Indirect speech

Sibela Eminović
Direct speech is the speaker’s exact words:

“I can speak English well.”

 Indirect speech (or reported speech) is used to say

what another person said.

He said he could speak English well.

To report what someone else said, you can use the
verbs say and tell something (to somebody):
He said (that) he wasn’t coming.
He told me (that) he wasn’t coming.
 You can also use other verbs, such as admit,
mention, explain, or add
The pronouns change:
 I – She
She said: “I am going home tomorrow.”
She said she was going home the next day.
 my – her
 our – their
 this – that
 The verb tenses change: go one step back in the past.
For example:
Simple present - Simple past
Present Continuous – Past Continuous
Present Perfect Simple – Past Perfect
Past Simple - Past Perfect
Am/is/are going to – was/were going to
Will - would
can – could
 “I can speak English well.”
Sara said that she could speak English well.
Present perfect/ Simple Past - Past Perfect:
“I’ve forgotten my wallet!”
He told me he had forgotten his wallet.
NOTE: Simple Past can either stay in the Simple Past or
change into the Past Perfect:
“I worked this morning.”
He said he worked that morning =
He said he had worked that morning.
Place and time expressions change:
Here – there
Now – then
This evening – that evening
Tomorrow – the next day
Yesterday – the day before
 Today – that day Last weekend – the weekend before
Last week – the week before
 “We will meet each other here tomorrow.”
 In this example, there are four changes to make: the
subject, verb, pronoun of place and the time
expression:
They said they would meet each other there the next day.
NOTE: The word that is not necessary.
Also, there are NO commas used in reported speech.
We usually change the verb form in the reported
speech.
We don’t have to change the verb form if the
reported sentence is about something general, or
something that is still in the future.
I love classical music.
I told him I love classical music.
Different parts of the sentence must be changed.
 Questions
We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask":
He asked (me) if/whether... (YES/NO questions)
He asked (me) why/when/where/what/how... (question-
word questions)
As with reported statements, we may need to
change pronouns and tense (backshift) as well
as time and place in reported questions.
But we also need to change the word order. After we report
a question, it is no longer a question (and in writing there is
no question mark). The word order is like that of a normal
statement (subject-verb-object).
 The introductory sentence is in the Simple Present
If the introductory sentence is in the Simple Present,
there is no backshift of tenses.
Direct Speech →
Susan: “Does Mary work in an office?”
Indirect Speech →
Susan asks if/whether Mary works in an office.
The introductory sentence: Susan asks ... → is in
the Simple Present. There is no backshift of tenses. The
auxiliary do is dropped in the Indirect speech.
The introductory sentence in the Simple Past
If the introductory sentence is in the Simple Past,
there is usually backshift of tenses.
Direct Speech →
Susan: “Does Mary work in an office?”
Indirect Speech →
Susan asked if/whether Mary worked in an office.
The introductory sentence: Susan asked... → is in
the Simple Past. There is backshift of tenses.
Indirect yes/no questions
We introduce reported YES/NO questions with 
ask + if:
She said: “Do you like coffee?”
She asked if I liked coffee.
Note that in the above example the reported question has no
auxiliary "do". But there is pronoun change and backshift.
 We sometimes use "whether" instead of "if".
The meaning is the same.
"Whether" is a little more formal and more usual in writing:
They asked us if we wanted lunch.
They asked us whether we wanted lunch.
 Wh-questions
We introduce reported question-word questions
with ask/inquired/wanted to know + question word:
He said: “Where do you live?”
He asked me where I lived.
The indirect wh-word question has no auxiliary "do".
But there is pronoun change and backshift.
 Questions with the verb BE always have a different
structure:
Was the tea cold? He wanted to know if the tea was cold.
Where are you going? She asked me where I was going.
After the interrogative or ”whether”/ ”if” you continue the
sentence as if it were a statement (subject-verb etc.).

The auxiliary verb ‚do‘ is not used in indirect questions.

Direct question Indirect question
She said: "Are you cold?" She asked me if I was cold.
He said: "Where's my He asked where his pen was.
pen?"
She said: “Do you want She wanted to know whether I
tea or coffee ?” want tea or coffee.
Indirect commands and requests

There is no backshift of tenses with

commands/requests/offers/promises etc.
affirmative commands → to + infinitive
negative commands → not + to + infinitive
Direct Speech →
Mum: “Tidy your room.”
Policeman: “Don’t park there.”
Indirect Speech →
Mum told me to tidy my room.
The policeman told me not to park there.
 Form
Requests are when someone asks you to do something in a
polite way.
Form
affirmative request → asked me + to + infinitive
negative request → asked me + not + to + infinitive
Direct Speech →
Speaker: “Could you close the window, please?”
Speaker: “Could you not make so much noise .”

Indirect Speech →
She asked me to close the window.
She asked me not to make so much noise.
The word tell is often used in introductory sentences in
Indirect Commands but others are possible such
as order, insist, command etc.,
There are many other reporting verbs that can be used
depending on the meaning in Direct Speech, e.g.
advise → The doctor advised me to stop smoking.
promise → My dad promised to buy me a football.
agree → We agreed to meet on Saturday.
offer → He offered to drive me to the airport.
There is no backshift of tenses, no matter which tense is
used in the introductory sentence and the pattern should
be clear.
TEST
What did they say? Change the direct speech into reported speech. You
may use any of the verbs mentioned above (say, tell, admit, mention,
explain, or add)

1 Diego: “I spent all day rehearsing my songs.”

2 Diego and Tara: “We’re not ready to take a break!”
3 Tara: “I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”
4 The audience: “You two were absolutely fantastic today!”.
5 Tara: “I’ve really forgotten how exciting performing can be.”
6 Ben: “There’s no way Tara can stay here.”
7 Tara: “It’s great that you both want me to work with you, but I’m capable of
making my own decisions.”
8 Diego: “I want to find out what’s going on.”
Circle the mistakes and rewrite the correct form of the
reported speech statement in complete sentences.

1 He tells to me that he is going to the cinema last weekend.

2 The child’s parents said to him that he is not allowed to go
here this afternoon.
3 My boyfriend said me that he loved me and he wants to
marry you.
4 They explained to us that we can’t stay here in this hotel
room that night.
5 During the interview, he mentions that he was working hard
to finish writing this book.
1.Christopher: "Do you want to dance?"
Christopher asked me
2. Betty: "When did you come?"
Betty wanted to know
3. Mark: "Has John arrived?"
Mark asked me
4. Ronald: "Where does Maria park her car?"
Ronald asked me
5. Mrs. Smith: "Don't play in front of my window!"
Mrs. Smith told us   in front of her window.
6. Your mother: "Come back in one hour."
Your mother told me   in one hour.
7.  Tom: "Call me in the evening."
Tom told us   in the evening.
 8.Heather: "Don't say that!"
Heather told you  that.

Send to sibela.eminovic@gmail.com Thank you!