DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL DWARKA

CLASS X - ENGLISH

REQUEST, COMMAND, STATEMENTS AND QUESTIONS- REVISION HANDOUT

Requests, commands statements and questions.

DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH EXAMPLE

“Please make five glasses of fresh lime.”

She asked me to make five glasses of fresh
lime.

Asked (me/him/her) to… “Go to the chemist.”

Requests/orders Told (me/him/her) to… He told me to go to the chemist.

“Are you coming for the school picnic?”

He asked if I was coming for the school picnic.
Asked if… “Has Anant seen the new movie?”
Yes/no questions Wanted to know if… She asked if Anant had seen the new movie.

“When was the company founded?”

She asked when the sc was founded. “What
Asked… kind of food I like?”
Other questions Wanted to know… He wanted to know what kind of food I like.

REQUESTS/COMMAND
 “Asked me to” is used for requests.
 “Told me to” is stronger; it is used for orders/commands.
 The main verb stays in the infinitive:
She asked me to make fresh lime.
He told me to go to the chemist.
Requests for objects/things are reported using the pattern “asked for” + object.

Direct speech Indirect speech

“Can I have an apple?”, she asked. She asked for an apple.

“Can I have the newspaper, please?” He asked for the newspaper.

“May I have a glass of water?” he said. He asked for a glass of water.

“Sugar, please.” She asked for the sugar.

“Could I have three kilos of onions?” He asked for three kilos of onions.
YES/ NO QUESTIONS

1.When we report questions, the subject comes before the verb.

 Direct speech: “Where are you going?”

Reported speech: He asked me where I was going.
 Direct speech: “Why is he shouting?”
Reported speech: He asked me why he was shouting.
 Direct speech: “What do you want?”
Reported speech: She asked me what I wanted.

2. When reporting questions, we don’t use the auxiliary verb do, except in
negative questions.
 Direct speech: “Who doesn’t like cheese?”
Reported speech: She asked me who didn’t like cheese.

3. We report yes/no questions with if or whether.

 Direct speech: “Do you want me to come?”

Reported speech: I asked him if he wanted me to come.
 Direct speech: “Have you fed the dog?”
Reported speech: She asked me whether I had fed the dog.
4. When we report questions with who, what or which + to be + object, the verb be can
come before or after the object.
 Direct speech: “Who is the champion?”
Reported speech: She asked me who the champion was/ She asked me
who was the champion.
 Direct speech: “What is your favourite colour?”
Reported speech: She asked me what my favourite colour was/ She
asked me what was my favourite colour.
As a general rule, the changes in the tense of the reported speech depend upon the tense of
the reporting verb in the direct speech. Thus, when the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of
the reported verb also changes to past tense.

Example

 He said, ‘I want to go.’

 He said that he wanted to go.

STATEMENTS

While reporting statements use a verb like tell.

 Direct: He said, ‘I may meet you tomorrow.’

 Indirect: He said that he might meet you tomorrow.
 Direct: He said, ‘I will marry you only if you mend your ways.’
 Indirect: He said that he would marry her only if she mended her ways.
 Direct: He said, ‘I have decided not to buy the house because it is off the main road.’
 Indirect: He said that he had decided not to buy the house because it was off the
main road.
 Direct: He said, ‘Ladies and gentleman, we must make this decision here and now.’
 Indirect: He told his audience that they must / would have to make that decision there
and then.
 Direct: He said to his friend, ‘I have been worried about my daughter for some time.
She is getting thinner and thinner.’
 Indirect: He told his friend that he had been worried about his daughter for some time
and that she was getting thinner and thinner.
EXERCISE-1

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns and tenses.

1. “Where is my umbrella?” she asked.

→ She asked
2. “How are you?” Martin asked us.
→ Martin asked us
3. He asked, “Do I have to do it?”
→ He asked
4. “Where have you been?” the mother asked her daughter.
→ The mother asked her daughter
5. “Which dress do you like best?” she asked her boyfriend.
→ She asked her boyfriend
6. “What are they doing?” she asked.
→ She wanted to know
7. “Are you going to the cinema?” he asked me.
→ He wanted to know
8. The teacher asked, “Who speaks English?”
→ The teacher wanted to know
9. “How do you know that?” she asked me.
→ She asked me
10. “Has Caron talked to Kevin?” my friend asked me.
→ My friend asked me
Answers:

1. “Where is my umbrella?” she asked.

→ She asked where her umbrella was.
2. “How are you?” Martin asked us.
→ Martin asked us how we were.
3. He asked, “Do I have to do it?”
→ He asked if he had to do it.
4. “Where have you been?” the mother asked her daughter.
→ The mother asked her daughter where she had been.
5. “Which dress do you like best?” she asked her boyfriend.
→ She asked her boyfriend which dress he liked best.
6. “What are they doing?” she asked.
→ She wanted to know what they were doing.
7. “Are you going to the cinema?” he asked me.
→ He wanted to know if I was going to the cinema.
8. The teacher asked, “Who speaks English?”
→ The teacher wanted to know who spoke English.
9. “How do you know that?” she asked me.
→ She asked me how I knew that.
10. “Has Caron talked to Kevin?” my friend asked me.
→ My friend asked me if Caron had talked to Kevin.

Exercise 2

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns in some sentences.

1. She said, "Go upstairs."

→ She told me

2. "Close the door behind you," he told me.

→ He told me

3. "Don't be late," he advised us.

→ He advised us
 4. "Stop staring at me," she said.
→ She told him

5. "Don't be angry with me," he said.

→ He asked her

6. "Leave me alone," she said.

→ She told me

7. "Don't drink and drive," she warned us.

→ She warned us

8. "John, stop smoking," she said.

→ She told John

9. "Don't worry about us," they said.

→ They told her

10. "Meet me at the cinema." he said.

→ He asked me

Answers:

1. She said, "Go upstairs."

She told me to go upstairs.
2. "Close the door behind you," he told me.
→ He told me to close the door behind me.
3. "Don't be late," he advised us.
→ He advised us not to be late.
4. "Stop staring at me," she said.
→ She told him to stop staring at her.
5. "Don't be angry with me," he said.
→ He asked her not to be angry with him.
6. "Leave me alone," she said.
→ She told me to leave her alone.
7. "Don't drink and drive," she warned us.
→ She warned us not to drink and drive.

8. "John, stop smoking," she said.

→ She told John to stop smoking.
9. "Don't worry about us," they said.
→ They told her not to worry about them.
10. "Meet me at the cinema." he said.
→ He asked me to meet him at the cinema.