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Reported Speech

The document discusses the differences between direct and reported speech. When changing direct speech to reported speech, pronouns, verbs, adverbs and other elements may need to be changed depending on various rules. The document provides examples and explanations of these rules.

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Laura Monteiro
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
10 views

Reported Speech

The document discusses the differences between direct and reported speech. When changing direct speech to reported speech, pronouns, verbs, adverbs and other elements may need to be changed depending on various rules. The document provides examples and explanations of these rules.

Uploaded by

Laura Monteiro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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When we want to quote somebody’s words or thoughts we can

do it in two ways.

 When we repeat exactly what  When we report but don’t use


the speaker says, we have the speaker’s exact words, we
DIRECT SPEECH. have REPORTED or INDIRECT
SPEECH.

Helen said: “I’m


Helen said that
going to take the
she was going to
car.”
take the car.

Reported Speech
When you change sentences from DIRECT into INDIRECT
SPEECH, some transformations are necessary:

 The pronouns change (possessive and demonstrative);


the possessive adjectives change;
 The adverbs change (time and pace);
The verb changes;
 The interrogative form changes;
 Some declarative verbs are necessary.

Reported Speech
PR Direct Speech Reported Speech
ON
OU I / you (subject) he / she (according to the sex of the speaker)
NS we / you (subject) they
me / you (object) him / her (according to the sex of the speaker)

us / you (object) them

my / your his / her


mine / yours his / hers
our / your their
ours / yours theirs

this / these that / those

Reported Speech
AD Direct Speech Reported Speech
VE
RB here there
S
today that day
tomorrow the following day / the next day
yesterday the day before
next week/month/year the following week/month/year
a year ago a year before / the previous year

Reported Speech
VE Direct Speech Reported Speech
RB
Present Simple Past Simple
S
He goes He went
Present Continuous Past Continuous

He is going He was going

Past Simple

He went

Present Perfect Past Perfect

He has gone He had gone

Past Perfect

He had gone

Reported Speech
VE Direct Speech Reported Speech
RB
S Past Continuous Past Continuous

He was going He was going


Future Conditional

He will go He would go

Imperative (orders, suggestions) Infinitive

Go away! to go away

Reported Speech
MO Direct Speech Reported Speech
DA
LS Can Could
may might

must (1) must (regulations / prohibition)

(2) had to (necessity / obligation)

Reported Speech
NOTE

 In some cases, words may disappear or be expressed in other ways:

“Yes, I suppose so. It’s difficult, isn’t it?”


He agreed saying it was difficult.

Tell or Say

We use tell if we want to say who we are talking to:


The boss told them they could leave early.

We use say when we do not mention the person we are speaking to:
The boss said they could leave early.

 Besides say, there are other reporting verbs that can and should be used:

state, order, suggest, remind, hope, threaten,


confess, warn, deny, insist, explain, etc.
Reported Speech
“Where is the
She asked where
nearest bus stop,
the nearest bus
please?”
stop was.

“Are you enjoying She asked him if he


yourself?” was enjoying
himself.

Reported Questions
Rules

 When the direct question has a question word – who, when, where,
how, what, why – it is repeated in reported speech.

 When the questions don’t include a question word if / whether is


used in reported speech.

Note

 Reported questions don’t have the same word order:


subject + verb
 The auxiliary verb “to do” is not used.
“Did you go to school today?”
She asked me whether I had gone to school that day.

Reported Questions

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