Reported Speech
DIRECT SPEECH         When you want to say what another 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 needs 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 use 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   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 to 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  agree, offer, promise, refuse  and  threaten  with a to-infinitive: I'll open the windows. He offered to open the windows.
OFFERS, SUGGESTIONS AND MORE 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.
OFFERS, SUGGESTIONS AND MORE 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.

Reported Speech

  • 1.
  • 2.
    DIRECT SPEECH         Whenyou want to say what another person said before, you can use that person's own words:   Tom: "It'’s cold now". Tom said: "It'’s cold now".
  • 3.
    INDIRECT SPEECH  Oryou can use indirect speech "reporting" what the other person said:   Tom: "It's cold now". Tom said that it was cold.
  • 4.
    TELL OR SAY?We use tell if we want to mention the hearer, and this verb always needs an Indirect Object .   He told her that he couldn't go.
  • 5.
    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...
  • 6.
    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.
  • 7.
    OTHER REPORTING VERBSWe can use a clause with that with : admit, advise, agree, insist, promise, remind, suggest and warn.   They are used like say and tell.
  • 8.
    CHANGES When wereport someone's words, some changes take place:   Person   Time/place   Verbs tenses  
  • 9.
    CHANGES of PERSONI        ➪    he/she my    ➪    his/her we    ➪    they ours  ➪    theirs    
  • 10.
    CHANGES of PLACE         here        ➪        there    
  • 11.
    CHANGES of TIMEnow          ➪  then today        ➪  that day yesterday ➪  the day before                        the previous day tomorrow  ➪  the next day                        the following day    
  • 12.
    CHANGES of TIMEthis week   ➪  that week last week   ➪  the previous week a year ago ➪  the year before                        
  • 13.
    TENSE CHANGES presentsimple  ➪  past simple He is tired          ➪  He was tired   Present perfect ➪  Past perfect He has eaten    ➪  He had eaten                        
  • 14.
    TENSE CHANGES presentcontinuous ➪ past continuous He is playing     ➪  He was playing   Future simple    ➪  Conditional He will go           ➪  He would go                        
  • 15.
    TENSE CHANGES can                 ➪         could he can play      ➪  He could play   must                ➪  had to He must go     ➪  He had to go                        
  • 16.
    TENSE CHANGES pastsimple      ➪         past perfect                         ➪         past simple     He went           ➪  he went                         ➪  he had gone                        
  • 17.
    TENSE CHANGESThese modal verbs do not change: could should might ought to would    
  • 18.
    TENSE CHANGES Wedon'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.                         
  • 19.
    REPORTED QUESTIONS  We do not use auxiliaries in reported questions: He wanted to know if I was coming with them.  
  • 20.
    REPORTED QUESTIONS  We do not use auxiliaries in reported questions: He wanted to know if I was coming with them.  
  • 21.
    REPORTED QUESTIONS WORDORDER: The word order in reported questions is the same as in a positive sentence:  He asked me if I had some money.
  • 22.
    WH- QUESTIONS Wecan 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 ➪
  • 23.
    YES/NO QUESTIONS  They are introduced by if or whether.   Are you happy? She wanted to know if/whether I was happy. 
  • 24.
    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...?
  • 25.
    REQUESTS AND ORDERS  We can use the structure tell/ask someone to 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. 
  • 26.
    OFFERS, SUGGESTIONS ANDMORE We can use agree, offer, promise, refuse and threaten with a to-infinitive: I'll open the windows. He offered to open the windows.
  • 27.
    OFFERS, SUGGESTIONS ANDMORE 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.
  • 28.
    OFFERS, SUGGESTIONS ANDMORE 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.