REPORTED SPEECH/ INDIRECT SPEECH

REPORTING COMMANDS

There is no backshift of tenses with commands/requests in Reported Speech.

Form

affirmative commands → to + infinitive

negative commands → not + to + infinitive

Direct Speech → Dad: “Do your homework.”

Reported Speech → Dad told me to do my homework

Direct Speech → Teacher: “Don't talk to your friend.”

Reported Speech → The teacher told me not to talk to my friend

Report the following commands:

1. Andrew: "Clean the blue bike!"

2. Jessica: "Write a text message!"

3. Nelly: "Help Peter's sister!"

4. Fred: "Wash your hands!"

5. Anna: "Open the window!"

6. Tom: "Come at 8!"

7. Teacher: "Do your homework!"

8. Doris: "Dance with me!"

9. Sabine: "Meet Sandy at the station!"

10. Victoria: "Check your e-mails!"

11. Jack said to his brother "Get your backpack and lunch!"

12. Jack said "Don't make me late again."

13. Jack said to his brother, "Hurry up!"

 14. His brother said, "Leave me alone!"

15. Jack's mother said, "Be kind to your brother."

16. JOHN:"Go away!"

18. MRS. SMITH: "Don't play in front of my window!"

19. YOUR MOTHER: "Come back in one hour."

20. TOM: "Call me in the evening."

21. YOU: "Come with us!"

22. Helen: "Don't say that!"

23. GEORGE: "Feed the cat!"

24. MR. STEPHENS: "Buy me some milk!"

25. CARL: "Listen to that song."

26. PETER: "Help me!"

1. "Stop talking, Joe," the teacher said.

2. "Be patient," she said to him.

3. "Go to your room," her father said to her.

4. "Hurry up," she said to us.

5. "Give me the key," he told her.

6. "Play it again, Sam," she said.

7. "Sit down, Carol" he said.

8. "Fill in the form, Sir," the receptionist said.

9. "Take off your shoes," she told us.

10. She said, "Go upstairs."

11. "Close the door behind you," he told me.

12. "Don't be late," he advised us.

13. "Stop staring at me," she said.

14. "Don't be angry with me," he said.

15. "Leave me alone," she said.

16. "Don't drink and drive," she warned us.

17. "John, stop smoking," she said.

18. "Don't worry about us," they said.

19. "Meet me at the cinema." he said.

 REPORTING REQUESTS

A request is when somebody asks you to do something – usually politely. Reported requests are
one form of reported speech.

direct request reported request

She said: "Could you open the window, please?" She asked me to open the window.

He said: "Please don't smoke." He asked them not to smoke.

We usually introduce reported requests with the verb "ask".

Turn the requests into Indirect Speech

1. "Can you open the window?" Carlota said to Yeray.

2. "Don't run down the corridors, please," Carmen Luisa said to Virginia.

3. "Don't touch the statue, please!" he said to Sara

4. Fabiola said to the waiter: "Bring me some more orange juice, please".

5. "Please, buy me an ice-cream", said the little boy.

6. "Can you stop shouting, boys. The baby is sleeping," Omar said

7. "Please, turn the TV off and go to bed, Cristina," said Father

8. “Can you close the window?”, the woman said.

9. “Don’t step on the grass, please!” the old lady said to the children.

10. “Could you turn the lights on, please?”, my aunt said to Susan.