Reported

Speech
 DIRECT SPEECH VS
REPORTED SPEECH
Direct speech:
● When we quote someone’s actual words, we can use reporting verbs like say, reply,
suggest, shout, etc.: ‘Let’s go swimming, ’ Peter suggested.

Reported speech:
● In reported speech, we report what someone said earlier, without quoting their actual
words.
● When we report someone’s words, we often use a past tense reporting verb like said, told,
suggested, etc.: She said (that) she knew the answer.
 REPORTED SPEECH
● After a past tense reporting verb, we usually make changes to verb tenses, pronouns
and possessive adjectives, as well as place and time references:
‘I’m visiting my cousins tomorrow, ’ Penny said. → Penny said that she was visiting her
cousins the following day
.
VERB CHANGES
 VERB CHANGES
● The past perfect simple and past perfect continuous don’t change in reported speech:
‘I had finished.’ → He said (that) he had finished.
● Could, would, might, should and ought to don’t change in reported speech:
‘I might join you.’ → He said (that) he might join us.
● We do not need to change the verb tense when we are reporting things that are still
true:
‘I’ve got a brother.’ → He told me (that) he’s got a brother.
● However, after past reporting verbs, we usually change the tenses, even if the things
we are reporting are still true.
.
OTHER CHANGES
 REPORTED COMMANDS
AND REQUESTS
● When we report commands and requests, we use the following pattern:
reporting verb + sb + to-infinitive
‘Please stay, John,’ she said. → She asked John to stay.
‘Stop!’ the police officer told him. → The police officer ordered him to stop.
● When we report negative commands and requests, we use not before the to-infinitive:
‘Please don’t do it,’ she told him → He told her not to do it.
.
 REPORTED QUESTIONS
● In reported questions, the word order is the same as in statements:
‘Where are you from?’ she asked me
She asked me where I was from ✓
She asked me where was I from ✗
● We do not use the auxiliaries do/does/did in reported questions:
‘What do you want?’ he asked me
He asked me what I wanted ✓
He asked me what did I want ✗
He asked me what I did want ✗
 YES/NO QUESTIONS
● When we report questions that can be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (e.g. Do you live in a
flat?), we use if or whether after the reporting verb:
‘Does he live in a big flat?’ she asked. → She asked if/whether he lived in a big flat.
● However, when we are asking someone to make a choice, we usually use whether:
‘Do you want coffee or tea?’ they asked me. → They asked me whether I wanted coffee
or not.
● We use whether (not if) when the reported questions includes the phrase or not:
‘Is he coming or not?’ I asked. → I asked whether he was coming or not.
.
 WH- QUESTIONS
● When we report questions that begin with a question word, we use the question
word in the reported question:
○ ‘Who built that castle?’ she asked. → She wanted to know who had built the
castle.
○ ‘Where did you go this summer?’ he asked. → He asked where we had gone
that summer
○ ‘Why are you laughing?’ she asked us. → She asked us why we were laughing.
 REPORTING VERBS
Reporting verbs can be followed by: