reported speech statements questions and imperatives

Reported Speech (Part 2) – Requests, Orders, and Questions

My colleague asked me to help him update his computer.

Read Reported Speech (Part 1) to learn how to make reported statements.

In Part 2, we will focus on requests, orders, and questions.

1. Requests/orders

• “Asked me to”  is used for requests.
• “Told me to” is stronger; it is used for orders/commands.
• The main verb stays in the infinitive: She asked me to make copies. He told me to go to the bank.

2. Yes/no questions

• “Asked if” and “wanted to know if” are equal.
• The main verb changes according to the rules for reported statements : “ Did you turn off the TV?” (past simple) She asked if I had turned off the TV (past perfect)
• We don’t use the auxiliary verbs “do/does/did” in the reported question.

3. Other questions

• “Asked”  and “wanted to know” are equal.
• We don’t use the auxiliary verb “do” or “does” in the reported question: “Where does he work?” She wanted to know where he works .
• In questions with the verb “to be,” the word order  changes in the reported question: “Where were you born?” (Question word + [to be] + subject) He asked where I was born (Question word + subject + [to be]) He asked where was I born

Reported Speech (Part 2) Quiz

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Reported Speech Imperatives

Reported speech imperatives differ in structure to other reported speech sentences.

Imperatives are:

• Commands: Keep quiet!
• Requests: Please close the window
• Advice: Go and lie down
• Suggestions: Take the test next year instead

This is the structure that we use:

Structure: reporting verb (e.g. ask, tell)   + noun/pronoun +  to infinitive 

Example: She asked me   to come  later

Here are some further examples using the imperative sentences above, showing them in direct speech and indirect speech.

Direct Speech:

• She said, "Keep quiet!"
• "Please close the window", the teacher said
• He told her, "Go and lie down"
• She said, "Take the test next year instead"

Reported Speech:

• She instructed me to keep quiet
• The teacher asked me to close the window
• He told her to go and lie down
• She advised them to take the test next year instead

Reporting Verbs for Imperatives

In normal reported speech, the common reporting verbs are said and told . For instance:

• She said she was tired
• He told me I should come tomorrow

There are many more, however, that are used with reported speech imperatives. Some are for orders while others are for polite requests.

Polite Request

Here are some more examples of reported speech imperatives using these verbs:

Polite Requests

• My doctor  advised  me to sleep more
• The government  urged  the people to use less water
• She asked me to join her on holiday
• They  reminded  us to put our seat belts on
• He  requested  the guests to vacate their rooms
• He begs her to stay
• John told his brother to change direction
• My boss  orders  me to work harder
• She instructed them to learn the alphabet
• The general  commanded his  soldiers to obey
• The sign  forbade  them to enter

Suggest / demand / insist as Reported Verbs

Suggest  / demand / insist can be used as reported verb for imperatives; however, they do not follow the same pattern as above. That is because the structure for using them is as follows:

• Suggest  /  demand / insis t  + that + someone

So this is how reported speech with these verbs will look:

• Direct Speech: She said, "Study harder to pass your test"
• Reported Speech: She suggested that I study harder to pass my test
• Direct Speech:  He said, "Take a taxi home"
• Reported Speech:  He insisted that we take a taxi home

You can't say:

• She suggested me to study harder X
• He insisted us to take a taxi home X

Negative Imperatives in Reported Speech

When we want to make an imperative reported speech sentence negative, we simply add in not before the ' to infinitive ': 

Negative Imperatives in Reported Speech

Structure: reporting verb  + noun/pronoun + not +  to infinitive 

Example: She advised me   not  to come late

Here are some examples of direct speech changed into indirect speech using negative imperatives.

• She said, "Don't keep talking!"
• "Please don't study too hard", the teacher said
• He told her, "Don't wait up for me"
• The doctor said, "Don't over eat" 
• She instructed us not to keep keep talking
• The teacher asked them  not to study to hard
• He urged me not to wait up for him
• The doctor advised me not to over eat

More on Reported Speech:

Reported Speech Quiz - Practice forming indirect speech

This reported speech quiz gives you the chance to practice converting direct speech to reported speech, also known as indirect speech. This involves backshifting with the tenses.

Reported Speech Tenses Chart: How to convert tenses

Reported speech tenses may differ from the tense of the direct speech. The general rule for tenses in reported speech is that it changes to the past tense. This is called backshifting.

Direct and Indirect Speech: The differences explained

Direct and indirect speech are different because in direct speech the exact words said are spoken, but in indirect or reported speech, we are reporting what was said, usually using the past tense.

Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech

In these examples of direct and indirect speech you are given a sentence in direct speech which is then connected to indirect speech.

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Reported Speech: Imperatives

Imperatives in reported speech are a little different than sentences. Imperatives can be used when we give orders and we can also use them to make requests.

For imperatives, we use “ask/tell somebody to do something”.

Compare these two sentences and how they are used in reported speech.

Statement: “It is good.”

Reported Speech: He said that it is good.

Imperative: “Come here.”

Reported Speech: She told me to come here.

So, we use “ask/tell + to + verb” to report a command or imperative.

• “Be quiet.” The teacher told the students to be quiet.
• “Sit down.” My boss told me to sit down.
• “Wake up early.” She told me to wake up early.
• “Please stop it.” He asked her to please stop it.
• “Bring it, please.” He asked her to bring it, please.

Note: Use “tell” for orders and use “ask” for polite requests.

For negative imperatives, we use “not to + verb”. However, you will often hear native speakers say “to + not + verb”.

• “Don’t do that.” She told me not to do that.
• “Do not talk.” She told us not to talk.
• “Please do not be late.” She asked me not to be late.
• “Don’t be noisy.” I told her not to be noisy.

Note: Did you see the difference with negative imperatives with adjectives? Look at the last two examples. We leave out the verb “do”.

Make sure that you understand this English grammar well. It is important to know if you want to speak English fluently.

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Reported Questions

Reported questions are one form of reported speech .

We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask":

• He asked (me) if / whether ... (YES/NO questions)
• He asked (me) why / when / where / what / how ... (question-word questions)

As with reported statements , we may need to change pronouns and tense (backshift) as well as time and place in reported questions.

But we also need to change the word order . After we report a question, it is no longer a question (and in writing there is no question mark). The word order is like that of a normal statement (subject-verb-object).

Reported YES/NO questions

We introduce reported YES/NO questions with ask + if :

Note that in the above example the reported question has no auxiliary "do". But there is pronoun change and backshift.

Note that we sometimes use "whether" instead of "if". The meaning is the same. "Whether" is a little more formal and more usual in writing:

• They asked us if we wanted lunch.
• They asked us whether we wanted lunch.

Reported question-word questions

We introduce reported question-word questions with ask + question word :

Note that in the above example the reported question has no auxiliary "do". But there is pronoun change and backshift.

• YES/NO questions: Do you want tea?
• Question Word questions: Where did you drink tea?
• Choice questions: Do you prefer tea or coffee?

Look at these example sentences:

Contributor: Josef Essberger

Questions in Reported Speech

For pronouns, tenses and place / time expressions see statements in reported speech.

Besides, note that instead of ‚that‘ you use the interrogative. If there is no interrogative, use ‚whether‘ / ‚if‘ .

It is also important that you use an indirect question in reported speech, i.e. after the interrogative or ‚whether‘ / ‚if‘ you continue the sentence as if it were a statement (subject-verb etc.). The auxiliary verb ‚do‘ is not used in indirect questions.

Exercises on reported speech

• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: statements

Do you know how to report what somebody else said? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said.

direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said. indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films. direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef. direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel. indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. worked ) than the tense originally used (e.g. work ). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns.

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.

'I travel a lot in my job.' Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job. 'The baby's sleeping!' He told me the baby was sleeping. 'I've hurt my leg.' She said she'd hurt her leg.

Past simple and past continuous

When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.

'We lived in China for five years.' She told me they'd lived in China for five years. 'It was raining all day.' He told me it had been raining all day.

Past perfect

The past perfect doesn't change.

'I'd tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.' He said he'd tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.

No backshift

If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense.

'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her. 'I'm working in Italy for the next six months.' He told me he's working in Italy for the next six months. Maybe I should visit him! 'I've broken my arm!' She said she's broken her arm, so she won't be at work this week.

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

'I enjoy working in my garden,' said Bob. Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden. 'We played tennis for our school,' said Alina. Alina told me they'd played tennis for their school.

However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don't change.

'I'm working on my thesis,' I said. I told her that I was working on my thesis. 'We want our jobs back!' we said. We said that we wanted our jobs back.

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

'This is my house.' He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.] He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.] 'We like it here.' She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.] She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.] 'I'm planning to do it today.' She told me she's planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.] She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]

In the same way, these changes to those , now changes to then , yesterday changes to the day before , tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before .

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 2

Language level

Hello Team. If the reporting verb is in the present perfect, do we have to backshift the tenses of the direct speech or not?    For example: He has said, "I bought a car yesterday."    

1- He has said that he bought a car yesterday.

2- He has said that he had bought a car the previous day.

• Log in or register to post comments

Hello Ahmed Imam,

It's not necessary to backshift the verb form if the situation being reported is still true. For example:

"I'm a doctor"

She told me she is a doctor. [she was a doctor when she said it and she is still doctor now]

She told me she was a doctor. [she was a doctor when she said it and may or may not still be a doctor now]

The reporting verb in your example would be 'said' rather than 'has said' as we are talking about a particular moment in the past. For the other verb both 'bought' and 'had bought' are possible without any change in meaning. In fact, when the verb is past in the original sentence we usually do not shift the verb form back.

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello again. Which one is correct? Why?

- He has said that he (will - would) travel to Cairo with his father.

The present perfect is a present form, so generally 'will' is the correct form.

In this case, assuming that the man said 'I will travel to Cairo', then 'will' is the correct form. But if the man said 'I would travel to Cairo if I had time to do it', then 'would' would be the correct form since it is part of a conditional statement.

I think you were asking about the first situation (the general one), though. Does that make sense?

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Thank you for the information. It states that If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. I wonder if it is still correct to change the tense in this example: 'London is in the UK', he said. to He said London was in the UK. Or  it has to be the present tense. 

Hello Wen1996,

Yes, your version of the sentence is also correct. In this case, the past tense refers to the time the speaker made this statement. But this doesn't mean the statement isn't also true now.

Good evening from Turkey.

Is the following example correct: Question: When did she watch the movie?

She asked me when she had watched the movie. or is it had she watched the movie. 

Do Subjects come before the verbs? Thank you. 

Hello muratt,

This is a reported question, not an actual question, as you can see from the fact that it has no question mark at the end. Therefore no inversion is needed and the normal subject-verb word order is maintained: ...she had watched... is correct.

You can read more about this here:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/reported-speech-questions

Thank you for your response.

Hello Sir, kindly help with the following sentence-

She said, "When I was a child I wasn't afraid of ghosts." 

Please tell me how to write this sentence in reported/ indirect speech.

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• Reported Speech (Imperatives) Quiz

Try this quiz to test your understanding of reported speech of imperative sentences.

Choose the best answers to complete the following sentences.

Download quiz with answers in printable PDF.

More resources on the Site:

Reported Speech (Statements) Quiz

Reported Speech (Questions) Quiz

Reported Speech

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Reported speech: indirect speech

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. In indirect speech , the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command.

Indirect speech: reporting statements

Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations:

The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane came in to land.’ )

I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. ( that -clause without that ) (or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday .)

Indirect speech: reporting questions

Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions.

Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a reported clause introduced by if or whether . If is more common than whether . The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She asked if [S] [V] I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’ )

The waiter asked whether [S] we [V] wanted a table near the window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window? )

He asked me if [S] [V] I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’ )

Questions: yes-no questions ( Are you feeling cold? )

Reporting wh -questions

Indirect reports of wh -questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a wh -word ( who, what, when, where, why, how ). We don’t use a question mark:

He asked me what I wanted.

Not: He asked me what I wanted?

The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She wanted to know who [S] we [V] had invited to the party.

Not: … who had we invited …

Who , whom and what

In indirect questions with who, whom and what , the wh- word may be the subject or the object of the reported clause:

I asked them who came to meet them at the airport. ( who is the subject of came ; original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’ )

He wondered what the repairs would cost. ( what is the object of cost ; original question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’ )

She asked us what [S] we [V] were doing . (original question: ‘What are you doing?’ )

Not: She asked us what were we doing?

When , where , why and how

We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when , where, why and how :

I asked her when [S] it [V] had happened (original question: ‘When did it happen?’ ).

Not: I asked her when had it happened?

I asked her where [S] the bus station [V] was . (original question: ‘Where is the bus station?’ )

Not: I asked her where was the bus station?

The teacher asked them how [S] they [V] wanted to do the activity . (original question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’ )

Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?

Questions: wh- questions

Indirect speech: reporting commands

Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a to -infinitive:

The General ordered the troops to advance . (original command: ‘Advance!’ )

The chairperson told him to sit down and to stop interrupting . (original command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’ )

We also use a to -infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn :

They advised me to wait till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should wait till the following day.’ )

The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not enter the area.’ )

Verbs followed by a to -infinitive

Indirect speech: present simple reporting verb

We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says or repeats:

Sheila says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.

Henry tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.

Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often repeats this statement.)

Newspaper headlines

We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more dramatic:

JUDGE TELLS REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM

PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM

Present simple ( I work )

Reported speech

Reported speech: direct speech

Indirect speech: past continuous reporting verb

In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell ). This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new topic in the conversation:

Rory was telling me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is that true?

Alex was saying that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the Internet.

‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the moment of speaking and the time of the report.

In these examples, the present ( am ) has become the past ( was ), the future ( will ) has become the future-in-the-past ( would ) and the past ( happened ) has become the past perfect ( had happened ). The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.

The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:

Modal verbs

Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.

We can use a perfect form with have + - ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:

He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ )

He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’ )

Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:

She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in Oxford.’ )

The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’ )

No backshift

We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:

He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)

She said she ’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)

He said he ’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)

She promised she ’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)

Indirect speech: changes to pronouns

Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.

Indirect speech: changes to adverbs and demonstratives

We often change demonstratives ( this, that ) and adverbs of time and place ( now, here, today , etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a different place.

Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

Indirect speech: typical errors.

The word order in indirect reports of wh- questions is the same as statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order:

She always asks me where [S] [V] I am going .

Not: She always asks me where am I going .

We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh- questions:

I asked him what he was doing.

Not: I asked him what he was doing?

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Reported imperatives exercises

Practise how to report orders, commands, polite requests in online exercises.

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Sentence & word composition

Reporting imperative sentences

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How can we report imperative mood? To transfer somebody’s order or request form direct to indirect speech, we use the expression “tell somebody to do something” or “ask somebody to do something” depending on the context. The exercises on this page will help you practise reported imperative. If you are only starting to study reported speech, we recommend to cover reported statements and questions first. The links are in the related topics block below.

Related topics

He said he'd come — Reported statements

I asked her where she lived — Reported questions

Reported speech

Imperative (Go there! Let’s go!)

Top 10 topics

Irregular verbs

Conditionals (If I knew, I'd tell you)

Get on, turn up... — Phrasal verbs

Modal verbs (can, must, should etc.)

Present perfect vs. Past simple

Present simple and continuous for the future, to be going to

Passive voice (I was told)

At 2 o'clock on Sunday — Prepositions of time

Reported Speech Exercise 3

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Reported Speech: Commands and Requests Practice Exercises

• Post last modified: 10 April 2022
• Post category: Grammar Exercises / School Grammar

Learn converting commands and request type Imperative sentences into Indirect Speech or narration. The solved exercises given below are here to do practice on these exercises. Attempt yourself first and then see the answers.

New exercises are added from time to time, so, keep coming here.

Narration: Commands and Requests

Q. change the following sentences into indirect speech..

• He said to his servant, “Leave the room at once”.
• He said to him, “Please wait here till I return.”
• Sara’s mother said to her, “Cook the food properly”.
• The teacher said to a student, “Don’t waste your time”.
• The police man shouted to the man, “Stop or I will shoot you”.
• My elder brother said to me, “Please post this letter for me”.
• I said to my brother, “Let us go to some hill station for a change”.
• The police officer said to a culprit, “Don’t try to be clever”.
• The judge said to the accused, “Hold your tongue”.
• He shouted, “Let me go.”
• She said, “Be quiet and listen to his words.”
• I said to my teacher, ” Pardon me sir”
• He ordered the servant to leave the room at once.
• He requested him to wait there till he returned.
• Sara’s mother ordered her to cook the food properly.
• The teacher ordered a student not to waste the time.
• The police man ordered the man to stop and threatened that otherwise he would shoot him.
• My elder brother requested me to post this letter for him.
• I suggested to my brother that we should go to some hill station for a change.
• The police officer ordered a culprit not to try to be clever.
• The judge ordered the accused to hold his tongue.
• He shouted to let him go.
• He urged them to be quiet and listen to his work.
• I respectfully begged my teacher to pardon me.

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• Indirect speech – reported speech
• Reported speech – indirect speech

Fact check on statements from IU, ISP: Snipers, external participants, free speech

After pro-Palestinian protesters were shoved with riot shields, handcuffed with zip ties and detained by state police Thursday and Saturday on the Indiana University Bloomington campus, dozens of people were arrested for refusing to take down tents erected in Dunn Meadow.

The Herald-Times fact checked some the statements from Indiana State Police and Indiana University representatives relating to protests on the Bloomington campus and the police response.

Does the First Amendment allow hate speech?

During an interview with an Indianapolis television news reporter, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said: “The First Amendment covers free speech, but not hateful speech.”

That statement is untrue.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791, states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

U.S. Supreme Court rulings through the years uphold the notion government can’t limit what a person says because of their viewpoint.

From a 1972 free speech case: “The freedoms of speech, press, petition and assembly guaranteed by the First Amendment must be accorded to the ideas we hate or sooner or later they will be denied to the ideas we cherish.”

There are three instances where hate speech doesn’t have First Amendment Protection: when the words lead to imminent lawless action, threaten serious injury to someone or cause an immediate threat to peace.

Indiana State Rep. Matt Pierce , a lawyer and Democrat who represents Bloomington, issued a statement on Saturday calling the university’s actions a betrayal to more than half a century of supporting student protesters. “It’s clear this alleged policy change was directly targeted at a specific protest with speech the university wished to suppress.”

Were there snipers on top of the Indiana Memorial Union?

Yes. ISP officers armed with rifles were in place on the roofs of campus buildings during the Gaza War protests in Dunn Meadow.

During a Monday interview on Indianapolis radio station WIBC’s Tony Katz Show, Carter confirmed what some protesters reported seeing.

The latest: Hundreds gather for IU faculty-led protest calling for Whitten, Shrivastav's resignations

The ISP head said armed officers were present in case “some of them (the protesters) that have been radicalized” might have set out to cause widespread harm “and the only way to have dealt with that would have been from above.”

When asked on Friday about the presence of snipers, Bloomington ISP spokesman Sgt. Kevin Getz said ISP personnel “were assigned to the roof to assist with observing Dunn Meadow.”

Has anyone arrested actually been charged?

Not yet. Fifty-six people – 33 on Thursday and 23 on Saturday - were arrested and taken to jail on preliminary charges of trespassing and resisting arrest. Will the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office file the misdemeanor charges formally in court?

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Kehr said no decisions on whether to file criminal charges have yet been made. “We are in the process of obtaining all of the reports and relevant recordings. We will examine everything that we receive to determine what, if any, charges are appropriate.”

Monday, Bloomington city council members sent a letter to IU officials denouncing the police presence and actions in Dunn Meadow.

“We demand that no criminal action be brought against peaceful protesters,” the letter said.

Were any injuries reported during the protests?

ISP Superintendent Carter said several ISP troopers sustained injuries, some while attempting to clear tents from Dunn Meadow. He said an officer was bitten.

One protester was charged with battery. An Indianapolis man was booked into the Monroe County Jail at 7:03 Thursday night on preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement, criminal trespass and battery as a felony for allegedly causing an unidentified injury to an ISP trooper. That charge also is under review by the prosecutor.

Was the Bloomington Police Department involved?

No. In the aftermath of the recent Dunn Meadow protests, Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson said she had instructed city police officers to stand down.

“The Bloomington Police Department has had no involvement in policing the protests, no involvement in the dismantling of the encampment, has made no arrests related to the protests and has my instruction not to be involved in these activities,” she said.

Capt. Ryan Pedigo, a spokesman for the department, confirmed the extent of BPD involvement was to erect barriers to close several city streets and direct traffic around the Dunn Meadow area.

Were there 'external participants' in the IU protests?

A few. Last Thursday, IU president Pamela Whitten and Provost Rahul Shrivastav said they requested ISP presence as a "law enforcement partner" because they expected a "high number of external participants."

That didn’t pan out. Police arrested 33 protesters Thursday; all but three had Bloomington addresses.

On Saturday came another 23 protest-related arrests. Of those, just three weren’t Bloomington residents.

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at [email protected] or 812-318-5967.

Watch CBS News

Biden says "order must prevail" on college campuses, but National Guard should not intervene in protests

By Kathryn Watson

Updated on: May 2, 2024 / 8:21 PM EDT / CBS News

President Biden on Thursday said "order must prevail" on college campuses, as some of the pro-Palestinian protests have turned violent, insisting it's his responsibility to protect the "rule of law" as much as freedom of expression. 

But Mr. Biden told reporters Thursday that "no," the National Guard should not intervene on college campuses. He also said the protests do not change his position and policies toward the war between Israel and Hamas. 

The president's brief remarks come as pro-Palestinian protests have been held at college campuses nationwide, resulting in police breaking up encampments at some schools and arrests. Over 100 people were arrested on Wednesday night at the University of California, Los Angeles, after hundreds of protesters defied police orders to leave and about 24 hours after  counter-protesters attacked the tent encampment on the campus .  The chaotic night at UCLA came after arrests in New York City at Columbia University and City College. Some institutions have canceled in-person commencement ceremonies due to the protests. 

"Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest," the president said from the White House's Roosevelt Room. "Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not a peaceful protest. It's against the law. Dissent is essential to democracy, but dissent must never lead to disorder or to denying the rights of others so students can finish the semester and their college education." 

The president said "dissent is essential to democracy," but that dissent must not turn into chaos and violence. 

"People have the right to get an education, the right to get a degree, the right to walk across a campus safely without fear of being attacked. Let's be clear about this as well — there should be no place on any campus, no place in America, for antisemitism or threats of violence against Jewish students," Mr. Biden said. 

The White House has insisted it's a small but vocal group of protesters who are responsible for any violence on campuses.

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.

More from CBS News

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Police break up UCLA protests; hundreds arrested on U.S. campuses

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Pro-Palestinian protests spread, get more heated as schools' reactions differ

Local election results: Labour and Tories now think Khan has won in London, amid 'wild' rumours; Cooper says party 'needs to reflect' on Gaza after council election results

The Tories suffer historic losses in the local elections, while Labour admit the party's stance on Gaza was "obviously" a factor in its failure to do even better. Meanwhile, both main parties now think Sadiq Khan has won a narrow victory in the London mayoral race, despite "wild rumours".

Friday 3 May 2024 21:23, UK

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• Labour and Tories now think Sadiq Khan to win narrowly in London - amid 'wild' rumours
• Labour shadow minister says 'we need to reflect' over Gaza stance 
• Labour wins mayoralty in PM's own backyard
• Relief for PM as Tory mayor clings on in key race
• But Sunak admits overall results are 'disappointing'
• Tories could be 'almost annihilated' at general election
• Starmer hails Labour wins - but admits Gaza cost him votes
• And party fears possible result to come in London mayoral contest
• Vote 2024: Council results in full  | Mayoral results as they happen  | Labour will fail to gain overall majority based on council election results - projection
• Live reporting by Katie Williams , Emily Mee , and (earlier) Andy Hayes and  Ben Bloch

In the days running up to the elections, Number 10 was verging on the unsubtle.

Senior Downing Street figures were conceding that should Ben Houchen lose the mayoralty of the Tees Valley Combined Authority to Labour, there would be a challenge to Rishi Sunak. At that point they would be unable to stem the tide of letters sufficient to trigger a vote of no confidence.

In turn, this might have triggered an unwanted and catastrophic early election.

This is unusual behaviour - for the prime minister's closest allies to be openly speculating on his survivability - yet it is a sign of the turbulence of politics of the moment.

There was method in their madness.

Read more from our deputy political editor Sam Coates below...

People in Grimsby - one of Sky News's general election Target Towns - have been offering their views on the current state of politics in the country.

Bex Wright, who owns a barbershop in the town, tells our news correspondent Tom Parmenter that people don't "have trust in the government", while customer Matt Tucker says voters are "fed up" after being promised big changes in 2019.

You can watch the full clip below, and read all of our Target Towns coverage here .

As reported here today, rumours have swirled since polls closed last night that Sadiq Khan may have suffered a shock defeat to Tory candidate Susan Hall.

However, Sky News correspondents understand that key figures in both parties now believe the Labour incumbent has secured a relatively narrow victory.

Deputy political editor Sam Coates   said Labour MPs were more confident this evening that Sadiq Khan has "squeaked" the election.

Figures close to Ms Hall earlier said she was in with a chance of being named winner when results are announced tomorrow, with the suggestion "rattling around" all day.

But, Sam says, there has been a "shift" in the wake of the turnout results being published (more on that in our 20.13 post).

"Both Labour and key Conservative MPs now do think Sadiq Khan will have squeaked it tomorrow," he says.

"There are a lot fewer jitters than there were a few hours ago."

Indeed, Labour sources are also suggesting to Sky News political correspondent Rob Powell that rumours of Sadiq Khan's potential defeat may be exaggerated.

One said the "the fundamentals are good" while acknowledging "no one can possibly know the outcome of the vote at this stage - the count is tomorrow".

Another insider said: "It will be tight, but I think some rumours are a little wild."

A Labour MP has said there is "no doubt at all" the party's stance on Gaza has made some voters switch away. 

Clive Betts said people in his constituency had told him "very clearly" this was the case.

In one of the wards in his Sheffield South East constituency, which is usually one of Labour's safest, an independent councillor was elected "solely on the issue of Gaza", he says. 

"People voted on the basis they were not happy with Labour, not happy with its position on Gaza," he says.

"A lot of that was mistaken that we haven't changed our position on Gaza, but once people take a view that we've got it wrong, it's very difficult to change their minds."

He says Labour must "make it clear what Israel is doing in Gaza now is unacceptable" and if in government it should take sanctions against Israel if necessary and recognise a Palestinian state. 

While it hasn't enjoyed any thumping victories, Reform UK has proved "one of the most consequential" aspects of the election results for the Conservatives, says our deputy political editor Sam Coates .

The party has turned from a "polling phenomena into something that clearly takes votes from the Tories", he says.

Sam says the vote in the Blackpool by-election, where the Reform candidate came just 117 votes behind the second-place Tory candidate, indicates Reform will "eat into seats" in the next general election.

He points to 2019, when Boris Johnson won a huge majority after persuading the Brexit Party - the forerunner to Reform UK - to stand aside in key seats. The Tories will likely put "enormous pressure" on Reform UK to do the same thing, Sam notes.

But as it stands, Richard Tice's party is planning to stand in nearly every single seat in Great Britain this year, he says.

"That's why Reform is a really big issue."

Now Sophy Ridge wants to know whether Reform UK's "missing ingredient" is Nigel Farage, and asks if he is expected to return to frontline politics.

Richard Tice says they are "very good friends" and that Mr Farage "has got a big decision to make". 

He says the "more help Nigel can give, the better" and there is "no 'I' in 'team'". 

Mr Tice says Mr Farage is "the most famous politician in the country". 

Asked whether the former UKIP leader would want to come back, Mr Tice says: "Let's wait and see."

Reform UK leader Richard Tice is next up on the programme, and says he is "delighted" by his party's election results. 

He says his party had its "strongest by-election result by some margin" and is starting to win council seats. 

But Sophy Ridge points out that UKIP had outpolled Reform UK at local elections, and yet still wasn't able to win a seat in Westminster. 

She argues Reform UK will not get the cut-through when it comes to the general election. 

Mr Tice says this is "completely wrong" and the Tories are "facing annihilation". 

"We have two forms of socialism in the two main parties - there's no difference between the two of them," he says. 

Sophy asks whether he believes Rishi Sunak is a socialist, and he says it is "literally the definition" of socialism to raise taxes and spending. 

Reform UK has picked up two seats in Havant, but has not won any councils. 

In the Blackpool South by-election, the party came close to the Conservatives - taking 16.8% of the vote and coming just 117 votes behind the second-placed Tory candidate.

Voter turnout figures for the London mayoral election - one of the most closely watched - have landed this evening. 

Some 40.5% of the capital's electorate headed to polling stations to cast their vote, according to data from London Elects. 

The figure is down 1.5% on the 2021 turnout. 

The election result will be announced on Saturday once votes have been counted in 14 constituencies.

The lower turnout has sent rumours swirling that the election could be tighter than it was thought, with opinion polls having indicated Sadiq Khan would secure re-election relatively comfortably.

Sophy Ridge wants to get the opinion of our Politics Hub panel, and former government special adviser James Starkie says he believes this vote will be a game-changer in a sense. 

"For the last four or five years, London has been considered a Labour city and impossible [for the Conservatives to win]," he says.

"My prediction would be, whatever the result, when we come out of it that will no longer be the case and it will be seen as at least winnable." 

Former Labour minister Caroline Flint says Mr Khan may have been impacted by the switch to first past the post. 

"In the past, the Labour candidate would have benefited from Greens, Liberals and others to the left voting their second preference for Labour," she says.

This might be a terrible set of results for the Conservatives, but it's not an unequivocally good night for Labour either, our elections analyst Professor Michael Thrasher says. 

Labour has lost some seats to independents, and the drop for the Conservatives is not fully reflected in Labour's rise, he says. 

Thrasher says local voters are becoming more "willing to engage with smaller parties" as well as with independents. 

He also points out the "enormity of the task facing Labour". 

"Starmer and his party require a swing larger than any seen in any post-war election just to win a majority of two seats," he says. 

Even Tony Blair did not achieve a swing of 12.7%, he says. 

"Labour still has not crossed the line, even on these results," he adds. 

It's more bad news for the Conservative Party as it loses control of two more councils.

Havant is now under no overall control after the Tories lost 17 seats there.

Labour gained seven seats and the Lib Dems gained five. It also marked the first seat gains of the local elections for Reform UK, which secured two.

The Conservatives have also lost Dudley to no overall control after a loss of 11 seats.

Seven more seats went to Labour, three to the Lib Dems and one to an independent candidate.

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