REPORTED SPEECH

Direct Speech is the exact words someone said. We use quotation marks.
Reported speech is the exact meaning of what someone said but not the exact
words. We do not use quotation marks.

SAY / TELL
o Say is used in Direct speech or Reported speech when it is not followed by
the person the words were spoken to.
She said to me, I cant drive. She said that she couldnt drive.
o Tell is used in Reported speech when tell is followed by the person the
words were spoken to.
She said to me, I cant drive. She told me that she couldnt drive.

REPORTED STATEMENTS
o Introductory verbs: admit, announce, answer, apologise, boast, claim,
complain, declare, explain, inform, insist, mention, offer, remind, reply,
say, state, tell, etc. These verbs are followed by a that-clause.
He said, I feel sick. He said that he felt sick.
o Pronouns and possessive adjectives change.
He said, Ill lend you my car. He said that he would lend me his car.
o Time words can change depending on the time reference.
Tonight
today
this week/month/year
Yesterday
last night/week/month/year
Tomorrow
next week/moth/year
two days/moths/years ago

that night
that day
that week
the day before
the previous night/week/month/year
the following day/the day after/the next day
the following week/month/year
two days/months/years before

o Other words also change.

This
that
these
Those
Here
There
He said, Ill be here again on Monday, He said that he would be there on Monday.

o Verb tenses change when the reporting verb is in the past.

Present simple
He likes walking, she said.

Past simple
She said that he liked walking.

Present continuous
He is watching TV, she said.

Past continuous
She said that he was watching TV.

Past simple
He left an hour ago, she said.

Past perfect simple

She said that he had left an hour before.

Past continuous
Diana said, I was sleeping.

Past perfect continuous

Diana said that she had been sleeping.

Present perfect simple

He has just left, she said.

Past perfect simple

She said he had just left.

Present perfect continuous

Past perfect continuous
Ive been typing since morning, she She said that she had been typing since
said.
morning.
Past perfect simple
He had been to Mlaga, she said.

Past perfect simple

She said that he had been to Mlaga.

Past perfect continuous

Past perfect continuous
He had been writing letters, she She said that he had been writing letters.
said.
Future simple
Hell be back in an hour, she said.

Conditional simple
She said that he would be back in an hour.

o Modal verbs change when the reporting verb is in the past.

Can
I can play the guitar, he said.

Could
He said that he could play the guitar.

Must/have to
You must be more tolerant, she said.

Had to
She said that I had to be more tolerant.

Shall
She said, How shall I do this?"

Should
She asked how she should do that.

May
It may rain, she said.

Conditional simple
She said that it might rain.

REPORTED QUESTIONS
o Introductory verbs: ask, enquire, want to know, wonder.
o We use affirmative word order and the question mark is omitted.
Pronouns, possessive adjectives, tenses, time expressions, etc. change
as in statements. To report a question we use:
ask + wh-word (who, what...) when the direct question begins with
such a word.
He said, Where did he stay? He asked where he had stayed.
ask + if/whether when the direct question begins with an auxiliary
verb.
He said, Can I open the window? He asked me if/whether he could open the window.

REPORTED COMMANDS
o Introductory verbs: demand, tell, ask, advise, and warn. These verbs are
followed by an object + to-infinitive, a not to-infinitive.
He said to me, Come with me. He told me to go with him.
He said to Jack, Open the door, please. He told / asked Jack to open the door.

My mother said to me, Tidy your bedroom. My mother ordered me to tidy

my bedroom.
The teacher said to us, Be careful with exercise three. The teacher
warned us to be careful with exercise three.
She said to her child, Dont play with matches. She warned her child not
to play with matches.

REPORTED SUGGESTIONS
o Introductory verbs: advise, suggest, recommend. These verbs are followed
by:
that + subject + verb in base form.
He said, Youd better see a doctor. He suggested that I see a doctor.
-ing without specifying the subject.
Write a letter, he recommended, He recommended writing a letter.