giving instruction

GIVING INSTRUCTIONS

When you give instructions to other people, it means that you tell them to do something. Also, when someone gives you an instruction, it means he wants you to do something for him.

Study these sentences.

1. Open the door.
2. Draw a fish on a Styrofoam tray.
3. Cut the paper into small pieces.
4. Put some rice in a bowl.
5. Plug the cord in and switch the button on.

Pay attention to the underlined words. Are they nouns, adjectives or verbs? That’s right. They are VERBS- in the first form (verb I). All sentences above start with verb I. They are instructions. They tell people to do something. These instructions are called Imperatives. Imperatives are often used to show procedures.

Pay attention to these sentences:

1. Don’t close the window.
2. Don’t come late.
3. Don’t boil the noodles too long.
4. Don’t put too much water into the pan.

All the sentences above start with Don’t + Verb I. We use Don’t + Verb I if we want to tell others NOT TO DO SOMETHING. The sentences above are also imperative sentences but they are in the negative form.

We can make our instructions sound nicer or more polite by adding words like please, can, could, will or would. Compare the sentences on the left with the ones on the right.

Do you notice the differences?
That’s right. The sentences on the right are more polite than the only sentence on the left. The instructions sound even nicer with the word could or would.

Giving instruction is an expression that is used inother that other person does what we instruct or request.


The example expressions of giving instruction :

• open your book !!!
• close the door, please !!!
• be quiet, please!!!
• Move the chair !!!
• Open the window!!!
• Pass me the sugar, please!!!
• Stand up, please!!!

Note : The tense used in giving instruction is “simple present”.