Indirect Speech

Indirect Speech: Imperative

The type of sentence that expresses order, request, command, advice and warning is called an imperative sentence. The imperative sentence is very different from the interrogative sentence which poses a question. The imperative sentence conversion depends on the mood of the sentence. The imperative sentence uses the second person 'you' as the subject, although the subject remains silent in the sentence. This kind of sentence starts with a verb.

To consider:

• In the sense of command, suggestion, request is contained in the informant clause of the sentence. We need to change the reporting verb according to the mood of the sentence. The verb in the reported clause becomes infinitive. The word \'a\' is used to add a report and declare clauses after omitting commas and quotes, instead of using common conjunctions like \'at\', \'if\', \'if\'. 
• In the case of negative imperative sentences, "not" in direct speech becomes "not of" in indirect speech. We could also use \'forbidden/forbidden\' followed by \'a\'. In imperative sentences, suggested verbs become "said", "said", "said", suggested, ordered, requested, ordered, etc. It depends on how you ask.

Indirect Speech: Say and Tell

• Say focuses more on what someone has said. 
• Tell is more focused on the content or information provided.

Example:

She said ‘I don’t know what you mean.
I told her why it had happened.