Reported Speech

Mgr. Žaneta Janečková

Anglický jazyk

Inovace výuky na Gymnáziu Otrokovice formou DUMůCZ.1.07/1.5.00/34.0488

Reported speech• the exact meaning of what someone said, but

not the exact words• We can use: tell – followed by a personal object

(e.g. told him)

- can be used with these expressions: the truth, a lie, a secret, a story, the time, the difference, the way, one from another, one´s fortune

say – doesn´t have to be followed by a personal object

- if there is a personal object, we use a preposition to (she said to him)

- expressions used with say: good morning, etc., something/nothing,etc., so, one´s prayers, a few words

Reported statements

• personal /possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives change according to the meaning of the sentence

e.g. Amy said, “ I´m meeting my boyfriend after school.“

Amy said (that) she was meeting her boyfriend after school.

• in reported speech introductory verb is in the past simple and the tenses change:

Present Simple → Past Simple

“I´m twenty,“ said Peter.→ Peter said he was twenty.

Present Continuous → Past Continuous

“I´m working hard,“ John said to me. → John told me he was working hard.

Past Continuous (Simple) → Past Perfect Continuous (Simple)

“I was working hard,“said Peter. →Peter said he had been working hard.27. června 2012 4

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

“I have finished my project,“ said John. → John said he had finished his project.

WILL → WOULD

“ I will help you,“ Jane said to Jim. → Jane told Jim she would help him.

•certain words and time expressions also change:

now → then, at that time, immediately

today, tonight → that day, that night27. června 2012 5

yesterday → the day before, the previous day

tomorrow → the next day, the following day

this week → that week

last week → the week before, the previous week

next week → the week after, the following week

two days ago → two days before

here → there

come →go 6

• this/these – when used as time expressions → that (week)/ those (days)

• this/that/these/those – when used as adjectives (followed by a noun) → the

e.g. “this cake ….“→ the cake…..

- when used as pronouns (not followed by a noun) → it/they/them

e.g.“This is a good idea.“ → He said it was a good idea.

• will/shall → would• may →might

27. června 2012 7

• can → could/would be able to (future reference)

• must → must /had to (obligations)

• shall → should (asking for advice)

Reported questions

• change of word order

• usually introduced with: ask/inquire/wonder/want to know

e.g. “What do you want me to do?“ she asked me. → She asked me what I wanted her to do.

27. června 2012 8

• if there isn´t a question word, we use if/whether

e.g. “Do you want an apple?“ she asked me. → She asked me whether/if I wanted an apple.

Reported commands

• we use introductory verbs order/tell sb to (not to) + -inf

e.g. “Don´t talk!“ he said to him. → He ordered him not to talk.

27. června 2012 9

Reported requests

•introductory verbs ask or beg sb + (not) to-infinive

e.g. “Please lend me some money,“ Tim said to me. → Tim asked me to lend him some money.

e.g. “Please, please don´t go away,“ he said to me. → He begged me not to go away.

Reported suggestions

•introductory verbs suggest + -ing form/that sb (should)+ bare infinitive27. června 2012 10

e.g. “What about going to the cinema?“ he said. → He suggested going to the cinema.

He suggested that we (should) go to the cinema.

27. června 2012 11

27. června 2012 12

• when the introductory verb is in the present, future or present perfect, we don´t change the tense

e.g. He says,“ I love swimming.“ → He says that he loves swimming.

• when reporting the general truth, the verb tenses can either change or remain the same

e.g. “Paris is the capital of France,“ the teacher said. → The teacher said (that) Paris is /was the capital of France.

27. června 2012 13

Použité zdroje

• DOOLEY, Jenny a Virginia EVANS. Grammarway 3. Newbury: Express Publishing, 1999. 1st ed. ISBN 978-1-842-16-367-2. .

• MURPHY, Raymond. English Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. 2nd ed. ISBN 0521 43680 X.

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