Indirect speech (2) Reported requests, orders, and advice.

In indirect speech, we use ask, tell and advise like this to report requests and advice:

The secretary asked us to fill in the form.

Mr Mills told the children to stand up.

The doctor advised Mr Preston to exercise.

When the request, order or piece of advice is negative, we add not before to:

Mr Mills told the children not to stand up.

We can use these verbs to explain what people say, but we don't necessarily use their exact words. Other common verbs in this structure are:

advise forbid invite order persuade

remind warn

“Please come to my party!” – “Ok, I will” ---- I invited her to come to my party.

“Don’t go near the water!” -- She warned them not to go near the water”.

Exercise 78. Read the email and choose the correct words in italics.

Subject: I hate exams!

Hi Vicki

I've just come back from my Spanish oral exam . It was awful! I was really nervous. Our teacher had advised us try to stay calm/ to try to stay calm but of course, that was really difficult. A group of us were waiting outside the exam room, when a woman came past and told us to I to us to stop chatting - she warned that we don 't / us not to make too much noise or we'd be in trouble. Then she asked one of our group to go / go in, and we realised that she was the examiner! She was so unfriendly. One of the teachers came past - she could see we were all nervous, but she told us not to / us to not worry. After a few minutes, the door opened again and a man invited me to go inside. He was quite friendly, but of course the unfriendly woman was also in there - she ordered that I / me to sit down, so I took the nearest chair. At first I couldn't understand their Spanish. After a couple of minutes I felt better and when they asked me that / to talk about my last holiday in Spain, I was OK . But then the woman told me stop / to stop, and started correcting my Spanish, so I felt awful again! The man advised me to / me slow down - he said it wasn't a speed competition - and from

then it seemed OK. I'll just have to wait for the results now……

Exercise 79. Complete the reported orders, requests, advice and warnings. Use tell, ask, advise or warn.

'Don't talk in the library.'

The librarian told us not to talk in the library...........................

1 'I'd take some food for the journey.'

My mother .........................................

2.'Please have your tickets ready.'

The clerk ...........................................

3.'Don't go in the sea - it's dangerous.'

The lifeguard .............................................

4. 'It's best if you take the first train that arrives.'

The guard .....................................................

5. 'Pick your rubbish up!'

The police officer ..............................................

Exercise 80. Put the following sentences into indirect speech. Remember that the person addressed is often not mentioned in a direct command:

He said, ‘Go away’

He told me /us/them/Ann/etc. to go away.

1. 'Switch off the TV,' he said to her.

2. 'Shut the door, Tom,' she said.

3. 'Lend me your pen for a moment,' I said to Mary.

4. 'Don't hurry,' I said.

5. 'Don't touch that switch, Mary,' I said.

6. 'Please fill in this form,' the secretary said.

7. 'Don't believe everything you hear,' he warned .me.

8. ‘Don't watch late-night horror movies,' I warned them.

9. 'Open the safe!' the raiders ordered the bank clerk.

10. 'Please do as I say,' he begged me.

11. 'Help your mother, Peter,' Mr Pitt said.

12. 'Don't make too much noise, children,' ·he said.

13. 'Do whatever you like,' she said to us.

14. 'Don't miss your train,' she warned them.

15. 'Read it before you sign it,' he said to his client.

16. 'Do sing it again,' he said.

17. 'Don't put your hands near the bars,' the zoo keeper warned us.

18. 'Buy a new car,' I advised him.

19. 'Don't drive too fast,' she begged him.

20. 'Don 't lean your bicycles against my windows, boys,' said the shopkeeper.

Exercise 81. Put the following sentences into indirect speech.

1. 'Come to the cinema with me,' he asked her.

2. 'Cook it in butter,' I advised her.

3. 'Don't touch the gates, madam,' said the lift operator.

4. 'Don't argue with me,' the teacher said to the boy.

5. ‘Pull as hard as you can,' he said to him.

6. ‘Send for the Fire Brigade,' the manager said to the porter.

7. 'Don't lend her anything,' he advised us.

8. 'Make a list of what you want,' she told us.

9. 'Look at the paper,' he said to her.

10. 'See if you can find any mushrooms, children ,' she said.

11. 'Don't go alone,' I warned her.

12. 'Pay at the cash desk,' the shop assistant said to the customer .

13. 'Remember to write to your mother,' I said to them.

14. 'Think well before you answer,' the detective warned her.

15. He said, 'Get out of my way.'

16. 'Climb in through the window,' he ordered.

17. 'Open your bag, please,' said the store detective.

18. 'Follow that car,' the detective said to the taxi-driver.

19. ‘Take me up to the 33rd floor,' he said to the liftman.

20. 'Don't argue with your father,' I said.

21. 'Wait for me at the bridge,' said the young man.

22. 'Don't say anything to make her angry,' said my father.

23. ‘Don't forget to feed the goldfish,' Mary said to her brother.

24. ‘Please book me a seat in a non-smoker,' said the traveller .

25. 'Don't forget your sandwiches,' said his mother.

Exercise 82. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Я попросил Ольгу дать мне совет.

2. Учитель сказал ученикам не выходить из класса.

3. Учитель попросил студента стереть с доски.

4. Мама попросила меня закрыть окно.

5. Преподаватель сказал нам выучить новые слова.

6. Он напомнил мне отправить письмо.

7. Учитель сказал нам отключить телефоны.

8. Она просила не забыть позвонить ей завтра.

9. Папа попросил детей не входить в его кабинет.

10. Мама попросила меня купить торт.