An imperative sentence expresses an order, a command or a request. Examples are given below.

Work hard.
Go away.
Help.
Stop it.

When we report an imperative sentence, we use a structure with ‘to’.

Study the examples given below.

The master said to his servant, ‘Get me something to drink.’ (Direct speech)

The master told his servant to get him something to drink. (Indirect speech)

‘Go away,’ the woman told them. (Direct speech)

The woman told them to go away. (Indirect speech)

If the imperative sentence is in the negative and begins with ‘don’t’ use ‘not to’.

‘Don’t make a noise,’ said the teacher to the students. (Direct speech)

The teacher told the students not to make a noise. (Indirect speech)

The doctor said to the patient, ‘Quit smoking.’ (Direct speech)

The doctor advised the patient to quit smoking. (Indirect speech)

‘Don’t park here,’ the policeman told to me. (Direct speech)

The policeman told me not to park there. (Indirect speech)

‘Be careful,’ I told him. (Direct speech)

I told him to be careful. (Indirect speech)

‘Wait here,’ he said to her. (Direct speech)

He told her to wait there. (Indirect speech)

The to-infinitive is also used to report promises.

‘I will write whenever I get time,’ the girl said. (Direct speech)

The girl promised to write whenever she got time. (Indirect speech)