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REPORTED SPEECH
(Direct and Indirect Speech) b. Questions
Direct questions Reported questions
Reported speech is used to repeat the exact words that somebody said.
"Are you cold?" She asked me if I was cold.
"Where's my pen?" He asked where his pen was.
Direct speech: "You have to work harder in school, or you'll fail", my mother told me. "Do you like coffee?" She asked if I liked coffee.
Indirect speech: My mother told me that I had to work harder in school, or I would fail. "Can I help you?" I asked if I could help her.
"Why don’t you work harder?" She asked why he didn’t work harder.
We can report : * statements * questions * commands, requests, suggestions "Don’t the children like ice-cream?" She asked if the children didn’t like ice-
cream.
Rules for Forming Reported Speech "You won’t tell anyone, will you?" She asked him not to tell anyone.

1. Verb tenses and time expressions change in reported speech c. Commands / requests / suggestions/ orders /advice
a. Statements
 When we want to report an order or command, we can use a verb like "tell" with a to-
clause.
Direct Speech → Indirect Speech "Stop smoking!” →The doctor told me to stop smoking.
"Don’t shout!” →He told me not to shout.
Simple present → Simple past
 When we want to report a request we use: ask + for + object.
“I go to school every day”, he said. He said (that) he went to school every day.
"Can I have an apple?", she asked. →She asked for an apple.
Simple past → Past perfect  When we want to report a suggestions we use a that-clause
“I went to school every day”, he said. He said (that) he had gone to school every day. "Why don't you get a mechanic to look at the car?" →She suggested that I should get a
mechanic to look at the car.
Present perfect simple → Past perfect simple
“I have gone to school every day”, he He said (that) he had gone to school every day. No change in tense!!!!!
said.
He says the city is crowded.
Present perfect continuous → Past perfect continuous
 the introductory verb (say, tell.....) is He is saying that the city is
“I have been working all day”, he said. He said he had been working all day. in the Present Simple, Present ‘The city is crowded.’ crowded.
Continuous, Present Perfect, Future He often said that the city is
Present continuous → Past continuous crowded.
Perfect
“I am going to school every day”, he He said (that) he was going to school every day.
said. ‘Taxes will be raised’. The government has
 There is no change in tense in ‘I live in Paris’. announcedthat taxeswill be
→ reported speech when what is said is
Past continuous Past perfect continuous ‘The Earth goes round the raised.
still true or is always true or a law of
“I was going to school every day”, he He said (that) he had been going to school every Sun’. He said he lives in Paris.
nature
said. day. He said the Earth goes round the
Sun.
If what is said is clearly untrue,
Past perfect simple → Past perfect simple ‘Elvis Presley is still alive’.
the tense changes.
“I hadn’t seen himbefore”, he said. He said he hadn’t seen himbefore. He said Elvis Presley was still
alive.
→
 the speaker is reporting something ‘There’s plenty of food in
Past perfect continuous Past perfect continuous immediately after it was said (up to the fridge’ Mum said (that) there is plenty
“I had been working before he came”, He said he had been working before he came. date) of food in the fridge.
he said.

→
 There is no tense change when we ‘ I wish he was / were with
Future (will) Would + verb name
report wishes or preferences. me now’. She said she wished he was
“I will go to school every day”, he said. He said (that) he would go to school every day. ‘ I would prefer to go to /were with her now.
Paris.’ He said he would prefer to go to
Future (going to) → Present continuous Paris.
“I am going to school every day”, he He said (that) he is going to school every day.
 the reported sentence deals with ‘If I had the money, I
said. type 2 or type 3 conditionals. would travel abroad ‘ Kelly said (that) if she had the
→ Past continuous money, she would travel abroad.
He said (that) he was going to school every day.
 2. Other changes f. ‘A taxi will be waiting at the airport for you’, the guide told Helen.The guide
a. Modal verbs told Helen that a taxi would be waiting at the airport for her,
will → would ‘I will help you’. He said he would help me. g. ‘Wheat is grown extensively in the USA’, The teacher explained. The teacher
can →could ‘I can help you’. He said he could help me. explained that wheat is grown extensively in the USA.
can →could/ would be able He said (that) he could/would h. ‘The boys are collecting money for charity organizations’, he explained. He
(future reference) ‘I can meet you at noon’. be ableto meet me at noon. explained that the boys were collecting money for charity organization.
may →might He said he might come later.
i. ‘I might come to the party’, Judy said. Judy said that she might have come to
must →must / had to ‘I may come later’. He said he must/had to go to
(obligation) ‘I must go to the bank’. the bank.
the party.
Must does not change when it Susan told Joe (that) he must j. Graham Greene lived in Antibes before he died’, our teacher commented. Our
expresses a logical assumption. ‘ You must be happy’, Susan said be happy. teacher commented that Graham Greene HAD lived in Antibes before he died.
shall →should to Joe. He asked what he should tell k. ‘The doctor can’t come to visit his patients today’, the nurse apoligized. The
(asking for advice) him. nurse apologized that the doctor couldn’t come to visit his patients that day.
shall →offer ‘What shall I tell him?’ He offered to help me. l. ‘Yesterday he played the piano very well’,Peter’s mother said. Peter’s mother
( expressing offers) said that the previous day he had played piano very well.
needn’t →needn’t /didn’t need to / ‘Shall I help you?’ I needn’t/ didn’t need to /
m. ‘My plane will arrive late, at about seven-thirty’, she complained. She
didn’t have to didn’t have to feed the dog.
‘You needn’t feed the dog’. He said that we could watch a
complaind that her plane would arrive late, at about seven-thirty.
Would, could, might, should, video. n. ‘The students will get their new books tomorrow morning’, the school master
ought, had better, used to, mustn’t replied. The school master replied that the students would get their new
do not change. ‘You could watch a video’, he said. He said I’d better go. books the following day morning.
‘You’d better go’. My doctor told me I ought to o. ‘London is the capital of the UK’, he assured. He assured that London is the
‘You ought to exercise more’ exercise more. capital of the UK.
2. Change the following commands, request & suggestions from direct to reported
b. Certain expressions speech.
 this →these  today, tonight → that day, that  this week →that week a. ‘Don’t worry’, I said to her. I said to her not to worry.
 that→those* night  tomorrow →the next b. ‘Take all those goods out of the store’, she said to the clerk. She suggested to
 here→there  two days ago →two days before day, the following day the clerk that he should take all those goods out of the store.
 last month →the month before,  next month → the c. The sergeant commanded them: ¡Stand to attention!’ The sergeant told them
 now →at the time, immediately
the previous month month after, the to stand to attention.
 yesterday →the day before, the
following month d. ‘Don’t make a noise’, the nurse said to the visitors. The nurse told to the
previous day
 come →go visitors not to make noise.
e. The boss said to the secrtary: ‘don’t forget to post this letter today!’ The boss
told to the secretary not to forget to post this letter that day.
* When this/these are used in time expressions, they change to that/those( this week-that week; these days- f. ‘Let’s not fight over this!’ she said. She told me not to fight over this.
those days). When this/these are not used in time expressions, they change as follows: g. The teacher told the pupils: ‘Hand in your homework next Friday!’ The
a) they change to the when used as adjectives, that is, when they are followed by a noun ( ‘This film is teacher told the pupils to hand in their homework next Friday.
boring’, Claire told me. - Claire told me (that) the film was boring.) h. Our neighbour asked: ‘Don’t smoke in my house!’Our neighbour told me not
b) they change to it or they/them when used as pronouns, that is, when they are not followed by a
to smoke in her house.
noun. ( ‘ This is an unusual situation’, Dad said. - Dad said (that) it was an unusual situation.)
i. ‘Open this suitcase immediately!’, the customs officer instructed me. The
customs officer told me to open this suitcase immediately.
EXERCISES j. ‘Please sit down and make yourselves comfortable’, the bellman told us. The
bellman told us that we should sit down and make ourselves comfortable.
1. Change the following statements from direct to reported speech. k. ‘How about going to see a movie!’, she said. She suggested that we should go
a. ‘I can’t help you’, Ann said. Ann said that she couldn’t help you.ME to see a movie.
b. ‘The students have been studying Lord Byron’s poetry’, she said. She said that l. ‘Could you please order a taxi?’, the manager told the boy. The manager
students had been studying Lord Byron’s poetry. asked for a taxi.
c. ‘We will also apply for a grant’, the volunteers added. The volunteers added m. ‘Please, let’s not argue any more’, he begged. He told me not to argue any
that they would also apply for a grant. more.
d. ‘The Leganés choral Group has often visited France’, she pointed out. She n. Susan said: ‘Mum, don’t forget to pick me up this afternoon!’Susan told her
pointed out that the Leganes choral group had often visited France. mum not to forget to pick her up that afternoon.
e. The journalist said: ‘The government is preparing for the elections’. The o. ‘It could be all right if we took a decision right now’, Philip suggested. Philip
journalist said that the government was preparing for the elections. suggested that it could be all right if they took a decision immediately.
3. Change the following questions from direct to reported speech.
a. ‘When will the castle be closed to visitors?’, she asked. She asked me when The dancing instructor asked me if I could dance Salsa.
the castle would be closed to visitors. 10. "May I please be excused?"
b. ‘Which books did I leave here yesterday?’, Jeremy said.Jeremy said to me The pupil politely asked the teacher if he might be excused.
which books I had left there the day before. 11. "Will you give me her phone number so I can phone her later?"
c. The boss asked: ‘Why are all our accountants checking them now?’The boss Gil asked me if I would give her phone number so she could phone her later.
asked me why all their accountants were checking them at the time. 12. "I am looking forward to seeing you soon."
d. ‘Did you have your flu vaccination last month?’, the doctor asked. The doctor Sam said that he was looking forward to seeing me soon.
asked me if I had had my flu vaccination the month before. 13. "Drive carefully!"
e. Peter said: ‘Was Annie playing the piano at yesterday’s concert?’ Peter asked My mother told me to drive carefully.
if Annie had been playing the piano the previous day’s concert. 14. "I hope you will do well on the English exam next week."
f. ‘Why were you tested at the hospital some years ago?’, the agent said.The Nicole said that she hoped I would do well on the English exam next week.
agent said to me why I had been tested at the hospital some years before. 15. "Where have I put my glasses?"
g. ‘Have you got an alibi?’, the policeman told the thief. The policeman told to My grandmother asked where she had put her glasses.
the thief if he had got an alibi. 16. "Why can't I ever switch on this television?"
h. ‘Where shall I put all these clothes?’, the young lady ask her mother. The Talia wanted to know why she couldn’t ever switch on that television.
young lady asked her mother where she should put all those clothes.
i. ‘Did you use a tie at parties?’, she wanted to know. She wanted to know if I
had seen a tie at parties.
j. ‘How often does your dog have meals?’, the vet asked him. The vet asked him
how often his dog had meals,
k. She wondered: ‘Can we save energy by using solar power?’She wondered if
we could save energy by using solar power.
l. ‘Should we refuse the invitation?’, she asked her husband. She asked her
husband if they should refuse the invitation.
m. ‘Who is taking the car to the garage?’, the manager asked him. The manager
asked him who was taking the car to the garage.
n. ‘Did anyone try to call an ambulance?’, she asked the guard. She asked the
guard if anyone tried to call an ambulance.
o. She enquired me: ‘which hotel do you think is the cheapest?’She enquired me
which hotel was the cheapest,

4. Change the following sentences from direct to reported speech.

1. "When was the last time you saw her?"
Alice asked me when I had seen her last time.
2. "Has Israel sent any films to the Cannes Film Festival this year?"
The film reviewer asked if Israel had sent any films to the Cannes Film Festival that
year.
3. "Did you enjoy her birthday party last night?"
My friend wanted to know if I had enjoyed her birthday party the day before.
4. "Have you ever dyed your hair?'
Tali asked me if I had ever dyed DIED my hair.
5. “Roses are my favourite flowers."
Nicole said that roses were her favourite flowers.

6. "Summer in Israel is very hot."

The weather man said that summer in Israel is very hot.
7. "Are you going to visit her in hospital?"
My mother asked if I was going to visit her in hospital.
8. "I have a collection of masks hanging on the wall."
Nicole told her friend that she had a collection of masks hanging on the wall.
9. "Can you dance the Salsa?"