REPORTED

SPEECH
 DIRECT AND INDIRECT
SPEECH
 Direct speech – the exact words placed between
inverted commas.
 The reporting verb ( said, told, replied, warned,
advised ...) can go before, after, or in the middle of
the direct speech:
 Mary said, ‘John, we have a problem’.
 ‘John, we have a problem’, Mary said.
 ‘John’, said Mary, ‘we have a problem’.
 Reporting thoughts using verbs such as think,
decide, imagine:
 She never imagined it would take her so much
to finish the report.
 INDIRECT STATEMENTS
 COMMON INTRODUCTORY VERBS:
 SAY, TELL, ADD, CONTINUE, ANSWER, REPLY, MENTION,
REMARK, often followed by THAT:
 The minister replied that it was out of the question not
to follow the procedures.
 CHANGE TO THE PRONOUNS
 I → he or she
 we/you →they
 CHANGE TO THE ADVERBS OF TIME AND PLACE
 NOW → THEN TOMORROW →THE NEXT DAY
 HERE → THERE YESTERDAY →THE DAY
BEFORE
 TODAY→THAT DAY LAST MONDAY →THE
LAST/PREVIOUS
MONDAY
 Alex said, ‘I’ll meet you here again tomorrow at 3.30’.
 Alex said he would meet us there again the next day at
3.30.
 CHANGE TO THE TENSE
REPORTING VERB IN THE PRESENT→NO
CHANGE TO THE
TENSE

 He says that intelligent life in the universe does not

exist.
 PRESENT TENSE → PAST TENSE

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE→PAST

PERFECT

REPORTING
VERB IN THE PAST TENSE→ PAST PERFECT
PAST
FUTURE TENSE → FUTURE –in –
the -PAST
EXAMPLES
 ‘I’m leaving in ten minutes’→She decided
she was leaving in ten minutes.
 ‘I have lived here all my life.’ → He
said he had lived there all his life.
 ‘It rained really heavily today.’ →He
mentioned that it had rained really
heavily that day.
 ‘I’ll send you a postcard.’→ She
promised she would send me a postcard.
 CHANGES TO MODAL VERBS
PRESENT FORM OF THE MODAL VERB→ PAST
FORM
WILL→ WOULD
MAY→ MIGHT
WILL→WOULD (when it refers to the future)
SHOULD (when it is a suggestion)
 ‘The new law will be in place soon.’→ She said the new law would be in place
soon.
 ‘Publication may be delayed.’ → The editor said that publication might be
delayed.
 ‘I shall tell them everything.’ → I decided I would tell them everything.
 ‘Shall we tell the manager?’ → She suggested that they should tell the
manager.

MUST and HAD TO can be used in reported

speech for past obligation.
 ‘You must lose 10 kilos!’ → The doctor said that I must/ had to lose 10 kilos.
MUSTN’T or WASN’T/ WEREN’T for prohibition
in the past.
 ‘You mustn’t smoke in here.’ → He said we mustn’t smoke/ weren’t to smoke in
there.
OUGHT TO, USED TO, COULD, MIGHT,
WOULD and SHOULD do not change when reported.
 INDIRECT QUESTIONS
 COMMON REPORTING VERBS
 ASK and WANT TO KNOW
 The assistant asked/wanted to know what type of printer we had.
 ENQUIRE for formal questions and WONDER for ASK OURSELVES
 The reception was boring and I wondered when I could leave.
 PATTERNS
 IF or WHETHER to introduce indirect closed questions:
 He was wondering if/ whether there was anything better to do.
 WHETHER OR NOT
 IF OR NOT ( placed only at the end of the question):
 He asked whether or not there was a lift in the building.
 He asked if there was a lift in the building or not.
 A QUESTION WORD to introduce open questions:
 The nurse asked when exactly the pain had started.
 NEGATIVE QUESTIONS expressing surprise or criticism are reported
with a verb like COMPLAIN:
 ‘Isn’t that stupid?’ He complained that it was stupid.
INDIRECT COMMANDS AND REQUESTS

 COMMON REPORTING VERBS to report commands

 TELL, ORDER, COMMAND and FORBID
 The vet told them to let the animal sleep.
 He forbade us to pass on any of the information to the authorities.
 ASK to report requests
 BEG and URGE to report urgent requests
 His secretary asked me to come back later.
 He begged us to give him a lift.

 PATTERNS
 A REPORTING VERB + (NOT) TO + INFINITIVE:
 They urged him not to abdicate.
 ASK FOR + PASSIVE INFINITIVE (if the name of the person to
whom the command is given is not mentioned)
 The cinema manager asked for the culprit to be brought to his
office.
 REPORTING PATTERN EXAMPLE
VERBS

agree, apologise, VERB only ‘I’m really sorry.’→He

refuse apologized.
REPORTING VERBS PATTERN EXAMPLE

accept, acknowledge, VERB+ (THAT ) He admitted (that)

add, admit, advise, CLAUSE he had hacked into
agree, argue, assert, the company’s
assume, believe, accounts system.
comment, complain,
concede, conclude,
continue, decide,
declare, deny, doubt,
exclaim, expect,
explain, foresee,
imagine, insist, know,
mention, notice,
promise, protest,
recommend, repeat,
reply, report, reveal,
say, state, suggest,
vow, whisper
 REPORTING PATTERN EXAMPLE
VERBS

advise, assure, VERB+OBJECT ‘Don’t worry. You’ll

+ THAT
inform, CLAUSE
arrive on time.’ →
reassure, She reassured me
remind, tell, that I would
warn arrive on time.
 REPORTING PATTERN EXAMPLE
VERBS
agree, demand, VERB+ TO She offered to
guarantee,offer, INFINITIVE pick up the
propose, refuse, children from
swear, threaten, school.
vow
 REPORTING PATTERN EXAMPLE
VERBS
ask(smb), VERB She asked to use
beg(smb), (+OPTIONAL the car.
expect(smb), OBJECT)+TO He begged us to
promise(smb) INFINITIVE let him stay
overnight.
 REPORTING PATTERN EXAMPLE
VERBS
advise, allow, VERB+OBJECT I advised him not to
challenge, +TO go there.
command, compel, INFINITIVE
encourage,
expect, forbid,
force, implore,
instruct, invite,
order, permit,
persuade, remind,
request, tell,urge,
warn
 REPORTING PATTERN EXAMPLE
VERBS
acknowledge, VERB+OBJECT+ She considers
believe, claim, TO+ Muhammad Ali
consider,declare, INFINITIVE+ to have been
expect, feel, COMPLEMENT the greatest
find, presume, boxer ever.
suppose, think
 REPORTING PATTERN EXAMPLE
VERBS
admit, apologise VERB+ He denied stealing
for, decide on, -ing form the money.
deny, mention,
recommend,
regret, report,
suggest
 REPORTING PATTERN EXAMPLE
VERBS

accuse (smb) of, VERB+OBJECT+ They accused me of

blame (smb) for, PREPOSITION+ forging the cheques.
congratulate (smb) -ing form
on, thank (smb)
for