3. •Indirect speech (also called
reported speech) is a report of
what somebody has said that does
not use their exact words.
EX:
She said she
liked ice cream.
4. Grammar in action:
1. Indirect speech is often used by
reporters on the media:
Ex: Yesterday evening,
film stars Nelson Faulkes
and Amy Skelp told our
reporter that they were
going to married next
week.
5. 2. We often use indirect speech to
tell someone else what we have
heard in a talk or speech.
Ex: The lecturer said
that global warming
would be the main issue
in mid-century politics.
6. •Indirect speech is used to tell
someone about something you
have read.
Ex: In his Times
column, Wilson said
that At Gloaming was
the best film he had
seen for a long time.
7. 3. We often use indirect speech when
we gossip with friends, family and
colleagues:
Ex: That guy in HR said he didn’t like
the new manager at all, but I think she’s
ok.
8.
9. 1. Reported statements with the
reporting verb in the present:
Ex: “I have eaten the apple.”
She says that
she has eaten the
apple.
10. •The reporting verb is often in the
present when:
What does
mother say?
She says you
must come in
now.
12. 3. Reporting what someone
often says.
Ex: She’s always
telling me how rich
she is.
13. 2. Reported statements with tense
changes:
A. Common indirect speech forms:
Ex: “I am going to the cinema", he
said.
He said he was
going to the cinema.
15. She said, "It is cold."
She said it was cold.
Present simple Past simple
16. She said, "I taught
online yesterday."
She said she had taught online
the day before.
Past simple Past perfect
17. She said, "The lesson
had already started
when he arrived."
She said the lesson had already
started when he arrived.
Past perfect Past perfect
18. Direct speech Indirect speech
Present simple
Present continuous
Present perfect
Present perfect continuous
Past simple
Past continuous
Past perfect
Past perfect continuous
Past simple
Past continuous
Past perfect
Past perfect
continuous
Past perfect
Past perfect continuous
Past perfect
Past perfect continuous
19. Modal verb forms also sometimes change:
Ex: She said, "I can teach English
online."
She said she could teach
English online.
can could
20. Modal verb forms also sometimes change:
can could
will would
must had to
shall would/ should
may might
21. !Note - There is no change
to: could, would, should,
might and ought to.
Ex: "I might go to the cinema", he
said.
He said he might go to the
cinema.
22. !Note - The present tense in
reported speech can be used to say
that something is still true.
“The earth goes round the sun.”
He proved that the earth goes
round the sun.
23. !Note - The present tense can be
used to talk about a future event.
"Next week's lesson is on report
speech ", she said.
She said next week's lesson is
on reported speech.
24. Practice exercise: Turn each direct speech into indirect
speech with tense changes.
1. 'I am very tired.' She said she …………
very tired.
2. 'You play the piano very well.' Mr Jones
told me I ……………… the piano very well.
3. 'We 're leaving the town.' He told me
they ……………………… the town.
4. 'He hasn't shaved.' I noticed that he
……………………….
5. 'Your parents have had an accident.'
Sally rang to say that your parents
………………… an accident.
was
played
were leaving
hadn’t shaved.
had had
25. 6. 'I left home at seventeen.' Her letter
said that she ………………….. home at
seventeen.
7. 'Don't worry! He won't say anything to
the police'. I was sure he ……………………….
anything to the police.
8. 'None of our relatives will come.' They
knew none of their relatives ……………………..
9. 'This parcel has been opened at the
customs.' I could see the parcel
…………………………. at the customs.
had left
wouldn’t say
would come
had been opened
26. B. Pronoun and adverb changes in
indirect speech:
Today "Today's lesson is on
presentations."
+ 24 hours
She said yesterday's
lesson was on presentations.
27. At work
"I have worked here
since 1998 "
At home
She said she had
worked there since
1998.
28. Direct speech Indirect speech
now then / at that time
tonight
last night, that night, on Monday
night
today yesterday, that day, on Monday
yesterday
the day before / the previous day, on
Sunday
last night
the previous night / the night before,
on Sunday night
tomorrow today, the following day, on Tuesday
29. Direct speech Indirect speech
this week last week, that week
last month
the previous month / the
month before, in June
next year
this year, the following year /
the year after, in 1996
five minutes ago five minutes before
in two hours' time two hours later
30. Practice exercise: turn each direct speech into
indirect speech with tense changes and time changes.
1. ' I was listening to the radio yesterday '.
He said ………………………………
…………………………………………
2. ' I was in Spain last week '.
She said ……………………………….
…………………………………………
3. ' I want to visit my parents this evening '.
Susy said ………………………………
…………………………………………
31. 4. ' I'll give you the money back next
week '.
She said ……………………………
…………………………………………
5. ' I'll help you tomorrow '.
He said ………………………………
………………………………………….
32. Practice exercise: turn each direct speech into
indirect speech with tense changes and time changes.
1. ' I was listening to the radio yesterday '.
He said ………………………………
…………………………………………
2. ' I was in Spain last week '.
She said ……………………………….
…………………………………………
3. ' I want to visit my parents this evening '.
Susy said ………………………………
…………………………………………
he had been listening to
the radio the day before.
she had been in Spain
the previous week.
she wanted to visit her
parents that evening.
33. 4. ' I'll give you the money back next
week '.
She said ……………………………
…………………………………………
5. ' I'll help you tomorrow '.
He said ………………………………
………………………………………….
she would give me the
money back the week after .
he would help me the next
day.
35. Rules for the Change of Pronouns in
Indirect Speech
1. First person pronouns change
according to the subject of the
reporting verb.
Ex: He said, ‘I am busy.’
He said that he was busy.
36. 2. Second person pronouns change
according to the object of the reporting
verb.
Ex: He said to me, ‘You
have to come with me.’
He told me that I had to go with
him.
37. 3. Third person pronouns will not
change.
Ex: He said, ‘She is a
good girl.’
He said that she was a
good girl.
38. Direct Speech Reported Speech
Personal Pronouns
I / you (subject) she / he
we / you (subject) they
me / you (object) him / her
us / you (object) them
39. Possessive Pronouns / Determiners
my / your his / her
mine / yours his / hers
our / your their
ours / yours theirs
Demonstrative Pronouns / Determiners
This That
These Those
40. 3. Reporting Verbs:
•We use say and tell in both direct
and indirect speech.
Ex: I said "I'm hungry."
I said that I was
hungry
41. •We cannot use say or
tell with indirect
questions.
Jim told/said me if I wanted to play
football.
Jim asked (me) if I wanted to play
football.
incorrect
correct
42. 4. Using objects:
S + tell + SO + (that) + ….
He told me that he liked playing
tennis.
He said me that he liked playing
tennis.
He told that he liked playing tennis.
- Correct
- Incorrect
- Incorrect
43. S + say to + SO + (that) + ….
Ex: He said to them
that he would be late.
!Note: With other objects, we don't
usually use tell.
He said a strange thing - Correct
He told a strange thing – Unusual
44. 5. Use of 'That' in reported speech
- He told me that he lived in
Greenwich.
- He told me he lived in
Greenwich.
!Note - That is never used in
questions, instead we often use if.
He asked me if I would come to the party.
46. 1. ( T ) I was in an Egyptian Tomb
2. ( T ) I'll wait for that glass of champagne at
the Copacabana
3. ( R ) It's nothing, I'll be OK.
4. ( R ) Draw my bath.
5. ( R ) I can't wait to get out of these clothes.
6. (T ) I am very impressed.
7. ( T ) You've been here all day.
8. ( T ) This is the fifth time you're seeing this.
9. ( R ) Come here quickly
10. ( T ) Who are you?
11. ( T ) I'm free.
12. ( C ) What's going on?
47. • Tom said (that) he was in an Egyptian tomb..
• Tom said he would wait for that glass at the
Copacabana.
• Rita said it was nothing, She would be OK.
• Rita told the maid to draw her bath.
• Rita said she couldn't wait to get out of those
clothes.
• Tom said he was very impressed.
• Tom said she had been there all day.
• Tom said that was the fifth time she was seeing that.
• Rita told Tom to come there quickly
• Tom (Cecilia) asked Cecilia (Tom) who she (he)
was?
• Tom said he was free.
• Cecilia asked what was going on.
48.
49. •General:
reporting verbs: ask, want to know,
wonder and inquire...
Tense, pronoun and possessive
adjective, and adverbs of time and place
change as in statement
The interrogative form of the verbs
changes to the affirmative form.
The question mark (?) is omitted.
50. Ex: “Do you want to
go to the movie with
me?”
My friend asked me if
I wanted to go to the
movie with him.
51. 1. Don’t use comma, quotation marks
or question marks.
•“Are you ready?”, he
said.
He asked me if I was ready.
52. 2. Speech verb: ask, want to know,
wonder, …
Ex: “Did you see the
accident?” the policemen
asked.
The policemen asked if/whether
I had seen the accident.
53. •“said” “wanted to know,
wondered, …”
•“said to” “asked”
Ex: "Is it raining?" she said to me
=> She asked me if/
whether it was
raining.
54. 3. The inversion in the direct
question changes to statement word
order.
“Are you ready?”
He asked (me) if/whether I was
ready.
55. A reported tag question
“You are ready, aren’t you?”
He asked (me) if/whether I
was ready.
56. 4. “if/whether”
•Normally we can use the either if and
whether. “If = usual, whether = formal”
Ex: “Do you know Bill?” he said
He asked if I knew Bill.
Ex: “Did you see the accident?” the
policemen asked.
The policemen asked if/whether I had seen the
accident.
57. •Whether can emphasize that a
choice has to be made:
“Do you want to go by air or sea?” the travel
agent asked.
The travel agent asked whether I
wanted to go by air or by sea.
58. •Whether or not:
“Do you want to
insure your luggage or
not?” he asked.
He asked whether or not I wanted to
insure my luggage.
He asked if I wanted to insure my
luggage or not.
59. Whether is neater if the question contains a
conditional.
Ex:
“If you get the job will you move to
York?” Bill asked.
Bill asked whether, if I
got the job, I’d move to
York.
60. 5. Tense, pronoun, possessive adjective,
and adverbs of time and place change as
in statement.
67. Do you believe in
ghosts?
He asked me if I
believed in ghosts.
68. Have you ever seen
the pyramids?
He asked me if I had ever
seen the pyramids.
69. He said, “Where is she going?”
He asked where
she was going.
70. 1. Don’t use comma, quotation marks
or question marks.
He asked me
where I was
going.
71. 2. Speech verb: ask, want to know,
wonder, …
•If the introductory verb is say, it must be
changed to a verb of inquiry, ex: ask,
inquire, wonder, want to know, etc:
Ex: He said, “Where is
the station?”
He asked where the
station was.
72. Ask, inquire, wonder can also be used
in direct speech.
Ex: “Where is the station?” he inquired.
Ask can be followed by the person
addressed (indirect object):
Ex: He asked, “What have you got in your bag?”
He asked (me) what I had got in my bag.
73. Inquire, wonder, want to know
cannot take an indirect object, we
must use ask:
Ex: He said, “Mary, when is the
next train?”
He asked Mary
when the next train
was.
74. 3. The inversion in the direct question
changes to statement word order.
When we report questions, the
subject comes before the verb.
Ex: "Where are you going?"
He asked me where I was going.
75. Don't use the auxiliary verb do,
except in negative questions.
Ex: "Who doesn't like cheese?"
She asked me who
didn't like cheese.
76. who, what or which + to be + object
Ex: "Who is the champion?"
She asked me who the
champion was.
She asked me who
was the champion.
77. 4. Tense, pronoun and possessive
adjective, and adverbs of time
and place change as in
statement.
78. 1. The old man asked, “What is tolerance? How can
we achieve it? ”
The old man inquired ……………………………………….
……………………………..…………………………………………………
2. The teacher asked me, “Why aren't you coming
with us. Where is your courage?”
The teacher asked me ………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………...…….
3. “How did the son feel after the death of the
father?” Asked my colleague.
My colleague inquired ………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………….……
what tolerance was an
how we could achieve it
why I wasn’t coming
with them and where my courage was.
how the son had felt
after the death of the father.
79. 4. “What caused the oil spill along the coast of
Lebanon?” I asked.
I wanted to know ………………………………………
.…………………………………………………………………………
5. The student asked, “What does the word
"tone" mean?”
The student asked ……………………………………..
…………………………………………………………….……………
what had caused the o
spill along the coast of Lebanon.
what the word “tone”
meant.
80.
81. Reporting
Verb
+ object + infinitive
1. Use ask, tell and advise like this to
report commands, requests and
advice.
82. • The secretary asked us
to fill in the form.
• Mr. Mills told the
children to stand up.
• The doctor advised Mr.
Preston to exercise.
83. Negative in reporting commands,
requests and advice.
Reporting
Verb
+ object + not + infinitive
Ex: Mr. Mills told the
children not to stand up
89. Common verbs
advise forbid invite
order persuade remind warn
Ex : ‘You really should stop
smoking.’
He advised me to stop
smoking.
Ex: ‘Please come to my party.’
I invited her to come
to my party.
Ex: ‘Don’t forget to call her
sister.’
I reminded him to
phone his sister.
Ex: ‘Don’t go near the water.’
She warned them not
to go near the water.
90. 2. We use these reporting verbs with
an infinitive:
agree offer promise
refuse threaten
Ex: ‘Ok, I’ll tell Jamie.’
She agreed to tell Jamie.
91. 3. We use an –ing form after the
reporting verbs:
admit deny suggest
recommend advise
Ex:
‘I got the answer wrong.’
I admitted getting
the answer wrong.
92. Grammar in action:
1. Report what
someone has told
us to do.
2. Report what we
have told someone
else to do
93. Female witness 1: I saw the suspect
stealing my car.
Female judge: The witness is making
a serious accusation.
What do you have to
say?
Male suspect 1: That’s not true.
Female judge 1: Speak a bit louder.
Male suspect 1: It’s not true. I have
never stolen a car.
94. The witness (0) claimed that she (0) had
seen the suspect stealing (1) her car. The
judge (2) pointed out that the witness (3)
was making a serious accusation and (4)
asked the suspect what he (5) had to say.
The suspect (6) denied that it (7) wasn’t
true. At this point, the judge (8) told the
suspect (9)to speak a bit louder. The
suspect went on to (10) replied that he
(11)had never stolen a car.
95. Court official: Ladies and gentlemen, the
judge has been delayed so
the trial cannot begin until
11 o’clock.
Judge 2: The case is complicated and
will probably last two or
three weeks.
Suspect 2: But I am totally innocent,
your honour, so the case is
very simple.
Judge 2: That is for the court to decide.
Now, jury, you must not come to
a conclusion until you have
heard all the evidence.
96. At 10 o’clock, a court official (12) announced
that the judge (13) had been delayed so the trial
(14) couldn’t not begin before 11. When the trial
started, the judge (15) explained to the jury that
the case (16) was complicated and (17) would
probably last two or three weeks. The suspect
then stood up and (18) declared that he
(19)was innocent and said that the case (20)
was very simple. The judge (21) pointed out
that (22) was for the court to decide. He went on
to (23) instruct the jury (24) not to come to a
conclusion until they (25) had heard all the
evidence.