REPORTED SPEECH : REPORTING REQUESTS AND OFFERS

REPORTED SPEECH : REPORTING REQUESTS AND OFFERS

1. Requests can be reported in various ways.

a. “Could I have” is normally reported by “ask for”:

“Could I have a cup of coffee?” she said.

She asked (me) for a cup of coffee.

b. “Could you” used for requests is reported by “ask + object

+ infinitive”:

“Could you shut that door, please?” he said.

She asked me to shut the door.

“Could you open the window please?”

Merriam asked me to open the window.

c. But when “Could you” introduces an ordinary question it is

reported as a “yes / no” question::

“Could you live entirely on you own?” he said.

He wanted to know / he wondered / he asked if I could live

entirely on my own.

d. “Would you”, “would you mind” and “will you” can be reported

either by “ask + object +infinitive”

or simply as ordinary questions:

“Would you mind waiting for me?”

He asked me to wait for him.”

OR

He asked if I would mind waiting for him.

“Would you mind turning the music down?”

We asked our neighbours to turn the music down.

OR

We asked our neighbours if they would mind turning the music down.

e. Requests introduced by an “infinitive” are reported by “ask

+ object + infinitive” or by “request + object +

infinitive” depending on the degree of the formality of the situation:

“Close the door, please,” he said

He asked me to close the door.

“Please, pass me the saltshaker,”

He asked me to pass the salt shaker.

“Please, be punctual at all my lectures,” the professor said

to his students.

The professor requested his students to be punctual at all his

lectures.


2. Offers can be reported in three main ways:

a. “offer + object (I O) + object (D O)”

“Would you like a drink?”

He offered me a drink,

b. “offer + infinitive + for + noun / pronoun”

“Shall I wait for you?”

He offered to wait for me.

c. “offer + infinitive + object + for + noun / pronoun”

“Can I carry the suitcases for you?” he said.

He offered to carry the suitcases for me.