Choose the most appropriate reported construction of the following sentence:
Mr Thomas said to the pharmacist, “Please write the dosage on the strip for me.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Mr Thomas requested the pharmacist to write the dosage on the strip for him.
Changing a request into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to the pharmacist | requested the pharmacist | The sentence begins with “Please”, so it is a request. “Said to” becomes “requested”. |
| To + verb | Please write | to write | “Please” is dropped, because “requested” already shows the politeness. The verb “write” takes “to” before it. |
| Pronoun change | me | him | The speaker is Mr Thomas, so “me” becomes “him”. The dosage is how much medicine to take and how often. |
| Full sentence | Mr Thomas said to the pharmacist, “Please write the dosage on the strip for me.” | Mr Thomas requested the pharmacist to write the dosage on the strip for him. |
An order without “please” takes “told” or “ordered” + to + verb. Example: The teacher said to Anu, “Shut the window.” → The teacher told Anu to shut the window.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Mr Thomas requested the pharmacist if he wrote the dosage on the strip for him. — Incorrect. “If he wrote” turns the request into a question about the past. After “requested” + person, a request takes to + verb: “to write”.
Option 3: Mr Thomas requested the pharmacist to write the dosage on the strip for me. — Incorrect. “Me” is not changed. The speaker is Mr Thomas, so it becomes “him”.
Option 4: Mr Thomas requested the pharmacist that write the dosage on the strip for him. — Incorrect. “That write” puts a bare order after “that”. After “requested” + person, the request takes to + verb: “to write”.