Imperative - Brasil Escola

Summary

In this lesson, Professor Simone explains the imperative form in English, highlighting its use for giving orders, making requests, offering, indicating danger, and inviting others. She compares how the infinitive verb form works in English and Portuguese, explaining that in English the infinitive is preceded by 'to'. The teacher provides examples of both affirmative and negative imperatives, illustrating with commands like 'open the door' (affirmative) and 'don't open the door' (negative). The lesson also introduces the use of 'let's' for invitations, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the imperative form.

Takeaways

• 😀 Imperative form in English is used to give orders, make requests, offer something, indicate danger, and make invitations.
• 😀 The infinitive form of a verb in English is formed by using the particle 'to' before the verb (e.g., 'to sing', 'to go').
• 😀 In Portuguese, the infinitive form is created by adding endings like 'ar', 'er', 'ir' to the verb (e.g., 'cantar', 'correr').
• 😀 The positive imperative uses the verb in its infinitive form followed by a complement (e.g., 'Write now', 'Be careful').
• 😀 The negative imperative is formed by using 'don't' before the verb (e.g., 'Don't write now', 'Don't open the door').
• 😀 In the positive imperative, there is no subject in the sentence, and the sentence starts with the verb.
• 😀 In the negative imperative, the sentence starts with 'don't', followed by the verb and complement.
• 😀 Imperative sentences are commonly used in everyday situations like giving orders (e.g., 'Close your books') and making requests (e.g., 'Open the door please').
• 😀 The imperative form can also be used to offer something, like inviting someone to accept an item (e.g., 'Take a sandwich').
• 😀 When indicating danger or a warning, the imperative form is used with phrases like 'Be careful' or 'Take care'.
• 😀 For making invitations in the imperative form, the structure 'Let's' + verb is used (e.g., 'Let's go to the cinema', 'Let's not go there').

Q & A

What is the imperative form in English and Portuguese?

The imperative form is used to give orders or commands. In Portuguese, it is formed by adding suffixes like 'ar,' 'er,' and 'ir' to the verb, such as 'cantar' (to sing) or 'correr' (to run). In English, the infinitive form of the verb is preceded by 'to,' as in 'to sing' or 'to go.'

What is the difference between the infinitive form in Portuguese and English?

In Portuguese, the infinitive form of a verb ends with 'ar,' 'er,' or 'ir' (e.g., 'cantar,' 'correr'). In English, the infinitive form is preceded by 'to' (e.g., 'to sing,' 'to run').

How is the positive imperative form constructed in English?

In the positive imperative form, the verb is used in its base form (without 'to'), followed by a complement if needed. For example, 'Write now' or 'Be careful.' The subject is not explicitly mentioned in the sentence.

How is the negative imperative form constructed in English?

In the negative imperative form, the word 'don't' is added before the verb, followed by the verb in its base form. For example, 'Don't write now' or 'Don't open the door.'

What is a key characteristic of imperative sentences in English?

A key characteristic of imperative sentences is that they do not have an explicit subject. The subject is usually implied to be 'you,' even though it is not mentioned in the sentence.

When do we use the imperative form in English?

The imperative form is used to give orders, make requests, offer something, indicate danger, or extend invitations.

How can the imperative form be used to give orders?

The imperative form can give orders by simply stating a verb followed by a complement, for example, 'Close your books' or 'Open the door.'

Can the imperative form be used for making requests? Provide an example.

Yes, the imperative can be used to make polite requests. For example, 'Open the door, please' or 'Close your books, please.'

How is the imperative form used to offer something?

The imperative form can be used to offer something, for example, 'Take a sandwich' or 'Have a snack.'

What is the structure of an invitation using the imperative form?

To make an invitation using the imperative form, the phrase starts with 'Let's' followed by a verb and its complement. For example, 'Let's go to the cinema' or 'Let's not go there.'