Choose the most appropriate reported construction of the following sentence:
Ms Iqbal said to the delivery boy, “Please don’t ring the doorbell after nine at night.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Ms Iqbal requested the delivery boy not to ring the doorbell after nine at night.
Changing a negative request into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to the delivery boy | requested the delivery boy | The sentence begins with “Please”, so it is a request. “Said to” becomes “requested”. |
| To + verb | Please don’t ring | not to ring | “Please” and “don’t” are dropped. “Not” comes before “to” + verb: “not to ring”. |
| Full sentence | Ms Iqbal said to the delivery boy, “Please don’t ring the doorbell after nine at night.” | Ms Iqbal requested the delivery boy not to ring the doorbell after nine at night. |
An order without “please” takes “told” or “ordered”. Example: The coach said to us, “Don’t leave the field.” → The coach told us not to leave the field.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Ms Iqbal requested the delivery boy that he does not ring the doorbell after nine at night. — Incorrect. “That he does not ring” reports the request as a statement. A request is reported with “not to” + verb: “not to ring”.
Option 3: Ms Iqbal requested to the delivery boy not to ring the doorbell after nine at night. — Incorrect. “Requested to the delivery boy” is wrong. “Requested” takes the person straight after it: “requested the delivery boy”.
Option 4: Ms Iqbal requested the delivery boy not ringing the doorbell after nine at night. — Incorrect. “Not ringing” uses the -ing form. A request is reported with “not to” + verb: “not to ring”.