student asking question

What does "behave" mean? When can I use the expression “behave”?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Behave" here is a command telling someone to act in a socially acceptable way. You can use "behave" to tell someone to not cause any problems, especially if you are concerned that they will. "Behave" as a command should only be used with children and animals, and could possibly be rude if used with adults unless done in a joking way. Ex: Behave for the babysitter while I'm gone, alright? Ex: I want you to behave yourselves while I’m away.

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