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Could anyone clarify, please, what the difference between these two sentences is? I heard an American woman say to her child: "Don't you do this!"

Lily Sh
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    "Don't you do ..." is what you say to a child. The word "dare" is elided but implied. – Hot Licks Nov 25 '14 at 20:07
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    Normally the you is not said, but if it is, it's a mark of emphasis, as to a child, where it usually means -- or is intended to be interpreted as -- "I'm getting angry". Adding dare, as @HotLicks points out, is another emphatic marker. – John Lawler Nov 25 '14 at 20:26
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    And heaven help you if your mother says your full name! – Hot Licks Nov 25 '14 at 20:27

2 Answers2

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As John Lawler has explained, "don't you do that" adds emphasis to "don't do that".

That's what a mother would say to a child, a teacher to a naughty pupil, a wife to a reckless husband and, as Hot Licks points out, "dare" is implied most of the time.

"William James, don't you do that! Put the cat down immediately."

Whether "don't you do that" sounds more or less bossy, largely depends on the intonation one uses. It can be a friendly and loving "don't you do that...no....please...not here" or a real order "DON'T YOU DO THAT !!!"

Centaurus
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An imperative sentence has the implied subject "you;" therefore you can say, "Don't do this."

ncmathsadist
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