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
We were studying
• She said that they had been studying
FUTURE • CONDITIONAL
We will study • She said that they would study
List of Verb Changes
TENSE DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
She said that she played tennis with her
PRESENT SIMPLE I play tennis with my friends
friends
PRESENT I am playing tennis with my She said that she was playing tennis with
CONTINUOUS friends her friends
PRESENT PERFECT I have played tennis with my She said that she had played tennis with
SIMPLE friends her friends
PRESENT PERFECT I have been playing tennis She said that she had been playing tennis
CONTINUOUS with my friends with her friends
I played tennis with my She said that she had played tennis with
PAST SIMPLE
friends her friends
I were playing tennis with my She said that she had been playing tennis
PAST CONTINUOUS
friends with her friends
PAST PERFECT I had played tennis with my She said that she had played tennis with
SIMPLE friends her friends
PAST PERFECT I had been playing tennis She said that she had been playing tennis
CONTINUOUS with my friends with her friends
I will play tennis with my She said that they would play tennis with
FUTURE SIMPLE
friends her friends
Changes in Modals
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED 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 next
Tomorrow
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”:
He told her that she was right.
He told her she was right.
She said that He was right
She said he 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.-
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 (ordenar)
"Get out of the car!" said the policeman.
The policeman ordered her to get out of the car.
ASK (Pedir)
"Could you please be quiet," she said.
She asked me to be quiet.
WARN (advertir)
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 (Invitar),
BEG (Suplicar),
FORBID (Prohibir)
Suggestions:
We use a that-clause introduced by “suggest”.
'That' y '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.
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 (Tener esperanza)
"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 (Amenazar)
"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 (Jurar)
"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.
IF / THAT + THAT+
THAT + Object +
WHETHER sentence or sentence or
sentence infinitive
+ sentence infinitive should
ASK ANSWER CLAIM ADVISE ADVISE
REMEMBER BOAST PROMISE BEG ASK
SAY COMPLAIN THREATEN DEMAND BEG
DENY RECOMMEND INVITE
REPLY SUGGEST ORDER
SAY SHOUT
SUGGEST WARN
TELL
WARN
