REPORTED SPEECH - STATEMENTS

USE CHANGES IN
We use reported speech when
we want to reproduce what


PRESENT SIMPLE
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
 PAST SIMPLE
 PAST CONTINUOUS
Personal pronouns change to the
third person singular or plural, except

TENSES AND
somebody says or said. When
we report what somebody said
in the past we have to change
the tense(s) we use in reported
speech. These tenses usually
go one step back into the past.
 PAST SIMPLE PAST PERFECT (HAD 3.forma) when the speaker reports his own
 PAST CONTINUOUS  PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS words:
 PRESENT PERFECT  PAST PERFECT
 PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS  PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
 PAST PERFECT  PAST PERFECT
 PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS  PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
SIMPLE FUTURE(WILL)  PRESENT CONDITIONAL (WOULD)

PRONOUNS

Ex: “I feel tired”, he said.  PRESENT CONDITIONAL  PERFECT CONDITIONAL I like your new bike”, Mary told him
He said that he felt tired.  CAN  COULD
 MAY  MIGHT
 MUST  MUST OR HAD TO Mary told him that she liked his new
bike.

CHANGES SAY
We do not need to change the
tense if the reporting verb is in
Time/place references are also changed in reported speech: the present, or if the original In reported statements we often use
 TODAY  THAT DAY statement was about something the verbs “say” and “tell”. We use 'say'
 NOW  THEN that is still true: when there is no indirect object:
 YESTERDAY  THE DAY BEFORE “Mary wants to go to the disco”,

IN TIME- AND
 TOMORROW  THE NEXT DAY Peter says.
 NEXT WEEK/MONTH  THE FOLLOWING WEEK/MONTH He said that he was tired.
 LAST WEEK/MONTH  THE WEEK/MONTH BEFORE Peter says that Mary wants to go
 AGO  BEFORE to the disco. Always use 'tell' when you say who
 THIS (TIME)  THAT “Mary’s boyfriend lives in Paris”, was being spoken to (i.e. with an
 THIS/THAT / + NOUN  THE + NOUN Sue told me. indirect object):

PLACE TELL
 HERE  THERE
 GO  COME Sue told me that Mary’s boyfriend
lives in Paris. He told me that he was tired.

Put the following statements into reported speech. Use the

introductory verb in the past. Then, match the sentences with the right
picture.

1. “Mary and Paul are going to get married next week”, Jim said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. “If Mum has time, she will make a cake for your birthday”, she said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. “I often ask my father to help me with my homework”, Bill said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. “He spent the afternoon reading before his wife arrived”, Mary said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. “I´m very happy because I have just got my driving license”, I said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. “We have been shopping this afternoon”, my friends said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. “If she accepts me, we will get married in June”, Peter told me.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8. “Dave says he loves playing computer games”, my brother told me.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
9. “I can´t go to the party. I’ve got a terrible headache”, Jim said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. “Bill’s father gets angry when his son arrives late”, they said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
11. “She doesn’t like doing the housework. She says it is boring”, I said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
12. “John got a big present for his last birthday!, his brother said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
13. “My father must travel a lot because he’s a salesman”, she said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
14. “He’s got the biggest nose I have ever seen”, Marta said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
15. “If he drives so fast, he will have an accident”, his friend said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
16. “He studied very hard and got an excellent mark”, his teacher said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
17. “I want to be a basketball player when I grow up”, Tim said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
18. “There are three people waiting at the bus stop”, she said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 REPORTED SPEECH - STATEMENTS
USE CHANGES IN
We use reported speech when
we want to reproduce what


PRESENT SIMPLE
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
 PAST SIMPLE
 PAST CONTINUOUS
Personal pronouns change to the
third person singular or plural, except

TENSES AND
somebody says or said. When
we report what somebody said
in the past we have to change
the tense(s) we use in reported
speech. These tenses usually
go one step back into the past.
 PAST SIMPLE PAST PERFECT when the speaker reports his own
 PAST CONTINUOUS  PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS words:
 PRESENT PERFECT  PAST PERFECT
 PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS  PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
 PAST PERFECT  PAST PERFECT
 PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS  PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
SIMPLE FUTURE  PRESENT CONDITIONAL

PRONOUNS

Ex: “I feel tired”, he said.  PRESENT CONDITIONAL  PERFECT CONDITIONAL I like your new bike”, Mary told him
He said that he felt tired.  CAN  COULD
 MAY  MIGHT
 MUST  MUST OR HAD TO Mary told him that she liked his new
bike.

CHANGES SAY
We do not need to change the
tense if the reporting verb is in
Time/place references are also changed in reported speech: the present, or if the original In reported statements we often use
 TODAY  THAT DAY statement was about something the verbs “say” and “tell”. We use 'say'
 NOW  THEN that is still true: when there is no indirect object:
 YESTERDAY  THE DAY BEFORE “Mary wants to go to the disco”,

IN TIME- AND
 TOMORROW  THE NEXT DAY Peter says.
 NEXT WEEK/MONTH  THE FOLLOWING WEEK/MONTH He said that he was tired.
 LAST WEEK/MONTH  THE WEEK/MONTH BEFORE Peter says that Mary wants to go
 AGO  BEFORE to the disco. Always use 'tell' when you say who
 THIS (TIME)  THAT “Mary’s boyfriend lives in Paris”, was being spoken to (i.e. with an
 THIS/THAT / + NOUN  THE + NOUN Sue told me. indirect object):

PLACE TELL
 HERE  THERE
 GO  COME Sue told me that Mary’s boyfriend
lives in Paris. He told me that he was tired.

Put the following statements into reported speech. Use the

introductory verb in the past. Then, match the sentences with the right
picture.

1. “Mary and Paul are going to get married next week”, Jim said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. “If Mum has time, she will make a cake for your birthday”, she said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. “I often ask my father to help me with my homework”, Bill said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. “He spent the afternoon reading before his wife arrived”, Mary said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. “I´m very happy because I have just got my driving license”, I said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. “We have been shopping this afternoon”, my friends said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. “If she accepts me, we will get married in June”, Peter told me.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8. “Dave says he loves playing computer games”, my brother told me.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
9. “I can´t go to the party. I’ve got a terrible headache”, Jim said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. “Bill’s father gets angry when his son arrives late”, they said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
11. “She doesn’t like doing the housework. She says it is boring”, I said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
12. “John got a big present for his last birthday!, his brother said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
13. “My father must travel a lot because he’s a salesman”, she said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
14. “He’s got the biggest nose I have ever seen”, Marta said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
15. “If he drives so fast, he will have an accident”, his friend said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
16. “He studied very hard and got an excellent mark”, his teacher said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
17. “I want to be a basketball player when I grow up”, Tim said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
18. “There are three people waiting at the bus stop”, she said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………