REPORTED SPEECH : REPORTING REQUESTS AND OFFERS

REPORTED SPEECH : REPORTING REQUESTS AND OFFERS

1. Requests can be reported in various ways.

a. “Could I have” is normally reported by “ask for”:

“Could I have a cup of coffee?” she said.

She asked (me) for a cup of coffee.

b. “Could you” used for requests is reported by “ask + object

+ infinitive”:

“Could you shut that door, please?” he said.

She asked me to shut the door.

“Could you open the window please?”

Merriam asked me to open the window.

c. But when “Could you” introduces an ordinary question it is

reported as a “yes / no” question::

“Could you live entirely on you own?” he said.

He wanted to know / he wondered / he asked if I could live

entirely on my own.

d. “Would you”, “would you mind” and “will you” can be reported

either by “ask + object +infinitive”

or simply as ordinary questions:

“Would you mind waiting for me?”

He asked me to wait for him.”

OR

He asked if I would mind waiting for him.

“Would you mind turning the music down?”

We asked our neighbours to turn the music down.

OR

We asked our neighbours if they would mind turning the music down.

e. Requests introduced by an “infinitive” are reported by “ask

+ object + infinitive” or by “request + object +

infinitive” depending on the degree of the formality of the situation:

“Close the door, please,” he said

He asked me to close the door.

“Please, pass me the saltshaker,”

He asked me to pass the salt shaker.

“Please, be punctual at all my lectures,” the professor said

to his students.

The professor requested his students to be punctual at all his

lectures.


2. Offers can be reported in three main ways:

a. “offer + object (I O) + object (D O)”

“Would you like a drink?”

He offered me a drink,

b. “offer + infinitive + for + noun / pronoun”

“Shall I wait for you?”

He offered to wait for me.

c. “offer + infinitive + object + for + noun / pronoun”

“Can I carry the suitcases for you?” he said.

He offered to carry the suitcases for me.

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REPORTED SPEECH : REPORTING ADVICE

REPORTED SPEECH : REPORTING ADVICE

1. Most of the sentences expressing advice should be reported by

the verb “advise”.

Advise

To advise someone to do something

"If I were you, I would see a physician very soon."

He advised me to see a physician very soon.

"You should have some rest."

I advised him / her to have some rest.

“I should phone her if I were you,” said Pedro.

Pedro advised me to phone her.

2. Advice expressed by “You had better” can be reported unchanged

but can also be reported by advise:

He said, 'You'd better tell your Dad.'

He said I'd better tell Dad.

OR

He advised me to tell Dad.

3. “I / we had better” will normally be reported unchanged:

He said, “I'd better wait.”

He said he had better wait.

4. “Why don't you” often introduces suggestions or advice and is

then reported by suggest or advise:

“Why don't you ask them?” I said.

I advised him / her to ask them.

5. Advice expressed by “ought to” is normally reported unchanged:

“The government ought to build more schools and hospitals in the

area,” said the deputy.

The deputy said that the government ought to build more schools

and hospitals in the area.

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