Theoretical Grammar of English

Imperative Sentences

The imperative sentences are opposed to non-imperative ones because.

1. 
   In imperative sentences the predicate is used in only one form-in the imperative one, while in non-imperative sentences predicate may be used in any form except the imperative.
   
2. 
   In imperative sentences no modal verb is used.
   
3. 
   The imperative sentences are most often directed to the second person.
   
4. 
   The subject of the imperative sentences are almost always represented by the zero alternant of you, that is, elliptically.
   
5. 
   The imperative sentences urge the listener to perform an action or verbal response.
   

The above said is quite sufficient to characterize the structure of imperative sentences to be specific and distinct from that of the structure of non-imperative sentences.

Elliptical Sentences

The problem of elliptical sentences has been and still is one of the most important and at the same time difficult problems of syntax.

The problem is solved by different linguists in different way. According to H. Kruisinga's
(36) concept “Any noun that is used to call a person may be looked upon as a sentence, or a sentence-word.
Some words regularly form a sentence, such as “yes” or “no”'; but they do so only in connection with another sentence. Words used in a sentence with subject and predicate may also be alone to form a complete sentence, but again in connection with another sentence only...”
As we stated above elliptical sentences are also the result of transformation of kernel sentences. Since transforms are derived from kernel sentences they must be considered in connection with the latter.
L. Barkhudarov (3) looks upon the sentences like «Вечер», «Утро» and so on as two-member sentences. Really, if we isolate such utterances from the language system it will not be divisible. If an investigator wants to be objective he cannot neglect the language system. Any unit of any language is in interdependence of the other units of the language. Since the overwhelming majority of sentences are two-member ones as e.g. «Был вечер», «Будет вечер» the above-mentioned utterances are also two-member ones. In sentences «Был вечер», «Будет вечер» the predicates are expressed explicitly, while in «Вечер», «Утро» the predicates are expressed by zero alternants of the verb «быть». M. Blokh is conception is very close to this (5), (6).
The classification of elliptical sentences may be based on the way of their explication. By explication we understand the replacement of the zero alternant of this or that word by the explicit one. There are two kinds of explication:

1. 
   Syntagmatically restored elliptical sentences - when the explicit alternant of the elliptical sentence is found in the same context where the elliptical sentence is:
   

One was from Maine; the other from California.
If you have no idea where Clive might be, I certainly haven't. (Nancy Buckingam).

2. 
   Paradigmatically restored elliptical sentence - when the explicit alternant of the zero form is not found in the context where the ellipsis is used but when it is found in similar language constructions, e.g.
   

Stop and speak to me. (Galsworthy) You listen to me, Horace. (Steinback)