Explanations and examples of imperative and exclamatory sentences
It has already been said that a sentence which contains a command or request is called an imperative sentence. The structure of imperative sentence is as follows:
1. Intransitive Verb: Go (in this structure, usually with verb, there is particle or adverbial: Go away. Go quickly.)
2. Transitive Verb + Direct Object: Shut the door.
3. Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object: Tell me the story.
4. Linking Verb + Adjective: Be quiet.
The only do auxiliary can be used with the verb in the imperative sentence, but it does not change the above structure.
Examples:
Do come in. (Do + Intransitive Verb)
Do shut the door. (Do + Transitive Verb + Object)
In the above example the word do is emphatic or reinforcing the sentence. The words Please and kindly are often used in two imperative sentences. Please sits before or at the end of the sentence, but Kindly always sits before the sentence.
Examples:
Please come in.
Come in, please.
Kindly pass me the salt.
Here is an explanation and example of the use of Let's (= let us).
"Let's" is an indirect imperative. It sits at the beginning of the sentence. The speaker includes himself in such sentences.
Examples:
Let's start work at once.
Let's not quarrel.
Now let's discuss the exclamatory sentence. This type of sentence expresses deep emotion and it starts with the words how and what.
Examples:
How kind you are!
How well you look!
What genius you have!
The structure of the above example is:
Exclamatory Word + Complement / Object + Subject + Verb.
In cases where there are direct and indirect objects, the direct object is before the subject and the indirect object is after the verb.
Example:
What a story he told us!
In all the above examples, exclamatory words are acting as modifiers of complement / object.
Exclamatory sentences often have subject implicit.
Examples:
How wonderful! (How wonderful it is!) How beautiful! (How beautiful she is!)
Exercises
1. Write five sentences illustrating each of the imperative structures.
2. Write five sentences illustrating each of the following:
please, kindly, let's
3. Write five exclamatory sentences.
