Unit 4: Indigenous Knowledge: Grammar: Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
Unit 4: Indigenous Knowledge: Grammar: Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
Unit 4:
Indigenous Knowledge
Part II Grammar: Reported Speech [Indirect Speech]
INTRODUCTION
It's Friday afternoon. David is at Tom's flat. Tom has decided to have a party for all his friends.
A few minutes later Nick has arrived at the flat. Now David is reporting what Tom said. So instead of
Tom's words I'm having, David says he's having.
The next day David is talking to Harriet. Now David is in a different place from where Tom first told him
about the party. So instead of here, he says at his flat. And a day has passed since he first heard about it. It
is now the day of the party. So instead of tomorrow evening, David says this evening.
There are two ways of reciting what a person has said: direct and reported.
A. Direct Speech
In direct speech we repeat the original speaker’s exact words:
He said, “I have lost my umbrella”.
Remarks thus repeated are placed between inverted commas/quotation marks [ “…”], and a comma [,] or colon [:] is placed before the remark.
B. Reported Speech
In reported speech we give the exact meaning of what was said, - without necessarily using the speaker’s exact words:
He said (that) he had lost his umbrella.
C. Tell or Say? [Introductory/Reporting Verbs]
1. Tell and Say with direct speech
Say can introduce a statement or follow it:
Tom said, “I’ve just heard the news”. (introduces a statement) or
“I’ve just heard the news,” Tom said. (Follows the statement)
Inversion of say and noun subject is possible when say follows the statement: Tom said into said Tom
“I’ve just heard the news,” said Tom.
Tell requires the person addressed: Tell me. He told us. I’ll tell Tom.
Inversion is not possible with tell.
2. Tell and Say with reported speech
We usually introduce reported statements with "reporting verbs" by say, or tell + object:
He said (that) he’d just heard the news.
He told me (that) he’d just heard the news.
Tell and Say TELL SOMEBODY SAY SOMEBODY
If you say who somebody is talking to, use tell = if you want to mention the hearer (the person spoken to);
Daniel tells me he's ready. (INCORRECT: Daniel says me he's ready.)
Sonia told me that you were in hospital. (INCORRECT: Sonia said me that you were in hospital.)
Otherwise use say = when you do not mention the hearer (the person spoken to)
Daniel says he's ready. (INCORRECT: Daniel tells he's ready.)
Sonia said that you were in hospital, (INCORRECT: Sonia told that you were in hospital.)
After tell, we usually say who is told.
She told me that she would be late. (INCORRECT: She told that she would be late.)
Say is most often used without a personal object.
She said that she would be late. (INCORRECT: She said me that she would be late.)
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Communicative English Language Skills II (EnLa 1012) Course Outline, Grammar Notes & Exercises
HOWEVER THAT If we want to put a personal object after say, we use to. [‘say + to + personal object’]
I say to all the people of this great country …. (INCORRECT: I say all the people of this great country ….)
Tell and ask somebody to do something
We also use the infinitive (to do / to be etc.) in reported speech, especially with tell and ask (for orders and requests):
Direct “Drink plenty of water,” the doctor said to me.
Reported The doctor told me to drink plenty of water.
Direct “Don't be late,” I said to Joe.
Reported I told Joe not to be late.
Direct “Can you help me, please,” Jackie said to me.
Reported Jackie asked me to help her.
HANNA I
My parents are fine. Hanna said that her parents were fine.
I'm going to learn to drive. She said that she was going to learn to drive.
I want to buy a car. She said that she wanted to buy a car.
John has a new job. She said that John had a new job.
I can't come to the party on She said that she couldn't come to the
Friday. party on Friday.
I don't have much free time. She said she didn't have much free time,
I'm going away for a few days. She said that she was going away for a
I'll phone you when I get back. few days and would phone me when
she got back.
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Communicative English Language Skills II (EnLa 1012) Course Outline, Grammar Notes & Exercises
It is not always necessary to change the verb in reported speech. If the situation is still the same, you do not need to change the verb to the past. For
example:
direct Paul said ‘My new job is boring.'
reported Paul said that his new job is boring. [The situation is still the same. His job is still boring now.]
direct Helen said ‘I want to go to Canada next year.'
reported Helen told me that she wants to go to Canada next year. [Helen still wants to go to Canada next year.]
But if the situation has changed or finished, you must use a past verb:
Paul left the room suddenly. He said he had to go. (not has to go)
You need to use a past form when there is a difference between what was said and what is really true.
FOR EXAMPLE:
You met Sonia a few days ago. Have you heard? Hi, Joe. Sonia said
She said: Joe is in hospital. Joe is in hospital. you were in hospital.
SONIA I
Later that day you meet Joe in the street. You say:
Hi, Joe. I didn’t expect to see you. Sonia said you were in hospital.
(INCORRECT: ‘Sonia said you are in hospital', because clearly he is not)
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Communicative English Language Skills II (EnLa 1012) Course Outline, Grammar Notes & Exercises
Sometimes a noun must be inserted to avoid ambiguity: Tom said, ‘He came in through the window’ would not normally be reported
Tom said he had come in through the window as this might imply that Tom himself had come in this way: but if we use a noun there can
be no confusion:
Tom said that the man/burglar/cat etc. had come in through the window.
Pronoun changes may affect the verb:
He says, “I know her”. He says he knows her.
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Communicative English Language Skills II (EnLa 1012) Course Outline, Grammar Notes & Exercises
“I saw her the day before yesterday,” he said He said he’d seen her two days before.
“I’ll do it tomorrow,” he promised He promised that he would do it the next day.
“I’m starting the day after tomorrow, mother,” he said He told his mother that he was starting in two days’ time.
She said, “My father died a year ago” She said that her father had died a year before/the previous year.
B. But if the speech is made and reported on the same day, these time changes are not necessary.
At breakfast this morning he said, “I’ll be very busy today”. At breakfast this morning he said that he would be very busy today.
Questions in reported speech
Reported questions are one form of reported speech. We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask". Likewise, statements, we may
need to change pronouns, tense, time and place in reported questions, but we need to change the word order. After we report a question, it is no
longer be a question, and in writing there is no question mark. The word order is like a normal statement (subject-verb-object).
Direct question: He said, “Where is she going?”
Reported question: He asked where she was going.
A. When we turn direct questions into reported speech, the following changes are necessary. Tenses, pronouns and possessive adjectives, and
adverbs of time and place change as in statements.
The interrogative (do, does, did) form of the verb changes to the affirmative form. The question mark (?) is therefore omitted in reported
questions:
He said, “Where does she live?” He asked where she lived. OR
She said, “Do you like coffee?” She asked if (whether) I liked coffee.
NOTE: from the above sentences, the auxiliary do/does is not happened in reported speech.
B. If the introductory verb is say, it must be changed to a verb of inquiry, e.g. ask, inquire, wonder, want to know etc.:
He said, “Where is the station?” He asked where the station was.
Ask, inquire, wonder can also be used in direct speech. They are then usually placed at the end of the sentence:
“Where is the station?” he inquired.
C. WH-QUESTIONS
We can report questions with verbs like ask, wonder or want to know. Look first at these WH-QUESTIONS.
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Communicative English Language Skills II (EnLa 1012) Course Outline, Grammar Notes & Exercises
1. Normally we can use either ‘if’ or ‘whether’, when reporting YES/NO questions; ‘if’ is the more usual:
“Do you know Bill?” he said He asked if/whether I knew Bill.
“Did you see the accident?” the policeman asked. The policeman asked if/whether I had seen the accident.
2. whether can emphasize that a choice has to be made:
“Do you want to go by air or sea?” the travel agent asked. The travel agent asked whether I wanted to go by air or by sea.
3. Note whether or not:
“Do you want to insure your luggage or not?” he asked He asked whether or not I wanted to insure my luggage OR He asked
if I wanted to insure my luggage or not.
4. whether is neater if the question contains a conditional clause as otherwise there would be two ifs:
“If you get the job will you move to York?” Bill asked Bill asked whether, if I got the job, I’d move to York.
5. Word Order
In a reported question the subject comes before the verb, as in a statement.
Guy asked Melissa when she started acting. INCORRECT: Guy asked (Melissa) when did she start acting.
Someone was wondering if the taxi has arrived yet. INCORRECT: Someone was wondering if has the taxi arrived yet.
SUMMARY NOTES:
When we speak of something that has not changed (that is still true) or of something in the future, we don’t need to change t he verb tense.
EXAMPLES:
“I have missed the train but I will catch the next one,” he says. He says he has missed the train but he'll catch the next one.
“I’m 30 years old,” she said. She said she is 30 years old.
Dave said, “Kelly is sick.” Dave said Kelly is sick.
“We are going to Tokyo next week,” they said. They said they are going to Tokyo the following week.
There is no comma after say in Reported Speech. The word “that” can usually be omitted after say and tell + object. But it should be kept after
other verbs: complain, explain, object, point out, protest etc.
In reported speech we often change the actual words, e.g. “I am tired” He was tired. That is:- I He AND am was.
In reporting we use verbs such as announce, answer, explain, mention, promise, reply, say, suggest, tell, warn. The most common of these are
say and tell.
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Communicative English Language Skills II (EnLa 1012) Course Outline, Grammar Notes & Exercises
EXERCISES
EXERCISE 1. Reported Speech /Tell or say?/
Direction 1: Put in tell or say: Direction 2: Put in tell/told or say/said:
EXAMPLES: All the experts say the earth is getting warmer. EXAMPLE: What did he tell you to do?
Did you tell Sarah how to find our house?
1. The Sales Manager is going to ............ everyone about the 1. Anna ………… goodbye to me and left.
meeting. 2. ………… us about your holiday. Did you have a nice time?
2. Vicky, why don't you just ………… what the matter is? 3. Don’t just stand there! ………… something!
3. They ………… they're going to build a new Disney
4. I wonder where Sue is. She ……… she would be here at 8 o’clock.
World here.
4. What did Natasha ………… about her holiday plans? 5. Dan ………… me that he was bored with his job.
5. Could you ………… me the way to the train station, 6. The doctor ………… that I should rest for at least a week.
please? 7. Gary couldn’t help me. He ………… me to ask Chris.
6. The company should ………… its employees what's 8. Gary couldn’t help me. He ………… to ask Chris.
going on. 9. Don’t ………anybody what I ……… It’s a secret just between us.
7. You shouldn't …………lies, you know, Matthew. 10. ‘Did Kate ……you what happened?’ ‘No, she didn’t ……anything to me.
8. Did you …………anything to Melanie about the
11. Jack ………… to me that he wanted to see you.
barbecue?
9. I didn’t ………… the teacher why I was late. 12. I ……… him not to speak on the phone for too long.
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Communicative English Language Skills II (EnLa 1012) Course Outline, Grammar Notes & Exercises
EXERCISE 8. Mixed Reported Speech EXERCISE 1 (Statements, Questions, Requests and Orders)
Direction: Change the direct speech into reported speech. Choose the past simple of ‘ask’, ‘say’ or ‘tell’:
1. “Don’t do it!” She ______________________________________________________________
2. “I’m leaving tomorrow” She ______________________________________________________________
3. “Please get me a cup of tea” She ______________________________________________________________
4. “She got married last year” She ______________________________________________________________
5. “Be quick!” She ______________________________________________________________
6. “Could you explain number four, please?” She ______________________________________________________________
7. “Where do you live?” She ______________________________________________________________
8. “We went to the cinema and then to a Chinese restaurant” She ______________________________________________________________
9. “I’ll come and help you at twelve” She ______________________________________________________________
10. “What are you doing tomorrow?” She ______________________________________________________________
11. “Don’t go!” She ______________________________________________________________
12. “Do you work in London?” She ______________________________________________________________
13. “Could you tell me where the post office is?” She ______________________________________________________________
14. “Come here!” She ______________________________________________________________
15. “I’ve never been to Wales” She ______________________________________________________________
16. “Have you ever seen ‘Lord of the Rings’?” She ______________________________________________________________
17. “I don't like mushrooms” She ______________________________________________________________
18. “Don't be silly!” She ______________________________________________________________
19. “Would you mind waiting a moment please?” She ______________________________________________________________
20. “How often do you play sport?” She ______________________________________________________________
EXERCISE 9. Mixed Reported Speech EXERCISE 2 (Statements, Questions, Requests and Orders)
Direction: Change the direct speech into reported speech. Choose the past simple of ‘ask’, ‘say’ or ‘tell’:
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