Choose the correct reported construction(s) of the given sentence:
The nurse said to Mr Khan, “Please wait here for ten minutes, and don’t open the door of the X-ray room.”
(A) The nurse requested Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and not to open the door of the X-ray room.
(B) The nurse asked Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and not to open the door of the X-ray room.
(C) The nurse requested to Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and not to open the door of the X-ray room.
(D) The nurse requested Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and told him not to open the door of the X-ray room.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (B) and (D) only
Changing a request and a negative order into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to Mr Khan | requested (A, D) / asked (B) Mr Khan | “Please” shows a polite request. So “said to” becomes “requested” or “asked”, and “please” is dropped. |
| To + verb | wait | to wait | A request is reported with “to” + verb. So “wait” becomes “to wait”. |
| Not to + verb | don’t open | not to open (A, B) / told him not to open (D) | “Don’t” is dropped. The second part becomes “not to” + verb. It can also take its own reporting verb: “told him not to open”. |
| Place word | here | there | The words are reported later, away from the hospital. So “here” becomes “there”. |
| Full sentence | The nurse said to Mr Khan, “Please wait here for ten minutes, and don’t open the door of the X-ray room.” | (A) The nurse requested Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and not to open the door of the X-ray room. (B) The nurse asked Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and not to open the door of the X-ray room. (D) The nurse requested Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and told him not to open the door of the X-ray room. |
A request with “kindly” is reported in the same way. Example: The clerk said to me, “Kindly sign the form.” → The clerk requested me to sign the form.
(A) The nurse requested Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and not to open the door of the X-ray room. — Correct.
- “Requested ... to wait” reports the request.
- “Not to open” reports the order, and “here” becomes “there”.
(B) The nurse asked Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and not to open the door of the X-ray room. — Correct.
- “Asked ... to wait” also reports a polite request.
- The other changes are the same as in (A).
(C) The nurse requested to Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and not to open the door of the X-ray room. — Incorrect.
- “Requested” takes the person straight after it.
- The “to” before “Mr Khan” is wrong.
- Correct form: The nurse requested Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and not to open the door of the X-ray room.
(D) The nurse requested Mr Khan to wait there for ten minutes and told him not to open the door of the X-ray room. — Correct.
- The second part has its own reporting verb, “told him not to open”.
- This is also right.