Commands
Changing Commands to Reported Speech
| QUOTED COMMAND | REPORTED COMMAND |
|---|---|
The doctor said, "Get some rest." |
The doctor said to get some rest. |
The doctor said (that) I should get some rest. |
|
The doctor told me to get some rest. |
|
The doctor said, "Don't smoke." |
The doctor said not to smoke. |
The doctor said (that) I shouldn't smoke. |
|
The doctor told me not to smoke. |
|
The doctor said, "Call me when you get here." |
The doctor said to call him when I got there. |
Sentence Transformation
Change to an Infinitive
| CHANGES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | EMBEDDED COMMAND | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Remove comma and quotes |
The doctor said |
"Get some rest." |
2 |
Optionally, change said to told me |
The doctor told me |
Get some rest. |
3 |
Change the verb to an infinitive ==> to + verb |
The doctor told me |
to get some rest |
|
|
The doctor said / told me |
to get some rest. |
Change to a Negative Infinitive
| CHANGES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | EMBEDDED COMMAND | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Remove comma and quotes |
The doctor said |
"Don't smoke." |
2 |
If using "tell" add a pronoun ==> told me |
The doctor told me |
Don't smoke. |
3 |
Change the negative verb to a negative infinitive ==> not to + verb |
The doctor told me |
not to smoke |
|
|
The doctor said / told me |
not to smoke. |
Change to "Should"
| CHANGES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | EMBEDDED COMMAND | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Remove comma and quotes |
The doctor said, |
"Get some rest." |
2 |
Optionally, add a relative pronoun: that |
The doctor said that |
(you) get some rest |
3 |
Add a pronoun: I, we or he, she, they |
The doctor said that |
I get some rest. |
4 |
Change the verb: should + verb |
The doctor said that |
I should get some rest. |
|
|
The doctor said that |
I should get some rest. |
Change to "Should" with a Clause
| CHANGES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | EMBEDDED COMMAND | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Remove comma and quotes |
The doctor said, |
"Call me when you get here." |
2 |
If using "tell" add a pronoun ==> told me |
The doctor [ said] told me, |
call me when you get here |
3 |
Change the verb to infinitive form. |
The doctor told me |
to call me when you get here |
4 |
Adjust the pronoun: me ==> him |
The doctor told me |
to call him when I get here |
5 |
Adjust point of view in the when-clause:
|
The doctor told me |
to call him when I got there. |
| OR |
The doctor said that |
I should call him when I got there. |
|
Common Mistake
| ERROR | FIXES |
|---|---|
Jack shouted, "Let's go!" (Let us go.) |
Jack shouted at us to go. (less formal; less polite) |
Practice

Brothers
Changing Quoted Commands to Statements
- Select the word from each menu that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.
