Reported Speech

Outline:
1. Definition
2. Rules
3. Tense changes
4. Time and place changes
5. Pronouns
6. Reporting Verbs
7. Indirect Questions
8. Commands, Requests, Advice in Indirect Speech
9. Offers and Suggestions in Indirect Speech
10. Exclamations in Indirect Speech
11. Indirect Speech: MIXED TYPES
12. Exercises
 1. Definition
Reported speech (also
known as indirect speech)
refers to a sentence
reporting what someone has
said.
 2. Rules
In all sentences, the quotation marks and the
comma immediately before the first quotation
mark are removed. Next, the word "that" is
usually inserted after the reporting verb. Then,
there are certain changes to be considered.
• If the reporting verb is in the present tense we
don't need to change the tense, though probably
we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she’
• “ I like ice cream”.
• She says she likes ice cream.

• But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then

usually we change the tenses in the reported
speech:
• “I like ice cream”.
• She said she liked ice cream.
 3. Tense Changes
Direct speech Indirect speech
Present simple Past simple
She said, "It's cold." She said it was cold.

Present continuous Past continuous

She said, "I'm teaching She said she was teaching English
English online." online.

Present perfect simple Past perfect simple

She said, "I've been on the She said she had been on the web
web since 1999." since 1999.
 Present perfect continuous
She said, "I've been teaching
English for seven years."
Past simple
She said, "I taught online
yesterday."
Past continuous
She said, "I was teaching earlier."
Past perfect
She said, "The lesson had
already started when he arrived."
Past perfect continuous
She said, "I'd already been
teaching for five minutes."
Past perfect continuous
She said she had been teaching English
for seven years.
Past perfect
She said she had taught online
yesterday.
Past perfect continuous
She said she had been teaching earlier.
Past perfect
NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had
already started when he arrived.
Past perfect continuous
NO CHANGE - She said she'd
already been teaching for five minutes.
 Other tense changes
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Will Would
She said, "I'll teach English online She said she would teach English online
tomorrow." tomorrow.

Can Could
She said, "I can teach English online." She said she could teach English online.

Must Had to
She said, "I must have a computer to teach She said she had to have a computer to
English online." teach English online.

Shall Should
She said, "What shall we learn today?" She asked what we should learn today.

May Might
She said, "May I open a new browser?" She asked if she might open a new
browser.
4. Time and place changes
Now › Then

Today › That day

Here › There

This › That

This week › That week

Tomorrow › The following day

The next day
The day after
 the following week
Next week › the next week
the week after
the previous day
Yesterday › the day before
the previous week
Last week › the week before
previously
Ago › before
2 weeks previously
2 weeks ago › 2 weeks before
Tonight › that night
the previous Saturday
Last Saturday › the Saturday before
the following Saturday
the next Saturday
Next Saturday › the Saturday after
Examples:

I went to the theatre last night.

He said he had gone to the theatre the
night before.

I'm staying here until next week.

He said he was staying there until the
following week.
 5. Pronouns
• Personal pronouns need to be changed
according to the situation.

✔ “I run 5 km every day”, said she.

✔ She said she ran 5 km every day.

❑ Besides, some demontratives must be
changed:
THIS changes to THAT and THESE to
THOSE:
▪ She said ‘I like this shirt’
▪ She said she liked that shirt.
 6. Reporting Verbs
Said, told and asked are the most common
verbs used in indirect speech.

❖ We use “asked” to report questions:

I asked Lynne what time the lesson started.

❖ We use “told” with an object.

Lynne told me she felt tired.
❖ We usually use “said” without an object.

Lynne said she was going to teach online.

If “said” is used with an object we must
include “to”

Lynne said to me that she'd never been to

China.
 7. Indirect Questions
• Direct question: He said, “Where is she going?”
• Indirect question: He asked where she was going.
A. Changes;
a. Tenses, pronouns and possessive adjectives, and
adverbs of time and place change as in statements.
b. The interrogative form of the verb changes to the
affirmative form.
c. The question mark is omitted in indirect questions.
B. Say must be changed to a verb of inquiry;
• He said, “Where is the station?” He asked
where the station was.
C. Ask can be followed by the person addressed :

• He asked, “What have you got in your bag?” He

asked (me) what I had got in my bag.
D. WH- Questions:
• He said, “Why didn’t you put on the brake?”

1. Subject + asked

2. WH- word + inversion of subject order;

3. Change pronouns, time and place expressions and

tenses;
• He asked (her) why she hadn’t put on the brake.
• She said, “What do you want?” She asked
(them) what they wanted.
 E. YES/NO Questions:
o “Can you pass me the salt?” she asked.
1. Subject + asked if / whether….
2. Inversion of the subject order
3. Change pronouns, time and place expressions and
tenses:
She asked if I could pass her the salt.
o “Is anyone there?” he asked He asked if/whether
anyone was there.
• He said, “Can you swim?” and I said “No”
He asked (me) if I could swim and I said I couldn’t.
• He said, “Will you have time to do it?” and I said
“Yes”
He asked if I would have time to do it and I said that
I would.
 8. Commands, Requests, Advice and Order in Indirect
Speech
Verb of command/request/advice + object + infinitive.
– Direct command: He said, “Lie down, Tom”.
– Indirect command: He told Tom to lie down.
a. Verbs used: advise, ask, beg, command, order,
remind, tell, warn etc.
o He said, “Get your coat, Tom!” He told Tom to get
his coat.
o ‘Stir it with your spoon,’ his sister said. His sister
advised him to stir it with a spoon.
b. Negative commands, requests, advice and order are
usually reported by not + infinitive:
“Don’t swim out too far, boys”, I said I warned/told
the boys not to swim out too far.
• Positive imperative
✔ Close the door!
o Tell + (Object) + to infinitive
He told me to close the door.
• Negative imperative
✔ Don't speak!
o Tell + (Object) + not to infinitive
He told me not to speak.
C. Note also:
• He said, “Thank you!” He thanked me.
• He said, “Good luck!” He wished me luck.
• He said, “Happy Christmas!” He wished me a happy
Christmas.
• He said, “Congratulations!” He congratulated me.
• He said, “Liar!” He called me a liar.
• He said, “Damn!” etc. He swore.
• The notice said: WELCOME TO WALES! The
notice welcomed visitors to Wales.
EXERCISES
 I. Change the following sentences from direct to indirect speech.
1. ‘Congratulations! You have come first in the exams,’ the principal
said to me.
2. ‘What an expensive car he drives! said Steve’s neighbour.
3. “Yes, the economy is getting better” the journalist said
4. “You are the responsible of revealing hanna’s secrets” she said
5. The correspondent said :“the president will be here to inspect the
damage”
6. ‘Hurry up!’ said Viru’s mother. ‘The bus will be here in a minute.’
7. He said to one of them: “Let me see the streets once more before I
die. I’ll be back in five minutes.”
8. My grandfather said, ‘May you have a long life!’
9. ‘How well you speak German,’ his teammate said.
10. Mr Jain said to his colleague, ‘Will you please drop me at the
airport?’
11. “Would you mind telling me how to get to the art gallery, please?”
12. ‘Light travels in a straight line,’ the teacher said.
 1. Michael said: “Why do I do this every day?”
2. ‘Ouch! The bee stung me!’ the child said.
3. “Please, don’t say anything to him”, he said.
4. She said: “Don’t smoke if you want to save money.”
5. “Don’t forget to thank Mrs Jones when you’re saying good bye to
her.” my mother said
6. “Don’t try to be funny.” my elder sister said
7. The saleswoman says to us: “be sure, you chose the best painting in
our galery”
8. “Be a good girl and sit quietly for five minutes.”Adam said
9. She said to him, "Be careful".
10. He always says to them "You must pay more attention”
11. ‘May I know who is on the line?’ her father said.
12. "How many photos have you got?" he said
13. She said: “why don’t we go for a journey, it will be awesome.”
14. They asked her mother: “Does he often come home late from
school?”
15. "Has Jasmine ever been to Siena?" he asked.