Reported Speech

DIRECT SPEECH
When you want to say what other person said before, you can use that person's own words:

Tom: "It's cold now".

Tom said: "It's cold now".

INDIRECT SPEECH
Or you can use indirect speech "reporting" what the other person said:

Tom: "It's cold now".

Tom said that it was cold.

TELL OR SAY?
We use tell if we want to mention the hearer, and this verb always need an Indirect Object.

He told her that he couldn't go.

TELL OR SAY?
We use say when we do not mention the hearer:
He said he wouldn't go.

We can mention the hearer adding "to":
He said to her that...

TELL OR SAY?
We don't have to add "that" after "tell" or "say" if we don't want to.
In formal texts it's better to keep it.

OTHER REPORTING VERBS
We can sue a clause with that with admit, advise, agree, insist, promise, remind, suggest and warn.

They are used like say and tell.

CHANGES
When we report someone's words, some changes take place:

Person

Time/place

Verbs tenses

CHANGES of PERSON
I ➪ he/she
my ➪ his/her
we ➪ they
ours ➪ theirs

CHANGES of PLACE

here ➪ there

CHANGES of TIME
now ➪ then
today ➪ that day
yesterday ➪ the day before
the previous day
tomorrow ➪ the next day
the following day

CHANGES of TIME
this week ➪ that week
last week ➪ the previous week
a year ago ➪ the year before

TENSE CHANGES
present simple ➪ past simple
He is tired ➪ He was tired

Present perfect ➪ Past perfect
He has eaten ➪ He had eaten

TENSE CHANGES
present continuous ➪ past continuous
He is playing ➪ He was playing

Future simple ➪ Conditional
He will go ➪ He would go

TENSE CHANGES
can ➪ could
he can play ➪ He could play

must ➪ had to
He must go ➪ He had to go

TENSE CHANGES
past simple ➪ past perfect
➪ past simple

He went ➪ he went
➪ he had gone

TENSE CHANGES
These modal verbs do not change:
could
should
might
ought to
would

TENSE CHANGES
We don't have to change the tense if the sentence refers to something general or that is still true:
I love playing cards; She said that she loves playing cards.

REPORTED QUESTIONS
We do not use auxiliaries in reported questions:
He wanted to know if I was coming with them.

REPORTED QUESTIONS
WORD ORDER:
The word order in reported questions is the same as in a positive sentence:
He asked me if I had some money.

WH- QUESTIONS
We can report questions with verbs like ask, wonder or want to know.

What's the time?
He wanted to know ➪
He asked ➪ what the time was.
He wondered ➪

YES/NO QUESTIONS
They are introduced by if or whether.

Are you happy?
She wanted to know if/whether I was happy.

ASKING FOR INFORMATION
To ask politely for information we can use a phrase like:

Could you tell me...?
Do you know...?
Have you any idea...?

REQUESTS AND ORDERS
We can use the structure tell/ask someone ot do something.

Go inside:
She asked me to go inside.
She told me to go inside.
Don't go inside:
She asked me not to go inside.
She told me not to go inside.

OFFERS, SUGGESTIONS AND MORE
We can use agreee, offer, promise, refuse and threaten with a to-infinitive:
I'll open the windows.
He offered to open the windows.

We can also use an object + to-infinitive after advise, invite, remind and warn.

Don't forget to bring the toys.
He reminded me to bring the toys.

We can use admit, apologize for, insist on and suggest followed by an -ing form .
You should play cards with us.
He insisted on playing cards.

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Reported Speech

by esuarezguillen

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Reported Speech

by esuarezguillen

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54 Embeds 4,679

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Reported Speech Presentation Transcript

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