Direct commands are short and sharp: "Close the window." When you report the command, English turns it into an infinitive pattern: "She told me to close the window." The instruction becomes the object of told.
Requests follow the same shape with a different verb: "Could you wait here?" becomes "He asked us to wait there." The polite request keeps its softness, and the infinitive carries the action.
This page covers commands, requests, negatives, and the reporting verbs warn, remind and advise. It also fixes the classic mistake of say plus a person. The 20-question drill checks each pattern.
The rule
Commands: told plus person plus to
- Direct: "Sit down." Reported: "The teacher told us to sit down."
- The pattern is tell plus person plus to plus base verb.
- Tell needs a person. "She told to wait" is incomplete; "She told me to wait" is correct.
- The infinitive does not change tense: told me to go works for any time frame.
Requests: asked plus person plus to
- Direct: "Please help me." Reported: "She asked me to help her."
- Ask can also report a question, but with an infinitive it reports a request.
- More formal reporting verbs fit the same pattern: request, beg, urge.
- The pronoun changes follow the usual logic: me becomes her when the speaker reports it.
Negative commands and requests
- Put not before to: "Do not be late" becomes "She told us not to be late."
- Never put not after to: "told us to not be late" is unnatural.
- The same negative pattern works with requests: "He asked me not to call after ten."
- With never, the form is never to plus the verb: "She told him never to return."
Other reporting verbs
- Warn takes the same shape: "The guard warned us not to touch the fence."
- Remind and advise also take person plus to: "He reminded me to bring a pen."
- Order and command belong to formal or military contexts: "The officer ordered them to stop."
- Suggest does not follow this pattern. Use suggest plus a gerund or suggest that plus a clause.
Say and tell
- Tell takes a person directly: tell me, tell the class, tell him.
- Say does not take a person this way: "He said me to go" is wrong.
- With say, report the command as a clause: "He said that I should go."
- When in doubt, use tell for orders and say for information.
Examples
- Close the door. — She told me to close the door.A direct command becomes told plus person plus to.
- Please wait outside. — He asked us to wait outside.A polite request becomes asked plus person plus to.
- Do not touch the wires. — The technician told us not to touch the wires.The negative goes before to.
- Could you send the file? — She asked me to send the file.A request with could keeps the request meaning in the report.
- Take an umbrella. — He advised me to take an umbrella.Advise follows the same person plus to pattern.
- Remember the keys. — She reminded me to take the keys.Remind reports a reminder as an instruction.
- Do not be late again. — The coach warned him not to be late again.Warn plus not to reports a warning.
- Stop the car. — The officer ordered them to stop the car.Order suits formal and official commands.
- Let us take a break. — She suggested taking a break.Suggest uses a gerund, not person plus to.
- He said, "I will call you." — He said he would call me.Say reports information in a clause, not as an infinitive command.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: She said me to wait. Right: She told me to wait.
- Say does not take a person plus to. Tell takes the person directly.
- Wrong: He told to close the door. Right: He told me to close the door.
- Tell needs a person between the verb and to.
- Wrong: She told us to not be late. Right: She told us not to be late.
- The negative of a reported command goes before to, not after it.
- Wrong: He asked me that I help him. Right: He asked me to help him.
- A reported request takes the infinitive pattern, not a that-clause.
- Wrong: She suggested me to take a break. Right: She suggested taking a break.
- Suggest does not follow the tell pattern. It takes a gerund or a that-clause.
Practice drill
Answer all 20 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
Close the door. — She ___ me to close the door.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. told A reported command takes told plus the person plus to, so told me to close is correct.
Please wait outside. — He ___ us to wait outside.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. asked A polite request is reported with asked plus the person plus to.
Do not touch the wires. — The technician told us ___ the wires.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. not to touch The negative of a reported command places not before to: not to touch.
Could you send the file? — She asked me ___ the file.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. to send A reported request uses the infinitive to send after asked me.
Take an umbrella. — He advised me ___ an umbrella.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. to take Advise follows the person plus to pattern in reported speech.
Remember the keys. — She reminded me ___ the keys.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. to take Remind reports the reminder with to plus the base verb.
Do not be late again. — The coach warned him ___ late again.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. not to be Warn plus not to reports the negative warning.
Stop the car. — The officer ordered them ___ the car.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. to stop Order takes the person plus to pattern for a formal command.
Let us take a break. — She suggested ___ a break.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. taking Suggest takes a gerund, not the reported command pattern of told plus person plus to.
He said, "I will call you." — He said he ___ call me.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. would Say reports information in a clause, and will backshifts to would.
Wait here. — They told me ___ there.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. to wait The reported command uses told plus person plus to wait.
Do not smoke here. — She asked us ___ here.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. not to smoke The negative request places not before to.
Could you open the window? — He asked me ___ the window.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. to open A reported request takes asked me to plus the base verb.
She said me to wait. Which sentence fixes the mistake?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. She told me to wait. Say does not take a person plus to, so the reported command uses told me to wait.
Finish your homework. — My mother told me ___ my homework.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. to finish The command becomes told me to finish, with the infinitive unchanged.
Do not forget your passport. — He reminded me ___ my passport.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. not to forget Remind with a negative reminder uses not to forget.
Please do not call after ten. — She asked me ___ after ten.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. not to call The reported request keeps the negative before to: not to call.
Clean your room. — He told me ___ my room.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. to clean A direct command is reported with told plus person plus to clean.
Can you help me? — She asked me ___ her.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. to help The reported request takes asked me to help.
Do not run in the corridor. — The teacher told the children ___ in the corridor.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. not to run A negative command in reported speech uses told plus person plus not to run.
Drill complete
You answered every question.
Next topic: Remember, stop, try: gerund or infinitiveTake the level test
Questions learners ask
What is the difference between "told me to go" and "asked me to go"?
Both report an instruction, but the force is different. Told reports a command: the speaker had the authority or the confidence to order it. Asked reports a request: the other person could refuse. Choose the verb that matches the original tone.
How do I report "Do not do that" politely?
Use asked with not to when the original speaker was polite: "She asked me not to do that." Use told with not to when the original was a clear command: "She told me not to do that." The verb you choose decides how strong the report sounds.
Can I report a command with "should"?
Yes. "He said that I should wait" reports a command as advice or a recommendation. It is common when you report your own words or when you want to avoid the directness of told me to. The infinitive pattern stays the standard form for commands.
More grammar topics
Remember, stop, try: gerund or infinitive
With these six verbs, the -ing form looks at the action itself, and to plus the verb looks at the purpose or the task still to do.
Used to, be used to and get used to
Used to plus the base verb looks at the past. Be used to and get used to take a noun or an -ing form and describe comfort with something.
Passive voice: present and past tenses
The passive always takes a form of be plus the past participle. The tense lives in be, and the doer moves behind by or disappears.
Take the free A1 to C2 level test to find your starting point.