DIRECT SPEECH

‘This building will be open to the

public tomorrow’, said the official.

How many different ways can we

use to say what someone has
said?
 We can give the speaker exact words
in quotation marks.””
+ Direct speech

 We can report what the speaker said

using our own words.
+ Reported or indirect speech
REPORTED SPEECH

The official said that the building

would be open to the public the
following day.

What changes can you see?

Verbs
Time
Place words

Why?
Because time has gone by since the words
were spoken and the people, the place and
the moment have also changed.

*IMPORTANT
When we are reporting someone’s words, we
must pay attention to the type of sentence
you are reporting.

How many different types of sentences can

you remember?
Statements
Questions
Orders
Suggestions
REPORTED SPEECH
“I spent all my money last week”
STATEMENTS CHANGES
(1)

He told me (that) he had spent all his money

the week before.
YES/NO
‘Are won the prize?’ CHANGES
QUESTIONS you the person who (1)

They asked me if/whether I was the person who

had won the prize.
INFORMATION
QUESTIONS ‘What time does the train for Fleet leave?
He asked the porter what time the train for Fleet
left.
‘Get out of the way!’
COMMANDS CHANGES
(1)

The warden asked me to get out of the way.

“Don’t smoke in this compartment’.
The inspector asked me not to smoke in that
compartment.
(1) TENSE CHANGES
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT
SPEECH SPEECH
1. go 1. went 1. can go 1. could go
2. had gone 2. might go
2. went/have 2. may go/might go 3. must go /
gone/ 3. was/were 3. must go/have to go had to go
had gone going 4. didn’t need to
3. am/is/are going 4. had been go
4. was/were going/ going 4. needn’t go/ don’t need 5.They don’t
have been / going 5. would go to go change
/had been going 5. ought to go/ should go /
5. will/shall go
used to go/ could/ might

Other changes
DIRECT INDIRECT SPEECH DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
SPEECH
come go last week the previous week / the
Now then week before
today that day a week ago the week before
the day before this that
the next/following day these those
here there
SAY / TELL / TALK / SPEAK
1)Now, listen what I’m going to say:
2)I’m going to tell you what to do next:
3)I’m talking about four verbs which are often
confused.
1)You should learn to speak better English.

SAY a word, a name, a sentence TELL somebody that…

SAY that…
SAY something to somebody
He SAID, ‘………………..’
TALK to somebody
TALK about something
TELL somebody to do something…
TELL the truth, lies, a story, the time,
fortunes …
TELL somebody how to do something
SPEAK to somebody
SPEAK well/badly
SPEAK French / Japanese…
 SAY / TELL / ASK ( They just introduce the
message, they don’t add more information)

1. Often introduced by SAY and TELL. TELL is often

followed by a name or an object pronoun:
He told me he was a police officer.
3. When the reporting verb is in the present tense,
there is no change in the tense:
‘I don’t want to come.’
He says (that) he doesn’t want to come.
4. THAT is always optional after verbs of speaking.
5. In REPORTED QUESTIONS the word order of the
original question is changed:
‘What is your name?’
She asked WHAT my name was.
 Suggestions
“Let’s go to the theatre!” Beth said.
Beth suggested going to the theatre.
This means that the person who suggested going to the theatre is included.

“Paul had better stay in bed,”

the doctor said.
The doctor recommended that Paul
(should) stay in bed.
This means that the suggestion is about other people.

* The use of should is a bit old-fasioned nowadays.

 MORE REPORTING VERBS
V + object V+ V +(that) V V + object V+
+infinitive infinitive +gerund + preposition
preposition + gerund
+ gerund
advise agree admit deny accuse apologize
encourage decide agree recommend blame insist
offer suggest congratulate
invite decide
remind promise deny
refuse
warn explain
threaten
insist
promise
recommend
suggest

 They invited all their friends to attend the presentation.

 She offered to give him a lift.
 She agreed (that) we needed to reconsider our plans.
 He suggested studying early in the morning.
 They accused the boys of cheating on the exam.
 He apologized for being late.