He told me to / He told me not to / REPORTING ORDERS English grammar REPORTED SPEECH

He told me to He told me not to REPORTING ORDERS English grammar REPORTED SPEECH

Explanation + Extra Practice

Reported Speech for Orders (Easy English)

When someone gives an order or command (like telling you to do or not do something), and we want to report it, we follow a simple structure. The key is using the verbs “told” or “asked” with “to” or “not to” before the action. Here’s how:

How to Report Orders:

  1. Use the reporting verb, like told or asked.
  2. Add “to” before the verb to say what someone was told to do.
  3. If the order is negative (telling someone not to do something), use “not to”.

Examples:

Positive Orders

Direct speech: “Close the door.”
Reported speech: He told me to close the door.

  • We use “told me to” because it’s an order to do something.

Negative Orders

Direct speech: “Don’t talk during the movie.”
Reported speech: She told me not to talk during the movie.

  • We use “told me not to” because it’s an order not to do something.

Another Example:

Direct speech: “Please help me with this task.”
Reported speech: She asked me to help her with the task.


Extra Practice

Quiz: Reported Speech for Orders

Beginner Level:

Convert the following direct orders into reported speech using told or asked.

1. “Stand up.”

She ________________.

2. “Don’t be late.”

He ________________.

3. “Finish your homework.”

They ________________.

4. “Don’t open the window.”

She ________________.

5. “Please give me your phone number.”

He ________________.

6. “Take out the trash.”

Mom ________________.

7. “Don’t touch that!”

Dad ________________.

8. “Be careful.”

She ________________.

9. “Don’t run in the hallways.”

The teacher ________________.

10. “Help me carry these bags.”

He ________________.

11. “Sit down.”

The coach ________________.

12. “Don’t eat too much candy.”

She ________________.

13. “Write your name here.”

He ________________.

14. “Don’t forget to call me.”

She ________________.

15. “Go to bed early.”

Mom ________________.


Answers for Beginner Level:

  1. She told me to stand up.
  2. He told me not to be late.
  3. They told me to finish my homework.
  4. She told me not to open the window.
  5. He asked me to give him my phone number.
  6. Mom told me to take out the trash.
  7. Dad told me not to touch that.
  8. She told me to be careful.
  9. The teacher told me not to run in the hallways.
  10. He asked me to help him carry the bags.
  11. The coach told me to sit down.
  12. She told me not to eat too much candy.
  13. He told me to write my name here.
  14. She told me not to forget to call her.
  15. Mom told me to go to bed early.

Intermediate Level:

Convert the following direct orders into reported speech using told or asked.

1. “Don’t drive too fast.”

He ________________.

2. “Call me when you arrive.”

She ________________.

3. “Clean your room before dinner.”

They ________________.

4. “Please don’t forget to lock the door.”

He ________________.

5. “Leave the keys on the table.”

She ________________.

6. “Don’t park here.”

The guard ________________.

7. “Turn off the lights before you leave.”

He ________________.

8. “Take your medicine twice a day.”

The doctor ________________.

9. “Don’t speak until I tell you.”

The teacher ________________.

10. “Bring your laptop to the meeting.”

The boss ________________.

11. “Don’t waste time.”

He ________________.

12. “Read this book by next week.”

The teacher ________________.

13. “Don’t drink cold water.”

The doctor ________________.

14. “Come to my office tomorrow morning.”

The manager ________________.

15. “Please take care of my dog.”

She ________________.


Answers for Intermediate Level:

  1. He told me not to drive too fast.
  2. She asked me to call her when I arrived.
  3. They told me to clean my room before dinner.
  4. He asked me not to forget to lock the door.
  5. She told me to leave the keys on the table.
  6. The guard told me not to park there.
  7. He told me to turn off the lights before I left.
  8. The doctor told me to take my medicine twice a day.
  9. The teacher told me not to speak until she told me.
  10. The boss told me to bring my laptop to the meeting.
  11. He told me not to waste time.
  12. The teacher told me to read the book by next week.
  13. The doctor told me not to drink cold water.
  14. The manager told me to come to his office tomorrow morning.
  15. She asked me to take care of her dog.

Advanced Level:

Convert the following direct orders into reported speech using told or asked.

1. “Don’t forget to submit the report before the deadline.”

The boss ________________.

2. “Please bring me a copy of the document tomorrow.”

He ________________.

3. “Don’t mention this to anyone until I say so.”

She ________________.

4. “Be sure to double-check the calculations before you send them.”

The accountant ________________.

5. “Don’t touch anything in the lab without permission.”

The teacher ________________.

6. “Make sure you arrive 15 minutes early for the presentation.”

He ________________.

7. “Don’t turn off the computer until the update is finished.”

The IT technician ________________.

8. “Please return the books to the library by Friday.”

The librarian ________________.

9. “Don’t speak to the press about this issue.”

The CEO ________________.

10. “Complete the application form by next Wednesday.”

She ________________.

11. “Please confirm your attendance at the meeting.”

He ________________.

12. “Don’t forget to water the plants while I’m away.”

She ________________.

13. “Bring the signed contract with you to the office tomorrow.”

The manager ________________.

14. “Make sure to lock all the doors before leaving.”

He ________________.

15. “Don’t tell anyone about this surprise party.”

They ________________.


Answers for Advanced Level:

  1. The boss told me not to forget to submit the report before the deadline.
  2. He asked me to bring him a copy of the document tomorrow.
  3. She told me not to mention this to anyone until she said so.
  4. The accountant told me to double-check the calculations before I sent them.
  5. The teacher told me not to touch anything in the lab without permission.
  6. He told me to arrive 15 minutes early for the presentation.
  7. The IT technician told me not to turn off the computer until the update was finished.
  8. The librarian asked me to return the books to the library by Friday.
  9. The CEO told me not to speak to the press about the issue.
  10. She told me to complete the application form by next Wednesday.
  11. He asked me to confirm my attendance at the meeting.
  12. She told me not to forget to water the plants while she was away.
  13. The manager told me to bring the signed contract to the office tomorrow.
  14. He told me to lock all the doors before leaving.
  15. They told me not to tell anyone about the surprise party.
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