Reported speech: commands, instructions, requests, suggestions, warnings

Introductory verbs for reported commands, instructions, requests, warnings and suggestions are as follows:

to ask to tell to offer to warn to suggest to beg

to order to advise to request to instruct to recommend to invite

to demand to propose to forbid to prohibit

1. To report commands or instructions in Reported Speech, the following pattern is used:

introductory verb + smb + (not) to-infinitive

e.g. “Put the gun down!” the policeman said to the criminal. – The policeman ordered the criminal to put the gun down.

“Don't look down!' the instructor said to us. - The instructor told us not to look down.

“Put the shopping in the kitchen,” the mother said to her daughter. - The mother told her daughter to put the shopping in the kitchen.

‘Find our skates in the pantry.’ Kate asked Paul. – Kate told Paul to find their skates in the pantry.

‘Put on warm clothes,’ Kate told Paul. - Kate asked Paul to put on warm clothes.

She also told him, ‘Don’t eat much before skating.’ - She also warned him not to eat too much before skating.

2. To report requests in Reported Speech, the following pattern is used:

introductory verbs + smb + (not) to-infinitive

e.g. “Help me, please,' Jean said to Tom. - Jean asked Tom to help her.

“Please, please don't call the police.' the burglar said to Colin. –

The burglar begged Collin not to call the police.

3. To report suggestions in Reported Speech, the following patterns are used,

• introductory verb + gerund

e.g. I suggest swimming after breakfast.

• introductory verb + that + smb + should + bare infinitive

e.g. I suggest that we should swim after breakfast.

• introductory verb + that + smb + bare infinitive

e.g. I suggest that we swim after breakfast.

Here is another example: Sentences a-d below mean the same,

1. “Let's go outside,” I said to them.

2. “We can/could go outside,” I said to them.

3. “Shall we go outside?” I said to them.

4. “How about going outside?” I said to them.

The Reported Speech equivalents to these three sentences will be:

• I suggested going inside

• I suggested that we (should) go outside.

NOTES:

• The verb ‘to suggest’ is more formal than the verb ‘to offer’,

e.g. Len offered Joanne to go to the pictures.

The teacher suggested going to the museum after classes.

• The verb ‘to propose’ is more formal than the verb ‘to suggest’. Both verbs are followed by a gerund

e.g. The chairman proposed closing the debates.

Kate suggested going to the skating rink in the afternoon.

Remember!!! The verbs ‘to suggest’ and ‘to propose’ are followed by gerund, not by infinitive!

e.g. Paul suggested putting the meeting off till Monday. RIGHT

Paul suggested to put the meeting off till Monday. WRONG!!!

• The verb ‘to request’ is a formal verb and is followed by an infinitive

e.g. The patrons are requested not to smoke in the restaurant.

He requested the delegates of the conference to assemble in the lobby.

• The verb ‘to demand’ can be followed either by an infinitive or by a ‘that clause’,

e.g. ‘I want to see the manager,’ he demanded. – He demanded to see the manager. = He demanded that he should see the manager.

Mind the changes that happen to adverbial modifiers of time and place when the direct speech is turned into indirect.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
here	there
this, these	that, those
now	then, right away, at that moment, that day, immediately (or no adverb at all)
today, tonight	that day, that night
yesterday	the day before, the previous day
the day before yesterday	two days before
two days ago	two days before
a year ago	a year before, the previous year
last night	the previous night
last week	the week before
tomorrow	the next day, the following day
the day after tomorrow	in two days’ time
in a few minutes	a few minutes later
next week	the next week, the week after, the following week

*TASK 20. Mr. Terry is complaining about things his children have done. Write what he said in reply to the following. Follow the example. Use different introductory verbs.

Example: Tommy: Dad, I've knocked some paint off the car. I was riding my bike near it.

Mr. Terry; I told you not to ride your bike near the car, Tommy, didn’t I?

1. Mary: Dad, the washing line's come down. I was pulling it.

2. Lenny: Dad, I've broken the kitchen window. I was playing football under it.

3. Tracy: Dad, Michael's walked on your garden. He was chasing the dog round it.

4. Tommy: Dad, I've cut my finger on your knife. I was cutting wood with it.

5. Lenny: Dad, the cat's drowning in the fishpond! We were teaching it to swim in it.

6. Mary: Dad, I've burnt my finger on the electric fire. I was making toast on it.

7. Tracy: Dad, Mary's torn her skirt on the tree. She was climbing up it.

8. Tommy: Dad, my watch has stopped. I was washing it.

9. Lenny: Dad, the front door won't open. I locked it with the garage key.

*TASK 21. Change direct commands, instructions, requests, warnings and suggestions into indirect ones using different introductory verbs.

1. ‘Please visit me in hospital,’ Joan said to Colin.

2. 'Let's eat out this evening,' Paul said to her.

3. ‘Please, please be careful,' she said to him.

4. 'Don't go near the fire.' Dad said to us.

5. 'Be quiet!' the commander said to the troops.

6. ‘Let's try the exercise again,' said the teacher

7. The doctor said to the patient, 'Come back to see me again next week.'

8. She said to him, 'Please, please don't leave me!'

9. The teacher said to the students, 'Come and see me after the lesson.’

10. He said, 'Shall we go for a walk?'

11. Jenny said to Dave. 'Please help me with cleaning.'

12. She said to him, 'Open the window, please.'

13. Mother said, 'How about going for a drive?'

14. The policeman said to the thieves, ‘Put your hands up!’

15. The librarian said to the boys, ‘Don’t make so much noise.’

**TASK 22. Jenny Gee is a gossip columnist. She gets her information from people she calls 'reliable sources'. Here is what one source told her. What do you think Jenny wrote? Continue from the example.

"Don't mention my name, darling, but I can tell you why June Wonda has stopped making her new film. I happened to hear her doctor say, 'June, you must take a long break! “Then June went to the director of her film, Sam Hill, and said, 'Sam, please let me have a rest.” His reply was short and sharp, “Get back on the set!” and he added, “Don't forget who's paying you to make the film!” June began to cry and her co-star Willy Sprout shouted at Hill, “Don't come on so heavy, Sam! Let's sleep on the problem before we decide anything.” But next morning Sam Hill hadn't changed his mine one bit. “Take your holiday', he demanded. “And my advice is, go as far away from me as you can get. Take Willy with you, and don't come back!' End of story, Jenny. Off they went'"