Now that you know some of the reported speech rules about backshift, let’s learn some exceptions.
There are two situations in which we do NOT need to change the verb tense.
For example, if someone says “I have three children” (direct speech) then we would say “He said he has three children” because the situation continues to be true.
If I tell you “I live in the United States” (direct speech) then you could tell someone else “She said she lives in the United States” (that’s reported speech) because it is still true.
When the situation is still true, then we don’t need to backshift the verb.
But when the situation is NOT still true, then we DO need to backshift the verb.
Imagine your friend says, “I have a headache.”
We also don’t need to backshift to the verb when somebody said something about the future, and the event is still in the future.
Here’s an example:
Let’s look at a different situation:
Quick review:
Those were the rules for reported statements, just regular sentences.
What about reported speech for questions, requests, and orders?
For reported requests, we use “asked (someone) to do something”:
For reported orders, we use “told (someone) to do something:”
The main verb stays in the infinitive with “to”:
For yes/no questions, we use “asked if” and “wanted to know if” in reported speech.
The main verb changes and back shifts according to the rules and exceptions we learned earlier.
Notice that we don’t use do/does/did in the reported question:
For other questions that are not yes/no questions, we use asked/wanted to know (without “if”):
Again, notice that we don’t use do/does/did in reported questions:
Also, in questions with the verb “to be,” the word order changes in the reported question:
Learn more about reported speech:
If you want to take your English grammar to the next level, then my Advanced English Grammar Course is for you! It will help you master the details of the English language, with clear explanations of essential grammar topics, and lots of practice. I hope to see you inside!
I’ve got one last little exercise for you, and that is to write sentences using reported speech. Think about a conversation you’ve had in the past, and write about it – let’s see you put this into practice right away.
Hi, I’m Shayna. I create courses helping English as a Second Language learners become more fluent in just a few minutes a day – so they can speak English naturally and confidently in work and daily life.
Reported speech
Reporting orders and requests.
When we want to report an order or request, we can use a verb like 'tell' with a to-clause: He told me to go away. The pattern is verb + indirect object + to-clause . The indirect object is the person spoken to. Other verbs used in reporting orders and requests in this way are: command, order, warn, ask, advise, invite, beg, teach, & forbid.
Direct speech | Indirect speech |
---|---|
The doctor said to me, "Stop smoking!". | The doctor . |
"Get out of the car!" said the policeman. | The policeman of the car. |
"Could you please be quiet," she said. | She quiet. |
The man with the gun said to us, "Don't move!" | The man with the gun . |
Requests for objects are reported using the pattern "asked for" + object.
Direct speech | Indirect speech |
---|---|
"Can I have an apple?", she asked. | She an apple. |
"Can I have the newspaper, please?" | He the newspaper. |
"May I have a glass of water?" he said. | He a glass of water. |
"Sugar, please." | She the sugar. |
"Could I have three kilos of onions?" | He three kilos of onions. |
Suggestions are most often reported using the verbs suggest, insist, recommend, demand, request, and propose followed by a that clause. 'That' and 'should' are optional in these clauses, as shown in the first two examples below. Note that suggest, recommend, and propose may also be followed by a gerund in order to eliminate the indirect object (the receiver of the suggestion) and thus make the suggestion more polite. This usage of the gerund is illustrated in the fourth and fifth examples below.
Direct speech | Indirect speech |
---|---|
She said, "Why don't you get a mechanic to look at the car?" | She suggested a mechanic to look at the car. She suggested a mechanic to look at the car. She suggested a mechanic to look at the car. She suggested a mechanic to look at the car. |
"Why don't you go to the doctor?" he said. | He suggested to the doctor. He suggested to the doctor. He suggested to the doctor. He suggested to the doctor. |
"It would be a good idea to see the dentist", said my mother. | My mother the dentist. |
The dentist said, "I think you should use a different toothbrush". | The dentist a different toothbrush. |
You said, "I don't think you have time to see the dentist this week." | You my visit to the dentist. |
I said, "I don't think you should see the dentist this week." | I your visit to the dentist. |
My manager said, "I think we should examine the budget carefully at this meeting." | My manager the budget carefully at the meeting. |
"Why don't you sleep overnight at my house?" she said. | She overnight at her house. |
An order is when somebody tells you to do something and you have no choice. It is not usually polite. It is a "command". Reported orders are one form of reported speech .
direct order | reported order |
---|---|
She said: | She told . |
We usually introduce reported orders with the verb "tell". The structure is very simple:
tell | + | noun | + | to infinitive |
pronoun |
Because we use the infinitive there is no need to worry about tense. But as with reported statements and reported requests , we may need to change pronouns as well as time and place in reported orders.
Here are some examples:
direct order | reported order |
---|---|
She said, "Eat your food now!" | She told the boy to eat his food right then. |
The policeman said: "Get out of your car!" | The policeman instructed us to get out of our car. |
She said, "You must make the bed before you go to work!" | She told her husband to make the bed before he went to work. |
The doctor said: "Don't smoke in here!" | The doctor told them not to smoke in there. |
Notice above that we report a negative order by using not .
How to use reported speech.
If you have a sentence in Direct Speech, try to follow our 5 steps to put the sentence into Reported Speech..
Mind the type of sentences when you use Reported Speech. There is more detailed information on the following pages.
If you use Reported Speech there are mostly two main differences.
The introductory sentence in Reported Speech can be in the Present or in the Past .
If the introductory sentences is in the Simple Present, there is no backshift of tenses.
If there is a pronoun in Direct Speech, it has possibly to be changed in Reported Speech, depending on the siutation.
Here I is changed to she .
If there is backshift of tenses in Reported Speech, the tenses are shifted the following way.
Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
---|---|
Simple forms | |
Simple Present | Simple Past |
Simple Past | Past Perfect |
Present Perfect | |
Past Perfect | |
will | would |
Progressive forms | |
am/are/is | was/were |
was/were | had been |
has been | |
had been |
If there is an expression of time/place in the sentence, it may be changed, depending on the situation.
Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
---|---|
this evening | that evening |
today/this day | that day |
these days | those days |
now | then |
a week ago | a week before |
last weekend | the weekend before / the previous weekend |
next week | the following week |
tomorrow | the next/following day |
here | there |
In some cases backshift of tenses is not necessary, e.g. when statements are still true. Backshift of tenses is never wrong.
when you use general statements.
* The word that is optional, that is the reason why we put it in brackets.
Reported requests/commands, indirect speech exclamations, try our latest video quizzes.
For pronouns and place / time expressions see statements in reported speech. Tenses are not relevant for requests – simply use ‚to‘ + infinite verb.
For negative requests, use ‚not to‘ + infinite verb.
Exercises on reported speech
“Nelly, will you shut the window please?” the teacher said. The teacher asked Nelly to shut the window. “Helen, collect the exercise books, please,” the teacher said. The teacher told Helen to collect the exercise books. “Move over, will you?” Helen said to Nelly. Helen asked Nelly to move over. “Boys,” shouted the instructor, “Forward, march!” The instructor ordered the boys to march forward. “Don’t speak all at a time,” the teacher said to her class. The teacher told the class not to speak all at a time. “Fasten the seat belts!” (to passengers) Passengers are requested to fasten the seat belts. “Do not feed the animals.” (to visitors in a Zoo) Visitors are requested not to feed the animals. “Do not touch the exhibits.” (to visitors in a museum) Visitors are required not to touch the exhibits.
Example: Stay in bed for a couple of days. – The doctor told the patient to stay in bed for a couple of days.
Related posts.
Leave a comment cancel reply.
English grammar books PDF
PDF book 1: English grammar exercises PDF
PDF book 2: English grammar rules PDF
Exercises with answers to download for free.
Reported questions PDF exercise 1
Key with answers 1
Reported questions PDF exercise 2
Key with answers 2
Reported questions PDF exercise 3
Key with answers 3
Reported commands PDF exercise 4
Key with answers 4
Reported commands PDF exercise 5
Key with answers 5
Reported speech exercises PDF Changes of tenses, time and place in reported statements.
Online exercises with answers:
Direct and indirect speech exercises Multiple choice and gap-filling exercises on reported statements, questions and commands.
Grammar rules PDF:
Reported speech rules PDF Changes of tenses, pronouns, time and place in reported statements, questions and commands.
English grammar PDF All PDF rules with examples on this website to download for free.
Direct questions become reported questions with the same word order as statements. The reporting verb say changes into ask, want to know, wonder... "Where have you been?" he said. - He asked me where I had been. "What time did it start?" he said. - He wanted to know what time it had started. "Why won't he do it?" she said. - She wondered why he wouldn't do it.
In yes/no questions we use if or whether in questions. If is more common and whether is more formal. "Will you come?" she asked me. - She asked me if/whether I would come. "Did he marry Sue?" she said. - She wondered if/whether he had married Sue.
The commands, requests and advice mostly have the same form in English: verb + object + infinitive ( advise, ask, beg, forbid, order, persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc.).
In the direct speech we do not mention the person in the imperative. In the indirect speech the person addressed must be mentioned. "Get up!" he said. - He told me to get up. "Please, revise for the test," he said. - He urged me to revise for the test. "Put on your coat," I said. - I advised him to put on his coat.
Negative commands, requests and advice are made by verb + object + not + infinitive. "Don't hesitate," he said. - He persuaded me not to hesitate. "Don't smoke," the doctor warned my father. - The doctor warned my father not to smoke.
Tell can introduce statements, commands, requests or advice. The form is different, however.
Statements with tell "I'm leaving," he told me. - He told me that he was leaving.
Commands, requests or advice with tell "Leave the room," he told John. - He told John to leave the room. "Don't give up," the teacher told her students. - The teacher told the students not to give up.
Similarly ask is used in reported questions, commands, requests or advice in different forms.
Questions with ask "Will you make coffee?" he said. - He asked me if I would make coffee.
Commands, requests or advice with ask "Make coffee, please," he said. - He asked me to make coffee. "Don't park in my place," Greg told me. - Greg asked me not to park in his place.
Learn converting commands and request type Imperative sentences into Indirect Speech or narration. The solved exercises given below are here to do practice on these exercises. Attempt yourself first and then see the answers.
New exercises are added from time to time, so, keep coming here.
Q. change the following sentences into indirect speech..
Letter writing – how to write letters cbse/icse, active and passive voice practice questions cbse/icse english grammar, determiners english grammar practice questions, story writing class 10 english grammar, leave a reply cancel reply.
Perfect english grammar.
Hello! I'm Seonaid! I'm here to help you understand grammar and speak correct, fluent English.
Read more about our learning method
Turn the direct speech commands and requests into reported speech
Loading ad...
Sign up here.
Editing by Rod Nickel
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
The Philippines called on Beijing on Saturday to "immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions" after accusing it of "unjustifiably" deploying flares from China occupied Subi Reef on Aug. 22 while a Manila aircraft was conducting patrols.
Sara Swann, PolitiFact Sara Swann, PolitiFact
Leave your feedback
This fact check originally appeared on PolitiFact .
Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance sought to negatively frame the 24-year military career of newly minted Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, Minnesota’s current governor.
“When the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America, asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it,” Vance said Aug. 7 at the Shelby, Michigan, police department. Vance served as a combat correspondent for the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007 and deployed to Iraq for six months in 2005 but did not experience combat .
Vance continued, “When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, do you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him. … I think it’s shameful.” At a different event, Vance used the phrase “ stolen valor ” to describe his accusations against Walz.
On X, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, made a claim similar to Vance’s, writing, “Tim Walz TURNED HIS BACK on the soldiers in his unit because he was TOO afraid to deploy to Iraq!!”
READ MORE: Democrats defend Walz’s military record as Vance, GOP begin attacks
Walz retired from the Minnesota National Guard in May 2005. He had submitted retirement paperwork five to seven months beforehand, Fox News reported , citing the Minnesota National Guard.
In March 2005, Walz’s battalion had been notified about a possible deployment to Iraq within two years, Walz’s congressional campaign said in a news release that month, citing the National Guard Public Affairs Office. The Minnesota National Guard said the battalion then received an official order about mobilizing for deployment to Iraq in July 2005, after Walz retired.
Vance’s statement misleads by distorting the timeline. Walz had not been “asked by his country to go to Iraq,” as Vance said. He had been given a two-year window for a potential, not definite, deployment. And the official deployment notice came after Walz’s retirement.
Walz has said since before his Army retirement that he left to run for Congress. He filed his candidacy paperwork in February 2005, before the March 2005 notification about the potential deployment.
This is not a new line of attack. When Walz ran for a second term as Minnesota governor in 2022, his Republican opponent, who did not serve in the U.S. military, criticized Walz for leaving the National Guard before his unit deployed to Iraq.
Two retired Minnesota National Guard command sergeant majors also penned a paid letter to a Minnesota newspaper in 2018 claiming Walz “embellished and selectively omitted facts” about his military service. This letter resurfaced on X after Vice President Kamala Harris tapped Walz as her running mate. Other guard members who served with Walz have defended him.
Walz’s spokesperson in the Minnesota governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment, and the Harris-Walz campaign declined to comment.
When reached by The New York Times , a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson didn’t provide new details about Walz’s retirement timeline and instead highlighted Walz’s record advocating for veterans and their families.
When contacted for comment, Vance’s campaign spokesperson sent links to the 2005 Walz campaign news release about the potential deployment and several news stories that quote former members of Walz’s battalion who were upset with him for not deploying to Iraq.
Walz enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard on April 8, 1981, two days after his 17th birthday. In 1996, Walz transferred to the Minnesota National Guard, where he served in the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery until he retired May 16, 2005, Army Lt. Col. Kristen Augé, Minnesota National Guard’s state public affairs officer, told PolitiFact in a statement.
During his service, Walz responded to floods and tornadoes, specialized in heavy artillery and was recognized for his proficiency in sharpshooting and hand grenades, Minnesota Public Radio reported .
On Aug. 3, 2003, Walz and his battalion were deployed to Italy to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan under Operation Enduring Freedom. Walz returned to Minnesota in April 2004, Augé said.
WATCH: A look at Walz’s record and how he could bolster Democratic support in the Midwest
In May 2005, Walz, then 41, officially retired from the Minnesota National Guard to campaign for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District. He filed his statement of candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Feb. 10, 2005. Walz was elected to Congress in November 2006.
Al Bonnifield, who served with Walz in the Minnesota National Guard, told Minnesota Public Radio in 2018 that Walz weighed his retirement from the guard and congressional run “very heavy.” Bonnifield reiterated this to The Washington Post on Aug. 7.
“Would the soldier look down on him because he didn’t go with us? Would the common soldier say, ‘Hey, he didn’t go with us, he’s trying to skip out on a deployment?’ And he wasn’t,” Bonnifield said in 2018.
Doug Julin, who served as a more senior command sergeant major in Walz’s battalion, said Walz went over his head to get retirement approval before the unit’s deployment was official, because Julin would have “analyzed it and challenged him,” the New York Post reported Aug. 8.
Others who served in Walz’s battalion have said he “ditched” them and his actions were “dishonorable,” Fox News reported .
Walz’s unit received an “alert order” for mobilization to Iraq on July 14, 2005, Army Lt. Col. Ryan Rossman, Minnesota National Guard’s director of operations, told PolitiFact in a statement.
The unit received the official Department of the Army mobilization order Aug. 14, 2005, and mobilized Oct. 12, 2005, Rossman said.
The unit deployed to Iraq in March 2006 and was deployed for 19 months, according to an October 2007 congressional resolution .
The two retired Minnesota National Guard command sergeant majors who wrote the 2018 letter said the battalion received a “warning order” in early 2005 “to prepare to be mobilized for active duty for a deployment to Iraq.” They did not specify the warning letter’s date. Augé of the Minnesota National Guard told PolitiFact the agency doesn’t have information about any unofficial orders that might have been sent to the battalion.
An archived March 20, 2005, press release from Walz’s congressional campaign website said the National Guard Public Affairs Office announced March 17, 2005, “a possible partial mobilization of roughly 2,000 troops from the Minnesota National Guard.” The announcement said a portion of Walz’s battalion could be mobilized to serve in Iraq within the next two years.
Walz said in his campaign’s press release, “As Command Sergeant Major I have a responsibility not only to ready my battalion for Iraq, but also to serve if called on. I am dedicated to serving my country to the best of my ability, whether that is in Washington, D.C., or in Iraq. I don’t want to speculate on what shape my campaign will take if I am deployed, but I have no plans to drop out of the race.”
Although Walz had been promoted in 2004 to command sergeant major, he retired in 2005 as a master sergeant, one rank below command sergeant major, “for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy,” Augé said.
Joseph Eustice, a 32-year military veteran who served in and led the same guard unit as Walz, told The New York Times and NewsNation in Aug. 7 interviews that when Walz decided to retire in May 2005, their unit had heard rumors of a potential deployment to Iraq, but had not received official orders.
Vance said, “When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, do you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him.”
Vance’s statement ignores that Walz’s unit was not officially ordered to go to Iraq until July 2005, two months after Walz officially retired.
After 24 years of military service, Walz said he retired from the Minnesota National Guard in May 2005 to run for Congress. He had submitted retirement paperwork five to seven months beforehand. He filed candidacy paperwork in February 2005.
READ MORE: 5 things to know about Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ VP pick
There’s an element of truth in Vance’s statement because in March 2005, before Walz officially retired, his battalion was notified of possible deployment to Iraq within two years. Walz was aware at the time of his retirement that deployment could be possible and one of his fellow guard members described Walz’s retirement decision as “very heavy.”
But the March 2005 notification gave a time frame of two years for a possible — not definite — deployment that would not occur immediately, which is the way Vance’s statement framed it.
At PolitiFact, the burden of proof is on the speaker, Vance, who did not provide details to support his statement. We rate it Mostly False.
PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
Support Provided By: Learn more
Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
Learn how to form reported commands and requests in English with no backshift of tenses. See examples of affirmative, negative and suggestive commands and requests in direct and reported speech.
Learn how to form reported speech for requests, orders, and questions with examples and quizzes. See the differences between "asked to" and "told to", "asked if" and "wanted to know if", and "asked" and "wanted to know".
Learn how to form reported requests with the verb "ask" and the infinitive pronoun. See examples of direct and reported requests with different tenses, pronouns, time and place.
Reported Speech Exercises | Reporting Requests And Commands Do the exercises below about the reported speech (requests and commands) and click on the button to check your answers.
Commands and requests in Indirect Speech are formed using the to-infinitive and not to-infinitive. Common reporting verbs include order, shout, demand, warn, beg, command, tell, insist, beseech, threaten, implore, ask, propose, forbid.
The lesson will have three parts - we'll start by looking at statements in reported speech, and then we'll learn about some exceptions to the rules, and finally we'll cover reported questions, requests, and commands.
How to report commands and requests. The following rules are observed when we report commands and requests. Use a reporting verb like request, order, tell, advise, beseech, threaten, beg, implore, ask, propose and forbid. Note that all of these verbs except propose must be followed by an object. Commands and requests are usually reported using ...
REPORTING ORDERS AND REQUESTS. When we want to report an order or request, we can use a verb like 'tell' with a to-clause: He told me to go away. The pattern is verb + indirect object + to-clause. The indirect object is the person spoken to. Other verbs used in reporting orders and requests in this way are: command, order, warn, ask, advise ...
Reported Orders An order is when somebody tells you to do something and you have no choice. It is not usually polite. It is a "command". Reported orders are one form of reported speech.
1. Statements, Questions, Commands Mind the type of sentences when you use Reported Speech. There is more detailed information on the following pages. Statements Questions Commands, Requests
Reported commands and requests involve expressing what someone has asked or commanded, but in an indirect manner. This transformation from direct to indirect speech requires a shift in perspective…
Reported Requests/Commands. When we put direct commands or requests into indirect speech we usually follow the below structure: a. We use introductory verbs: order, ask, tell, want and request, etc. b. We use indirect objects after those introductory verbs. c.
Reported Orders. Commands or orders are much stronger than requests or suggestions. A common reporting verb for an order is told. Other common reporting verbs include order and command. Otherwise the structure for reported orders is the same as reported requests. DIRECT: "Shut the door," she said. >> REPORTED: She told me to shut the door.
Reported speech - Requests :: Learn English online - free exercises, explanations, games, teaching materials and plenty of information on English language.
Reported commands and requests We use verbs such as advise, ask, beg, forbid, order, persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc. to introduce commands and requests in the reported speech.
When we report commands, requests and orders we use to-infinitive and not-to-infinitive. Study the examples and have practice doing exercises.
Reported commands and requests The commands, requests and advice mostly have the same form in English: verb + object + infinitive ( advise, ask, beg, forbid, order, persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc.). In the direct speech we do not mention the person in the imperative. In the indirect speech the person addressed must be mentioned. "Get ...
This tutorial is about the word order of commands in the reported speech. If you are interested in a more general tutorial about the reported speech, check out the basics video on my channel.
Reported Speech: Commands and Requests Practice Exercises. 10 April 2022. Grammar Exercises / School Grammar. Learn converting commands and request type Imperative sentences into Indirect Speech or narration. The solved exercises given below are here to do practice on these exercises. Attempt yourself first and then see the answers.
Explain your students how to make reported commands and requests. Set the time limit. Allow them to work individually or in pairs. Monitor the activity. A good revision exercise.
English grammar exercise about reported speech - in this case reported orders and requests
Let's do English ESL general reading comprehension. This presentation is about how to report orders, commands and requests in the reported speech form. You can…
12/10/2020. Country code: AR. Country: Argentina. School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958) Main content: Reported commands and requests (2008214) From worksheet author: Turn the direct speech commands and requests into reported speech. Other contents: Reported speech.
Vice President Kamala Harris sealed the Democratic presidential nomination with a muscular speech, laying down broad foreign policy principles and sharp contrasts with Republican rival Donald ...
This fact check originally appeared on PolitiFact. Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance sought to negatively frame the 24-year military career of newly minted Democratic ...