Which sentence is prototypical imperative?

• A. Do not wait for your turn.
• B. If you wait for your turn.
• C. Wait for your turn.
• D. You should wait for your turn.

Answer: (C)

Imperatives express commands, and the prototypical form is a bare verb in the base form with an understood subject, delivering a direct instruction without additional words.

Wait for your turn is exactly that: a direct command, with the verb in its base form and no explicit subject. It tells someone what to do in the simplest, most straightforward way.

The other options shift away from that plain command form. Do not wait for your turn adds an auxiliary and negation, making it a slightly more complex negative instruction. If you wait for your turn contains a conditional clause and isn’t a stand-alone command. You should wait for your turn uses a subject and a should, turning it into advice rather than a direct command.