imperatives

  • The ‘imperative’ mood of verbs is one of three possible.
  • Usually, imperatives do not have a subject, meaning ‘you’ is implied as the subject.

suppose | supposing CONDITIONAL

C1, CLAUSES, conditional, imagine, imperatives, introduce

‘Suppose‘ can mean let’s imagine or consider the following situation or example.  For example: Suppose they rejected an 18th-century classification system  and incorporated instead the most advanced knowledge  of human genetic diversity and unity,  that human beings cannot be categorized  into biological races. TED It’s almost as if this imperative subordinates the whole sentence.  And we are waiting for the following result clause or sentence.  ‘that‘ can be used or not used. Suppose that the variants reach a hypothetical isolated city of 1 million people  who are completely susceptible to both viruses on the same day. TED Supposing, for example,  …

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Don’t get me wrong

ADVERBS, C2, imperatives, informal, NEGATIVE, phrases

In the English Vocabulary Profile, Don’t get me wrong INFORMAL C2 used when you do not want someone to think that you do not like someone or something For example: Now, don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful to be alive,  and I am painfully aware that this struggle is a privilege that many don’t get to experience. fsc.org.au   Collocates of ‘Don’t get me wrong‘ in the MOVIE corpus: 1 N’T 917 2 LOVE 72 Don’t get me wrong, I love it. listen …

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Note | Notice | See (focus)

C1, CLAUSES, FOCUS, imperatives, point, text

Within a text or speech, we can use imperatives to point to its parts for the reader or listener to focus on. For example:

SEE the section on the presence of issues below.
NOTE the lack of a safety manual.
NOTICE the difference between these two charts.

IF clause + imperative ( hedging )

A2, CLAUSES, conditional, hedging, imperatives, indirect, offer, polite, PRESENT, simple, suggestion

Hedging is a technique used in English to express politeness and indirectness. It involves using certain words or phrases to soften the impact of what we’re saying or writing, making it less direct or categorical. The ‘if-’ clause (‘if you want’, ‘like’, ‘prefer’) is a common form of hedging used to soften the directness of …

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anything (ellipsis)

C1, CLAUSES, conditional, ellipsis, imperatives, indefinite, PRONOUNS

In the context of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Level C1, Point 100 in the PRONOUNS/indefinite category refers to the use of the word “anything” in an ellipted clause. Specifically, it pertains to the construction where “anything” is used to replace a hypothetical or conditional clause that begins with “if there is anything.”

An ellipted clause is a sentence or phrase in which certain words are omitted but can be understood from the context. In this case, the full conditional clause is not explicitly stated but is implied by the use of “anything.”

For example:

If there is anything you need, let me know. (Full conditional clause)
Anything you need, let me know. (Ellipted clause)
In the ellipted clause, “anything” takes the place of the omitted conditional clause “if there is anything.” It suggests that the person should inform the speaker if there is any specific requirement or request.

This construction allows for more concise and efficient communication by omitting redundant information while conveying the intended meaning.