Commands
Learn how a command gives an instruction, why the subject is usually left unstated, and how commands are made polite or negative.
Giving instructions
A command tells the reader to do something.
A command is a sentence that gives an instruction or asks for an action. Unlike a statement, which gives information, a command asks the reader to act.
In the sentence Close the door., no subject is stated. The subject you is understood without being written, and the sentence begins directly with the base form of the verb, close.
A command usually ends with a period, though an exclamation mark can be used when the instruction is urgent or forceful.
Before you begin
Commands are one of four sentence types.
This lesson focuses on commands specifically. Sentence types as a whole include three other categories, each covered in its own lesson.
If you would like an overview of how sentence types work in general, begin with the Sentence Types page.
The central idea
A command drops the subject that a statement would state.
Compare a statement about an action with a command asking for that same action.
01
Statement
You close the door.
02
Command
Close the door.
The useful question is: is the subject stated, or understood?
The subject you is removed, and the verb returns to its base form, without the -s ending it would take in a statement about a single other person.
Forming a command
A command begins with the base form of the verb.
The base form of the verb, with no subject
Sit down.
The subject you is understood, not written.
Adding please for politeness
Please sit down.
Please can be placed at the beginning or end of a command to soften the instruction.
Naming who the command is for
Sarah, please close the window.
A comma separates a name from the rest of the command when someone is being addressed directly.
Negative commands
A negative command tells the reader what not to do.
Do not, or don’t, before the base verb
Do not touch the wet paint.
The contracted form is common in everyday use
Don’t forget your keys.
Commands and end punctuation
A period or an exclamation mark can end a command.
A period for a calm, ordinary instruction
Take a seat.
An exclamation mark for urgency
Watch out!
The exclamation mark signals urgency or force, without changing the word order of the command.
A useful decision guide
Ask what the sentence is doing, and how it is formed.
01
Is the sentence asking for an action?
If so, and not giving information, the sentence is likely a command.
02
Is the subject left unstated?
A command usually begins directly with the verb, with you understood.
03
Is the instruction positive or negative?
Check whether do not or don’t comes before the verb.
04
How urgent is the instruction?
A calm instruction takes a period; an urgent one can take an exclamation mark.
Common mistakes
A command needs the base verb, and the right punctuation around a name.
The verb stays in its base form.
Not: Closes the door.
Correct: Close the door.
A command does not add the -s ending used for statements about one other person.
A stated subject can sound unnecessarily blunt.
Blunter: You close the door.
Standard: Close the door.
Stating the subject in a command is possible, but it is not the standard form and can sound like a strong statement rather than an instruction.
A name being addressed needs a comma.
Not: Wait Sarah.
Correct: Wait, Sarah.
Without the comma, Sarah could be misread as part of the action rather than the person being addressed.
Check your understanding
Which sentence type is shown below?
Choose the correct answer for each sentence.
Turn off the lights before you leave.
✅ Exactly! The sentence begins directly with the base verb turn, and the subject is understood.
❎ Not quite. Check whether a subject is stated at the start of the sentence.
Is anyone named as the subject?
Don’t leave your bag unattended.
✅ Exactly! Don’t tells the reader what not to do.
❎ Not quite. Look for the word that denies rather than instructs directly.
Is the reader being told to do something, or not to do something?
You close the door every evening.
✅ Exactly! The subject you is stated directly, and the sentence gives information about a habit.
❎ Not quite. A command usually leaves the subject unstated.
Is the subject stated, and is the sentence giving information or asking for action?
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the command correctly.
Why is “Closes the door.” not a correctly formed command?
✅ Exactly! A command uses the base form of the verb, not the form used for statements about one other person.
❎ Not quite. Compare the verb form to the base form used in a correctly formed command.
Why does “Wait Sarah.” need a comma?
✅ Exactly! The comma separates the name of the person being addressed from the instruction itself.
❎ Not quite. Think about what role Sarah’s name is playing in the sentence.
Try it another way
Complete each command.
Type the missing word.
✅ Exactly! Don’t makes this a negative command.
❎ Not quite. Think about the contracted form used to tell someone what not to do.
✅ Exactly! Please softens the instruction.
❎ Not quite. Think about the word that makes a command more polite.
Quick review
A command asks for action, with the subject usually left unstated.
A command is a sentence that gives an instruction or asks for an action.
A command usually begins with the base form of the verb, with the subject you understood rather than stated.
Please can soften an instruction, and a comma separates a name from the rest of the command when someone is addressed directly.
A negative command uses do not or don’t before the base verb.
A command usually ends with a period; an exclamation mark signals urgency.
Remember
Ask whether an action is being requested, not information.
If a sentence asks the reader to do something, and begins with the base form of the verb rather than a stated subject, it is a command.