What
is reported speech?
Reported
speech is when you tell somebody else what you or a person said before.
Distinction
must be made between direct speech and reported speech.
Direct speech vs Reported speech:
|
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
She says: "I like tuna fish."
|
She says that she likes tuna fish.
|
|
She said: "I'm visiting Paris next
weekend"
|
She said that she was visiting Paris the following
weekend
|
Different
types of sentences
When
you use reported speech, you either report:
·
statements
·
questions
·
requests
/ commands
·
other
types
A. Reporting Statements
When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
·
pronouns
·
tense
·
place
and time expression
1- Pronouns
In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending
on who says what.
Example:
She says, “My dad likes roast
chicken.” – She says that her dad likes roast chicken.
2- Tenses
If the sentence starts in the present, there is no backshift of
tenses in reported speech.
If the sentence starts in the past, there is often backshift of
tenses in reported speech.
|
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
(no backshift)
|
“I write poems.”
|
He says that he writes poems.
|
|
(backshift)
|
“I write poems.”
|
He said that he wrote poems.
|
No
backshift
Do
not change the tense if the introductory clause is in a present tense (e. g. He
says). Note, however, that you might have to change the form of the present
tense verb (3rd person singular).
Example:
He
says, “I write poems.” – He says that he writes English.
Backshift
You
must change the tense if the introductory clause is in a past tense (e. g. He
said).
Example:
He
said, “I am happy.” – He said that he was happy.
Examples of the main changes in tense:
|
Direct Speech
|
Reported Speech
|
|
Simple Present
He said: "I am happy"
|
Simple Past
He said that he was happy
|
|
Present Progressive
He said: "I'm looking for my keys"
|
Past Progressive
He said that he was looking for his keys
|
|
Simple Past
He said: "I visited New York last year"
|
Past Perfect Simple
He said that he had visited New York the previous year.
|
|
Present Perfect
He said: " I've lived here for a long time "
|
Past Perfect
He said that he had lived there for a long time
|
|
Past Perfect
He said: "They had finished the work when Iarrived"
|
Past Perfect
He said that they had finished the work when he had
arrived"
|
|
Past Progressive
He said: "I was playing football when the accident occurred"
|
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football when the accident had
occurred
|
|
Present Perfect Progressive
He said:"I have been playing football for two
hours."
|
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football for two hours
|
|
Past Perfect Progressive
He said: "I had been reading a newspaper when the light went
off"
|
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been reading a newspaper when the light had
gone off
|
|
Future Simple (will+verb)
He said: "I will open the door."
|
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would open the door.
|
|
Conditional (would+verb)
He said: "I would buy Mercedes if I were rich"
|
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would buy Mercedes if he had beenrich"
|
The
modal verbs could, should, would, might, needn't, ought to, used to do not
normally change.
Example:
He said, "She might be right." – He said that she might
be right.
Other modal verbs may change:
|
Modal
|
Direct speec
|
Repored speech
|
|
can
|
"I can do it."
|
He said he could do it.
|
|
may
|
"May I go out?"
|
He wanted to know if he might go
out.
|
|
must
|
"She must apply for the
job."
|
He said that she must/had to apply
for the job.
|
|
will
|
"They will call you."
|
He tod her that they would call
her.
|
3- Place,
demonstratives and time expressions
Place,
demonstratives and time expressions change if the context of the reported
statement (i.e. the location and/or the period of time) is different from that
of the direct speech.
In the following table, you will find the different changes of
place; demonstratives and time expressions.
|
Direct Speech
|
Reported Speech
|
|
Time Expressions
|
|
today
|
that day
|
|
now
|
then
|
|
yesterday
|
the day before
|
|
… days ago
|
… days before
|
|
last week
|
the week before
|
|
next year
|
the following year
|
|
tomorrow
|
the next day / the following day
|
|
Place
|
|
here
|
there
|
|
Demonstratives
|
|
this
|
that
|
|
these
|
those
|
B. Reporting Questions
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
·
pronouns
·
place
and time expressions
·
tenses
(backshift)
Also note that you have to:
·
transform
the question into an indirect question
·
use
the question word (where, when, what, how) or if / whether
|
Types of questions
|
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
With question word (what, why, where,
how...)
|
"Why" don’t you speak English?”
|
He asked me why I didn’t speak English.
|
|
Without question word (yes or no
questions)
|
“Do you speak English?”
|
He asked me whether / if I spoke English.
|
C. Reporting requests / commands
When transforming requests and commands, check whether you have to
change:
·
pronouns
·
place
and time expressions
|
·
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
“Nancy,do the exercise.“
|
He told Nancy to do the exercise.
|
|
"Nancy, give me your pen, please."
|
He asked Nancy to give him her pen.
|
|
Tenses are not relevant for requests – simply
use to / not to + verb (infinitive without
"to")
|
Example:
She
said, “Sit down." - She asked me to sit down.
She said, "don't be lazy" - She asked me not to be lazy
|
For affirmative use to +
infinitive (without to)
For negative requests, use not
to + infinitive (without to).
|
D. Other
transformations
· Expressions of advice with must, should and
ought are usually reported using advise / urge.
Example:
“You must read this book.“
He advised / urged me to read that book.
· The expression let’s is usually reported
using suggest. In this case, there are two possibilities for reported speech:
gerund or statement with should.
Example:
“Let’s go to the cinema.“=
1. He suggested going to the cinema.
2. He suggested that we should go to the
cinema.
Main clauses connected with and/but
If two complete main clauses are connected with ‚and
or ‚but, put ‚that after the conjunction.
Example:
He said,“I saw her but she didn't see me.“ – He said
that he had seen her but that she hadn't seen him.“
If the subject is dropped in the second main clause
(the conjunction is followed by a verb), do not use ‚that‘.
Example:
She said,“I am a nurse and work in a
hospital.“ – He said that she was a nurse and worked in a hospital.“
Source:
