Learn how to form the imperative in English, which you can use to command someone to do something, to give advice, or to invite someone to something
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Chihiro: Chihiro here. |
| Daniel: Daniel here. Prohibited From. |
| Chihiro: So Daniel, what are we looking at in this lesson? |
| Daniel: In this lesson, you will learn how some people talk formally. |
| Chihiro: This conversation takes place in the museum. |
| Daniel: The conversation is between Mike, Susan, and the security guard. |
| Chihiro: Mike and Susan will be speaking informally, and the security guard will be speaking formally. |
| Daniel: Okay, so let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Susan: Mike! Wake up! What are you thinking, sleeping on the sofa at the Met? Get up! |
| Mike: Well, what do you expect? We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, walked up more than a hundred blocks to the museum, and we've been walking inside the museum for the past eight hours. I'm exhausted! |
| Susan: Get up now! There's a security guard heading our way! |
| Guard: Excuse me, sir. I'm going to have to ask you to sit up. Sleeping is prohibited here. |
| Mike: Okay. Okay. Just give me a minute. I need to take a bite out of this chocolate bar to boost my energy. |
| Guard: Sir. I'm afraid eating is not allowed here either. |
| Mike: Okay. Okay. Can I at least get a sip of coffee to wake me up? |
| Guard: Drinking in the museum is out of the question. You can eat and drink in the cafeteria downstairs. |
| Mike: I don't have the energy to go downstairs! Can I please just sip this coffee? |
| Guard: Sir, I'm going to have to confiscate your coffee and chocolate bar. |
| Mike: No! |
| Guard: Allow me to escort you out. This way, please. |
| Mike: You're kicking me out? |
| Guard: I'm afraid so, sir. |
| Mike: Susan, help me! |
| Susan: Honey, I warned you... |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Chihiro: Looks like Mike couldn't get away with anything at all! |
| Daniel: Yeah, but then again, the museum would look strange if it were full of people falling asleep here and there. |
| Chihiro: Yeah, it would, although I have to say some of the resting seats they have at museums look pretty comfortable to do so! |
| Daniel: Yup, but the guards make it uncomfortable enough for you to make sure you don't fall asleep! |
| Chihiro: Right. Museums usually have guards or people walking around to answer any questions people might have, or tell people what not to do. |
| Daniel: In the dialogue, Mike wasn't allowed to sleep, eat, or drink in the museum, and the guard asked him to not do so. |
| Chihiro: Note that the guard uses very formal language to warn Mike. This is to avoid any unnecessary conflict between them. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Daniel: Okay, so let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first word is: |
| Chihiro: to push back [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: to delay, to change to a later date |
| Chihiro: to push back [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Chihiro: to push back [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: Next... |
| Chihiro: sofa [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: long and comfortable piece of furniture on which people can sit or lie down |
| Chihiro: sofa [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Chihiro: sofa [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: Next... |
| Chihiro: block [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: section of a city or town enclosed by streets |
| Chihiro: block [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Chihiro: block [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: Next... |
| Chihiro: exhausted [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: very tired after using up all of one's energy |
| Chihiro: exhausted [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Chihiro: exhausted [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: Next... |
| Chihiro: to boost [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: to increase the force or power of something |
| Chihiro: to boost [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Chihiro: to boost [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: Next... |
| Chihiro: to confiscate [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: to take something away from a person, usually as punishment |
| Chihiro: to confiscate [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Chihiro: to confiscate [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: Next... |
| Chihiro: to escort [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: to accompany a person, to go with a person |
| Chihiro: to escort [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Chihiro: to escort [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: Next... |
| Chihiro: to sip [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: to drink liquid in small amounts |
| Chihiro: to sip [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Chihiro: to sip [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: Next... |
| Chihiro: prohibited [natural native speed] |
| Daniel: not being allowed to use or do |
| Chihiro: prohibited [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Chihiro: prohibited [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Daniel: Let’s have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Chihiro: The first phrase we’ll look at is, |
| Daniel: “Out of the question.” |
| Chihiro: This means that the answer to the question is a definite “no,” as though the question shouldn't even be asked. Mike asks the guard if he can drink some coffee, to which the guard answers, |
| Daniel: “Drinking in the museum is out of the question.” |
| Chihiro: The guard is saying that Mike is absolutely not allowed to drink some coffee. Here's another example, |
| Daniel: “Leaving without finishing is out of the question.” |
| Chihiro: Here, Daniel is saying that it's not worth considering leaving without finishing...I guess in this context it would be the lesson. |
| Daniel: So then, let's carry on to the next phrase. What is it? |
| Chihiro: “Kicking out.” |
| Daniel: This means to force somebody to leave a place. The guard in the dialogue formally implies this by saying, |
| Chihiro: “Allow me to escort you out.” |
| Daniel: And Mike makes this clear by rephrasing it as, |
| Chihiro: “You're kicking me out?” |
| Daniel: When people don't follow the rules of a place, the guards can force them out if necessary. |
| Chihiro: Yeah, in extreme cases they can actually drag you out if they have to! I've actually seen this at the airport. It's actually kind of funny watching a grown man being carried out by two other grown men. |
| Daniel: (laughing) Okay, on that thought, let's carry on to the grammar point for this lesson. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Chihiro: Let's take a look at imperative verbs in this lesson. Imperative verbs are used to tell people what to do, to give advice, or to give invitations. Imperatives use the infinitive form of a verb without adding “to.” Negative imperatives begin with “do not” or “don't” or “never.” |
| Daniel: Imperatives are very useful for giving directions and instructions. They assume that the subject is “you,” so “you” is usually left out. You form it by using the infinitive or base form of the verb + any other details you might want to add on. Here are some examples from the dialogue, |
| Chihiro: “Wake up!” |
| Daniel: And. |
| Chihiro: “Just give me a minute.” |
| Daniel: And one more, |
| Chihiro: “Help me!” Now, negative imperatives are formed by using “do not” or “never” at the beginning. The construction is, “do not”/”never” + infinitive + details. For example, |
| Daniel: “Don't worry about it.” |
| Chihiro: And. |
| Daniel: “Never open that window.” |
| Chihiro: Many useful expressions are made with imperatives. Try to remember these expressions because chances are you may hear them from time to time. So Daniel, tell us the first one. |
| Daniel: “Be careful!” |
| Chihiro: “Come in!” |
| Daniel: “Don't forget.” |
| Chihiro: “Don't worry.” |
| Daniel: “Have a nice trip.” |
| Chihiro: “Help!” |
| Daniel: “Hurry up!” |
| Chihiro: “Look out!” |
| Daniel: “Make yourself at home.” |
| Chihiro: “Sit down.” |
| Daniel: “Wait!” |
| Chihiro: Okay, so don't wait to check out the lesson notes in the PDF for this lesson as it'll help you remember those common imperative phrases. |
| Daniel: Definitely. |
Outro |
| Daniel: Well, that just about does it for today. |
| Chihiro: Okay, see you all very soon. |
| Daniel: Bye everyone! |
| REPETITION OF DIALOGUE |
| Susan: Mike! Wake up! What are you thinking, sleeping on the sofa at the Met? Get up! |
| Mike: Well, what do you expect? We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, walked up more than a hundred blocks to the museum, and we've been walking inside the museum for the past eight hours. I'm exhausted! |
| Susan: Get up now! There's a security guard heading our way! |
| Guard: Excuse me, sir. I'm going to have to ask you to sit up. Sleeping is prohibited here. |
| Mike: Okay. Okay. Just give me a minute. I need to take a bite out of this chocolate bar to boost my energy. |
| Guard: Sir. I'm afraid eating is not allowed here either. |
| Mike: Okay. Okay. Can I at least get a sip of coffee to wake me up? |
| Guard: Drinking in the museum is out of the question. You can eat and drink in the cafeteria downstairs. |
| Mike: I don't have the energy to go downstairs! Can I please just sip this coffee? |
| Guard: Sir, I'm going to have to confiscate your coffee and chocolate bar. |
| Mike: No! |
| Guard: Allow me to escort you out. This way, please. |
| Mike: You're kicking me out? |
| Guard: I'm afraid so, sir. |
| Mike: Susan, help me! |
| Susan: Honey, I warned you... |
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