Optative Sentences-Direct & Indirect speech

Optative Sentence is that type of sentence that has a prayer, keen wish or curse, etc. Optative Sentences always start with “may” or “would” and ends with the Mark of Exclamation(!).              

Optative Sentences- Direct & Indirect Narration

To convert the Direct Narration of Optative Sentences into Indirect Narration, the following rules must be followed:

• If the Sentence of Reported Speech is started with the word “may”, then “said to” of the Reporting Speech must be replaced with the word “prayed”. And “may” is converted into the word “might” in Reported Speech.
• If the Sentence of Reported Speech is started with the word “would that”, then “said to” of the Reporting Speech must be replaced with the word “wished”.
• Word “that” is used to combine Reporting Speech and Reported Speech.
• Word arrangement must be the same as of Assertive Sentence.
• Mark of Exclamation is replaced with a full stop (.).

Pronouns, other words, and tenses can be changed by following the following rules:

• General Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech
• Pronouns Changing Rules
• Other Words Changing Rules
• Rule # 1, Rule # 2, and Rule # 3 of Changes in the Tenses

Optative Sentences that have Pray

If the Sentence of the Reported Speech is started with the word “may”, then such Sentence has the “pray”. To convert Direct Narration of such Optative Sentence “said to” of the Reporting Speech must be replaced with the word “prayed”. And “was/were/” are converted into “might” in Reported Speech. 

1. She said,” May my son pass the examination this year!”
   • She prayed that her son might pass the examination that year.
2. He said to them,” May you catch the train today!”
   • He prayed for them that they might catch the train that day.
3. We said,” May the police arrest the thieves!”
   • We prayed that the police might arrest the thieves.
4. They said,” May we do this paper to our satisfaction!”
   • They prayed that they might do that paper to their satisfaction.
5. Mother said,” May my son live long!”
   • The mother prayed that her son might live long.
6. He said to me,” May you succeed in life!”
   • He prayed for me that I might succeed in life.
7. She said to her sons,” May you return home quite safe and sound!”
   • She prayed for her sons that they might return home quite safe and sound.
8. The old man said,” May I be young once again!”
   • The old man prayed that he might be young once again.
9. He said to her,” May your husband recover very soon!”
   • He prayed that her husband might recover very soon.
10. They said to him,” May you be successful in this examination!”
    • They prayed for him that he might be successful in that examination.
11. The old lady said,” May Pakistan prosper by leaps and bounds!”
    • The old lady prayed that Pakistan might prosper by leaps and bounds.
12. The children said,” May our school be closed tomorrow for a week!”
    • The children prayed that their school might be closed the next day for a week.
13. She said,” May the rain stop before sunrise!”
    • She prayed that the rain might stop before sunrise.
14. They said,” May God save us from the hands of these cruel money lenders!”
    • They prayed that God might save them from the hands of those cruel moneylenders.
15. She said,” May my friend recover very soon from this illness!”
    • She prayed that her friend might recover very soon from that illness.
16. She said,” May my son return home quite safe and sound!”
    • She prayed that her son might return home quite safe and sound.
17. They said,” May every Muslim become a true follower of Islam!”
    • They prayed that every Muslim might become a true follower of Islam.
18. They said,” May our brethren in the Middle East overcome their difficulties very soon!”
    • They prayed that their brethren in the Middle East might overcome their difficulties very soon.
19. “May God bless you with a son!” said the old woman to Parveen.
    • The old woman prayed for Parveen that God might bless her with a son.
20. The beggar said to him,” May God bless you with a son!”
    • The beggar prayed for him that God might bless him with a son.
21. He said to them,” May you recover your stolen car today!”
    • He prayed that they might recover their stolen car that day.
22. She said,” May my brother live long!”
    • She prayed that her brother might live long.
23. We said with one voice,” May Pakistan prosper by leaps and bounds!”
    • We prayed with one voice that Pakistan might prosper by leaps and bounds.
24. He said,” May I pass the examination in the first division!”
    • He prayed that he might pass the examination in the first division.
25. She said,” May this train reach Karachi in time!”
    • She prayed that that train might reach Karachi in time.
26. “May we reach Mecca very soon!” said they.
    • They prayed that they might reach Mecca very soon.
27. He said,” May I catch this train today!”
    • He prayed that he might catch that train that day.
28. “May our examination be postponed!” said the boys.
    • The boys prayed that their examination might be postponed.
29. She said,” May it not rain today!”
    • She prayed that it might not rain that day.
30. They said,” May God forgive us our sins!”
    • They prayed that God might forgive them their sins.
31. I said,” May my mother reach Mecca quite safe and sound!”
    • I prayed that my mother might reach Mecca quite safely and sound.
32. She said,” May the police trace out my stolen car!”
    • She prayed that the police might trace her stolen car.
33. We said,” May Pakistan become a prosperous country!”
    • We prayed that Pakistan might become a prosperous country.
34. We said,” May God grant us victory over our enemies!”
    • We prayed that God might grant us victory over our enemies.
35. They said,” May God protect our village from this flood!”
    • They prayed that God might protect their village from that flood.
36. They said,” May we be able to pay up our debt this year!”
    • They prayed that they might be able to pay up their debt that year.
37. He said,” May God grant me the courage to bear this loss!”
    • He prayed that God might grant him the courage to bear that loss.
38. He said,” May my daughter be married to a perfect gentleman!”
    • He prayed that his daughter might be married to a perfect gentleman.
39. He said,” May my sons learn to lay by something against the rainy day!”
    • He prayed that his sons might learn to lay by something against the rainy day.
40. We said,” May our brother’s fever subside today!”
    • We prayed that our brother’s fever might subside that day.
41. She said,” May the judge sentenced the murderer of my son to death!”
    • She prayed that the judge might sentence the murderer of her son to death.

Optative Sentences that have Wished

If the Sentence of Reported Speech is started with the word “would”, then “said to” of the Reporting Speech must be replaced with the word “wished”. And “was/were” are converted into “had been” in Reported Speech.

1. Mother said to me,” Would that your father was here today!”
   • Mother wished that my father had been there that day.
2. The teacher said to the students,” Would that I was on leave today!”
   • The teacher wished that he had been on leave that day.
3. People said,” Would that the Quaid-i-Azam was alive these days to see our fate!”
   • People wished that the Quaid-i-Azam had been alive those days to see their fate.
4. The captain said,” Would that my team had won this match!”
   • The captain wished that his team had won this match.
5. He said,” Would that you had won the prize!”
   • He wished that you had won the prize.
6. He said,” Would that I was born in England!”
   • He wished that he had been born in England.
7. We said to him,” Would that you were with us during our visit to Swat!”
   • We wished that he had been with us during our visit to Swat.
8. He said,” Would that I was the only son of a very rich man!”
   • He wished that he had been the only son of a very rich man.
9. You said,” Would that my business had progressed leaps and bounds!”
   • You wished that your business had progressed leaps and bounds.
10. You said,” Would that I had not cast my vote in his favor!”
    • You wished that you had not cast your vote in his favor.
11. They said,” Would that we had stood by our friends through thick and thin!”
    • They wished that they had stood by their friends through thick and thin.
12. “Would that I was never born in this World!” said the poor young man.
    • The poor young man wished that he had never been born in that World.
13. They said,” Would that we had attended the funeral of that saint!”
    • They wished that they had attended the funeral of that saint.
14. They said,” Would that we had not failed to see this magic show!”
    • They wished that they had not failed to see that magic show.
15. The hunter said,” Would that I had shot down many birds today!”
    • The hunter wished that he had shot down many birds that day.
16. She said,” Would that I had not sent my son to the market!”
    • She wished that she had not sent her son to the market.
17. He said,” Would that I had studied my courses very thoroughly before taking the examination!”
    • He wished that he had studied his courses very thoroughly before taking the examination.
18. They said,” Would that we had not depended on guess papers for our success in the examination!”
    • They wished that they had not depended on guess papers for their success in the examination.
19. The naughty boy said,” Would that I had not climbed this tree today!”
    • The naughty boy wished that he had not climbed that tree that day.
20. My neighbor said,” Would that I have gone to Iraq with my mother!”
    • My neighbor wished that he had gone to Iraq with his mother.
21. She said,” Would that my parents had taught me the Holy Quran in my childhood!”
    • She wished that her parents had taught her the Holy Quran in her childhood.
22. The boys said,” Would that today have been a holiday!”
    • The boys wished that that day had been a holiday.
23. They said,” Would that we had not made a bargain with these people yesterday!”
    • They wished that they had not made a bargain with those people the previous day.
24. He said,” Would that I had not made this mistake!”
    • He wished that he had not made that mistake.
25. They said,” Would that we had not traveled by that ill-fated bus!”
    • They wished that they had not traveled by that ill-fated bus.
26. He said,” Would that I was born in the house of a big landlord!”
    • He wished that he had been born in the house of a big landlord.
27. We said,” Would that we were at home today!”
    • We wished that we had been at home that day.
28. They said,” Would that we had not bought this house!”
    • They wished that they had not bought that house.
29. You said,” Would that my name was on this list of prize winners!”
    • You wished that your name had been on that list of prize winners.
30. She said,” Would that I was the owner of this factory!”
    • She wished that she had been the owner of that factory.
31. He said,” Would that my application for leave was not rejected by the principal!”
    • He wished that his application for leave had not been rejected by the principal.
32. “Would that I was rich enough to help you in your distress!” said the old lady to them.
    • The old lady wished that she had been rich enough to help them in their distress.
33. She said,” Would that my uncle was alive today to attend the marriage of his son!”
    • She wished that her uncle had been alive that day to attend the marriage of his son.