Choose the correct indirect speech of the sentence:
He said to his brother, "Please stop playing loud music."
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
When a direct sentence makes a request (usually signaled by the word "Please"), follow these rules:
Reporting Verb: The phrase "said to" is changed to a word that reflects the tone of the request, such as "requested" or "asked."
Remove "Please": Since the reporting verb "requested" already conveys the polite nature of the sentence, the word "please" is removed.
Connector: For imperative sentences, we do not use "that." Instead, we use the word "to" followed by the base verb (an infinitive).
Direct: "...stop..."
Indirect: "...to stop..."
Tense: Unlike assertive sentences, the verb inside an infinitive ("to stop") does not change tense.