UNIT 8 REPORTED SPEECH

 

(Grammarway unit 10)

Direct and Reported Speech
A) DIRECT SPEECH: words actually spoken; quotation marks. B) REPORTED SPEECH: we only give the meaning of what was said; no quotation marks .
C) TELL or SAY?	TELL + IO + DO	SAY + DO / SAY + TO + IO+ DO
TELL always has an indirect object, except in some expressions like tell the time, tell the truth . ..
Changes in Reported Speech
A) Changes of PERSON, TIME and PLACE depend on changes in the situation. The most important changes are:
Pronouns I / we................................... he, she / they Time tomorrow ............................ the next / following day yesterday ........................... the day before now .................................... then today / tonight ..................... that day / night this morning ........................ that morning on / next Tuesday ............... the following Tuesday last Tuesday ....................... the previous Tuesday the day after tomorrow.......... in two days time ago...................................... before Place here .................................... there Demonstratives this / that ............................ the
B) TENSE CHANGE: (BACKSHIFT) Tense change depends on whether the introductory verb is present or past.
- If the introductory verb is present, there is no tense change. - If the introductory verb is past, there is often a tense change. If the statement is up to date when we report it, we can leave the same tense or change it. We change the tense if we think the statement may be untrue. In news reports, the tense usually changes.
Direct Speech Reported Speech Direct Speech Reported Speech Simple Present ......... Simple Past WILL ...................... WOULD Present Continuous .. Past Continuous CAN ....................... COULD Simple Past ............. Past Perf/S. Past* MAY ...................... MIGHT Past Continuous ...... Past Perf/Past Cont.* MUST .................... HAD TO/MUST (deduction) Present Perfect ........ Past Perfect WOULD NO CHANGE Past Perfect ............ Past Perfect COULD MIGHT SHOULD OUGHT TO
Reported statements Subject+said/told+IO+ (that)+ S*+V*+O* E.g.   He said"My sister is blond"      He said (that) his sister was blond                                                            He told me (that) his sister was blond. * See changes above   A) Reporting verbs: SAY, TELL, ANNOUNCE, EXCLAIM,... B) Introduced by THAT (it can be omitted) C) Pronoun, verb and adverb change Reported questions Subject+asked +(IO)+ wh-question+S*+V*+O* E.g. He said,"Where's the book?" Hea asked(me) where the book was. Subject+asked+(IO)+ IF/Whether + S*+V*+O* E.g. He said," Have you seen John?" He asked (me) if I had seen John. A) Reporting verbs: ASK, WONDER, WANT TO KNOW B) WH-QUESTIONS: introduced by an INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN (it cannot be omitted) C) YES/NO QUESIONS: introduced by IF or WHETHER (they cannot be omitted) D) Pronoun, verb and adverb change.Word order changes E) EMBEDDED QUESTIONS: Could you tell me ...? Do you know ...? Reported functions (requests, orders, offers, ...) Subject+asked/told ...+IO+(not)+to-infinitive He said," Go away" He told me to go away He said, Please, forgive me!" He asked em to forgive him A) REQUESTS: - Reporting verb: ASK, BEG ... - Indirect Object + TO-INFINITIVE / NOT TO-INFINITIVE B) ORDERS: - Reporting verbs: TELL, ORDER, COMMAND ... - Indirect Object + TO-INFINITIVE / NOT TO-INFINITIVE C) OFFERS, SUGGESTIONS ... OFFER PROMISE AGREE REFUSE THREATEN REMIND ADVISE INVITE + TO-INFINITIVE SUGGEST ADMIT INSIST ON APOLOGIZE FOR + -ING D) PROMISE THAT, AGREE THAT ... PROMISE AGREE REMIND WARN ADVISE ADMIT INSIST + THAT + CLAUSE

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/cgi2/myexam/liaison.php?liaison=_direct_ DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR

REPORTED SPEECH

DIRECT AND REPORTED SPEECH

You can answer the question "What did he/she say?" in two ways:

• by repeating the words spoken (direct speech)
• by reporting the words spoken (indirect or reported speech).

Direct Speech
Direct speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between inverted commas ("....") and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or telling someone later about a previous conversation

Examples:

• She says "What time will you be home?"
• She said "What time will you be home?"
• and I said "I don't know! "
• "There's a fly in my soup!" screamed Simone.
• John said, "There's an elephant outside the window."
•  

Reported Speech
 
Reported speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.

She said, "I saw him." --She said that she had seen him.

• 'That' may be omitted:
• She told him that she was happy.
• She told him she was happy.
• 'Say' and 'tell':
• Use 'say' when there is no indirect object:
• He said that he was tired.
•  
• Always use 'tell' when you say who was being spoken to (i.e. with an indirect object):
  He told me that he was tired.
•  
  'Talk' and 'speak' are used:
• to describe the action of communicating:
  He talked to us.
  She was speaking on the telephone.
• with 'about' to refer to what was said:
  He talked (to us) about his parents.
•  

CHANGE OF TIME AND PLACE REFERENCE

Time/place references are also changed in reported speech

Examples:

"I will see you here tomorrow", she said. --She said that she would see me there the next day.

The most common of these changes are shown below:

Today	that day
"I saw him today", she said.	She said that she had seen him that day.
Yesterday	the day before
"I saw him yesterday", she said.	She said that she had seen him the day before.
The day before yesterday	two days before
"I met her the day before yesterday", he said.	He said that he had met her two days before.
Tomorrow	the next/following day
"I'll see you tomorrow", he said.	He said that he would see me the next day.
The day after tomorrow	in two days time/ two days later
"We'll come the day after tomorrow", they said.	They said that they would come in two days time/ two days later.
Next week/month/year	the following week/month/year
"I have an appointment next week", she said.	She said that she had an appointment the following week.
Last week/month/year	the previous/week/month/year
"I was on holiday last week", he told us.	He told us that he had been on holiday the previous week.
ago	before
"I saw her a week ago," he said.	He said he had seen her a week before.
this (for time)	that
"I'm getting a new car thisweek", she said.	She said she was getting a new car thatweek.
this/that (adjectives)	the
"Do you like this shirt?" he asked.	He asked if I liked the shirt.
here	there
He said, "I live here".	He told me he lived there.

Other changes:

In general, personal pronouns change to the third person singular or plural, except when the speaker reports his own words:

I/me/my/mine, you/your/yours --him/his/her/hers
we/us/our/ours, you/your/yours --they/their/theirs:

He said: "I like your new car." --He told her that he liked her new car.
I said: "I'm going to my friend's house." --I said that I was going to my friend's house.

TENSE CHANGES

Normally, the tense in reported speech is one tense back in time from the tense in direct speech:

She said, "I am tired." -- She said that she was tired.

The changes are shown below:

Simple present	Simple past
"I always drink coffee", she said.	She said that she always drank coffee.
Present continuous	Past continuous
"I am reading a book", he explained.	He explained that he was reading a book.
Simple past	Past perfect
"Bill arrived on Saturday", he said.	He said that Bill had arrived on Saturday.
Present perfect	Past perfect
"I have been to Spain", he told me.	He told me that he had been to Spain.
Past perfect	Past perfect
"I had just turned out the light," he explained.	He explained that he had just turnedout the light.
Present perfect continuous	Past perfect continuous
They complained, "We have been waiting for hours".	They complained that they had been waiting for hours.
Past continuous	Past perfect continuous
"We were living in Paris", they told me.	They told me that they had been living in Paris.
Future	Present conditional
"I will be in Geneva on Monday", he said.	He said that he would be in Geneva on Monday.
Future continuous	Conditional continuous
She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday".	She said that she would be using the car next Friday.

NOTE:

1. You do not need to change the tense if the reporting verb is in the present, or if the original statement was about something that is still true, e.g.
   
   He says he has missed the train but he'll catch the next one.
   We explained that it is very difficult to find our house.
2. These modal verbs do not change in reported speech:
   might, could, would, should, ought to, e.g.
   
   We explained that it could be difficult to find our house.
   She said that she might bring a friend to the party.

HOPES, INTENTIONS, PROMISES

When we report an intention, hope or promise, we use an appropriate reporting verb followed by a that-clause or a 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 used in this pattern include:
hope, propose, threaten, guarantee, swear.

Examples:

• "I'll be back by lunchtime."
  He promised to be back by lunchtime.
  He promised that he would be back by lunchtime.
• "We should arrive in London before nightfall."
  They hoped to arrive in London before nightfall.
  They hoped they would arrive in London before nightfall.
• "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.

ORDERS, REQUESTS, SUGGESTIONS

1. When we want to report an order or request, we can use a verb like 'tell' with a to-clause.
   
   Examples:
   He told me to go away.
   The pattern is verb + indirect object + to-clause.
   (The indirect object is the person spoken to.)
   
   Other verbs used to report orders and requests in this way are: command, order, warn, ask, advise, invite, beg, teach, forbid.
   
   Examples:
1. The doctor said to me, "Stop smoking!". -- The doctor told me to stop smoking.
2. "Get out of the car!" said the policeman. -- The policeman ordered him to get out of the car.
3. "Could you please be quiet," she said. -- She asked me to be quiet.
4. The man with the gun said to us, "Don't move!" -- The man with the gun warned us not to move.
2. Requests for objects are reported using the pattern
   ask + for + object:
   
   Examples:
1. "Can I have an apple?", she asked. -- She asked for an apple.
2. "Can I have the newspaper, please?" -- He asked for the newspaper.
3. "May I have a glass of water?" he said. -- He asked for a glass of water.
4. "Sugar, please." -- She asked for the sugar.
5. "Could I have three kilos of onions?" -- He asked for three kilos of onions.
3. Suggestions are usually reported with a that-clause. 'That' and 'should' are optional in these clauses:
   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. OR She suggested I get a mechanic to look at the car.
   
   Other reporting verbs used in this way are: insist, recommend, demand, request, propose.
   
   Examples:
1. "It would be a good idea to see the dentist", said my mother. --My mothersuggested I see the dentist.
2. The dentist said, "I think you should use a different toothbrush". --The dentistrecommended that I should use a different toothbrush.
3. My manager said, "I think we should examine the budget carefully at this meeting." --My manager proposed that we examine the budget carefully at the meeting.
4. "Why don't you sleep overnight at my house?" she said. --She suggested that I sleepovernight at her house.

Notes:

Suggest can also be followed by a gerund: I suggested postponing the visit to the dentist.

QUESTIONS

1. Normal word order is used in reported questions, that is, the subject comes before the verb, and it is not necessary to use 'do' or 'did':
   
   "Where does Peter live?" --She asked him where Peter lived.
2. Yes / no questions: This type of question is reported by using 'ask' + 'if / whether + clause:
1. "Do you speak English?" -- He asked me if I spoke English.
2. "Are you British or American?" -- He asked me whether I was British or American.
3. "Is it raining?" -- She asked if it was raining.
4. "Have you got a computer?" -- He wanted to know whether I had a computer.
5. "Can you type?" -- She asked if I could type.
6. "Did you come by train?" -- He enquired whether I had come by train.
7. "Have you been to Bristol before?" -- She asked if I had been to Bristol before.
3. Question words                                                                                                                                                                This type of question is reported by using 'ask' (or another verb like 'ask') + question word clause. The clause contains the question, in normal word order and with the necessary tense changes.
4. Examples:
1. "What is your name?" he asked me. -- He asked me what my name was.
2. "How old is your mother?", he asked. -- He asked how old her mother was.
3. The mouse said to the elephant, "Where do you live?" --- The mouse asked the elephant where she lived.
4. "What time does the train arrive?" she asked. -- She asked what time the train arrived.
5. "When can we have dinner?" she asked. -- She asked when they could have dinner.
6. The elephant said to the mouse, "Why are you so small?" -- The elephant asked the mouse why she was so small.
7. 
   

SUMMARY OF REPORTING VERBS

Note that some reporting verbs may appear in more than one of the following groups.

1. Verbs followed by 'if' or 'whether' + clause:

ask know remember

say see

2. Verbs followed by a that-clause:

add admit agree announce answer argue boast claim comment complain confirm consider deny

doubt estimate explain fear feel insist mention observe persuade propose remark remember repeat

reply report reveal say state suggest suppose tell think understand warn

4. Verbs followed by either a that-clause or a to-infinitive:

decide expect guarantee hope

promise swear threaten

6. Verbs followed by a that-clause containing should (but note that it may be omitted, leaving a subject + zero-infinitive):

advise beg demand

insist prefer propose

recommend request suggest

8. Verbs followed by a clause starting with a question word:

decide describe discover discuss explain forget guess

imagine know learn realise remember reveal say

see suggest teach tell think understand wonder

10. Verbs followed by object + to-infinitive:

advise ask beg command

forbid instruct invite

teach tell warn

GRAMMAR SUMARY

We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell' (Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell'). If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:

• direct speech: “I like ice cream”
• reported speech: She says she likes ice cream

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.
But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:

• direct speech: “I like ice cream”
• reported speech: She said she liked ice cream

Tense	Direct Speech	Reported Speech
present simple	“I like ice cream”	She said (that) she liked ice cream.
present continuous	“I am living in London”	She said she was living in London.
past simple	“I bought a car”	She said she had bought a car OR She said she bought a car.
past continuous	“I was walking along the street”	She said she had been walking along the street.
present perfect	“I haven’t seen Julie”	She said she hadn’t seen Julie.
past perfect*	“I had taken English lessons before”	She said she had taken English lessons before.
will	“I’ll see you later”	She said she would see me later.
would*	“I would help, but..”	She said she would help but...
can	“I can speak perfect English”	She said she could speak perfect English.
could*	“I could swim when I was four”	She said she could swim when she was four.
shall	“I shall come later”	She said she would come later.
should*	“I should call my mother”	She said she should call her mother
might*	"I might be late"	She said she might be late
must	"I must study at the weekend"	She said she must study at the weekend OR She said she had to study at the weekend

* doesn’t change
Occasionally, we don’t need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense):

• direct speech: “The sky is blue”
• reported speech: She said that the sky is/was blue

Click here to practise reported statements 
 
Reported Questions
Okay, so now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

• direct speech: "where do you live?"

How can we make the reported speech here?
In fact, it's not so different from reported statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. The very important thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a question any more. So we need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence. Confused? Sorry, maybe this example will help:
So, to look again at the example:

• direct speech: "where do you live?"


• She asked me where I lived.

Do you see how I made it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I need to change the verb to the past simple.

How about another example:

• direct speech: "where is Julie?"


• She asked me where Julie was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb. So, we need to change them back before putting the verb into the past simple.
Here are some more examples:

Direct Question	Reported Question
“Where is the Post Office, please?”	She asked me where the Post Office was.
“What are you doing?”	She asked me what I was doing.
“Who was that fantastic man?”	She asked me who that fantastic man had been.

So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We don't have any question word to help us. It's easy, instead use 'if':

• direct speech: "Do you like chocolate?"


• She asked me if I liked chocolate.

No problem? Here are a few more examples:

Direct Question	Reported Question
“Do you love me?”	He asked me if I loved him.
“Have you ever been to Mexico?”	She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico.
“Are you living here?”	She asked me if I was living here.

Click here to practise reported questions.

Reported Requests
There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

• direct speech: "Close the window, please"
• or: "Could you close the window please?"
• or: "Would you mind closing the window please?"

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when we tell another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

• reported speech: She asked me to close the window

Here are a few more examples:

Direct Request	Reported Request
“Please help me”	She asked me to help her.
“Please don’t smoke”	She asked me not to smoke.
“Could you bring my book tonight?”	She asked me to bring her book that night.
“Could you pass the milk, please?”	She asked me to pass the milk.
“Would you mind coming early tomorrow?”	She asked me to come early the next day.

To report a negative request, use 'not':

• Direct speech: "Please don't be late"
• Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders
And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:

• Direct speech: "Sit down!"

In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask':

• Reported speech: She told me to sit down

Direct Order	Reported Order
“Go to bed!”	He told the child to go to bed.
“Don’t worry!”	He told her not to worry.
“Be on time!”	He told me to be on time.
“Don’t smoke here!”	He told us not to smoke there.

 OTHER REPORTING VERBS

Remember that if we ask for an object we don't need infinitives.

'Can you lend me a pen?' he said.

He asked me for a pen.

Offers: 'Shall I bring you some tea?'

He offered to bring me some tea.

Invitations: 'Would you like to sit down?'

My hostess invited me to sit down.

Advice: My friend said, 'if you travel abroad you should take traveller cheques with you'

My friend advised me to take traveller cheques with me if I travelled abroad.

Warnings: 'Be careful of pickpockets', the policeman said to us.

The policeman warned us to be careful of pickpockets.

Pleas: 'Please, please don't take any risks,' said his wife.

His wife begged/implored him not to take any risks.

Encouragement: 'Go on, apply for the job,' said Jack.

Jack urged/encouraged me to apply for the job.

Reminders: 'Don't forget to order the wine,' said Mrs Pitt

Mrs Pitt reminded her husband to order the wine.

MORE REPORTING VERBS

ACCEPT.- 'O.K. I'll do the job,' he said. = He accepted to do the job 

INTRODUCE.-' Please, Peter, meet Tom.' = He introduced Peter to Tom. 

ACCUSE.- 'You are a thief,' said the manager to him = The manager accused him of being a thief. 

POINT OUT.- 'There are a few mistakes in your essay,' the teacher said. = The teacher pointed out that there were a  few mistakes in my essay.

 

ADMIT.- 'Yes, I stole the money,' he said. = He admitted having stolen the money / that he had stolen...

 

AGREE.- 'You can use my flat while I'm away,' he said. =He agreed to let us use his flat while he was away.

 PROMISE.- 'I will never smoke again,' he said. = He promised never to smoke again.

 

APOLOGIZE.- 'Sorry, I', late,' he said. = He apologized for being late.

PROTEST.- 'I think the Government's work policy is unfair,' the union leader said. = The union leader protested about (against) the Government's work policy.

 

CALL.- 'Ann, come.' = He called Ann.

          'You are a liar, Henry,' he said. = He called Henry a liar. 

PROTEST.- 'It's long past bedtime, child,' said the father. 'Oh, please daddy,' said the child. = The child protested when his father told him to go to bed.

COMPLAIN.- 'The price is too high,' he said. = He complained about the price./ He complained that the price was too high.

 

 REFUSE.- 'I won't lend you any more money,' he said. = He refused to lend me any more money.

CONGRATULATE.- 'Congratulations on your success!' he said to me. = He congratulated me on my success.

 SUGGEST.- 'Why don't we take a holiday in the mountains?' he said.= He suggested taking a holiday in the mountains.

 

DENY.- 'No, I didn't see her yesterday,' he said. = He  denied having seen her the day before / that he had seen...

 

EXCLAIM.-' Ugh, there's a fly in my soup!' he said. = He exclaimed with disgust that there was a fly in his soup.

THANK.- 'Thank you for this splendid meal,' he said to his hostess. = He thanked his hostess for the meal.

EXPLAIN.- 'In the USA, the speed limit is 55 m.p.h..' he said = He explained that in the USA the speed limit is 55 m.p.h. 

THREATEN.- ' If you say another word I will punish you,'

. He threatened his son to punish him if he said another word.

GIVE.- 'Here's your money, John,' he said. = He gave John his money,

BACKSHIFT

www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/reported.htm


EXERCISES (COPY&PASTY /COPIAR Y PEGAR)

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/cgi2/myexam/liaison.php?liaison=_direct_

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercises.html
 
http://ingles.ing.uchile.cl/otros/Reported%20Speech%20Exercises.pdf

http://ies1libertas.edu.gva.es/departamentos/ingles/PDFs/segundob/erepspch2b1.pdf

http://www.miguelmllop.com/grammars/mygrammar/reportedspeech.pdf

http://www.autoenglish.org/generalgrammar/reportedspeech.pdf

http://bachiller.sabuco.com/ingles/eloy/1bach/reported.pdf

http://perso.wanadoo.es/autoenglish/gr.report.i.htm

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_reported1.htm

http://www.eslpartyland.com/quiz%20center/rptspeech1.htm

http://www.englishlearner.com/tests/report.html

http://eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/REPORTSP/Rs1.htm

http://elblogdelingles.blogspot.com/2007/02/lesson-33-reported-speech-ii.html

htm http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech


http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?05


http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?06


http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?10

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?11


http://www.eslpartyland.com/quiz%20center/rptspeech1.
 
htm http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/tm-reported1.htm


http://www.ieslosremedios.org/~josefina/english_exercises/reported_speech1.jqz.htm


http://mrc.ltd.free.fr/Reportquestions.htm

http://www.bnv-bamberg.de/home/ulrich.koch/flg/englischinteraktiv/rep-speech-01.htm






REPORTED SPEECH  LISTENINGS:


http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/reportedspeech.htm

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?05

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?06

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?10

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?11

http://www.eslpartyland.com/quiz%20center/rptspeech1.htm 

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/tm-reported1.htm

http://mrc.ltd.free.fr/Reportquestions.htm

http://www.bnv-bamberg.de/home/ulrich.koch/flg/englischinteraktiv/rep-speech-01.htm

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/lefg1_reportedspeech1.html