Commands as Actions
Every terminal command follows a predictable pattern. Once you understand this structure, you can read and use commands you've never seen before — and even guess how new commands might work.
The Command Structure
Commands follow this general format:
command [options] [arguments]
Think of it like a sentence: verb (what to do), adverb (how to do it), and noun (what to do it to).
For example, ls -la /home breaks down as:
ls— the command (list files)-la— options (show details and hidden files)/home— argument (which folder to list)
Options Modify Behavior
Options (also called flags) change how a command works. They usually start with a dash:
- Single dash + letter:
-l,-a,-h - Double dash + word:
--help,--verbose,--all
You can often combine single-letter options. These are equivalent:
ls -l -a
ls -la
The -l option shows detailed information (permissions, size, date). The -a option reveals hidden files (those starting with a dot).
Arguments Specify Targets
Arguments tell the command what to act on. Without an argument, most commands use a sensible default — usually the current directory:
ls # Lists current directory
ls Documents # Lists the Documents folder
ls *.txt # Lists all .txt files
Getting Help
When you encounter an unfamiliar command, you can ask it for help:
ls --help # Quick help text
man ls # Full manual page (press 'q' to exit)
Get-Help Get-ChildItem # PowerShell help
ls --help # If using Git Bash
The --help flag works with most commands and gives you a summary of available options. The man command (manual) provides comprehensive documentation.
Reading Command Examples
When you see commands in documentation or tutorials, you can now decode them. Something like grep -i "error" log.txt means: search (grep) case-insensitively (-i) for "error" in the file log.txt.
Understanding this pattern transforms the terminal from mysterious to logical.