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In reported speech, we paraphrase what is given between inverted commas (“…”) in direct speech.
Examples: Peter: “I’m going home.” → Peter said he was going home.
“I’ve never been to Italy.” → I told them I had never been to Italy.
We usually use reporting verbs such as say*, tell*, ask, but we can also use others, i.e. promise, think, believe,
swear, etc.
Pay attention to deictics (i.e. words that are dependent upon the context)! Very often they must be changed.
Examples: Jack: “Come see me tomorrow.” → Jack said to come see him the next day.
Anna: “I’m meeting my friend here.” → Anna said she was meeting her friend there.
REPORTED STATEMENTS
If the verb in the main clause is in the present, the tense in the subordinate clause doesn’t change.
Examples: Sarah: “I’m staying in tonight.” → Sarah says she’s staying in tonight.
Present Cont. Present Cont.
If the verb in the main clause is in the past, the tense in the subordinate ‘moves back’:
Examples:
Witness: “I was on my way home The witness said he was on his way
when I saw this man snatch the home when he saw the man snatch the
woman’s handbag.” woman’s handbag.
* Sometimes, when we report things that are still true now, we can keep the same tense as in the Direct Speech.
Examples: The boy said the population of London is 9 million.
The teacher told us that water dilates when it freezes.
REPORTED QUESTIONS
Direct questions become statements in reported speech, i.e. there is no inversion or auxiliary used.
Examples: Bill: “How old are you?” → Bill asked me how old I was.
The boss: “What are you doing here?” → Our boss wanted to know what we were doing there.
If the question is not a Wh- question, we can use if or whether to link the subordinate to the main clause.
Examples: Dr Lawrence: “Have you been ill?” → Dr Lawrence asked if I’d been ill.
Man to woman: “Can you speak English?” → He asked whether she could speak English.
We can report orders, requests, advice, invitations and warnings using the construction Verb + Object +
Infinitive.
Examples: “Would you like to go on a trip with us?” → She invited me to go on a trip with them.
“Shut up, will you?” → He told us to shut up.
“It’s not wise to give up now.” → He warned us not to give up at that moment.
We can also report offers, promises and threats using the construction Verb + Infinitive.
Examples: “May I help you with your bags?” → I offered to help them with their bags.
“I promise I will come to your birthday.” → She promised to come to my birthday.