Imperative mood

The imperative (/ɪmˈperətɪv/) is a mood found in English and other languages. It is used for giving orders.

In English, it typically consists of a verb phrase without an expressed subject. It will often be marked with an exclamation mark. For example, “Stand up!”

There is however an implied subject — that is the second person, e.g. "You stand up!" — but this is usually omitted.

Let’s is a special use of the imperative in the first person plural. The weird verb beware is also used as an imperative.

An imperative sentence can have an imperative tag added to make it into a tag imperative.

The imperative is used for giving instructions, including in the classroom. For example, “Open your books! Turn to page 69! Read the text!" etc. In real life it’s also used for other instructions, e.g. instruction manuals, recipes, etc.