The two types of sentences ending with periods are the declarative and the imperative. Though they are often confused, writers shouldn’t have much problem if they question the sentence’s role. If they convey information, the sentences are declarative. If they tell someone to perform an action, these are imperative.
Imperative sentences give commands or directives. In other instances, they make demands or requests.
Please, go away.
Stay away from the chocolates and nobody gets hurt.
Stand aside while we secure the place.
We can use imperative constructions as exclamations.
Go!
Stop!
Lower your heads!
But writers should refrain from using exclamation marks in a sentence containing “please.”
Another trait of imperative sentences is that the subject is seldom expressed—the subject may not be visible. But it’s understood that the subject is always “You.” The person making the command or request asks ‘you’ to do something.
Go figure.
Mow the lawn.
Give freely to the needy.
Take out the trash can.
In these four sentences, the subject “you” is implied:
You go figure.
You mow the lawn.
You give freely to the needy.
You take out the trash can.
In this sentence classification, we can also add tags to the end of imperatives to reduce the vehemence of a command to show politeness.
Bring me a glass of water, will you?
Write soon, won’t you?
Imperative constructions—like declarative sentences—may be short or long, simple or complex. An imperative form can have any structure and still be an imperative sentence.
Imperative Sentences
Stop!
Lower your heads!