Simple Guide to Using the Imperative and Adverbs of Manner

 In English, the imperative mood is used to give commands, instructions, suggestions, invitations, and advice. It is a form of communication that helps to express what we want someone to do or not to do. Let's look at how the imperative is used in different situations:

1. Giving Instructions:

Instructions are a way of telling someone how to do something or what to do. For example:

• Turn to the right. (This tells someone to turn right.)
• Close the door. (This tells someone to shut the door.)

2. Giving Orders:

Orders are commands that we expect someone to follow. They are usually more direct and firm:

• Sit down. (This is a clear order for someone to sit.)
• Stand up. (This tells someone to get up.)

3. Giving Advice:

Advice is guidance we offer to help someone make a good decision. The imperative can be used to give advice:

• Lock the door before you leave. (This advises someone to lock the door for safety.)
• Take your umbrella. (This suggests carrying an umbrella to avoid getting wet.)

4. Making Invitations:

The imperative is also used when inviting someone to do something. Invitations are often polite but still direct:

• Have another cup of coffee. (This is an invitation to drink more coffee.)
• Join us for dinner. (This invites someone to share a meal.)

5. Offering Suggestions:

Suggestions are less forceful than orders. They are often used to offer an option or an idea:

• Stay at home. (This suggests staying at home, maybe for comfort or relaxation.)
• Try this new restaurant. (This suggests visiting a new place to eat.)

Emphasizing the Imperative:

Sometimes, we want to make our commands or requests sound stronger or more polite. In these cases, we can use special structures:

1. Do + Verb (without 'to'): This form makes the imperative more emphatic or polite.
   • Do be quiet. (This is a polite way of asking someone to be quiet.)
2. Negative Imperative with 'Don’t': When we want to tell someone not to do something, we use the structure Don’t + subject + verb.
   • Don’t you come. (This tells someone not to come, in a more emphasized way.)

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Adverbs of Manner:

Adverbs of manner describe how an action happens or is done. These adverbs help us understand the way something occurs. Typically, adverbs of manner are placed either after the verb or after the object. Here are some examples:

• He swims well. (The adverb well tells us how he swims.)
• He ran quickly. (The adverb quickly tells us how he ran.)
• She spoke softly. (The adverb softly tells us how she spoke.)
• James coughed loudly to attract her attention. (The adverb loudly tells us how James coughed.)
• He plays the flute beautifully. (The adverb beautifully describes how he plays the flute.)
• He ate the chocolate cake greedily. (The adverb greedily tells us how he ate the cake.)

How to Form Adverbs of Manner:

In English, adverbs are usually formed by adding the suffix “-ly” to adjectives. Here are some common rules:

1. Adding -ly to adjectives:

   • quick → quickly (rápido → rápidamente)
   • honest → honestly (honrado → honradamente)

2. Changing the -y ending: If an adjective ends in a consonant + “-y,” we change the “-y” to “-ily”:

   • easy → easily (fácil → fácilmente)
   • happy → happily (alegre → alegremente)

3. Adjectives ending in -ic: For adjectives that end in “-ic,” we replace “-ic” with “-ically”:

   • automatic → automatically (automático → automáticamente)
   • tragic → tragically (trágico → trágicamente)

4. Adjectives ending in -le: If an adjective ends in “-le,” we change it to “-ly”:

   • terrible → terribly (terrible → terriblemente)
   • incredible → incredibly (increíble → increíblemente)

Irregular Adverbs:

Some adverbs do not follow the “-ly” rule. These adverbs are exceptions:

• hard (difícil, duro, fuerte)
• fast (rápido)

These irregular adverbs are used in many common expressions. For example:

• She works hard. (This describes how she works.)
• He runs fast. (This describes how he runs.)

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In summary, the imperative mood is used to express commands, suggestions, invitations, and advice. We can make it more polite or emphasized with special forms. Meanwhile, adverbs of manner describe how actions are done, and most are formed by adding “-ly” to adjectives, though some follow different rules. By using these structures, you can improve your ability to give directions, offer advice, and describe actions in English.

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References:

• Azar, B. S. (2020). Understanding and using English grammar (5th ed.). Pearson Education.
• Swan, M. (2016). Practical English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.