UNIT 16: REPORTED

SPEECH
B.A. MARVIN CANALES
REPORTED SPEECH

We use reported speech when we want to repeat what others

have told us.
EXAMPLE:
Mary said: I will go out to have a cup of coffee (DIRECT SPEECH)
So if I want to tell this information to someone else, I will use
Reported Speech as followed:
Mary said that she would go out to have a cup of coffee
OR
Mary told me that she would go out to have a cup of coffee
HOW TO CORRECTLY USE REPORTED
SPEECH

The correct way to use Reported Speech

is by backshifting the tense of the
statement
So, if the statement is in Present Simple,
we will backshift it to Past Simple.
TIME EXPRESSIONS WITH REPORTED
SPEECH

Sometimes when we change direct speech into

reported speech we have to change time
expressions too. We don't always have to do
this, however. It depends on when we heard
the direct speech and when we say the
reported speech.
 TIME
For EXPRESSIONS WITH REPORTED
example:
SPEECH
It's Monday. - Julie says "I'm leaving today".

If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was

leaving today".
If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was
leaving yesterday".
If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was
leaving on Monday".
If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was
leaving that day".
So, there's no easy conversion. You really have to think
about when the direct speech was said.
TIME EXPRESSIONS WITH REPORTED
SPEECH
Here's a table of some possible conversions:
now then / at that time
today yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June
the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the
yesterday
5th of December

last night the night before, Thursday night

last week the week before / the previous week

tomorrow today / the next day / the following day / Friday

REPORTING VERBS COMMONLY USED

Typical reporting verbs for statements: say, tell,

mention, inform
I like Jordans
He said that he liked Jordans.
He said he liked Jordans.
He told me that he liked Jordans
He told me he liked Jordans
He mentioned that...
He informed me that...