Jupiter Academy of MCAT and ECAT, K N Shah.

Notes of “reporting”

Concerned teacher:- Waseem Akram Palh (MA Linguistics, IELTS)

When we tell people what somebody said or thought we often use indirect speech. In indirect
speech, tenses, pronouns and here and now words are likely to be changed.
These changes occur because;
1. The person who is reporting is different
2. The place or situation is different
3. The time of reporting is different. In simple words, time, place, and speaker are different.
Change of pronouns.
Change of speaker means change of pronouns.
E.g. James said, ‘I am ill’. (Direct)

James said that he was ill. (Indirect)

Change of here and now words.
Here and now words refer to words that express the meaning of place and time.
We report somebody’s words in different time and place or situation and accordingly we change
here and now words.
List of here and now words that are changed.
Now — then
Here — there
This — that

Tomorrow — the next day

Yesterday — the day before
Today — that day
Tonight — that night

Last week — the week before

Next week — the next week
Ago — before
Thus — so
Tenses and modal verbs that are changed.

Simple present — simple past

Present continuous — past continuous
Present perfect — past perfect
Past simple — past perfect

Will — would
Shall — should
Can — could
May — might

Have to — had to
Must — had to

Narration of imperative sentences.

Imperative sentences either command or request so in order to convert them into indirect
speech we use verbs with the meaning of command, request and advice.
E.g. He said to me, ‘go away’!
He ordered me to go away.
‘Please keep quiet’.
Someone requested us to keep quiet.
For practice
1. He said to us, ‘read loudly’.
2. Teacher said to the students, ‘stand up’.
3. The boss said to his servant, ‘get out’.
4. The teacher said, ‘don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today’.
5. The teacher said to his students, ‘don’t talk’.
Sentences that can not be converted into indirect.
There are some sentences that can not be converted into indirect. Sentences with general truth,
universal facts, habits, static/permanent situations, sayings, proverbs.

For practice
1. People said, ‘we see with our eyes’.
2. He said, ‘I am a boy’.
3. Scientists said, ‘earth goes around the sun’.
4. He said, ‘there are twelve months in a year’.
5. He said, ‘there are thirty days in November’.
6. He said, ‘Muslims believe in one God’.
7. He said, ‘honesty is best policy’.
8. He said, ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’.
9. He said, ‘barking dogs seldom bite’.
10. He said, ‘honey is sweet’.
Whether and if.
We use whether and if to introduce indirect questions.

E.g. She said, ‘will you help me’? (Direct)

She asked if I would help her. (indirect)
For practice
1. He said, ‘will you marry her’?
2. My parents said, ‘will you be on time’?
3. He said, ‘do you know this address’?
4. They said, ‘can you dial this number’?
5. She said, ‘did you see my purse’?

• We use whether and if only for yes/no questions.

• For wh questions we use wh question words (what, where, when, why)
E.g. He said, ‘what is the time now’? (Direct)

He asked what time it was then. (indirect)

In indirect speech we convert questions into positive statements.
Exclamation and wishes.
Reporting sentences with exclamations and wishes require verbs that appropriately express the
meaning of exclamations and wishes. Some common verbs used in such sentences are: wish,
applaud, exclaim, call upon, promise, wonder etc.
E.g. He said, ‘Alas! I am lost’.
He exclaimed that he was lost.
For practice

1. He said, ‘Oh my goodness! She is so beautiful’.

2. He said, ‘wow! That’s great’.
3. He said, ‘bravo! You did well’.
4. He said, ‘oh! That’s a nuisance’.
5. He said, ‘how cruel of him’.