Stand up! Sit down! (imperatives)
The grammar of the classroom itself: commands need no subject, no ending, no age — a three-year-old obeys English before speaking it.
From age 3First words →
✏️ The pattern
- Saying it
- Stand up! Open your book.
- Saying no
- Don't run! Don't touch.
- Asking
- Can you jump? (softened)
- Short answer
- Please sit down.
🗣️ Sentences a child can say
Tap any sentence to hear it. Every one uses words from a topic pack you already have.
🩹 What you will actually hear
The three mistakes that come up in every class, and what is behind each one.
You stand up!Stand up!
The imperative's magic is the missing you — adding it back turns a command into an accusation.
No run!Don't run!
English negates commands with don't, not no. 'No + noun' survives (no phones!), but verbs need don't.
🎯 How to teach it
- 1
This is Total Physical Response country: say it, do it, and the class copies. Meaning arrives through muscles, no translation needed.
- 2
Play Simon Says the moment five commands are known — it turns don't-listening into the whole point of a game.
- 3
Give the commands away: each week one child is the teacher and orders the class about. Saying commands is the real production goal.
🗂️ Topic packs that pair with this
Same structure, words your class already knows — no new vocabulary needed.
💬 Questions teachers ask
Isn't it rude to teach commands before please?
Teach them together: 'Sit down, please' is one chunk with a smile inside. Children hear the melody of politeness long before they parse the word.
How many commands can a beginner group hold?
About eight active ones — the classroom set. Add one a week after that, always attached to a real routine, and they never fall out.