REPORTED SPEECH

When do we use it?

 REPORTED SPEECH is used to tell what someone said.

Yet, we do not repeat all the words exactly.
 REAL WORDS (direct speech):

Tom said: “We are going to the cinema this afternoon.”

 REPORTED SPEECH:

Tom said that they were going to the cinema that afternoon.
 Changes

 Types of changes:
1. Verb Tenses
2. Time and place adverbial expressions
3. Logical change of pronouns

 EXAMPLE
 DIRECT: Mary said: “They are visiting me tomorrow”
 REPORTED: Mary said that they were visiting her the
following day
 Verb Tenses

DIRECT SPEECH  REPORTED SPEECH

 PRESENT  • PAST
 We study • She said that they studied
 We are studying • She said that they were studying

 PAST  • PAST PERFECT

 We studied • She said that they had studied
 We were studying • She said that they had been studying

• CONDITIONAL
• She said that they would study
 FUTURE 
 We will study
 List of Verb Changes
TENSE DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
PRESENT SIMPLE I play tennis with my friends She said that she played tennis with her friends

I am playing tennis with my She said that she was playing tennis with her
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
friends friends

PRESENT PERFECT I have played tennis with my She said that she had played tennis with her
SIMPLE friends friends

PRESENT PERFECT I have been playing tennis with She said that she had been playing tennis with her
CONTINUOUS my friends friends

She said that she had played tennis with her

PAST SIMPLE I played tennis with my friends
friends

I were playing tennis with my She said that she had been playing tennis with her
PAST CONTINUOUS
friends friends

I had played tennis with my She said that she had played tennis with her
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE
friends friends

PAST PERFECT I had been playing tennis with my She said that she had been playing tennis with her
CONTINUOUS friends friends

She said that they would play tennis with her

FUTURE SIMPLE I will play tennis with my friends
friends
 Changes in Modals

DIRECT REPORTED
SPEECH SPEECH
CAN COULD
MAY MIGHT
MUST / HAVE
MUST / HAD TO
TO
WILL WOULD
 Time and Place Adverb Change
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
Now Then
Today That day
Tonight That night
Yesterday The previous day / the day before
Last week The previous week / the week before
A __________ ago The previous ______ / the _____ before

Tomorrow The following day / the day after / the next day

Next ___________ The following ________ / the _______ after

Here There
This That
These Those
 Reported statements

 Pay attention to the changes mentioned before.

 'That‘ can be omited with “TELL & SAY”:
 She told him that he was a fool.
 She told him he was a fool.
 She said that I was right
 She said I was right
 Remember not to use inverted commas.
 Observe that when you use TELL, you must mention “the person you’re speaking
to”
 John said: “Ann, I’m very happy.”
 John told Ann that he was very happy.
Reported questions

 Same changes as for statements.

 In “REPORTED QUESTIONS” we do not have a question

structure, now we have a “statement”
 Suject + verb + complements
 Paul asked: “Are you coming to the party tonight, Jane?”
 Paul asked Jane if she was coming to the party that night.
 Types of questions:
1. YES/NO QUESTIONS: IF / WHETHER + SUJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENTS
Paul asked : "Do you play volleyball?"
Paul asked me whether (or if) I played volleyball.
2. WH- QUESTION : WH- + SUJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENTS
John asked: "When do you play badminton?"
John asked me when I played badminton.
 Reported commands
 Same basic changes as statements

 Basic introductory verb: TELL

 The IMPERATIVE verbal form turns into

 TO + “INFINITIVE” (Affirmative)
 NOT + TO + “INFINITIVE” (Negative)

 Examples.-
 “Come here” He told me  He told me to go there
 Father: "Do your homework!“  Father told me to do my homework.
 Teacher. "Don't talk to your mate!"  The teacher told me not to talk to my mate.
 Other verbs used for the IMPERATIVE:
 ORDER (ordenar)
 "Get out of the car!" said the policeman.
 The policeman ordered him to get out of the car.

 ASK (Pedir)
 "Could you please be quiet," she said.
 She asked me to be quiet.

 WARN (advertir)
 The man with the gun said to us, "Don't move!“
 The man with the gun warned us not to move.

 We can also use:

 INVITE (Invitar),
 BEG (Suplicar),
 FORBID (Prohibir)
 Suggestions:
 We use a that-clause introduced by “suggest”.
 'That' y 'should' are optional in these cases:
She said: "Why don't you get a mechanic to look at the car?"
She suggested that I should get a mechanic to look at the car.
She suggested I get a mechanic to look at the car.

 Other verbs we can use:

 Insist
 "It
would be a good idea to see the dentist", said my mother.
 My mother insisted that I see the dentist
 Recommend
 The dentist said, "I think you should use a different toothbrush".
 The dentist recommended that I should use a different toothbrush.

Notes:
Suggest can be followed by V-ing:
I suggested postponing the visit to the dentist.
 HOPES, INTENTIONS,
PROMISES
 In these cases we would use a “reporting verb” related to the
meaning, followed by that-clause o to-infinitive:
 "I'll pay you the money tomorrow.“
 He promised to pay me the money the next day.
 He promised that he would pay me the money the next day.
 Other verbs that follow this structure:
 Hope (Tener esperanza)
 "We should arrive in London before nightfall.“
 They hoped to arrive in London before nightfall.
 They hoped they would arrive in London before nightfall.
 Threaten (Amenazar)
 "Give me the keys to the safe or I'll shoot you!”
 He threatened to shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to the safe.
 He threatened that he would shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to the safe.
 Swear (Jurar)
 "I swear it! I'll be back by lunchtime.”
 He sweared to be back by lunchtime.
 He sweared that he would be back by lunchtime.
 Some reporting verbs.

IF / THAT + THAT+
THAT + Object +
WHETHER + sentence or sentence or
sentence infinitive
sentence infinitive should
ASK ANSWE CLAIM ADVISE ADVISE
REMEM R PROMIS BEG ASK
BER BOAST E DEMAN BEG
SAY COMPL THREAT D INVITE
AIN EN RECOM ORDER
DENY MEN SHOUT
REPLY D WARN
SAY SUGGES
SUGGES T
T
TELL
WARN