REPORTED SPEECH

AND
EMBEDDED  QUESTIONS
NAMES:
KATHERINE CAZCO
ESDRAS ENRIQUEZ
DAVID ULLOA
REPORTED SPEECH
• 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.

• Present simple ⇨ Past Simple

• I’m from Spain. ⇨ He said he was from Spain.
• I love speaking in English ⇨ She said she loved speaking in
English.
• I live in London. ⇨ He said he lived in London.
• Present Continuous ⇨ Past Continuous
• I’m resting on the sofa. ⇨ He said he was resting on the
sofa.
• You’re driving on the wrong side. ⇨ She said I was driving on
the wrong side.
• You’re working too hard. ⇨ She told me I was working too
hard.
• Present Perfect ⇨ Past Perfect
• I’ve bought a new cushion. ⇨ She said she had bought a
new cushion.
• I’ve swum with sharks. ⇨ She said she had swum with
sharks.
• I’ve swallowed my chewing gum. ⇨ He said he had swalloed
his chewing gum.
CAN ⇨ COULD

Can becomes could

•‘I can see you at 2.30,’ he added.

•He added that he could see me at 2.30.

• I can’t understand Scottish people. ⇨ She said she couldn’t understand

Scottish people.
• I can play the piano. ⇨ He said he could play the piano.
• I can cook for you. ⇨ He said he could cook for me.
 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
 EMBEDDED  QUESTIONS
insert/place inside 
We use embedded questions when we want to:​

*Place a question inside a sentence​

First, turn the question into an affirmative Sentence
Ex:​
• Where is the bank?.​
• I do’nt know.​
• Where the bank is.​
• I don’t know where the bank is
• ​
*Place a question inside another question.​
First, turn the question into an affirmative sentence​
Ex: ​
• What does she eat?.​
• Do you know?.​
• What she eats​
• Do you know what she eats?​
 FUTURE

Time direct speech indirect speech change

He promised they would be
will ‘We will be there,’ he promised. will becomes would
there.
shall usually becomes would
She said, ‘I shall need more She said she would need more
in reported
shall money.’ money.
questions, shall becomes shoul
‘Shall I open it?’ she asked. She asked if she should open it.
d
We're going to restore the They said they were going to Be + going to becomes Was /
Be + going to
tower. restore the tower. were + going to
She said, ‘You must pay by 30th She said we had to pay by 30th must (obligation) usually
April.’ April. becomes had to
must
‘It must be awful to live in such She said it must be awful to live must (speculation) does not
a noisy place,’ she said. in such a noisy place. change
1. Embedded Questions within Questions
Here are some examples of an embedded question within another question. For
patterns and uses, see the notes below the charts. We can use embedded
questions as part of other questions. This is sometimes called an indirect question
and is often used to be polite.
2. Embedded Questions within Statements
Here are some examples of an embedded question within an affirmative or negative sentence. Note
that we do not use a question mark for these statements even though they contain a question. We
can also use embedded questions as part of statements. The embedded question is a noun clause
and can be used in a similar way to a noun. For example, we can use it as the subject or the object of
the main clause.
 PAST
Time Direct speech Indirect speech Change

She said (that) she had liked ice

I liked ice cream.
cream
Verb in past Had + verb in past
Past Simple participle
She said (that) she had bought a
I bought a car
car

She said (that) she had been

I was walking along the street.
walking along the street.
To be in past + verb ing Had
Past continous been + verb ing
"We were living in Paris", they They told me that they had been
told me. living in Paris.

I had taken English lessons She said (that) she had taken
Past Perfect before English lessons before.
No change.
YES/NO QUESTIOS SPEECH

Yes/no questions expect yes or no as the answer. We use if or whether to report

yes/no questions.
• Direct: ‘Will you do this?’
Indirect: She asked me if I would do that.
• Direct: ‘Are you going to the market?’
Indirect: She asked me if I was going to the market.
• Direct: Will you help me?
Indirect: She asked me whether I would help her.
 Backshift changes
Direct Indirect Modal change
present simple → past simple will will becomes would
shall usually becomes would
present continuous → past continuous shall in reported questions, shall
becomes should
can can becomes could
present perfect simple → past perfect simple
may (possibility) becomes might
may may (permission) becomes
present perfect
continuous → past perfect continuous could

must (obligation) usually

past simple → past perfect simple becomes had to
must must (speculation) does not
past continuous → past perfect continuous change

future (will) → future-in-the-past (would) Could, should,

would, might, NO CHANGE
need
past perfect ↔ past perfect (no change)
GRACIAS