Choose the most appropriate reported construction of the following sentence:
The examiner said to the candidates, “Don’t turn over the question paper before the bell.”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → The examiner told the candidates not to turn over the question paper before the bell.
Changing a negative order into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to the candidates | told the candidates | The examiner gives an order. So “said to” becomes “told”. |
| Not to + verb | Don’t turn | not to turn | “Don’t” is dropped. A negative order is reported with “not to” + verb. |
| Full sentence | The examiner said to the candidates, “Don’t turn over the question paper before the bell.” | The examiner told the candidates not to turn over the question paper before the bell. |
“Ordered” takes the person and “not to” + verb in the same way. Example: The guard said to us, “Don’t park near the gate.” → The guard ordered us not to park near the gate.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The examiner told the candidates don’t turn over the question paper before the bell. — Incorrect. “Don’t turn” keeps the spoken form. In the report it must be “not to turn”.
Option 2: The examiner told to the candidates not to turn over the question paper before the bell. — Incorrect. “Told” takes the person straight after it. The “to” before “the candidates” is wrong.
Option 4: The examiner told the candidates that not to turn over the question paper before the bell. — Incorrect. “That” cannot come before “not to” + verb. An order is joined with “not to” alone.