Phenomenal English

Imperative sentences with let or Use of Let in Direct and Indirect

There are two types of imperative sentences of Let.

• Sentences of suggestion or proposal
• Sentences of permission

Sentences of Suggestion:-

Sentences showing suggestion or proposal are imperative sentences of let. In these sentences let takes 'us' and first form of verb after it.

Model Sentences

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
1. They said to me,"Let us decide the matter ourselves."	They proposed to me that they should decide the matter themselves.
2. Anwar told Kashif,"Let's go and see."	Anwar proposed to Kashif that they should go and see.
3. The visitors said to us,"Let's have a walk by the river side."	The visitors proposed to us that they should have a walk by the riverside.

Rules of Conversion:-  To convert these sentences into indirect narration following instructions must be observed.

• Change said into suggested or proposed according to the sense of sentence.
• Replace inverted commas with conjunction that.
• Change pronouns of reported speech according to rules stated in change of pronouns lesson.
• Change tense of reported speech with should plus first form of verb.
• Delete let from indirect speech.

How to prepare IELTS for 8+ bands

Exercise No.14

Change the voice.

• Shahbaz said to Omar,”Let us go to see a movie.”
• The boys said to me,”Let us play carom today.”
• He said,”Let us wait a few minutes and try again later.”
• Party workers said to the leader,”Let us do some favour to our supporters.”
• He said,”Let's go for a walk.”
• They said to us,”Let's go to school today.”
• The captain said,”Let's have a race and see who the fastest is.”
• Nasima said to the girls,”Let's go to school today.”
• Chief engineer said to workers,”Let's sketch out the entire work today.”
• Principal said to students,”Let's raise funds for the earthquake victims.”
• The little girls said to her mother,”Let us sleep a little more.”
• He said to the boys,”Let's go to the beach tomorrow.”
• People said,”Let us pray for the progress of pakistan.”
• Amir said,”Let us sing together.”
• He said to me,”Let us fight for the rights of women.”

Sentences of Permission:-

Sentences showing permission are imperative sentences of let. In these sentences let takes objective case of pronoun like 'me', 'him', 'her', 'them' etc and first form of verb after it.

Model Sentences

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
1. The beggar said to me,”Let me have a meal."	The beggar requested me to let him have a meal.
2. You said to me,”Do not let Akram come in."	You requested me not to let Akram come in.
3. Kamal said to jamal,”Let me say it again."	Kamal requested jamal to let him say it again.

Rules of Conversion:-  To convert these sentences into indirect narration following instructions must be observed.

• Change said into requested or said remains same in indirect speech.
• Replace inverted commas with to.
• Change pronouns of reported speech according to rules stated in change of pronouns lesson.
• Do not change tense of reported speech.
• Let will not be deleted from indirect speech.

How to prepare IELTS for 8+ bands

Exercise No.15

Change the voice.

• She said to her sister,"Let him complete his study first."
• The girl said,"Let them take two chocolates."
• Ali said to his teacher,"Let me go home early today."
• The manager said to his assistant,"Let the boys come in."
• Asslam said to Kareem,"Let him study hard so that he can top the class."
• He said to me,"Let him be smart but he cannot excel you."
• She said to me,"Let me buy some clothes for hanan and Rayan."
• He said,"Let me go."
• The police inspector said,"Let no one leave this room."
• She said,"Let the child go home."
• The child said to us,"Let him go home."
• The girl said,"Let me have another question to solve."
• The boy said to his father,"Let him play now."
• The little girl said to her mother,"Let me read story books before going to sleep."
• She said to her mother,"Let her wear new dress in the party."

Advanced Exercise

Change the voice.

• The woodcutter said to farmer,"Let me cut your tree from your garden with my axe with your permission and carry it to the timber market to get some money."
• "Let's work together to find a solution that benefits everyone, renders prosperity through the course of our lives and calms our minds," the mediator said to the two warring factions.
• "Let me explain my position more clearly," the politician said to the reporter, “to avoid a misquote and to save my political career and reputation from a serious dent.”
• "Let us not forget the sacrifices that have been made by our forefathers in their struggle to get us to where we are today," the general said to his troops, arousing them for the final push.
• "Let's take a moment to reflect on the beauty of nature around us, our inherent love towards it and its healing effect for human beings" the naturalist said to her group of students, leading them on a hike through the forest.
• "Let me help you in this troublesome situation by lending you a helping hand," the stranger said to the woman struggling to carry her groceries.
• "Let's not give up on our dreams, no matter how difficult things may seem and how much bumpy ride it would be." the motivational speaker said to her audience, inspiring them to persevere.
• "Let me be clear: I will not tolerate any further violence, mobbing my streets and damaging interests of my nation" the president said to the protestors, vowing to bring peace and stability.
• "Let us work together to create a more just and equitable society to bring justice to poor and down-trodden section of our society." the activist said to the crowd of protesters, calling for change.
• "Let's stop and smell the roses, see the beauty of mountains and appreciate the simple things in life," the poet said to her lover.
• "Let me tell you a story," said the old woman, "about a time when I was young and inquisitive. I with my head filled with thousands of questions wandered aimlessly in the search of their answers."