REPORTED SPEECH

Class 16
What is reported speech?
• Reported speech is a means of transferring someone’s statements.
• Reported speech uses reporting vebs and reported sentences.
• Typical reporting verbs are say, tell, ask, order, etc. but these can also
be verbs such as think, answer, admit, claim, question, inform, write,
etc. In reality, any verb that means communication!
• Reported sentences are the words of the speaker. You may put it under
quotation marks if you wish to quote them word by word, or you may alter
the statement without quotation marks if you don’t want to quote them
directly. That is why the former is called direct speech and the latter
indirect speech.
• Examples:

Martin Luther King: ’I have a dream!’ (Direct speech)

Martin Luther King says that he has a dream. (Indirect speech, unmodified)

Mr. President: ’You know, some changes will be made in the future regarding our national
security.’ (Direct speech)
Mr. President states that there will be some changes when it comes to our country’s
safety. (Indirect speech, modified)
 Sequence of tenses
• Of course, there always has to be some kind of a catch.

• Sequence of tenses is also called back-shifting because verbs in reported sentences go

back one tense when the reporting verb is in some past tense (do not be fooled by the
present perfect! It is not a past tense!)

Martin Luther King: ’I have a dream!’

Martin Luther King said that he had a dream!
The present tenses
PRESENT SIMPLE PAST SIMPLE

PRESENT CONTINUOUS PAST CONTINUOUS

PRESENT PERFECT PAST PERFECT

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Do notice this:

Every present becomes its past!

The aspect remains the same!

• Samples and exercises:

’I have always loved television because it is my main source of information.’

He said (that) he had always loved television because it was his main source of
information.

’I’m trying to make this lesson easy for you!’ :)

I had said (that) I was trying to make this lesson easy for you! :)

’We have been dating for ages and I want to take this relationship to the next level!’
He informed his girlfriend (that)...they had been dating for ages and that he wanted
to take their relationship to the next level.

Art Buchwald: ’Television has a real problem because there is no page two.’
Art Buchwald argued (that)...television had a real problem because there was no page
two.
The past tenses
PAST SIMPLE PAST PERFECT

PAST CONTINUOUS PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

PAST PERFECT PAST PERFECT

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Do notice this:

There is nothing more past than the past!

Just make it perfect if it already isn’t! ;)

• Samples and exercises:

’Ema had to leave him because he was behaving so rudely!’

Martha claimed (that) Ema had had to leave him because he had been behaving rudely.

’My parents had married two years before I was born.’

Daniel explained that his parents had married two years before he had been born.

’My mother saw Jack the other day and he told her he had had his teeth whitened.’
Molly said (that)...her mother had seen Jack the other day and that he had told her that
he had had his teeth whitened.

’Bella swam across the lake in a race, but she came second.’
The news was that...Bella had swum across the lake in a race but had come second.
Modal verbs
CAN COULD
WILL/SHALL WOULD/SHOULD
MAY MIGHT
MUST HAD TO

Do notice this:

Only do these four modals have their past forms!

Others do not have them (they are already past in

themselves!)
• Samples and exercises:

’I could run fast as a child. Now, I can’t even go up the stairs without gasping for air.’
My neighbor told me (that) he could run fast as a child, but he couldn’t even go up the
stairs now without gasping for air.

’Your newspaper must publish a full apology.’

The PR told his boss (that) his newspaper had to publish a full apology.

’I’ll propose to her but she may turn me down.’

John said (that)...he would propose to her but she might turn him down.

’I cannot tell a lie.’

Abraham Lincoln once said (that)...he could not tell a lie.
Reporting requests/orders

DIRECT BE DON’T BE HAVE SOME

GO HOME! DON’T GO!
REQUEST CAREFUL! SILLY! DIGNITY!
He told him
He ordered She begged He told me She told me
REPORTED TO HAVE
me TO GO me NOT TO TO BE NOT TO BE
REQUEST SOME
HOME. GO. CAREUL. SILLY.
DIGNITY.

Imperatives become full infinitives!

Pay attention to the negation – it always comes before the entire infinitive!
 Reporting Yes/No questions
• When reporting this type of questions, we use if as a conjunction and put
back the word-order to normal – S-V-O.

• Of course, the sequence of tenses is still applicable if the reporting verb is in

the past tense (so no present perfect, please)!

’Will you be bringing the kids with you?’

Sally was wondering if he would be bringing the kids with him.

’Did you enjoy the concert last night?’

David asked Jenny if she had enjoyed the concert last night/the night before.
 Reporting Wh-questions
• Reporting these questions is even easier!

• The wh-word is the conjunction and the word-order is also back to normal – S-V-O.

• Of course, as always, apply the sequence of tenses when the reporting verb is in
some past tense.

• If the question contains a conditional clause, remember this – the first type (and
zero naturally) goes back one tense! The sequence does not apply to the second,
third, and mixed types!
’How are you today?’
I was asked how I was today/that day.

’What will you say if he proposes to you?’ (First type!)

I thought what I would say if he proposed to me. (Looks like the second type!)

’Where would you go if you had a million dollars?’

Matthew wondered where I would go if I had a million dollars.
Reporting place and time
KEY:
1. I had had my ear
pierced
2. he could meet Doug
there at 6 o’clock that
night
3. they were still moving
to Blackpool the
following week
4. had to wear a suit to
work
5. I wanted someone to
feed my cat while I was
away
6. she could guess what
she had given Lindsay
for her birthday
7. she loved him or not
8. Simon would be coming
to the party the next
night
1. Peter announced, “I will not give up until this factory is shut down.”
Peter announced that he would not give up until that factory was shut down.

2. My father told Ben, “I am sure I saw you here last week.

My father told Ben that he was sure he had seen him there the week before.

3. Betty said, „If I knew the answer, I would tell you.”

Betty said that if she had known the answer she would have told me.

4. He said to me, "Where have you been?"

He asked me where I had been.

5. My dad said, "Go to your room at once."

My dad ordered me to go to my room at once.
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION
AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS :)