Direct and indirect speech: Imperative sentences

The mood of the verb in a sentence showing order, request or advice is called imperative sentence.

Changes in imperative sentences are a bit different that the rest of narrations.

It is because of the fact that imperative sentence is made in a different way than other sentences or as we have read in the portion of tenses.

Sometimes just a verb completes the requirement of being imperative, like; speak, go, etc.

Changes

The verb of reporting speech (say or said) is converted according to the nature of reported speech. Look at the following examples;

Nature of reported speech

Converted verb of reporting speech
If reported speech is request request
If reported speech is order order
If reported speech is advice advise
If reported speech is opinion opined or suggested
If reported speech is forbidding forbid (we cannot use not with it because the verb forbid itself implies that)

Use our direct and indirect speech converter and try converting sentences here.

Direct to Indirect Speech Converter

For Universal truth sentences

Write your sentence: Reporting speech of your sentence: Reported speech of your sentence:

When commas are removed in indirect speech

Preposition to is used with all sentences instead of that.
Sometimes for is used depending on the nature of sentence.

Examples of sentences with request

He said to me, “May I have your address please.”
He requested to have my address.

She said, “Will you please give me two days’ leave.”
She requested for two days leave.

Aimee says to me, “Will you please tell me the topic of your speech.”
Aimee requested for the topic of my speech.

Examples of sentences with order

Captain said, “Open the fire.”
Captain ordered to open the fire.

Our English teacher said, “Don’t shout in the class.”
Our English teacher forbade to shout in the class.

He said to us, “Don’t be late.”
He forbade us to be late.

In common routine the verb [ask] is used because order is something official in spirit.

Ask can also be used for request. In both cases preposition to is replaced by for.

Examples

He said, “Give me the book.”

He asked for a book.

She said, “please do me a favour.”

She asked for favour

Examples of advice

Remember the word advice is noun and its verb is advise and you are advised to use verb (advise).

See the examples below.

My mother said to me, “Be true to yourself always.”
My mother advised me to be true to myself always.

Coach said, “Play with enthusiasm and wining spirit.”
Coach advised to play with enthusiasm and wining spirit.

She said to us, “your behaviour must be acceptable.”
She advised us to adopt acceptable behaviour.

Note: You might have noticed that the indirect speech of imperative sentences is a bit different than the previous ones as mentioned in above examples.

There is no problem in the verb of reported speech.

You have to apply your common sense to make indirect speech.

In negative imperative sentences we use the verb forbid instead of advise not to and suggest not to etc.

Although we can use them but the sentence is rather more appropriate with the verb forbid.

Look at the examples.

Examples with forbid

He said to me, “Do not go there.”
He forbade me going there.

She said to him, “Do not make tall claims”
She forbids him making tall claims.

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