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Reported Requests

This document discusses how to report requests and orders that were previously stated directly. For requests, whether polite ("Could you close the window please?") or impolite ("Sit down!"), reported speech uses "ask" followed by "to" and the infinitive verb ("She asked me to close the window"). For orders, reported speech uses "tell" instead of "ask" ("She told me to sit down"). Negative requests/orders use "not" ("She asked me not to smoke").

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Giorcoata Alexandru
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376 views2 pages

Reported Requests

This document discusses how to report requests and orders that were previously stated directly. For requests, whether polite ("Could you close the window please?") or impolite ("Sit down!"), reported speech uses "ask" followed by "to" and the infinitive verb ("She asked me to close the window"). For orders, reported speech uses "tell" instead of "ask" ("She told me to sit down"). Negative requests/orders use "not" ("She asked me not to smoke").

Uploaded by

Giorcoata Alexandru
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reported Requests What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)?

For example:

Direct speech: "Close the window, please" Or: "Could you close the window please?" Or: "Would you mind closing the window please?"

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when we tell another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

Here are a few more examples: Direct Request Please help me. Please dont smoke. Could you bring my book tonight? Could you pass the milk, please? Reported Request She asked me to help her. She asked me not to smoke. She asked me to bring her book that night. She asked me to pass the milk.

Would you mind coming early tomorrow? She asked me to come early the next day. To report a negative request, use 'not':

Direct speech: "Please don't be late." Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:

Direct speech: "Sit down!"

In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask':

Reported speech: She told me to sit down. Reported Order He told the child to go to bed. He told her not to worry. He told me to be on time.

Direct Order Go to bed! Dont worry! Be on time!

Dont smoke! He told us not to smoke.

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