THE IMPERATIVE
The most striking feature of an imperative clause is that it requires no overt Subject in English. In this it differs sharply from the other clause types:
Be careful!
Come on! Hurry up!
The subject is pragmatically understood to be the addressee, and this is confirmed by the presence of a reflexive pronoun (yourself, yourselves) 1, a question tag (will you) 2 or by a vocative (you, you people, you guys, used to address women as well as men) 3, 6. Stressed you positioned immediately before the imperative is usually interpreted as subject, and is typically used to mark a contrast with the speaker or a 3rd person 4. Subject and vocative are less distinct when realized by someone 7, everyone, or a NG such as passengers on flight IB580 to Vigo 8 preceding the verb. They could be either subject or vocative, or even merge. Both are optional and both refer to the addressees, representing either all or a sub-set of those persons present in the speech situation. When placed in final position 1, a pronoun or NG would normally be considered a vocative.
1 Help yourselves, everyone!
2 Be quiet, will you!
3 Shut up, you two!
4 You stay here and I’ll get the tickets.
5 Hey Helena calm down! [KCE]
6 Come on, you guys, the movie will be starting soon. [KCE]
7 Someone call an ambulance!
8 Passengers on flight number IB580 to Vigo please proceed to gate number 17.
Vocatives are able to occupy various positions, typically final 3, but also medial 6 and initial, often preceded by an attention-getter 5. Common vocatives are first names, Johnny, Pat, kinship names Mum(BrE)/Mom(AmE), Grandad, endearments darling, love, honey, pet, pronoun you + noun you guys, surnames and titles, Mr Roberts, and (now less common) honorifics madam, sir. Vocatives fulfil important interpersonal functions in getting some- one’s attention, singling out one individual among a group and maintaining relationships, either of a close or friendly nature or, less commonly nowadays, marking distance and respect.
As these examples illustrate, imperatives typically encode directives, which range from orders 2, 3 to encouragement 6, urgent request 7, invitation 1 and instructions 8.
The following exchange between two women friends was overheard on the London Underground when a seat became vacant. Two functions of you occur; as subject of an imperative and as vocative after an imperative:
A1 Sit down!
B2 No, you sit down!
A3 You’re the one with the feet.
B4 So are you. You sit down!
A5 Sit down with the feet, you!
You in B2 and B4 subject of imperative. You in A5 vocative after an imperative.
