Reported Commands Worksheets and Exercises • 7ESL

Contents

Have you ever needed to tell someone what another person told you to do — without repeating their exact words? That’s what reported commands are for! Instead of quoting someone directly, we use verbs like told, asked, or ordered followed by to or not to plus the action.

In this collection of Reported Commands Worksheets, learners will get practical and fun exercises to help them master how to report both positive and negative commands clearly and correctly.

Reported Commands Worksheets

Rewrite the following direct commands as reported commands. Use reporting verbs like told, asked, or ordered as appropriate.

Answer key:

Mom told me to clean my room.
The teacher told us to open our books to page 10.
He asked me to sit down.
She told me not to be late.
Dad told me to turn off the TV.
The doctor told me to take the medicine twice a day.
The guard ordered me to stop right there.
My friend asked me to help with their homework.
The officer told me to show him my ID.
The librarian told us not to make noise.
The coach told us to run faster.
The manager told me to come to his office.

2. Rewrite the following direct negative commands as negative reported commands, using not to where appropriate.

Answer key:

Mom told me not to run in the house.
The teacher told us not to talk during the test.
He told me not to open the window.
She told me not to be rude.
Dad told me not to forget my homework.
The doctor told me not to skip my medicine.
She told me not to make that noise again.
He told me not to tell anyone his secret.
The librarian told us not to eat in the reading area.
He told me not to leave my bag unattended.
The manager told me not to use my phone at work.

Reported Commands Exercises

Exercise 1: Rewrite the Sentence

Direction:

Read each reported command and rewrite it as a direct command, using quotation marks and appropriate punctuation.

The teacher told the students to sit down.
She asked me to help her with the boxes.
Dad told me to turn off the lights before leaving.
The doctor told the patient to rest for a few days.
My mom told me to wash my hands before dinner.
He asked his friend to wait outside.
The police officer told them to stay in the car.
Our coach told us to run five more laps.
She told her son to do his homework.
The librarian asked the children to be quiet.

Answer Key:

#	Reported Command	Direct Command
1	The teacher told the students to sit down.	The teacher said, “Sit down.”
2	She asked me to help her with the boxes.	She said, “Help me with the boxes.”
3	Dad told me to turn off the lights before leaving.	Dad said, “Turn off the lights before leaving.”
4	The doctor told the patient to rest for a few days.	The doctor said, “Rest for a few days.”
5	My mom told me to wash my hands before dinner.	My mom said, “Wash your hands before dinner.”
6	He asked his friend to wait outside.	He said, “Wait outside.”
7	The police officer told them to stay in the car.	The police officer said, “Stay in the car.”
8	Our coach told us to run five more laps.	Our coach said, “Run five more laps.”
9	She told her son to do his homework.	She said, “Do your homework.”
10	The librarian asked the children to be quiet.	The librarian said, “Be quiet.”

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Direction:

Choose the correct reported command (a, b, c, or d) that best matches the direct speech.

She said, “Close the window.”
a) She told to close the window.
b) She said me to close the window.
c) She told me to close the window.
d) She asked me closing the window.
The teacher said, “Don’t be late.”
a) The teacher told us not to be late.
b) The teacher said us not to be late.
c) The teacher told us to not be late.
d) The teacher asked us be not late.
He said, “Help your sister.”
a) He said me to help my sister.
b) He told me helping my sister.
c) He told me to help my sister.
d) He asked me help my sister.
Dad said, “Turn off the lights.”
a) Dad told to turn off the lights.
b) Dad told me to turn off the lights.
c) Dad said me to turn off the lights.
d) Dad asked me turn off the lights.
She said, “Don’t forget your book.”
a) She told me not forget my book.
b) She said not to forget my book.
c) She told me to not forget my book.
d) She told me not to forget my book.

Answer Key

#	Correct Answer	Explanation
1	c) She told me to close the window.	Correct use of “told me to” structure.
2	a) The teacher told us not to be late.	Negative reported command uses “not to”.
3	c) He told me to help my sister.	Correct form for positive command.
4	b) Dad told me to turn off the lights.	Proper use of reporting verb + object + to-infinitive.
5	d) She told me not to forget my book.	Correct structure for negative reported command.

Exercise 3: Fill in the Blanks

Direction:

Complete each sentence with the correct reporting verb and verb structure (to or not to + base verb). Use words like told, asked, or ordered as needed.

The teacher __________ the students __________ open their books.
My mom __________ me __________ not touch the hot stove.
The police officer __________ us __________ show our IDs.
She __________ him __________ be quiet during the movie.
The guard __________ them __________ not enter the building.
He __________ me __________ help him carry the box.
The doctor __________ the patient __________ take the medicine daily.
They __________ the children __________ not run in the hallways.
Our coach __________ us __________ practice harder.
I __________ my friend __________ not be late for the interview.

Answer Key

#	Correct Sentence
1	The teacher told the students to open their books.
2	My mom told me not to touch the hot stove.
3	The police officer ordered us to show our IDs.
4	She told him to be quiet during the movie.
5	The guard ordered them not to enter the building.
6	He asked me to help him carry the box.
7	The doctor told the patient to take the medicine daily.
8	They told the children not to run in the hallways.
9	Our coach told us to practice harder.
10	I told my friend not to be late for the interview.

Exercise 4: Correct the Mistakes

Direction:

Each sentence below contains a mistake in reported command structure (verb tense, punctuation, reporting verb, or word order). Find and correct the error in each sentence.

She told to me to close the door.
The teacher said us to write our names.
He told me don’t forget my umbrella.
My mom asked me be careful on the road.
They told to not touch anything.
The doctor told take this pill before sleeping.
He said me to sit down quietly.
The librarian said not to make noise to us.
She asked to me to help her.
The officer told us that to stay in the car.

Answer Key: Corrected Sentences

#	Corrected Sentence
1	She told me to close the door.
2	The teacher told us to write our names.
3	He told me not to forget my umbrella.
4	My mom asked me to be careful on the road.
5	They told us not to touch anything.
6	The doctor told me to take this pill before sleeping.
7	He told me to sit down quietly.
8	The librarian told us not to make noise.
9	She asked me to help her.
10	The officer told us to stay in the car.

Learn more: Reported Commands and Requests in English

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Alma Webster

Alma Webster is an English teacher from England who has been teaching ESL since 2020. Passionate about language and culture, she loves traveling the world and currently lives in Thailand.