A verb stem plus なさい can be used to give quite the direct command to somebody. It carries the implication that you're talking down to the person or know better than them - "that you think you are more mature, know better, and should be obeyed." Thanks, Genki.
Because of this connotation, it's not often used in average conversations between friends. It's more commonly used when parents are talking to their children, or perhaps when teachers talk to their students. It's also often seen in exam instructions.
部屋を掃除して、洗たくをしなさい。
Clean your room and do the laundry.
祖母が来るの前、宿題をして仕舞いなさい。
Finish your homework before your grandmother comes.
かっこの中に単語を入れなさい。
Fill in the blanks with a word. (Genki example)
毎週姉に手紙を送りなさい。
Send your sister a letter every week.
To give the command "stop doing x...", a verb phrase in the plain form can be nominalized with の, and then followed by やめなさい. The を can be added after の too, but that's often dropped in spoken Japanese, anyway.
弟を殴るのをやめなさい！
Stop hitting your brother!
家のとなりに行くのやめなさい。
Stop going to the neighbor's house.
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