Reglas para ejercicio de Reported Speech

Question Forms and Reported Speech

Question Forms and Reported Speech
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:

"Do you speak English?"

He asked me if I spoke English.

"Are you British or American?"

"Is it raining?"

She asked if it was raining.

"Have you got a computer?"

"Can you type?"

He asked me whether I was British or American.

He wanted to know whether I had a computer.

She asked if I could type.

"Did you come by train?"

He enquired whether I had come by train.

"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
change.

"What is your name?" he asked me.

He asked me what my name was.

"How old is your mother?", he asked.

He asked how old her mother was.

The policman said to the boy, "Where do you live?"

where he lived.
"What time does the train arrive?" she asked.
arrived.
"When can we have dinner?" she asked.
Peter said to John, "Why are you so late?"

The policeman asked the boy

She asked what time the train

She asked when they could have dinner.

Peter asked the John why he was so late.

Note: See also Summary of Reporting Verbs

Grammar notes: reported speech

Definition
Reported speech is often also called indirect speech. 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. For example:
"I'm going to the cinema".
He said he was going to the cinema.

Estilo indirecto - Reported Speech

El Estilo indirecto o Reported speech es una estructura que se emplea cuando

queremos decir o hacer mencin sobre algo que alguien ha dicho previamente.
Direct speech

Reported speech

(estilo directo)

(estilo indirecto)

"I always drink coffee". She

said.

She said that she always

drank coffee.

"Yo siempre bebo caf." Ella dijo.

Ella dijo que ella siempre beba caf.

Para hacer mencin sobre lo que alguien ha dicho usamos verbos como explain,
promise, say, tell, suggest... Aunque los ms utilizados son say y tell.
No es necesario cambiar el tiempo del verbo si el verbo de la oracin principal
est en presente. En el ejemplo anterior podramos decir: She said that she always
drink coffee.
Para introducir lo que ha dicho, usamos that aunque muchas veces se puede
omitir esta palabra.
Al convertir una oracin de "Direct Speech" a "Reported Speech" tenemos en
cuenta que el verbo principal retrocede un tiempo verbal.
Tabla de cambios que sufre el verbo:
Direct speech

Reported speech

present simple

past simple

I am happy

He said he was happy

I sleep

He said he slept

present continuos
I am feeling happy
I am sleeping
past simple
I was happy
I slept
present perfect
I have been happy
I have slept

past continuos
He said he was feeling
happy
He said he was sleeping
past perfect
He said he had been
happy
He said he had slept
past perfect
He said he had been
happy
He said he had slept

present perfect continuos

past perfect continuos

I have been feeling happy

He said he had been

I have been sleeping

feeling happy

He said he had been

sleeping
simple conditional

future
I will be happy
I will sleep

He said he would be
happy
He said he would sleep
simple conditional

future perfect
I will have been happy
I will have sleep

perfect
He said he would have
been happy
He said he would have
slept

Verbos modales
Direct speech

Reported speech

CAN

COULD

I can sleep

He said he could sleep

MAY

MIGHT

I may sleep

He said he might sleep

WILL

WOULD

I will sleep

He said he would sleep

MUST
I must sleep

HAD TO
He said he had to sleep

Cambios que pueden sufrir algunas partculas de lugar y tiempo:

now

at that moment, then

tonight

that night

today

that day

last night

the night before

this morning

that morning

this week

that week

next week

the following week

next year

the year after

here

there

Reported Speech: questions

En las oraciones interrogativas usamos el mismo orden gramatical: el sujeto va

despus del verbo pero no es necesario usar el auxiliar "do" o "did".
Direct speech

Reported speech

"Where do Susan and Ann

work? "

He asked me where Susan

and Ann worked.

"Dnde trabajan Susan y Ann?"

l me pregunt dnde trabajaban Mary y

Tom.