters/italics do not have
the subject, the addressee, ‘you’ which is traditionally omitted.
Realise things could be worse.

Don’t think too much on bad things.

Note: Let your experience fully satisfy you. (Refer to ‘Theme Focus)
Let’s not waste time. (Another form of using the word ‘let’.)

• Principal uses of imperatives:

1. Direction/instruction, advice:
Keep this syrup in a cool dry place.
Don’t go near the fire.
Go straight along this road.
Take a left turn at the signal.

2. Commands or requests for performance:
Answer the following questions.
Find/the volume of a sphere of radius 2 cm.

3. Preliminaries to an argument/demo:
Let’s take a round-bottomed flask.
Suppose we grant him leave for a month.

4. Subject with imperatives:
‘Someone answer the question’.
Note: ‘Someone can answer the question,’ is not imperative but
declarative.