REPORTED SPEECH

When do we use it?

REPORTED SPEECH is used to tell what
someone said. Yet, we do not repeat all the
words exactly.
 REAL WORDS (direct speech):
Tom said: “We are going to the cinema this afternoon.”

 REPORTED SPEECH:
Tom said that they were going to the cinema that
afternoon.
 Changes

 Types of changes:
1. Verb Tenses
2. Time and place adverbial expressions
3. Logical change of pronouns

 EXAMPLE
 DIRECT: Mary said: “They are seeing me
tomorrow”
 REPORTED: Mary said that they were seeing her
the following day
 Verb Tenses
DIRECT SPEECH  REPORTED SPEECH
PRESENT  • PAST
 We study
• She said that they studied
 We are studying • She said that they were studying

PAST  • PAST PERFECT

 We studied • She said that they had studied
• She said that they had been
 We were studying studying

FUTURE • CONDITIONAL
 • She said that they would study
 We will study
 List of Verb Changes
TENSE DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
I play tennis with my She said that she played tennis with her
PRESENT SIMPLE
friends friends

PRESENT I am playing tennis with my She said that she was playing tennis
CONTINUOUS friends with her friends

PRESENT PERFECT I have played tennis with She said that she had played tennis
SIMPLE my friends with her friends

PRESENT PERFECT I have been playing tennis She said that she had been playing
CONTINUOUS with my friends tennis with her friends

I played tennis with my She said that she had played tennis
PAST SIMPLE
friends with her friends

I were playing tennis with She said that she had been playing
PAST CONTINUOUS
my friends tennis with her friends

I had played tennis with my She said that she had played tennis
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE
friends with her friends

PAST PERFECT I had been playing tennis She said that she had been playing
CONTINUOUS with my friends tennis with her friends

I will play tennis with my She said that they would play
FUTURE SIMPLE
friends tennis with her friends
 Changes in Modals

DIRECT REPORTED
SPEECH SPEECH
CAN COULD

MAY MIGHT

MUST / HAVE TO MUST / HAD TO

WILL WOULD
Time and Place Adverb Change
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
Now Then
Today That day
Tonight That night
Yesterday The previous day / the day before
Last week The previous week / the week before
A __________ ago The previous ______ / the _____ before
The following day / the day after / the
Tomorrow
next day
Next ___________ The following ________ / the _______ after
Here There
This That
These Those
 Reported statements
Pay attention to the changes mentioned
before.
'That‘ can be omited with “TELL & SAY”:
She told him that he was a fool.
She told him he was a fool.
She said that I was right
She said I was right
Remember not to use inverted commas.
Observe that when you use TELL, you must
mention “the person you’re speaking to”
John said: “Ann, I’m very happy.”
John told Ann that he was very happy.
Reported questions

Same changes as for statements.

In “REPORTED QUESTIONS” we do not have a

question structure, now we have a “statement”
 Suject + verb + complements
 Paul asked: “Are you coming to the party tonight, Jane?”
 Paul asked Jane if she was coming to the party that night.

 Types of questions:
1. YES/NO QUESTIONS: IF / WHETHER + SUJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENTS

Paul asked : "Do you play volleyball?"

Paul asked me whether (or if) I played volleyball.

2. WH- QUESTION : WH- + SUJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENTS

John asked: "When do you play badminton?"
John asked me when I played badminton.
 Reported commands
Same basic changes as statements

Basic introductory verb: TELL

The IMPERATIVE verbal form turns into

 TO + “INFINITIVE” (Affirmative)
 NOT + TO + “INFINITIVE” (Negative)

Examples.-
 “Come here” He told me  He told me to go there
 Father: "Do your homework!“  Father told me to do
my homework.
 Teacher. "Don't talk to your mate!"  The teacher told
me not to talk to my mate.
 Other verbs used for the IMPERATIVE:
ORDER
 "Get out of the car!" said the policeman.
 The policeman ordered him to get out of the car.

ASK
 "Could you please be quiet," she said.
 She asked me to be quiet.

WARN
 The man with the gun said to us, "Don't move!“
 The man with the gun warned us not to move.

 We can also use:

 INVITE
 BEG
 FORBID
 Suggestions
:
 We use a that-clause introduced by “suggest”.
 'That' and 'should' are optional in these cases:
She said: "Why don't you get a mechanic to look at the car?"
She suggested that I should get a mechanic to look at the car.
She suggested I get a mechanic to look at the car.

 Other verbs we can use:

 Insist
 "It would be a good idea to see the dentist", said my
mother.
 My mother insisted that I see the dentist
 Recommend
 The dentist said, "I think you should use a different toothbrush".
 The dentist recommended that I should use a different
toothbrush.

Notes:
Suggest can be followed by V-ing:
I suggested postponing the visit to the dentist.
HOPES, INTENTIONS, PROMISES

In these cases we would use a “reporting verb”

related to the meaning, followed by that-clause
o to-infinitive:
 "I'll pay you the money tomorrow.“
 He promised to pay me the money the next day.
 He promised that he would pay me the money the next day.

Other verbs that follow this structure:

 Hope
 "We should arrive in London before nightfall.“
 They hoped to arrive in London before nightfall.
 They hoped they would arrive in London before nightfall.
 Threaten
 "Give me the keys to the safe or I'll shoot you!”
 He threatened to shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to the safe.
 He threatened that he would shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to
the safe.
 Swear
 "I swear it! I'll be back by lunchtime.”
 He sweared to be back by lunchtime.
 He sweared that he would be back by lunchtime.
 Some reporting verbs.

THAT +
IF / THAT+
THAT + sentence Object +
WHETHER sentence
sentence or infinitive
+ sentence or should
infinitive
ASK ANSWE CLAIM ADVISE ADVISE
REMEM R PROMIS BEG ASK
BER BOAST E DEMAN BEG
SAY COMPL THREAT D INVITE
AIN EN RECOM ORDER
DENY MEN SHOUT
REPLY D WARN
SAY SUGGE
SUGGE ST
ST
TELL
WARN