Introduction to Indirect Speech designd by UVM Examples and exercises along with the teachings for this topic.

2. TOPIC 9: TALKING ABOUT
PEOPLE, REPORTING ABOUT
CONVERSATIONS

3. OBJECTIVE
Learn how to report previous conversations
using reported speech .

4. VOCABULARY
Look up in the dictionary the words that are new
for you .
soap opera
soap powder
engagement
bridesmaids
get over someone
to go ahead
talk something through with
somebody
to be worn out
to mess something up for
somebody
Sponsored
catch up
get somebody off one´s mind
wedding dress
mind your own business
look gorgeous
break up with someone
to spoil something
calm down

5. MORE FREQUENT QUESTIONS
1.- When must I use the reported speech?
You should use reported speech when you are
repeating almost literally what a person has told
you before.
There are two ways :To quote or to repeat the
words exactly as he /she said them (using
quotation marks “ ” ) or to use reported speech.

6. 2.- What are the rules I have to follow to use the reported
speech?
The rules are the following
1) Use the words said, replied, asked, answered,
commented, inquired, suggested, added, etc.
before repeating the words said by the person
reported.
2) Change the personal pronoun to a third person
(she, he, they) and the possessives to ( his, her,
them).
3) Change the verb tenses to their next past form.

7. 1) If it is a statement Use the word that
I love my wife
He said that he loved
his wife

8. 2) If it is a wh-question
Change the order and
say it as an affirmative
statement
He asked me where I
had found out that.
Where did you find
out that

9. 3) If it is a yes-no
question
Use if or whether to
repeat the words
Do you want to know the
name of my next movie ?
He asked me if I wanted
to know the name of his
next movie.

10. 4) If it is an affirmative
command
Use the word to
He asked me to put
that in the headlines
Put this in the
headlines.

11. 5) If it is a negative
command
Use the words not to
Don´t invent in your
report.
He asked me not to
invent in my report.

12. 3.- Is there another change that I have to make
when using reported speech?
Yes, you have to change the following words:
Reported speech
Here there
Today that day
Tomorrow the next / the following day
This that
These those
Yesterday the day before

13. LEARNING OBJECTIVE
If you need a more complete explanation about
Reported speech read the following
explanations and do the exercise.

14. Let’s say you and your friend, Rebecca, are
eating dinner at a restaurant on Saturday
night. Rebecca tells you all about her
boyfriend Joshua. She tells you what Joshua
told her on Friday. She can say it in two
ways.
The first way is called “quoted speech.”
Quoted speech is EXACTLY what the person
said.

15. Joshua said,
“I need to take
a taxi.”
Here is an example:

16. According to the above sentence, Joshua said
EXACTLY those words.
The other way of repeating what a person
says is called “reported speech.” Reported
speech is NOT EXACTLY what the person
said. It is like a summary or paraphrase of
what the speaker said. Take a look at the
following example:
Joshua said that he needed to take a taxi.

17. Quoted Speech
(EXACT)
Joshua said, "I love
eating chocolate ice
cream after dinner."
Here is another example:

18. Reported Speech
(NOT EXACT)
Joshua said that he
loved eating
chocolate ice cream
after dinner.
Here is another example:

19. How are quoted speech and reported speech
different?
1.Quoted speech has quotation marks; reported
speech does not use quotation marks.
2.In reported speech, the pronoun often
changes. For example, in the above sentence
with quoted speech the pronoun I is used,
whereas the sentence with reported speech
uses the pronoun he.
There are 5 things that are different:

20. 4. In reported speech, the word that is often
used after said, but that is optional.
5. Quoted speech is exactly what the person
said.
6. The verb in reported speech is changed to
the past; some modal verbs do not
change. There are rules to follow when
changing the verb. Please see the chart
below.

21. QUOTED SPEECH (EXACT)
REPORTED SPEECH (NOT EXACT)
"I cook rice
every day."
"I am cooking rice."
Jordan said that she
cooked rice every day.
Jordan said that she
was cooking rice.

22. Note:
The past tenses all use had + past participle.
"I cooked rice."
Jordan said that she
had cooked rice.
"I have cooked rice.”
Jordan said that she had
cooked rice.
"I had cooked rice."
Jordan said that she
had cooked rice

23. Note: These modals do not change
when used in reported speech.
"I should cook rice."
"I ought to cook rice."
"I might cook rice."
Jordan said that she
should cook rice.
Jordan said that she
ought to cook rice.
Jordan said that she might cook rice.

24. Note: When you use the words say, has said, or will
say (not said), the verb tense remains the same for
both the quoted speech and reported speech.
"I cook rice every day."
"I cook rice every day.”
"I cook rice every day."
Jordan says that she
cooks rice every day."
Jordan has said that she
cooks rice every day.“
Jordan will say that she cooks
rice every day."

25. Note: For commands, use the word told
instead of said, and use an infinitive for the
main verb.
"Cook rice."
Jordan told me to cook rice.

26. QUIZ
The following sentences use quoted speech.
Change the following sentences from quoted
speech to reported speech. Then see below to
get the answers and the explanations.

27. 1) James said, “I am watching TV.”
2) Professor Jones said, “I worked all day!”
3) The president said, “I will be visiting Italy in
December.”

28. 4) The weatherman announced, “It may rain
today.”
5) My father screamed, “I have to go to the airport,
now!”
6) Then my mother said, “I must take your father.”

29. 7) The psychologist said, “You should calm down.”
8) I responded, “I ought to leave the office.”
9.) Mark said, “I love visiting China and Korea.”

30. Answers
Answer: James said that he was watching TV.
Explanation: The only verb that changes here
is the verb am. The past tense of am is was.
Notice also that I becomes he which is the
appropriate pronoun referring to James.
Lastly, the that is always optional in reported
speech. You may use that if you want to, but
it is not necessary.
1.) James said, “I am watching TV.”

31. Answer: Professor Jones said he had
worked all day.
Explanation: The word worked is already
in the past. Therefore, you must put the
word in the past past which is called the
past perfect (in English grammar, the word
perfect means past). The past past (or
past perfect) of worked is had worked.
2.) Professor Jones said, “I worked all day!”

32. Answer: The president said that he would be
visiting Italy in December.
Explanation: This sentence has a modal—the
word will. Will is the word that changes: the
past tense of will is would.
Note: Some modals don’t change at all while
other modals completely change.
3.) The president said, “I will be visiting Italy
in December.”

33. Answer: The weatherman announced that it
might rain.
Explanation: Again, this sentence has a
modal—may. May is a modal that
completely changes. May becomes might.
4.) The weatherman announced, “It
may rain today.”

34. Answer: My father screamed that he had to
go to the airport.
Explanation: The verb here is have which
becomes had. Notice that you can use
words other than said, but NOT all words can
be used with reported speech. To learn
other words for say.
5.) My father screamed, “I have to go to
the airport, now!”

35. Answer: Then my mother said she had to take
my father.
Explanation: There is another modal in this
sentence which is must. Since must does NOT
have a past tense, just change must to had to.
Notice how your appropriately changes to my to
make the sentence logically correct. Your
changes to my because the son or daughter is
obviously talking about his or her father.
6.) Then my mother said, “I must take
your father.”

36. Explanation: Should has no past tense and
does NOT change.
Answer: The psychologist said that I
should calm down.
7.) The psychologist said, “You should calm down.

37. Answer: I responded that I ought to leave the
office.
Explanation: Ought to means should. Ought
to does NOT change.
8.) I responded, “I ought to leave the office.”

38. Answer: Mark said he loved visiting China
and Korea.
Explanation: The verb love simply is put in
the simple past tense which is loved.
9.) Mark said, “I love visiting China and Korea.”

39. PRACTICE
Exercise 1.- Do the exercises to practice the reported
speech visiting the following sites:
http://www. http://www.englisch-
hilfen.de/en/exercises/reported4.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/reported4.htm
http://odl.vwv.at/english/odlres/res8/Grammar/grammar_exercises/r
eported_speech/repspeech.htm
http://wwwedu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/rep
orted1.htm
http://wwwedu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/rep
orted2.htm

40. Exercise 2.- Do a
report of an
interview ( read or
listened by you on
the radio) of a
famous star using
reported speech and
send it to your
teacher.

41. Exercise 3.- Listen to the conversation and do a report
about what the woman and man are saying about a hotel
reservation using reported speech. Only repeat the most
important aspects of the conversation. Click where it says
play audio
http://www.esl-lab.com/hotel1/hotel1.htm