Direct to Indirect Speech Transformation: Request Sentences

The question asks us to convert a sentence from direct speech to indirect speech. The given sentence is: “I said to Sharma, “Please give me your book”.”

This sentence in direct speech is an imperative sentence, specifically a request. It contains a reporting verb (“said to”) and the reported speech (“Please give me your book”).

Rules for Converting Request Sentences to Indirect Speech

When converting imperative sentences expressing a request from direct speech to indirect speech, we follow these general rules:

• The reporting verb like “said to” is changed to a verb that indicates a request, such as “requested”, “asked”, “begged”, etc. In this case, “requested” is the most appropriate.
• The conjunction “to” is used before the infinitive form of the verb in the reported speech.
• Words like “Please” or “Kindly” are removed as the verb “requested” already implies politeness.
• Pronouns are changed according to the rules of pronoun change in indirect speech, which depend on the subject and object of the reporting verb.
• Other changes related to time and place (like 'today' to 'that day', 'here' to 'there') are made if necessary, though none are needed in this specific sentence.

Applying the Rules to the Given Sentence

Let's apply the rules to the sentence “I said to Sharma, “Please give me your book”:

• The reporting verb “said to” changes to “requested”. So, “I said to Sharma” becomes “I requested Sharma”.
• The word “Please” is removed.
• The verb “give” is in the imperative mood. We add “to” before the infinitive form “give”. So, “give” becomes “to give”.
• The pronoun “me” is a first-person object pronoun. It refers to the speaker, “I”. In indirect speech, it remains “me”.
• The pronoun “your” is a second-person possessive pronoun. It refers to the person being spoken to, “Sharma”. Since Sharma is male, “your book” changes to “his book” in indirect speech.

Combining these changes, the indirect speech form of the sentence is “I requested Sharma to give me his book.”

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at the given options:

1. I request Sharma please give me your book.
   • The reporting verb “request” is in the present tense, but the original reporting verb “said” is in the past tense. It should be “requested”.
   • The word “please” is kept, which is incorrect when using “requested”.
   • The pronoun “your” is not changed according to the person spoken to (Sharma). It should be “his”.
   • This option is incorrect.
2. I requested Sharma to give me his book.
   • The reporting verb “requested” is correctly in the past tense.
   • The conjunction “to” is used with the infinitive “give”.
   • The pronoun “me” is correctly kept as it refers to the speaker “I”.
   • The pronoun “your” is correctly changed to “his” as it refers to Sharma (male).
   • This option correctly follows the rules of indirect speech for a request.
3. I requested Sharma to give your book.
   • The reporting verb “requested” and the use of “to give” are correct.
   • However, the pronoun “your” is not changed according to the person spoken to (Sharma). It should be “his”.
   • This option is incorrect.
4. I requested Sharma book.
   • This option is grammatically incomplete and incorrect. It misses the main verb “give” and the conjunction “to”.
   • This option is incorrect.

Based on the analysis, option 2 is the correct conversion of the given sentence into indirect speech.

Revision Table: Key Transformations

Additional Information on Reported Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is used to report what someone said without using their exact words. When changing from direct speech to indirect speech, several aspects of the sentence can change, including:

• Reporting Verb: The verb used to introduce the reported speech (e.g., say, tell, ask, request).
• Conjunction: A word or phrase used to connect the reporting clause to the reported clause (e.g., that, if, whether, to).
• Pronouns: First, second, and third-person pronouns are changed according to the subject and object of the reporting verb and the context of the conversation.
• Tense: The tense of the verb in the reported speech often changes (backs hifts) depending on the tense of the reporting verb. If the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense in the reported speech usually shifts one step back into the past (e.g., Present Simple → Past Simple, Present Continuous → Past Continuous, etc.). However, imperatives using 'to' + infinitive do not have tense shifts in this way.
• Time and Place References: Words referring to time (e.g., now → then, today → that day) and place (e.g., here → there) often change.

Mastering these rules is crucial for accurate direct and indirect speech transformations in English grammar.