Grammar: 🚀 Advanced Grammar: 💬➡️🗣️ Reported Speech (B2) - Lesson 3: Reported Commands, Requests, Advice (using verbs like tell, ask, advise + infinitive)

🚀 Lesson 3: Reported Commands, Requests & Advice

We have learned how to report statements and questions. Today, we cover the final category: reporting imperatives. This includes commands¹, requests², and advice³. The good news is that the structure for this is often simpler than what we have learned before, as we use an infinitive⁴ and do not need to worry about tense backshifts.

The Core Structure: Reporting Verb + Object + Infinitive

The key to this structure is choosing the correct reporting verb⁵ (like tell, ask, advise, order, warn) to match the tone of the original speaker. The original command or request then changes into a 'to + infinitive' form.

Formula: Subject + Reporting Verb + Object + (not) + to + infinitive

Reporting Commands and Orders

For direct orders, we typically use the reporting verbs 'tell' or 'order'.

Direct: The police officer said, "Show me your ID card."
Reported: "The police officer told me to show him my ID card."

Direct (Negative): The sign says, "Do not enter."
Reported: "The sign warned us not to enter."

Reporting Requests and Advice

For polite requests, we use 'ask'. For advice, we use verbs like 'advise' or 'encourage'.

Direct Request: She said, "Could you please help me?"
Reported: "She asked me to help her."

Direct Advice: The doctor said, "You should exercise more."
Reported: "The doctor advised me to exercise more."

🧠 Practice Quiz: Report the Imperative

Convert these sentences into reported speech.

1. Direct: The teacher said, "Please be quiet."
   → The teacher _______ us _______ quiet.
   Answer: asked / to be
2. Direct: My mother said, "Don't forget your keys!"
   → My mother _______ me _______ my keys.
   Answer: reminded / not to forget
3. Direct: "You should try the fish amok in Battambang."
   → He _______ me _______ the fish amok in Battambang.
   Answer: advised / to try
4. Direct: The general said to the soldiers, "Attack!"
   → The general _______ the soldiers _______.
   Answer: ordered / to attack
5. Direct: The sign on the wall says, "Do not smoke."
   → The sign _______ people _______.
   Answer: tells / not to smoke (or 'warns people not to smoke')

📝 Homework: What Were You Told?

Report the following sentences using an appropriate reporting verb (tell, ask, advise, warn).

1. A friend to you: "Please lend me some money."
   Answer: My friend asked me to lend him some money.
2. A parent to a child: "Don't talk to strangers!"
   Answer: The parent warned the child not to talk to strangers.
3. A doctor to a patient: "You should get more sleep."
   Answer: The doctor advised the patient to get more sleep.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Command: (Noun) - បញ្ជា (bânh'chea) - An order given to a person or an animal. ↩
2. Request: (Noun) - ការស្នើសុំ (kaa snae'som) - The act of politely or formally asking for something. ↩
3. Advice: (Noun) - ដំបូន្មាន (dâm'bao'maan) - An opinion that someone offers you about what you should do. ↩
4. Infinitive: (Noun) - កិរិយាស័ព្ទដើម (kĕ'rĭ'ya'sâp daem) - The basic form of a verb, with 'to'. ↩
5. Reporting Verb: (Noun Phrase) - កិរិយាស័ព្ទរាយការណ៍ (kĕ'rĭ'ya'sâp réay'kaa) - The verb that introduces the reported speech (e.g., said, told, asked, advised). ↩