This document discusses direct and reported speech. It explains that direct speech uses quotation marks to report the exact words spoken, while reported speech does not use quotation marks and typically involves changing verb tenses, pronouns, and other elements when reporting what someone said. The document provides numerous examples of how direct statements, questions, requests and other utterances are changed when converting them to reported speech.

1. There are two ways of reporting what somebody says;
direct speech
indirect (or reported) speech.

2. I’m going home
Direct speechDirect speech
• She said, “I’m going home”.
February 25th March 4th
Reported speechReported speech
• She said (that) she was going home.

3. DIRECT
SPEECH
In direct
speech we use
the speaker’s
own words.
•In text we put speech marks or
inverted commas around the
words spoken
He said, “I don’t understand this
question”
•The words in the speech marks
must be separated from the rest
of the sentence by a comma.
Direct speech:
“I don’t understand this question,” he
said / said he

4. •take away the quotation marks
e.g ‘Some students are talking,’ said the teacher.
 The teacher said (that) some students were talking.
• change the tense
e.g ‘I am very happy today,’ said Susanna.
 Susanna said (that) she was very happy that day.

5. •Pronouns
She said, “I don’t want to go”
She said that she didn’t want to go”
• Other words: adverbs
 Peter said, “I’m seeing the doctor tomorrow”.
Peter said (that) he was seeing the doctor the following
day.

6. Changes: verb tenses
Direct speech Reported speech
Present simple Past simple
‘I like peaches’. He said he liked peaches.
Present continuous Past continuous
‘Is it raining?’ He asked if it was raining.
Past simple Past simple / Past Perfect
‘I didn’t recognize you’. She explained that she
hadn’t recognized /didn’t
recognize me.
Past continuous Past continuous or past
perfect continuous
‘I was joking about the price.’ He said he was joking (Or:
had been joking) about the
price.

7. More changes: verb tenses
Direct speech Reported speech
•Past perfect Past perfect
‘I hadn’t seen her before that day.’ You said you hadn’t seen
her before that day.
• shall / will should / would
‘We’ll be late.’ I told him we’d be late.
• can, may could, might
‘I can swim.’ She thought she could swim.
• must must or had to
‘I must go.’ He said he must / had to go.

8. When we turn affirmative or negative
statements in direct speech into reported
speech, we must take away the inverted
commas and make any necessary changes in
verb tenses, pronouns and adverbs. Verb
tense changes are not necessary if the
reporting verb is not in a past tense.
“This is not my book,” He says
He says that is not his book.

9. Changes in pronouns:
• I/you he/she
•We/you They
•Me/you him/her
• Us/you them
•My/your his/her
• our/your their
•Mine/yours theirs
e.g ‘I am very happy today,’ said Susanna.
 Susanna said (that) she was very happy that day.

10. Changes in adverbs:
• here there
•now then, at the time
•today that day
• yesterday the day before / the previous day
• tomorrow the next / following day
• this week that week
• last week the week before, the previous week
• an hour ago an hour before / earlier

11. Say or tell
Tell
Daniel told me (that) he was ready.
Say
Daniel said (that) he was ready.
+ indirect object
The indirect object is not mentioned
**But you can “say something to somebody”:
Ann said goodbye to me and left. (not “Ann said me
goodbye.”)
What did you say to the police?

12. SOME EXAMPLES OF REPORTED STATEMENTS
‘ I work in an office,’ John says.
John says that he works in an office.
‘We are very happy here’ say My parents.
My parents say that they are very happy there.
‘You can speak English very well,’ my teacher will say.
My teacher will say that I can speak English very well.
‘you can’t dance very well,” she is telling me.
She is telling me that I can’t dance very well.

13. ‘Andrew is working,’ Jessica said.
Jessica said (that) Andrew was working.
‘I’ve fixed the shelves,’ John tells Susan.
John tells Susan (that) he has fixed the shelves.
‘My money had run out,’ said Daniel.
Daniel said his money had run out.
‘You can sit over here,’ the steward said.
The steward said we could sit over there.
.

14. When we report a question, we have to:
•Take away the question mark and write a final full stop.
•Change the order of words.
•Change the verb tense
•Change the pronouns
•Change the adverbs if necessary.
e.g. ‘How many people are there in your family?’ Tony
asked Ray
 Tony asked Ray how many people there were in his
family.

15. Two kinds of questions
1. Yes / No questions
He wanted to know if / whether I was leaving.
‘Are you leaving?’ he said.
s vaux
aux s v

16. 2. Wh-questions
‘Where is the President staying?’ the reporter said.
Wh-word aux s v
The reporter asked where the President was staying.
Wh-word s aux v

17. SOME EXAMPLES OF REPORTED QUESTIONS
1)‘Is John at home?’
They asked if John was at home.
1)‘Does David go to the cinema often?’ she wanted to know
She wanted to know if David went to the cinema often.
1)‘Does it rain a lot in London?’ he said
He asked if it rained a lot in London.
1)‘Why did you go out last night?’ my mother said
My mother asked why I had gone out the previous night.

18. SOME EXAMPLES OF REPORTED QUESTION
5)‘Who was that beautiful woman?’ asked my wife
My wife asked who that beautiful woman had been/was.
6) ‘What are you going to do at the weekend?’
They asked what we were going to do at the weekend.
7) Have you studied reported speech before?’
They asked if we had studied reported speech before.

19. • COMMANDS
• ADVICE
• OFFERS
• REMIND
• APOLOGIES AND COMPLAINTS
• SUGGESTIONS

20. We change the imperative form into an infinitive.
We use a reporting verb that expresses command
like tell or order.
Don’t forget to include the indirect object
Direct speech Imperative ‘Stop speaking in class’
Reported speech Tell+ infinitive She told me to stop
speaking in class.
Direct speech Negative
imperative
‘don’t eat in class!’ the
teacher said
Reported speech Tell+ negative
imperative
The teacher told us not to
eat in class.

21. •In this case we use the verbs advise + object + infinitive.
For example:
- “You should study harder if you want to pass the test”
She advised me to study harder if I wanted to pass the test”
•In negative sentences we use “not” in front of the infinitive
For example:
- "Don´t be late tomorrow" she advised me.
She advised me not to be late the following day.

22. Sometimes a questions is not a question, but something
else.
•Will/would + like + ? = offer
“would you like a cup of tea?” She said
She offered me a cup of tea
•Ask + indirect object / infinitive = request/beg
Could you show me your passport, please?” he said
He asked me to show him my passport.
“Can you open the door, please?” She said
She asked him to open the door.

23. Structure:
Remind +Sb (somebody) +to –inf
Example:
Jack: "Hey, Bill. Don't forget to mail this letter today!"
Jack reminded Bill to mail that letter that day

24. Verbs: advise, ask, beg, command, encourage, entreat, forbid,
implore, invite, order, remind, request, urge, warn, threaten,
promise, refuse,
Structure:
Remind +Sb (somebody) +to –inf
Example:
“go on, apply for the job,” he said
He encouraged me to apply for the job

25. Estructure: Suggest/recommend + Gerund / noun /
Pronoun or “that”clause
Suggestions can be expressed by:
- Let’s…?
- Why don’t we…?
- Shall we…?
- Why not….?
Examples:
"Let´s go out" Peter said to me. (Direct speech)
-Peter suggested going out. (Reported speech)
- Peter suggested that we go out. (Reported
speech)

26. We use “apologize” in reported speech when we apologize and
“complain” to complain about something.
For example:
Karen: "I am very sorry for having insulted you in that way“
She apologized to her friend for having insulted her.
“This milkshake is too sweet!”, she said
She complained about the milkshake
She complained that the milkshake was too sweet.

27. ”If I were you, I’d stop taking tranquilizers,” I said
I advised him to stop taking tranquilizers.
“Sorry, I didn't want to be late," He said
He apologized for being late.
"The food is horrible," he said
He complained the food was horrible.
“Please, don’t take any risks,” said his wife.
His wife begged him not to take any risks.
 Don’t forget to order the wine,” said he.
He reminded me to order the wine.
“Eat much because you are very thin,” my friend told me
My friend advised me to eat much because I was very thin.
““Let’s stop now” Mary suggested
Mary suggested stopping then.

28.  He said, “lie down, Tom”
He told Tom to lie down.
”You had better not leave the car unlocked,” the police
officer said.
The police officer advised me not to leave the car unlocked.
 “Be careful crossing roads,” she said.
She advised me to be careful crossing roads.
”Would you like to have lunch with me on Sunday?”, he
asked.
He invited me to have lunch with him on Sunday.
”Could you translate this for me, please?” I asked my
friend.
I asked my friend to translate that for me

29. Tom suggested his girlfriend climbing to the top.
“Shall we climb to the top?” Tom asked his girlfriend.
“Let’s climb to the top”
Tom invited Ann to come for a drive the following day.
“Would you like to go for a drive tomorrow, Ann?” Tom
asked.
She promised to be a quick as she could.
“I will be as quick as I can,” she promised.
She told John not to be ridiculous.
“Don’t be so ridiculous, John!”
He asked where she was going.
“Where are you going?” He said.
He asked me if I knew Bill.
“Do you know Bill?” He said.
The travel agent wanted to know whether I would go by air or
sea.
“Will you go by air or sea?” the travel agent said.

30. The teachers said,
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