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N4

Giving Instructions with ように言う

Learn how ように言う reports instructions, requests, and advice that one person gives to another.

Understand how ように言う reports what someone told another person to do or not do.Form positive and negative instruction patterns with ように.Distinguish reported instructions from direct quotations with と言う.
Guided study

Core idea

Use plain form + ように言う to report an instruction, request, or piece of advice. It focuses on the content of the instruction, not the exact quoted words.

先生は私たちに宿題を出すように言いました。

The teacher told us to turn in the homework.

に marks the people receiving the instruction.

母は私に夜おそく帰らないように言いました。

My mother told me not to come home late at night.

ない-form + ように言う reports an instruction not to do something.

Practice guides for this lesson

Use these hub pages to connect this lesson with related reading practice and grammar paths.