c. The third person imperative.
Thomson and Martinet mentioned the third type of the imperatives. Form
: Let himheritthem + infinitive
14
Example : Let them go by train.
In this type, the imperative is used the third person. The third person can
be him, her, it, them. In theory let himthem express a command, but
very often the speaker has no authority over the person who obeys the command.
15
Like in the example above, the speaker has no authority and the person can obey the command.
Meanwhile, according to Hall about the meaning of imperative, he said that imperative sentence is to express command or request. It means that
command and request are related.
a. Request
A command in imperative sentence if we add please into commands it is not used as a command but that imperative sentences are used to make
polite request.
16
It means that a command changes into polite request if put please into command. According to Azar, “the difference between a
command and a request lies in the speaker’s tone of voice and the use of please.”
17
The word please is not only put at the beginning sentence, the word please also be inserted at the end of the sentence.
Examples: Open your books. command Please open your books. request
Open your books, please. request
14
A. J. Thomson, and A. V. Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986, p. 245.
15
A. J. Thomson, and A. V. Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, … p. 245.
16
Betty Schrampfer Azar, and Stacy A. Hagen, Basic English Grammar: Third Edition, New York: Pearson Education, 2006, p. 395.
17
Betty Schrampfer Azar, Fundamentals of English Grammar: Third Edition, New York: Pearson Education, 2003, p. 213.
Will you and would you, either with or without please, can be also introduced polite request.
Examples: Will you step this way. Will you please step this way.
Will you step this way please. Would you turn down the radio.
Would you please turn down the radio. Would you turn down the radio please.
Will you and would you in the example above can also be used as a polite request even though the word will you and would you is not followed
with please. Do you mind and would you mind are also used for expressing polite
request. But these types can follow with please or not.
18
Examples: Do you mind waiting for a few minutes. Would you mind turning off the radio.
Note that mind is followed by the present participle or V1 + ing.
All of the sentences above are polite request. Even though all the sentences above are questioning in form, they usually are uttered with
statement rising-falling intonation and written without a question mark.
19
If we put a question mark at the end of the sentence, it means that we need an
answer from the listener. But the sentences above are request where the listener has to do what the speaker want in politeness. We can said that all of
them are polite request in the imperative that more show the politeness than the authority or we can said that this kind with polite imperative.
18
Eugene J. Hall, Grammar for use, Jakarta: Binarupa Aksara, 1993, p. 225.
19
Eugene J. Hall, Grammar for use, … p. 225.
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