Reported Speech

Basics

Sam: �I’m leaving today.̕�

Sam said he was leaving that day.̕

When we turn direct speech into indirect / reported speech, some changes are usually necessary:

DIRECT SPEECH

INDIRECT SPEECH

Tense changesIf we have a past tense reporting verb, tenses

move back in time!

Sam: �I’m leaving.̕� Sam said he was leaving.̕

Peter: �I was at home.̕� Peter said that he had been at home.̕

Tense changes IIThe past perfect and the past perfect

continuous stay the same!

Jack: �I hadn’t forgotten� .̕→ Jack said that he hadn‘t forgotten.̕

John: �I had already been living in London�.̕→ John said he had already been living in London.̕

Changes of adverbs / reference words

Sam: �I’m leaving today.̕� Sam said he was leaving that day.̕

Tina: �I’m going to London tomorrow.̕� Tina said she was going to London the

next day.̕

Joe: �I’ll see you here tomorrow, Mary.̕� Joe told Mary he would see her there the

next day.̕

Orders / requestsOrders are reported with tell and the

infinitive: �̒Go away! �

→ He told me to go away!

Requests are reported with ask and the infinitive:̒�Please help me.̕�

→ He asked me to help him.̕

Reporting questionsYes / No questions are reported using if:

�̒Do you like hamburgers? �

→ She asked me if I liked hamburgers.̕

Wh- questions are reported with the question word followed by the verb in the form of a normal statement:

�̒Where are we going? �

→ She asked me where we were going.̕

Exercise: Report these sentences!

Ex.̕: Jim: �I am working today � .̕ Jim said he was working that day.̕

1.̕ Melinda: ‘I was in Barcelona two weeks ago� .̕2.̕ Brad: �Will you marry me, Angelina? �3.̕ Tony: �I’ve been working very hard �.̕4.̕ Roger: �How are the twins, Mirka? � 5.̕ Linda: �I had been working as an actress in

Hollywood� .̕6.̕ Tom: ‘Give me my wallet, Mary!’

1.̕ Melinda: �I was in Barcelona two weeks ago� .̕ Melinda said she had been in B.̕ two weeks before.̕

2.̕ Brad: �Will you marry me, Angelina? �.̕Brad asked Angelina if she would marry him.̕

3.̕ Tony: �I’ve been working very hard �.̕Tony said he’d been working very hard.̕

4.̕ Roger: �How are the twins, Mirka? � Roger asked Mirka how the twins were.̕

5.̕ Linda: �I had been working as an actress in Hollywood� .̕Linda said she had been working as an actress in Hollywood.̕

6.̕ Tom: �Give me my wallet, Mary �� !Tom told / asked Mary to give him his wallet.̕

Reported Speech(Part II)

Reported speech without tense changes

Present tense reports:

If the reporting verb is in the present tense,there is no change:

→ Brenda says she’s arriving at about 6 o’clock.̕

Reported speech without tense changes

Past tense reports:

If the reporting words are �always true� , there is no change:

→ Harry said that Berlin is the capital of Germany.̕

If the message is being repeated immediately,there is no change:

→ Mary said she’s too busy to come.̕

Reported speech in complex sentences

In complex sentences, only the first verb is changed:

James: �I was walking home when I saw the accident’.̕

→ James said he had been walking home when he saw the accident.̕

Exercises

Tom: �I was driving home when all of a sudden a car crashed into the side of my Honda’.̕

→ Tom said he had been driving home when all of a sudden a car crashed into the side of his Honda.̕

Jane: �I bought a new car when I was in Italy half a year ago � .̕

→ Jane said she had bought a car when she was in Italy half a year earlier.̕