Imperative sentences are used to express request, advise, command, and order. So, while making indirect speech of imperative sentences, it is essential to use requested, advised, commanded, and ordered in-place of ‘said or told’ in the assertive sentences. “To and not to” connectors are placed replacing ‘That, if, whether’. So, let’s learn to form indirect speech of imperative sentences.
Before to proceed, take a look at the following examples of indirect speech of imperative sentences.
Simple examples of indirect speech of imperative sentences
Direct Speech (DS) : Class teacher said to students, “Complete assignment regularly”. (Order)
Indirect speech (IS): Class teacher ordered students to complete assignment regularly.
Please take note that from onward we are using abbreviations DS for direct speech and IS for indirect speech.
(DS) : Pope said to people, “Help poor in need”. (Request)
(IS) : Pope requested people to help poor in need.
(DS) : Old person said to Rohan, “Please, give me a glass of water”.(Request)
(IS): Old person requested Rohan to give him a glass of water.
(DS) : Officer said to customers, “Pay your bills before fine”.(Advise)
(IS): Officer advised customers to pay bills before fine.
(DS) : Government said to citizens, “Keep clean environment”.(Order)
(IS):Government ordered citizens to keep clean environment.
(DS) : Maneger said to employees, “Don’t break rules”. (Order)
(IS):Manager ordered employees not to break rules.
(DS) : Religious teacher said to devotees, “Take care of your parents”. (Advise)
(IS): Religious teacher advised to take care of theirs parents.
(DS) : Professor said to students, “Don’t make noise”. (Order)
(IS): Professor ordered students not to make noise.
Rules to form indirect speech of imperative sentences
First of all, it is important to know the intent or mood of imperative sentences. Imperative sentences are used to express certain intents such as request, advise, command, and order.
Assertive sentences are, on the other hand, used to express claims either yes or no. In the formation of indirect speech of assertive sentences, “said and told” are taken.
Mother said, “My son is watering plants”. (Direct speech of assertive sentence)
Mother said that her son was watering plants. (Indirect speech of assertive sentence)
Second person,”You” is used to form imperative sentences, but it remains silent. Like,” Open the door” in this sentence, second person,” You” is assumed in a silent state.
For example, Pope said to people, “Help poor in need”.(Request)
In the above example, ‘You’ second person before “Help poor people” is assumed but remains silent.
“To and not to” connectors are placed in place of that, if, whether, conjunctions. It becomes infinitive in the indirect speech.
Pope requested people to help poor in need. (Use of To as connector)
Professor said to students, “Don’t make noise”. (Order)
In the indirect speech it is like, Professor ordered students not to make noise. (Use of Not to as connector)
Rules regarding changing personal pronouns
Rules of personal pronouns and changing tenses are the same as in the indirect speech of assertive sentences.
First person in the reported speech is changed as the subject of the reporting speech. While, second person of the reported speech is changed as the object of the reporting speech. In terms of third person, it remains unchanged while making indirect speech.
(DS) :Old person said to Rohan, “Please, give me a glass of water”.(Request)
First person changes as per the subject of the reporting verb. Old person requested Rohan to give him a glass of water.
(DS) : Officer said to customers, “Pay your bills before fine”.(Advise)
For second person like, Officer ordered customers to pay theirs bills before fine. (Second person changes as per the object of the reporting verb)
(DS) : Father said to daughter, “Help Rohan to clean house”.
Solution – Father ordered daughter to help Rohan to clean house. (Third person remains unchanged)
Changes in tenses while making indirect speech
If there is present and future tense in the reporting speech, there is no change in the tense of reported speech.
But, if there is past tense in the reporting speech, the tense changes in the reported speech in the following ways.
Simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous present tenses are get changed in the same ways in past tense.
In case of past tense in the reported speech, the past tense changes as:–
Simple past changes as perfect past and continuous past changes as perfect continuous past tense.
Examples of indirect speech of imperative sentences
Following are some useful and important examples of indirect speech of imperative sentences. These are showing mood of request, advise, and order.
(DS) : Doctor said to patient, “Don’t take junk food”.
(IS): Doctor advised patient not to take junk food.
(DS) : Father said to son, “Don’t waste your valuable time”.
(IS): Father advised son not to waste his valuable time.
(DS) : Coach said to player, “Don’t repeat mistakes”.
Coach advised player not to repeat mistakes.
(DS) : Wise man said to children, ” Don’t lie in your life.
(IS): Wise man advised children not to lie in their life.
(DS) : He said to Marry, ” Please, bring me some fruits from market.
(IS):He requested Marry to bring him some fruits from market.
(DS) : She said to brother, “Please, help me to solve problem”.
(IS): She requested brother to help her to solve problem.
(DS) : A beggar said to man, “Please, give me some money for food”.
(IS): A beggar requested man to give him some money for food.
(DS) : Refugee said to NGO, “Please, give us food and clothes”.
(IS): Refugee requested NGO to give them food and clothes.
(DS) : Captain said to player, “Catch the ball”.
(IS):Captain ordered player to catch the ball.
(DS) : Minister said to officer, “Help people in problem”.
(IS):Minister ordered officer to help people in problem.
These are useful examples of direct and indirect speech of imperative sentences. By studying this article, it is easy to master indirect speech of imperative sentences.
Direct and Indirect Speech explained