REPORTED SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH
When we want to say what someone said we can either put his/her words between inverted commas (e.g. He said, "You are mad") or we can express the idea in Reported Speech (e.g. He said that I was mad).

Direct Speech is common in novels, in plays (theatrical pieces) and when giving quotes (repetition of famous phrases). However Indirect Speech is more normal in live conversation, in reports and
academic work. INDIRECT STATEMENTS Occasionally the reporting verb (e.g. he says, he tells me, etc.) is in the present. In this case, pronouns will change in Indirect Speech, but the tenses in the reported clause stay the same: DIRECT SPEECH: He says, "I will do it". REPORTED SPEECH: He says that he will do it. However, it is much more common that the reporting verb is in the past (she said, she told me, etc.). In this case the tenses in the reported clause have to change. The changes of tense are governed by what we call the "ONE-TENSE-BACK" RULE. This simply says that the tense of the verb has to go one tense further into the past, as this Conversion Table shows: DIRECT SPEECH Present Simple She said, "I am happy". He said: "I work everyday". Present Progressive (Continuous) You said, "They are swimming". Present Perfect Simple He said, "I have bought a car". Past Simple He said, "I bought a hamster". Past Progressive (Continuous) You said, "I was working". Future of Intention ("going to") She said, "I am going to win". Future Simple They said, "We will lose". Future Perfect REPORTED SPEECH Past Simple She said that she was happy. He said that he worked everyday. Past Progressive (Continuous) You said that they were swimming. Past Perfect Simple He said that he had bought a car. Past Perfect Simple He said that he had bought a hamster. Past Perfect Progressive (Continuous) You said that you had been working. Past of Intention ("going to") She said that she was going to win. Conditional They said that they would lose. Perfect Conditional
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REPORTED SPEECH

She said, "I will have bought it by Friday". Future Progressive (Continuous) She said, "I will be having tea at 8 pm". Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous) She said, "I have been painting the ceiling".

She said that she would have bought it by Friday. Progressive (Continuous) Conditional She said that she would be having tea at 8 pm. Past Perfect Progressive (Continuous) She said that she had been painting the ceiling.

This is Reported Speech, Second Part. Let's see what happens to Auxiliary Verbs; learn about special verbs you can use to improve your reporting; additional changes in time-clauses, and more... The Past Perfect tenses, the Conditional tenses and the Past of Intention cannot be made more past, so these tenses do not change: Past Perfect Simple Conditional Past of Intention DIRECT SPEECH: He said, "I had gone to bed very early". REPORTED SPEECH: He said he had gone to bed very early. DIRECT SPEECH: They said, "We would like to visit Venice". REPORTED SPEECH: They said they would like to visit Venice. DIRECT SPEECH: She said, "I was going to win". REPORTED SPEECH: She said she was going to win.

OTHER AUXILIARY VERBS Some auxiliary verbs have a past tense, and in these cases they go "one tense back" in reported speech. Remember that they can also be replaced by their similars with able to (in the case of "can") or have to (in the case of "must"):

DIRECT SPEECH can may must

REPORTED SPEECH could might must / had to

However, other auxiliary verbs (could, would, should, might, ought to, used to and mustn't) have no past form and so they do not change. Some examples: could DIRECT SPEECH: He said, "I could fly because the weather was fine".
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REPORTED SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH: He said he could fly because the weather was fine. ought to used to DIRECT SPEECH: They said, "We ought to pay him a better salary". REPORTED SPEECH: They said they ought to pay him a better salary. DIRECT SPEECH: She said, "I used to live in London". REPORTED SPEECH: She told me she used to live in London.

OMISSION OF "THAT" It is possible to omit the relative pronoun that after the reporting verb (he said that...; he told that...). In general, USE this relative pronoun when you are writing and OMIT it when you are speaking. SAY / SAID vs. TELL / TOLD In general: 1. Use SAY when the person spoken to is not mentioned in the sentence: e.g. I said I was angry. 2. Use TELL when the person spoken to is given: e.g. I told him I was angry. VERBS USED IN REPORTED STATEMENTS SAY and TELL are the most common verbs used in indirect or reported statements. But other common verbs used in the reporting clause include: agree, mention, notice, promise and think. You can also use complain (criticise), confide (admit confess), deny (contradict, refuse), grumble (complain, moan), speculate (conjecture), and warn (alert, caution). PLEASE notice that we DO NOT NORMALLY OMIT the relative that after these more formal verbs. e.g. They agreed that we should visit them on Monday. e.g. He promised that he would come next day. e.g. The murderer denied that he had killed the old man. A number of verbs in reported speech have to have an indirect object (like tell). These include: assure, convince, inform, notify, persuade, reassure (comfort) and remind (make someone remember something): e.g. I assured them that I wouldn't arrive late. You cannot say: "I assured that I wouldn't arrive late"). e.g. She convinced me that I could travel to Spain. e.g. They notified us that we were fired. Certain verbs (admit, deny, mention and report) CAN BE FOLLOWED by a that-clause or by an ing clause: e.g. He denied that he had taken the money = He denied taking the money e.g. She mentioned that she had seen Jim = She mentioned seeing Jim.

SOME ADDITIONAL CHANGES

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REPORTED SPEECH

Certain words which are specific to the context in which direct speech happens, also NEED TO BE CHANGED. The general rule is: DIRECT SPEECH this these here now today this morning yesterday tomorrow REPORTED SPEECH that those there then that day that morning the day before the next day or the following day

However, in reality it may be becessary to be more specific: THE BOOK HE WAS HOLDING IN HIS HAND THIS e.g. He asked, "Who does this belong to?". He asked who the book in his hand belonged to. (We don't say: "that book"; it is not very specific). IN THE SITTING ROOM HERE e.g. She said, "My father was here". She said that her father had been in the sitting room. (We don't say: "there"; it is not very specific).

This is Reported Speech, Third Part. You will learn how to report questions, requests and commands; the use of special reporting verbs for recommendations, offers and refusals, and more... REPORTED QUESTIONS 1. Indirect questions are just a special case of reported statements. When the reporting verb is in the past the one-tense back rule applies in the same way. The difference is that we have to change the word order because the reported clause is not a question anymore. If the reported clause uses the auxiliary verb do/did, these disappear. And you must use the conjunction if ( = on the condition that; supposing that). e.g. She asked, "Do you work on Saturdays?". She asked me IF I WORKED on Saturdays. (We don't say: She asked me do you work on Saturdays).

2. If the reported clause has an inverted verb this inversion is reversed. e.g. He asked, "Can I come?".
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REPORTED SPEECH

He asked me IF HE COULD COME. e.g. Helen asked, "Can I make a phone call?". Helen asked IF SHE COULD MAKE a phone call. e.g. Jim asked, "Should I buy that book?". Jim asked IF HE SHOULD BUY that book. PLEASE, REMEMBER THIS: In colloquial style you can use the conjunction if instead of whether (pronounced as uder and also translated as "si" in Spanish), but in formal English you must use whether: "Jim asked WHETHER HE SHOULD BUY that book (OR NOT). 3. If the direct question includes a question word (i.e. how, when, where, who, why, etc.) this question word is used in the reported question. If it does not, we use if or whether: e.g. He asked, "How old are you?". He asked me how OLD I WAS. e.g. He asked, "When is she leaving the office?". He asked when SHE WAS LEAVING the office. e.g. He asked, "Where can I leave my coat?". He asked where HE COULD LEAVE his coat. e.g. He asked, "Who is going to Buenos Aires?". He asked who WAS GOING to Buenos Aires. e.g. Julie asked, "Why are you in California?". Julie asked why I WAS in California. REPORTED REQUESTS AND COMMANDS REQUEST: appeal, petition, asking (pedido, solicitud, requerimiento, in Spanish) COMMAND: order (orden, in Spanish) In reported requests and commands we often use the verbs ASK (for requests) and TELL (for commands). However, these verbs are not used in the same way as in reported statements or reported questions, and they are followed by an INFINITIVE STRUCTURE: STANDARD USE: e.g. She asked, "Do you know them?" She asked asked me if I knew them. COMMANDS: She said, "Please, be quiet !!" She asked me TO BE QUIET. (infinitive structure) He told me he would come. STANDARD USE: e.g. He said, "I will come home" He told me he would come. STANDARD USE: e.g. He said, "I will come home" COMMANDS: He ordered, "Sit down !!" He told me TO SIT DOWN.

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REPORTED SPEECH

Others verbs that use this INFINITIVE STRUCTURE include: VERBS advise command compel expect instruct invite order persuade recommend remind request urge warn English Spanish

aconsejar give an advice ordenar order forzar, obligar force, oblige esperar look forward instruir give instructions invitar offer someone an invitation tell someone to do something ordenar persuadir cause someone to do recomendar something recordar a alguien (que haga give a recommendation algo) recall someone from memory solicitar ask for alentar, estimular encourage notify of danger or risk advertir, alertar.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Verbs such as SUGGEST, PROPOSE, RECOMMEND are used to make recommendations. If the speaker includes himself/herself in the recommended action, we use the -ING FORM (gerund) in the reported clause: e.g. Ana suggested, "Why don't we go to the park". Ana suggested going to the park. (Ana included herself in the suggestion)

2. However, if the speaker does not include himself/herself in the sugegstion, we use a "THAT" CLAUSE: e.g. Ana suggested, "Why don't you go to the park". Ana suggested that I should go to the park. (Ana didn't include herself in the suggestion)

3. With these verbs we can use the present subjunctive (e.g. "go") or should (e.g.: "should go") in the reported clause: e.g. Ana proposed that we go to the park

or

Ana proposed that we should go to the park

OFFERS AND REFUSALS With the verbs OFFER and REFUSE we use the infinitive structure but NO indirect object: e.g. She said, "Shall I carry your bag, Tommy?". She offered to carry Tommy's bag.
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REPORTED SPEECH

e.g. He said, "I won't come to the party !!". He refused to come to the party.

EXERCISE
EXERCISE 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Yesterday you ran into a friend of yours, Helen. Helen told you a lot of things. Here are some of the things she said to you: 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. I hardly ever go out these days. I work 14 hours a day. I'll tell Jim I saw you. You can come and stay with me if you are ever in Toronto. Tom had an accident last week, but he wasn't injured. I saw Jack at a party a few months ago, and he seemed fine.

I'm thinking of going to live in France. My father is in the hospital. Sue and Jim are getting married next month. I haven't seen Bill for a while. I've been playing tennis a lot lately. Barbara has had a baby. I don't know what Fred is doing.

Later that day you tell another friend what Helen said. Use reported speech. 1. Helen said that she was thinking of going to live in France. 2. Helen said that ............................................................................................................... 3. .................................................................................................................................... 4. .................................................................................................................................... 5. .................................................................................................................................... 6. .................................................................................................................................... 7. .................................................................................................................................... 8. .................................................................................................................................... 9. .................................................................................................................................... 10. .................................................................................................................................... 11. .................................................................................................................................... 12. .................................................................................................................................... 13. .................................................................................................................................... In this exercise someone says something to you that is the opposite of what they said before. You have to answer I THOUGHT YOU SAID ...

EXERCISE 2

Example: "That restaurant is expensive." "I thought you said it wasn't expensive."
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REPORTED SPEECH

1. "Ann is coming to the party." "I thought you said that she ..................................................." 2. "Bill passed his exam." "I thought you said ......................................................................." 3. "Ann likes Bill." "I thought .............................................................................................." 4. "I've got many friends." "I thought you said you ................................................................." 5. "Jack and Karen are going to be married." "........................................................................" 6. "Tom works very hard." "................................................................................................" 7. "I want to be rich and famous." "....................................................................................." 8. "I'll be here next week." "..............................................................................................." 9. "I can afford a vacation this year." "................................................................................" EXERCISE 3 Write what you would say in these situations.

Example: Ann says, "I'm tired." Five minutes later she says, "Let's play tennis." What do you say? You said you were tired. 1. Your friend says, "I'm hungry," so you go to a restaurant. When you get there he says, "I don't want to eat." What do you say? "You said ..............................................................." 2. Tom tells you, "Ann has gone away." Later that day you meet her. What do you say? "Tom told ..............................................................." 3. George said, "I don't smoke." A few days later you see him smoking a cigarette. What do you say to him? "You said ..............................................................." 4. You arranged to meet Jack. He said, "I won't be late." At last he arrives - 20 minutes late. What do you say? "You ..............................................................." 5. Sue said, "I can't come to the party tonight." That night you see her at the party. What do you say to her? "..............................................................." 6. Ann says, "I'm working tomorrow evening." Later that day she says, "Let's go out tomorrow evening." What do you say? ..............................................................."

EXERCISE 4

Now complete these sentences with SAID, TOLD, or TALKED.

Example: Tom said said that he didn't like Brian. 1. Jack ......................... me that he was enjoying his new job. 2. Amy ......................... it was a nice restaurant, but I didn't like it very much. 3. The doctor ......................... that I would have to rest for at least a week. 4. Mrs. Taylor ......................... us she wouldn't be able to come to the next meeting. 5. Ann ......................... Tom that she was going away. 6. George couldn't help me. He ......................... to ask Jack. 7. At the meeting the directorr ......................... about the problems facing the company.
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REPORTED SPEECH

8. Jill ......................... us all about her trip to Japan. Now read each sentence and write a new sentence with the same meaning.

EXERCISE 5

Examples: "Listen carefully," he said to us. He told us to listen carefully. "Don't wait for me if I'm late," Ann said. Ann said not to wait for her if she was late. 1. "Eat more fruit and vegetables," the doctor said. The doctor said ..................................................................................................... 2. "Read the instructions before you use the machine," he said to me. He told ..................................................................................................... 3. "Shut the door but don't lock it," she said to us. She told ..................................................................................................... 4. "Can you speak more slowly? I can't understand," he said to me. He asked .................................................... because ................................................. 5. "Don't come before 6:00," I said to her. I told .....................................................................................................

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