The Structures and Functions of the Imperative Constructions in Dickens' Hard Times
This paper intends to shed light on the different forms and functions of the imperative sentences in the novel of Hard Times. This novel is found to fulfill the purpose of the study. One of its most distinctive features is the excessive use of imperative structures. The results show that imperatives are commonly used by the characters of the novel. This study aims to analyze the imperative utterances in the novel and to show their forms and functions according to Alexander Model 1997 which is adopted to achieve the purpose of the study. The frequency and percentage of every type of the imperative used in the novel are given in specific tables to show how many times each form is used more than the other which would reveal Dickens’s intention to express advice, suggestion, request, etc. The data collected from the corpus of Hard Times' text. The study limits itself to analyze the imperative structures and shows the functions according to Alexander Model. It is hoped that this study will be valuable for those who study English as a foreign language and those also who are interested in English linguistics.