REPORTED SPEECH Definition Direct Speech gives the exact words someone said. We use inverted commas in Direct Speech. Eg: “It’s quite warm”, she said. Reported Speech gives the exact meaning of what someone said but not the exact words. We do not use inverted commas in Reported Speech. Eo: She said it was quite warm. In repored speech the tenses, word-oreder and pronuons are often different from those in theoriginal sentence. SAY-TELL-ASK We use say in Direct Speech. We also use say in Reported Speech when say is not followed by the person the words were spoken. We use fell in Reported Speech when it is followed by the person the words were spoken to. “T can't help you” he said. > He said (that) he couldn't help me. “I can't help you” he said to me. > He told me he couldn't help me. We use say+to-infinitive but never sey ebeut: We use tell sb,speak/talk about instead, Mom said to be home by 10 o'clock. She spoke/talked about/told us about her adventures. We use ask in reported questions and commands, or | direct questions. He said to me , “Help me!” > He asked me to help him EXPRESSIONS WITH SAY, TELL AND ASK Expressions with | say good morning/evening, etc., say something, say one’s say prayers, say a few words, say so, say no more, say for certain/sure etc. Exoressions —_ with | Tell the truth, tell a lie, tell (sb) the time, tell sb one’s name, tell tella story tell sb a secret, tell sb the way, tell one from another, tell sb’s fortune, tell sb so, tell the difference etc. Expressions with | Ask a favour, ask the time, ask a question, ask the price etc. askGrammar practice 1 Fill in say, tel or askin the correct form. 1. My parrot can .......a few words in English 2. Please ...... me what you think of my new dress. 3. He ....... said that he couldn't reply to any more questions. 4, My mother use to .......me a story before | went to bed. 5. He promised to.......n0 more about the matter. 6. She stopped to.......the time because she thought she was late. 7 8 9 1 The little gir......her prayers and then went to sleep. Sally couldn't .......for certain whether or not she would be staying. He had tken an oath, so he had to.......the truth in court. }0. “Could you help me with this bags?” she ........me.Statements > the most common reporting verbs for statements are SAY and TELL. > THATis optional in the reported sentence * Tenses change as follows: Present Simple He said: "| am happy’. Present Continuous He said: "/'m looking for my keys". Past Simple visited New York last year" Present Perfect He said: " /'ve lived here for a long time Past Perfect He said: "They had finished the work when | arrived. Past Continuous He said: "I was playing football when the accident occurred’ Present Perfect Continuous He said:"l have been playing football for two hours.” Past Perfect Continuous He said: "| had been reading a newspaper when the light went off”. Future Simple He said: "I will open the door.” Future Continuous Past Simple He said that he was happy. Past Continuous He said that he was looking for his keys. Past Perfect Simple He said that he had visited New York the previous year. Past Perfect He said that he had lived there for a long time, Past Perfect He said that they had finished the work when he had arrived’. Past Perfect Continuous He said that he had been playing football when the accident had occurred Past Perfect Continuous He said that he had been playing football for two hours. Past Perfect Continuous He said that he had been reading a newspaper when the light had gone off. Would+bare infinitive He said that he would open the door. Would+be+verb-ing“He will be playing well” she said. She said that he would be playing well Ill! Note that Past Perfect and Past Perfect Coninuous remain the same in Reported Speech. * Tenses do not change in Reported Speech when: The reporting verb is in the Present, Future or Present Perfect “The weather is hot” she says. > She says that the weather is hot. The speaker expresses general truths, permanent states or conditions “Water freezes at 0°C” he said. > He said that water freezes at 0°C. The speaker is reporting something immediately after it was said (up to date) “The hotel is awful” he said. > He said that the hotel is awful. (up to date) The reported sentence deals with unreal past, conditionals type 2/type3 or wishes “I wish | were rich” she said. > She said she wished she were rich. * Time words can change or remain the same depending on the time reference. today that day now then yesterday __ the day before days ago... days before last week __the week before next year the following year tomorrow the next day / the following day “I'm sitting an exam tomorrow’ he said. He said he was sitting an exam the next day. (out-of-date reporting) “I'm sitting an exam tomorrow” he said. He said he is sitting an exam tomorrow. (up-to-date reporting)* Place word and demonstrative pronouns also change: here-there, this-that, these-those. Grammar practice 2 Rewrite these sentences using reported speech, 1, Jessica: "Don't play football in the garden.” Jessica told me 2. She: "Don't sing that song.” She told me 3. Hanna: "Don't go to the cinema.” Hanna told me 4, Tom: "Don't ring me on Sunday." Tom told me 5, Teacher: "Do your homework.” The teacher told me 6. Andrew: "Wash the dishes." Andrew told me 7. Jessica: "Write a letter.” Jessica told me 8 Sarah: "Help Peter's sister.” Sarah told me. 9. Helen: "I was writing a letter yesterday.” Helen told me that 10. Robert: "My father flew to Dallas last year.” Robert said that. Reported questions — Indirect questions * Reported questions are used to report someone else's questions, suggestions, offers or requests. In reported questions, we use affirmative word order and the question mark becomes a full stop. Inverted commas are omitted. To report a question we use: a) ask+question word when the direct question begins with a question word b) ask+if/whether when the direct question begins with an auxiliary verb Tenses, personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, time words etc. change as in statements.With question word (what, "Why"don’t you He asked me why | why, where, how...) speak English?” didn't speak English. ii “Do you speak He asked me whether / With an auxiliary verb English?” if | spoke English. Grammar practice 3 Change these direct questions into reported speech: 1. "Where is he?” She asked me 2, "What are you doing?” She asked me 3, “Why did you go out last night?” She asked me 4, “Who was that beautiful woman?” She asked me 5, “How is your mother?” She asked me 6. ‘What are you going to do at the weekend?” She asked me 7. “Where will you live after graduation?” She asked me 8, “What were you doing when I saw you?” She asked me 9. “How was the journey?” She asked me 10. “How often do you go to the cinema?” She asked me * Indirect questions are used to ask for information/advice and the verb is in the affirmative. For example they are introduced with: Could you tell me...? 2. 3. 4. 5. I doubt.He asked me, Thomas?” He asked me, “Is it correct?” He asked me, “Where can | leave it?” Grammar practice 4 Change to reported questions! “How old is correct, He wanted to know where he could leave it/where to leave it. 1. She wanted to know:” Will we get there on time, John?” She wanted to know. 2. The officer wondered:” Don’t you know the traffic regulations?” The officer wondered 3. The commander askec The commander wanted to know, Do our soldiers have enough weapons?” 4, The coach wanted to know.” Can you do your best boys?” The coach wanted to know. 5, She wanted to knot She wanted to know. :” Is he staying with his family now?” Reported Commands/Requests/Suggestions Do you know how old Thomas is? He wondered if/whether it is/was = to report commands, requests, suggestions we use an introductoru verb (advise, ask, beg, offer, suggest etc.) followed by a to-infinitive, an -ing form or a that-clause depending on the introductory verb. Please help me She asked me to help her. Please don't smoke. She asked me not to smoke. Could you bring my book tonight? She asked me to bring her book that night. Could you pass the milk, please? She asked me to pass the milk. Would you mind coming early tomorrow? She asked me to come early the next day. “Be careful” he said to me. He told me to be careful. “You'd better go to the dentist” he He suggested that | should go to thesaid. dentist. Grammar practice 5 Change the direct speech into reported speech: 1. “Please come early” She 2. “Can you help me with my homework, please?” She 3. “Would you bring me a cup of coffee, please?” She 4. “Do your homework!” She told me 5. “Go to bed!” She Modal verbs in Reported Speech He said, “I'll phone you this evening” He said that he would phone me that. evening. He said, “I can speak French” He said that he could speak French. (fact) He said, “Tcan join you soon” He said that he would be able to join us soon. (ability) He said, “I may be late at home” He said that he might be late. He said, “How shall | get there” He asked how he should get there. (advice) He said, “where shall we go” He asked where they should go.(info) He said, “Shall | take you home” He offered to take me home. (offer) He said, “You must try harder” He said that | had to try harder. (obligation) He said, “You must be joking” He said that 1 must be joking. (deduction) He said, “You should take a holiday” He said that I should take a holiday. He said, “She had better tidy her room” He said that she had better tidy her room,He said, “She needen’t know who he was He said that she didn’t need to/have to know who he was. He said, “You tomorrow” needn't meet me He said that | wouldn't have to meet him the next day. Answer key Grammar practice 1; 1Say 2Tell 3.Said 4Tell 5.Say 6.Ask 7Said 8Say 9.Tell 10.AskedGrammar pra‘ 2: 1. Jessica told me not to play football in the garden. 2. She told me not to sing that song, 3. Hanna told me not to go to the cinema. 4, Tom told me not to ring him on Sunday. 5. The teacher told me to do my homework. 6. Andrew told me to wash the dishes. 7. Jessica told me to write a letter. 8, Sarah told me to help Peter's sister. 9. Helen told me that she was writing a letter yesterday. 10. Robert said that his father had flown to Dallas the year before / previous year Grammar practice 3: 1. She asked me where he was. 2. She asked me what I was doing. 3, She asked me why | went (had gone) out last night. 4, She asked me who that beautiful woman was. 5, She asked me how my mother was. 6. She asked me what | was going to do at the weekend. 7. She asked me where | would live after graduation, 8, She asked me what | had been doing when she saw (had seen) me. 9. She asked me how the journey was (had been). 10. She asked me how often | went to the cinema. Grammar practice 4: 1.She wanted to know if they would get there on time. 2.The officer wondered if he/she didn’t know the traffic regulations. 3.The commander wanted to know if their/his soldiers had enough weapons. 4.The coach wanted to know from the boys if they could do their best. 5.She wanted to know if he was staying with his family at that time. Grammar practice 5: 1She asked me to come early, 2.She asked me to help her with her homework 3,She asked me to bring her a cup of coffee 4She told me to do my homework. 5,She told me to go to bed. 10Bibliography Evans Virginia, FCE Use of English, Student's book, 1, Express Publishing https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech html https://agendaweb.org/verbs/reported-speech-worksheets-lessons https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-reported- speech.php https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/support- files/reported_requests_and_orders.pdf http://www.english-area.com/paginas/estiloindirectoE2.pdf "+ _https://www.english-grammar.at/worksheets/reported-speech/rs2.pdf 12