Reported Speech: Commands Practice Tests with B1 Grammar Rules & Examples

Reported Speech: Commands

When we want to tell someone what another person told them to do — or told them not to do — we use reported speech: commands. This is also called reported imperatives.

For example, imagine your teacher said: "Open your books." Later, you tell your friend what the teacher said. You do not repeat the exact words. Instead, you report the command:

"The teacher told us to open our books."

In this lesson, you will learn exactly how to change direct commands into reported speech, step by step.

What Is a Command?

A command (also called an imperative) is a sentence that tells someone to do something or not to do something. Commands do not usually have a subject — they start directly with a verb.

Here are some examples of direct commands:

• "Sit down."
• "Close the door."
• "Don't make noise."
• "Be quiet."

When we report these commands to someone else, we need to change the structure. We use a special grammar pattern with to + infinitive.

The Basic Rule for Reported Commands

To report a command, we use this pattern:

Subject + told / asked + object + to + infinitive (base verb)

Let's look at a simple example first:

Direct command: "Sit down." (The teacher said this.)
Reported command: The teacher told us to sit down.

Notice what changed:

• We added the reporting verb: told
• We added the person receiving the command: us
• We added to before the verb
• The verb itself stays in the base form (infinitive): sit

Positive Commands → Told / Asked + to + Infinitive

When the original command is positive (telling someone to do something), we use:

told / asked + person + to + base verb

We use told when the command is more direct or firm.
We use asked when the command is more polite or a request.

Examples of Positive Reported Commands

Negative Commands → Told / Asked + Not + to + Infinitive

When the original command is negative (telling someone not to do something), we add not before to.

told / asked + person + not + to + base verb

Examples of Negative Reported Commands

Choosing the Right Object Pronoun

When we report a command, we need to include who the command was directed at. We use object pronouns for this.

Remember: object pronouns come after the verb. Here is a quick reminder:

You can also use a person's name or a noun instead of a pronoun:

The teacher told the students to open their books.
The doctor told Maria to rest.

Changing Pronouns and Possessives in Reported Commands

When you report a command, be careful with pronouns and possessive adjectives (words like my, your, his, her). They often need to change because the situation has changed.

Mini-Story Example

Imagine a teacher is speaking to a student named Tom:

Direct command: "Do your homework."

Now you report this to another student:

Reported command: The teacher told Tom to do his homework.

The word your changed to his because we are now talking about Tom — not speaking directly to him.

More Examples with Pronoun Changes

Told or Asked? — Important Differences

Both told and asked can be used to report commands. The choice depends on the tone of the original command.

Use told when the command is direct or firm:

"Stop talking!" → The teacher told us to stop talking.
"Go to bed now." → Mum told me to go to bed.

Use asked when the command is polite or a request:

"Please sit down." → She asked us to sit down.
"Could you help me, please?" → He asked me to help him.

Note: The word please in the direct command is a good sign that you should use asked. We do not include the word please in the reported form.

Other Reporting Verbs for Commands

As well as told and asked, there are other verbs we can use to report commands. They all follow the same pattern: verb + person + to + infinitive.

Do Not Change the Tense of the Main Verb

In reported statements, we often change verb tenses (e.g. is → was). However, in reported commands, we do not change the tense of the verb. The verb stays in the infinitive form (base form).

Direct command: "Run!"
Reported command: She told him to run. ✅
NOT: She told him to ran. ❌

The infinitive (to + base verb) never changes for past, present, or future reporting verbs.

Full Pattern Summary Table

Common Mistakes

Here are the most common mistakes learners make with reported speech commands. Study them carefully!

❌ She told him sit down.
✅ Always include "to": She told him to sit down.

❌ She told to him to sit down.
✅ Do not add "to" after "told": She told him to sit down.

❌ She told him don't make noise.
✅ Use "not to" for negative commands: She told him not to make noise.

❌ The teacher said me to open my book.
✅ Use "told" or "asked", not "said", with reported commands: The teacher told me to open my book.

❌ He told us to not be late.
✅ "Not" comes before "to": He told us not to be late.

❌ She asked me to please help her.
✅ Do not use "please" in reported speech: She asked me to help her.

❌ He told her to cleaned her room.
✅ The verb stays in the base (infinitive) form: He told her to clean her room.

A Full Example Conversation in Reported Speech

Read this short situation and see how direct commands become reported commands:

Situation: It is Monday morning. A teacher, Mr Green, speaks to his class. Later, a student, Lisa, tells her friend what Mr Green said.

Mr Green's direct commands:

• "Sit down."
• "Take out your notebooks."
• "Don't talk to your neighbour."
• "Please read page 12."
• "Don't forget your homework tomorrow."

Lisa reports to her friend:

• Mr Green told us to sit down.
• He told us to take out our notebooks.
• He told us not to talk to our neighbour.
• He asked us to read page 12.
• He told us not to forget our homework the next day.

Reported Speech Commands: Quick Summary

Here are the key points to remember about reported speech commands:

• We use told or asked (or other reporting verbs) to report commands — not the word said.
• For positive commands, use: told/asked + person + to + infinitive.
• For negative commands, use: told/asked + person + not to + infinitive.
• The main verb always stays in the base (infinitive) form — never change its tense.
• Change pronouns and possessives to match the new situation (e.g. your → his / her / our).
• Do not include the word please in the reported form.
• Use asked for polite requests and told for direct commands.
• Other useful reporting verbs include: ordered, warned, advised, reminded, encouraged, invited.

Now practise reported speech commands in the exercises below.