reported speech
DESCRIPTION
A full description about the changes from direct to reported speech in EnglishTRANSCRIPT
REPORTED SPEECH
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez López
DEFINITION
Reported speech (also known as indirect speech) refers to a sentence reporting what someone has said. When we use reported speech, we are usually talking about the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.
"I'm going to the cinema".
He said he was going to the cinema.
RULESIn all sentences, the quotation marks and the comma immediately before the first quotation mark are removed. Next, the word "that" is usually inserted after the reporting verb. Then, there are certain changes to be considered.
She said, “I work very hard." She said that she worked very hard.
1. Tense changesAs a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right):
Direct speech Indirect speech
Present simple She said, "It's cold."
›Past simple
She said it was cold.
Present continuous She said, "I'm teaching
English online." ›
Past continuous She said she was teaching
English online.
Present perfect simple She said, "I've been on the web since 1999."
›Past perfect simple
She said she had been on the web since 1999.
Present perfect continuous She said, "I've been teaching English for seven years."
›Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching English for seven years.
Past simple She said, "I taught online yesterday."
›Past perfect She said she had taught online yesterday.
Past continuous She said, "I was teaching earlier."
›Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching earlier.
Past perfect She said, "The lesson had already started when he arrived."
›Past perfect NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had already started when he arrived.
Past perfect continuousShe said, "I'd already been teaching for five minutes."
›
Past perfect continuous NO CHANGE - She said she'd already been teaching for five minutes.
Other tense changesModal verb forms also change:
Direct speech Indirect speech
will She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow."
›would
She said she would teach English online tomorrow.
can She said, "I can teach English online."
›could
She said she could teach English online.
must She said, "I must have a computer to teach English online."
›had to
She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.
shall She said, "What shall we learn today?"
›should
She asked what we should learn today.
may She said, "May I open a new browser?"
›might
She asked if she might open a new browser.
2. Time and place changes
Time and place references change:
now › then
today › that day
here › there
this › that
this week › that week
tomorrow ›the following day the next day the day after
next week ›the following week the next week the week after
Yesterday ›the previous day the day before
last week ›the previous week the week before
Ago ›previously before
2 weeks ago ›2 weeks previously 2 weeks before
Tonight › that night
last Saturday ›the previous Saturday the Saturday before
next Saturday ›
the following Saturdaythe next Saturdaythe Saturday afterthat Saturday
Examples: I went to the theatre last night. He said he had gone to the theatre the night before. I'm staying here until next week. He said he was staying there until the following week.
3. Pronouns
Personal pronouns need to be changed according to the situation.
“I run 5 km every day”, said she.
She said she ran 5 km every day.
Besides, some demontratives must be changed:
THIS changes to THAT
And THESE to THOSE:
She said ‘I like this shirt’
She said she liked that shirt.
4. Reporting Verbs
Said, told and asked are the most common verbs used in indirect speech.
We use “asked” to report questions:I asked Lynne what time the lesson started.
We use “told” with an object.Lynne told me she felt tired.
We usually use “said” without an object.Lynne said she was going to teach online.
If “said” is used with an object we must include “to” Lynne said to me that she'd never been to China.
There are many other verbs we can use apart from said, told and asked. These include:
accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologised, begged, boasted, complained, denied, explained, implied,
invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested and thought.
5. Indirect QuestionsWe normally use asked, but also wanted to know and wondered.
YES/NO Questions:YES/NO Questions:“Can you pass me the salt?” she asked.1- We write the subject + asked if: She asked if...2- We invert the subject order of the question and change pronouns, time and
place expressions and tenses:
She asked if I could pass her the salt.
WH- Questions:WH- Questions:They asked “Where does your brother live?
1- We write the subject + asked: They asked 2- We write the WH- word, and we invert the subject order of the question and
change pronouns, time and place expressions and tenses:
They asked where my brother lived.
6. Indirect orders, requests and suggestions
positive imperative
Close the door!
tell + (Object) + to infinitive He told me to close the door.
negative imperative
Don't speak!
tell + (Object) + not to infinitive
He told me not to speak.
imperatives as requests
Please, pass me the salt.
ask + (Object) + to infinitive
He asked me to pass him the salt.
As regards suggestions, there are two possibilities. There are two verbs: suggested and
recommended.
The speaker is included in the action expressed by the suggestion:
Let’s go to the park
suggest + verb (ing)
He suggested going to the park.
The speaker is not included in the action expressed by the suggestion:
Why don’t you play the piano?
suggest + that + subject + bare infinitive
He suggested that I play the piano.