REPORTED SPEECH

English Teacher Cristina

REPORTED SPEECH - INDEX
1. WHAT IS IT?
2. CHANGES
1. Tenses
2. Modals
3. Other expressions
3. TYPES OF SENTENCES
1. Statements (that clauses)
2. Questions (?)
3. Orders (to – infinitive)
4. Suggestions (that clauses, & -ing clauses)
4. REPORTING VERBS
1. What is it?
 Transmit the information that somebody has said.
 Examples:

DIRECT SPEECH
 Peter: “I work as a journalist”

INDIRECT SPEECH
A) Same time & same space.
 Lisa: “Peter says that he works as a journalist”

B) Different time & different space.

 Lisa: “Peter said (that) he worked as a journalist”
2. CHANGES
NO CHANGES: 1) a general truth
 Peter: “The Earth is round”. (Direct Speech)
 Peter says that the Earth is round. (Indirect Speech)
 Peter: “I am from Spain”. (D.S.)
 Peter says that he is from Spain. (I.S.)

2) when the reporting verb is in the

Present Simple, Present Perfect Simple or Future
Simple.
 Mary: “I will go to the party”. (Direct Speech)
 Mary says she will go to the party . (Indirect Speech)
2. CHANGES

CHANGES: different time & different space  BACKSHIFT

 Peter: “I want to go to the cinema next weekeend”. (D.S.)
 Peter said that he wanted to go to the cinema
the following weekend. (I.S.)
2. CHANGES
2.1. TENSES: backshift
Present simple  past simple
Present continuous  past continuous
Present Perfect Simple  Past Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Continuous  Past Perfect Continuous

________________________________________________
Past simple  Past Perfect Simple
Past continuous  Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Simple  =
Past Perfect Continuou  =
2. CHANGES
2.2. MODALS:
Will  Would  =
Can  could  =
shall  should  =
May  might  =
Must / have to  Must / had to  =

- “They can’t be here now”

 She said that they couldn’t be there then.
- “We couldn’t go out yesterday”
 She said that they couldn’t go out the day before.
2. CHANGES
2.3. OTHER EXPRESIONS :
A) TIME B) PLACE
 Now  then • Here  there
 Today  that day C) DEMONSTRATIVES
 Tomorrow  the following
• This  that
day / the day after / the next day
• These  those
 Yesterday  the previous day
/ the day before D) PERSONAL PRONOUNS
 Last week  the previous (I, you, he…/me, you, him…) and
week / the week before possessive adjectives (my,
 A month ago  the previous your, him…)
month / the month before • It depends on the person being
referred to.
 Next week  the following week
/ the week after
 Next Thursday  the following
Thursday
3. TYPES OF SENTENCES
3.1. STATEMENTS (that clause):
 1 sentence = 2 clauses
[He told me][ that he had been in Europe last summer.]
 subordinate clause = (that)
He told me (that) he had been in Europe last summer.
 Reported verbs:

 Tell sb IO

 Say (to sb)IO

He said (to me) (that) he had been in Europe last summer.
3. TYPES OF SENTENCES
3.2. QUESTIONS (?):
A) Yes/ no questions
• The answer is ‘yes’ or ‘no’
• Reported verb: ask (sb) + if/whether
Example: Mary asked:“Were you at home last night?”
 Mary asked (me) if/whether I had been at home the previous night.

B) Wh-questions
• What/which/who/where/when/why/whose/how/how long…
• wh-word (D.S.)wh-word (I.D.)
Example: Mark asked: When have you bought this tv?
 Marked wanted to know when I had bought that tv.
3. TYPES OF SENTENCES
3.1. STATEMENTS (that clause)
3.2. QUESTIONS (?)
3.3. ORDERS (to infinitive)
• Imperative  infinitive
• Reporting verb: tell / order+ IO
• Others: ask, beg, warn, advise, invite, …
Example: She said to me: “Close the window” 
 She ordered me to close the window.
• Negative: not to
Example: He warned me: “Don’t touch this!”
 He warned me not to touch that.

3.4. SUGGESTIONS (that clause / -ing clause)

3. TYPES OF SENTENCES
3.1. STATEMENTS (that clause)
3.2. QUESTIONS (?)
3.3. ORDERS (to infinitive)
3.4. SUGGESTIONS (that clause / -ing clause)
 Reporting verbs: demand, suggest, recommend , …
A) THAT CLAUSE
 That clause = OD
 That + S + VERB base form
Example: She said: “Let’s go to the cinema tonight”.
 She suggested that we go to the cinema that night.
B) ING CLAUSE
• Gerund (no subject specified)
Example: She said: “Let’s go to the cinema tonight”.
 She suggested going to the cinema that night.
4. REPORTING VERBS
To communicate the intention of the speaker or the tone.

 STATEMENTS: say, tell, admit, announce, answer, apologise, boast,

claim, complain, declare, explain, inform, insist, mention, offer, remind,
reply, state, confess, estimate, point out…

 QUESTIONS: ask, enquire, request, want to know,

wonder…

 ORDERS: ask, demand, order, shout, warn, beg…

 SUGGESTIONS: advise, invite, recommend, suggest…

4. REPORTING VERBS
 Some reporting verbs are followed by an object (see topic 6): ask, tell,
order, remind, warn, advise…
 Mary remind me to tidy up my bedrrom.

 We can also report the general meaning of a sentence rather than the
exact words. When we report the general meaning, we use especific
verbs that have a similar meaning to the action / function in the
sentence: