Reported Commands & Requests
Learn how a command or request is retold using an infinitive rather than the original imperative form, and how to report a negative instruction.
Retelling an instruction
A reported command uses an infinitive, not the original imperative.
A reported command or request retells an imperative sentence, one giving an instruction, using a reporting verb followed by the listener and a to infinitive.
In “Close the door,” she said., the base form close begins the instruction directly. In She told him to close the door., the listener, him, appears directly after the reporting verb, followed by the infinitive to close.
This lesson covers this pattern, the range of reporting verbs used with it, and how to report a negative instruction.
Before you begin
This is one of ten topics on reported speech.
This lesson focuses on reported commands and requests specifically. Reported speech as a whole includes nine other topics, each covered in its own lesson.
If you would like an overview of reported speech in general, begin with the Reported Speech page.
The central idea
The instruction becomes an infinitive, following the listener.
Compare the direct command with its reported version.
01
Direct command
“Close the door,” she said.
02
Reported command
She told him to close the door.
The useful question is: who was the command aimed at?
Unlike reported statements and questions, a reported command needs the listener named directly, since the original imperative left that person unstated.
The basic pattern
Reporting verb, listener, then a to infinitive.
She told him to close the door.
The listener sits between the reporting verb and the infinitive, filling the role the original command left unstated.
Reporting verbs for commands and requests
Different verbs signal a different tone.
tell → a direct instruction: She told him to wait outside.
ask → a request: She asked him to wait outside.
order → a strong, formal instruction: The officer ordered them to stop.
instruct → a formal or procedural instruction: The manual instructs users to unplug the device.
warn → a caution: She warned him not to touch the wire.
advise → a recommendation: The doctor advised her to rest.
remind → a prompt about something already known: He reminded her to lock the door.
Negative commands
Not is placed directly before the infinitive.
Direct: “Don’t touch that.”
He told me not to touch it.
Not comes before to, forming a single unit before the infinitive.
Direct: “Don’t be late.”
She warned us not to be late.
Requests with please
Please is usually dropped when a request is reported.
“Please sit down,” she said. → She asked me to sit down.
The word please softens the original request, but it is not usually carried into the reported version. The choice of reporting verb, such as ask rather than tell, already signals that the original was a polite request.
A useful decision guide
Ask who the instruction was aimed at, and what tone it carried.
01
Who was the original command or request aimed at?
Name that listener directly after the reporting verb.
02
Was the original instruction firm, polite, or cautionary?
Choose a reporting verb, such as tell, ask or warn, that matches that tone.
03
Was the original instruction positive or negative?
A negative instruction places not directly before to.
04
Does the sentence still need the base imperative verb, or an infinitive?
The reported version always uses the infinitive form.
Common mistakes
The listener and the infinitive both need to be in place.
The original imperative form, or a that clause, is not kept.
Not: She told him that close the door.
Correct: She told him to close the door.
The listener is not left out.
Not: She told to close the door.
Correct: She told him to close the door.
Not comes before to, not after it.
Not: He told me to not touch it.
Correct: He told me not to touch it.
Placing not before to is the standard position for a negative infinitive here.
Check your understanding
Which version is a correctly reported command or request?
Choose the correct answer for each pair.
Which sentence correctly reports “Please open the window.”?
✅ Exactly! The infinitive “to open” follows the listener.
❎ Not quite. Check whether “to” appears before the verb.
What word usually comes before a base verb in a reported instruction?
Which sentence correctly reports “Don’t be late.”?
✅ Exactly! “Not” comes before “to” in a negative reported instruction.
❎ Not quite. Check the order of “not” and “to”.
Does “not” come before or after “to”?
Which reporting verb best fits a firm, official instruction: “Stop right there!”
✅ Exactly! “Ordered” better reflects the firm, official tone of the original.
❎ Not quite. “Asked” suggests a polite request, not a firm command.
Was the original a polite request, or a firm order?
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the mistake correctly.
Why is “She told to close the door.” not correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “Tell” always needs a listener named directly.
❎ Not quite. Look for who the instruction was given to.
Why does “He told me to not touch it.” sound less standard?
✅ Exactly! “Not to touch” is the standard order for this negative infinitive.
❎ Not quite. Compare the position of “not” here to the standard pattern.
Quick review
A reporting verb, a named listener, and a to infinitive report an instruction.
A reported command or request follows the pattern reporting verb + listener + to infinitive.
Verbs like tell, ask, order, warn and advise each signal a different tone.
A negative instruction places not directly before to.
Please is usually dropped, since the choice of reporting verb already signals a polite request.
Remember
Name the listener, then attach the infinitive.
Choose a reporting verb that matches the original tone, name who the instruction was for, and follow it directly with a to infinitive.