Reported Speech explanation

1. Reported Speech
2nd Year
Year 11
2016

2. What is reported speech?
When we report someone’s words we can do it in two
ways.
 We can use direct speech with quotation marks (“I work
in a bank”), or we can use reported speech (He said he
worked in a bank.)
In reported speech the tenses, word-order and pronouns
may be different from those in the original sentence.

3. How do we use reported speech?
Present simple tense Direct speech:
“I travel a lot in my job” Reported speech: He said
that he travelled a lot in his job.
The present simple tense (I travel) usually changes
to the past simple (he travelled) in reported speech.

4. Tense Direct Speech Reported Speech
Present simple “I like ice cream”
She said (that) she
liked ice cream.
Present continuous “I am living in London”
She said (that) she was
living in London.
Past simple “I bought a car”
She said (that) she had
bought a car OR She
said (that) she bought a
car.
Past continuous
“I was walking along
the street”
She said (that) she had
been walking along the
street.
Present perfect “I haven't seen Julie”
She said (that) she
hadn't seen Julie.
Past perfect
“I had taken English
lessons before”
She said (that) she had
taken English lessons
before.
Will “I'll see you later”
She said (that) she
would see me later.

5. REPORTED SPEECH
WITH COMMANDS:
•Affirmative commands
Father: "Do your homework.”
Father told me to do my homework.
•Negative commands
Teacher. "Don't talk to your neighbour.
The teacher told me not to talk to my neighbour.

6. Statements
1) If the introductory sentence starts in
the present (Susan says), there is no backshift
of tenses in Reported speech.
Example:
Susan: "I work in an office."
Reported speech:
Susan says (that) she works in an office

7. 2) If the introductory sentence starts in
the past (Susan said), there is often backshift of
tenses in Reported speech.
Example:
Susan: "I work in an office."
Susan said (that) she worked in an office.

8. Backshift of tenses
From To
Present Simple Past Simple
Past Simple Past Perfect
Present Perfect Past Perfect
Past Perfect Past Perfect
Will Would
Continuous forms
Am/are/is Was/were
Was/were Had been
Has been Had been
Had been Had been

9. If the sentence contains an
expression of time, you must
change it as well.
Peter: "I worked in the
garden yesterday.“
Peter said that he had worked in
the garden the day before.

10. Shifting/Conversion of
expressions of time
 This (evening) → that (evening)
 Today/this day → that day
 These (days) → those (days)
 Now → then
 (A week) ago → (a week) before
 Last weekend → the weekend before / the previous weekend

11. Here → there
Next (week) → the following
(week)
Tomorrow → the next/ following day

12. In some cases the backshift of tenses
is not necessary, e.g. when statements
are still true.
John: "My brother is at Leipzig
university.“
John said (that) his brother was at
Leipzig university. or
John said (that) his brother is at Leipzig
university.

13. REPORTING VERBS:
Add - admit - agree - announce
answer – claim – comment – complain
confirm – consider – deny – doubt –
estimate – explain – feel – insist – mention – observe
persuade – propose – remark
remember – repeat – reply – report
reveal – say – state – suggest – suppose
tell – think - understand

14. Reported Speech Exercises
1) Mary: “Jack, I can’t go to the party on Wednesday with you”.
Mary told _______________________________________________________
2) Susan: “I have some really important homework to do”
Susan explained that ________________________________________________
3) James: “But we have to go out some time soon”
James insisted that _________________________________________________
4) Mike: “I will go to the cinema with you next weekend”
Mike promised that __________________________________________________
5) I: “Call me this Friday to decide on the film”
I suggested that he/she ____________________________________________
6) Sally: “Yes, the best films are romantic comedies”
Sally agreed that ___________________________________________________
7) Henry: “I went to the Mall last Saturday”
Henry told me that _________________________________________________