Reported Speech

Theory .

1. What is Reported Speech?

Reported Speech is used to tell what someone else has said, but without using the exact
same words.

2. Changes when using Reported Speech:

● Pronouns:

○ Direct: "I am happy." → Indirect: He said he was happy.

● Verb Tenses: (Usually shifted back one tense)

● Modals:
 ● Time and Place Words:

Examples:

● Direct: "I will call you tomorrow." → Indirect: She said she would call me the next day.

● Direct: "We are going to the park now." → Indirect: They said they were going to the
park then.

Practical Exercises .

1. Convert the following sentences to Reported Speech:

1. "She is working on a new project."

2. "They have already eaten."

3. "He was watching TV."

4. "I will visit you next week."

5. "We had finished the game."

6. "I can drive a car."

7. "They might come to the party."

8. "You must finish your homework."

9. "He will be attending the meeting."

10. "I have been living here for five years."

2. Rewrite the dialogue in Reported Speech:

1. A: "I love playing soccer." B: "Me too! How often do you play?" A: "I play every
weekend." B: "That's great. I wish I could join you sometime."

● A said that _______________.

● B replied that _______________.

● A mentioned that _______________.

● B added that _______________.

3. Match the Direct Speech to its Reported Speech form:

Direct Speech Reported Speech

1. "I am learning Spanish." a. He said that he had finished the project.

2. "She will call you tomorrow." b. They said they were going to the
movies.

3. "We are going to the movies now." c. She said she had been to Italy.

4. "He has finished the project." d. He said he was learning Spanish.

5. "I have been to Italy." e. She said she would call me the next day.

4. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of Reported Speech:

1. "I can't find my keys," she said.

○ She said that she _______________ her keys.

2. "We are planning a trip," they said.

○ They said that they _______________ a trip.

3. "He must complete this task by tomorrow," the manager said.

○ The manager said that he _______________ complete the task by the next
day.

4. "I will help you with your homework," he promised.

○ He promised that he _______________ help me with my homework.

5. "She was feeling sick," her mother said.

 ○ Her mother said that she _______________ feeling sick.

5. Correct the errors in the following sentences:

1. She said that she will go to the market.

2. He told that he had finished his work.

3. They say they was happy to be here.

4. She mentioned she is going to travel next month.

5. He says that he will calls you later.

6. Reporting Questions:

Theory: Reported Questions

1. What are Reported Questions?

Reported questions are used to tell someone what another person asked without using the
exact words of the original question.

2. Changes in Reported Questions:

● Question word order: In reported questions, the question word order is changed
to statement word order.

○ Direct: "Where are you going?" → Indirect: She asked where I was going.

● No question marks: Reported questions do not use question marks.

○ Direct: "What time does the movie start?" → Indirect: She asked what time
the movie started.

● Use of reporting verbs: Common verbs used to report questions include 'ask,'
'wonder,' 'inquire,' etc.

○ "Are you coming?" → He asked if I was coming.

● Pronoun and tense changes: As with other forms of reported speech, pronouns
and tenses are adjusted.
 ○ Direct: "Did you see that?" → Indirect: He asked if I had seen that.

3. Types of Reported Questions:

● Yes/No Questions:

○ Use 'if' or 'whether' to introduce the question.

○ Direct: "Do you like ice cream?" → Indirect: She asked if I liked ice cream.

● Wh- Questions:

○ Start with the question word (who, what, where, when, why, how, etc.).

○ Direct: "Where are you going?" → Indirect: He asked where I was going.

Examples:

● Yes/No Questions:

○ Direct: "Is it raining?" → Indirect: She asked if it was raining.

○ Direct: "Will you come to the party?" → Indirect: He asked whether I would
come to the party.

● Wh- Questions:

○ Direct: "What is your name?" → Indirect: She asked what my name was.

○ Direct: "Why did you do that?" → Indirect: He asked why I had done that.

Convert the following direct questions into reported speech:

1. "Where are you going?" she asked.

○ She asked where _______________.

2. "Did you finish your homework?" he asked.

○ He asked if _______________.

3. "What time does the movie start?" she asked.

○ She asked what time _______________.

4. "Have you ever been to London?" they asked.

○ They asked if _______________.

5. "Can you help me with this?" he asked.

○ He asked if _______________.
Interactive Activities

1. Broken Telephone Game:

● Sit in a circle with your classmates (including the teacher).

● The first student thinks of a sentence in direct speech and whispers it to the next
person.

● Each student must repeat what they heard in Reported Speech to the next person.

2. Role-Play in Pairs:

● Work in pairs (one student and the teacher or the other student).

● One student acts as a reporter and the other as a celebrity.

● The reporter asks questions and the celebrity answers in direct speech.

● Then, the reporter reports back to the class using Reported Speech.

Example: Reporter: "What are you working on right now?" Celebrity: "I am working on a new
movie." Reporter to the class: "She said she was working on a new movie."

3. Listening and Reporting:

● The teacher reads aloud several sentences in direct speech.

● The students must write what they hear in Reported Speech.

Example: Teacher: "I visited Paris last year." Student writes: He said he had visited Paris the
previous year.

Final Activity: Story Creation

1. In groups:

● Each group creates a short story with several lines of dialogue in direct speech.

● Then, each group presents their story to the class using Reported Speech.

Example Story: Character A: "I found a treasure map!" Character B: "Where did you find it?"
Character A: "In my grandfather's attic." Character C: "Let's go find the treasure!"

In Reported Speech: Character A said that he had found a treasure map. Character B asked
where he had found it. Character A replied that he had found it in his grandfather's attic.
Character C suggested that they should go find the treasure.