Reported statements

2.  Look at these examples:
 The little prince: “I want a sheep that will
live for a long time.”
 The little prince said (that) he wanted a
sheep that would live for a long time.
 The author: “This is my airplane.”
 The author said that was his airplane.

3. When we report what someone said in the
past, we use reported speech.
In reported speech, we use the verb said or
told (me), and change some of the things that
the person actually said.
“I’m hungry,” the little prince said.
The little prince said he was hungry.

4. Tell is always followed by a direct object
The little prince told her that he was in love.
NOT: He told that he was in love.
Say is not followed by a direct object: say +
(that) + reported statement.
The little prince said that he was in love.
The little prince said to us he was in love.
NOT: He said us he was in love.

5. We can use the word that between said or told
(me) and the rest of the sentence, or we can
leave it out.
The little prince said that he didn’t want a ball.
OR The little prince said he didn’t want a ball.

6. Tense change
Direct speech Reported speech
o Present Simple Past Simple
o The little prince: “Everything is so small
where I live.”
o The little prince said that everything was
so small where he lived.

7.  Present Continuous Past Continuous
 The little prince: “I am telling you this
partly because of the snake.”
 The little prince said he was telling him that
partly because of the snake.
Tense change
Direct speech Reported speech

8. Tense change
Direct speech Reported speech
 Present Perfect Past Perfect
 “I’ve been silly,” she whispered at last.
 She whispered at last that she had been
silly.

9. Tense change
Direct speech Reported speech
 Past Simple Past Perfect
 “You are like the fox when I first
encountered him,” he told the roses.
 He told the roses they were like the fox
when he had first encountered him.

10. Tense change
Direct speech Reported speech
 Will Would
 The fox said: “You will then understand that
your rose is unique.”
 The fox told the little prince he would then
understand that his rose was unique.

11. Tense change
Direct speech Reported speech
 Must had to
 “You must keep your promise,” said the little
prince.
 The little prince told him he had to keep his
promise.

12. Tense change
Direct speech Reported speech
Can could
 The little prince said: “I cannot carry this
body with me.”
The little prince said he could not carry that
body with him.

13. Other changes
• now then
• yesterday the day before
• tomorrow the next day
• today that day
• ago before
• here there
 “I do not have to live here,” said the little
prince.
 The little prince said he did not have to live
there.

26. On the next link you will find a video exercise:
https://en.islcollective.com/video-
lessons/reported-speech-frozen-clip
Homework: exercises c, d, e, page 103