A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech. Mother said, “Don't touch the stove.”
Mother said not to touch the stove.
The reported sentence is a negative imperative (a command: "Don't touch"). In indirect speech, a negative command is reported with not + to-infinitive, and "do not/don't" is removed.
So the indirect form is "Mother said not to touch the stove." (A more formal version would be "Mother told me/us not to touch the stove".)
"Mother said do not touch the stove" keeps the imperative form unchanged. "Mother told that don't touch the stove" wrongly uses "that" with an imperative. "Mother told not to touching the stove" uses "to touching" instead of the infinitive "to touch".
Hence, the indirect speech is "Mother said not to touch the stove."
Similar Questions
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Important Questions from Direct and Indirect Speech
Direction : Choose the option that is in the indirect form of the sentence.
He said to his boss, "I had completed my task before the end of the day."
Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
The manager said to the staff, “Please work with dedication. You will be paid overtime whenever you work late.”
Identify the direction narration of the given sentence.
Rahul said, "What a pleasant surprise!"
Directions: Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
The lion asked the lioness, "Where will you hide yourself, until I return?”
Select the correct indirect narration of the given sentence.
Sushant said to the elderly lady, “Madam, you can take my place and stand here in the queue.”
