Reported

speech
By: Claudia Arenas Torres
 Reported speech or "reported
discourse"

• is when an individual verbally recalls information from

something they heard or read.

• Using reported speech in conversations shows listening

skills and allows an individual to relate to others.
Reported speech changes

Direct speech
• Simple present = "I always drink coffee", she
said
• Present continuous = "I am reading a book",
he explained.
• Simple past = "Bill arrived on Saturday", he
said.
• Past continuous = "We were living in Paris",
they told me.
• Present perfect = "I have been to Spain", he
told me.
• Present perfect continuous = They
complained, "We have been waiting for
hours".
• Future = "I will be in Geneva on Monday",
he said.
Gramatical changes
Reported speech
• Simple past = She said that she always
drank coffee.
• Past continuous = He explained that he was
reading a book.
• Past perfect = He said that Bill had arrived
on Saturday.
• Past perfect continuous = They complained
that they had been waiting for hours.
• Past perfect = He told me that he had been
to Spain.
• Past perfect continuous = They complained
that they had been waiting for hours.
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• Present conditional = He said that he would
be in Geneva on Monday.
Reported questions
If there is no question word we start the
If teres is a question Word we keep it reported speech with if or whether.

• They asked me, • They asked me • She asked me, • She asked me
"Where is the where the next "Do you like if/whether I
next supermarket was. some tea?" liked some tea.
supermarket?"

• She asked them

• She asked them, how often they
"How often do played golf. • We asked them, • We asked them
you play golf?" "Did she arrive in if/whether she
time?" had arrived in
time.
 If someone asks you in a polite way or gives you an
order use (not) to + infinitive
Reported
request/commands • He asked her, "Could • He asked her to close the
you close the door, door.
please?“ Sjdh

• She asked them, "Help • She asked them to help

me, please.“ her.

• He told me, "Be quiet!“ • He told me to be quiet.

• She told us, "Don't stay • She told us not to stay

up too late!“ up too late.
 Change of the pronouns
• Susan said, "My parents are clever • Susan said (that) her parents were
scientists.“ clever scientists.

• Tom said, "I like PE best.“ • Tom said (that) he liked PE best.

• They said, "We went swimming with our • They said (that) they had
friends.“ gone swimming with their friend.

• Betty said, "Sam told me the truth.“ • Betty said (that) Sam had told her the
truth.
 Change of expressions of time and
place
Time
Place
Direct speech Indirect speech
Now Then Direct speech Indirect speech
Today that day Here There
Yesterday the day before This That
Tomorrow the next / following These Those
day
last week, the previous week /
month,... the week before
a (week,...) ago a (week,…) before