Communicative functions: Interacting with others

Asking people to do things

Giving and responding to instructions, directions and rules

	Instructions enable us to achieve goals.  For example, recipes are instructions which enable us to cook different types of food.
	Directions enable us to reach a goal.  For example, we give tourists directions to help them find their way around Hong Kong.
	Rules tell us how to behave in different places:
		School rules tell students how they should behave at school.
		The road rules tell us how to behave when we driving or walking on the road.
		Rules tell us how to play games such as soccer, tennis or Monopoly

When we give instructions, directions and rules, we are giving Commands. When we give Commands in written language we use a list of imperative clauses. In instructions the list of Commands is in a sequence which we must follow in order to achieve the goal of the instructions. 

Here are some instructions for making the frame of a kite:

Here is a list of school rules. School rules include prohibitions which are negative Commands beginning with don't. These rules are not in a sequence. All these rules apply all the time:

Be quiet when others are talking. Put your hand up to talk. Don't run in the classroom.

Here are some spoken language directions given to a tourist asking the way. The speaker puts the word you in front of the imperative clauses which makes the directions seem more personal and less like Commands. The directions are given in a sequence:

For more information see: 

Text types: Instructions: Overview
Text types: Texts for social interaction: Directions
Grammar: Clause: Using clauses to interact: Making Commands

Teaching activities

For PrimeTeach teaching activities which provide KS2 students with practice in giving instructions, directions and rules, and responding to instructions, directions and rules, see: Let's stay friends Pizza art Playground games