Indirect

Speech
 Reported or indirect speech is usually
used to talk about the past, so we
normally change the tense of the words
spoken. We use reporting verbs like
'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the
word 'that' to introduce the reported
words. Inverted commas are not used.
 She said, "I saw him." (direct speech) =
She said that she had seen him.
(indirect speech)
 'That' may be omitted:
She told him that she was happy. = She
told him she was happy.
 reported
direct indirect
clause
I told them
‘I’m tired,’ I
statement (that) I was that-clause
said.
tired.
The nurse
‘Are you
asked Joel
ready?’ the
if/whether if-
nurse asked
he was clause/whet
question Joel.
ready. her-clause
‘Who are
She asked wh-clause
you?’ she
me who I
asked.
was.
They
‘Leave at
ordered us to-infinitive
command once!’ they
to leave at clause
ordered.
once.
 ‘Backshift’
refers to the changes we
make to the original verbs in indirect
speech because time has passed
between the moment of speaking and
the time of the report.
direct speech
I said, ‘I’m not very happy
at work.’
They said: ‘We’re going
home.’
He said, ‘Jane will be late.’
‘I’ve been working,’ she
said.
‘What happened to make
her so angry?’ he asked.
indirect speech
I told her I was not very
happy at work.
They told us they were
going home.
He said that Jane would be
late.
She said she had been
working.
He asked what had
happened to make her so
angry.
Backshift changes
direct indirect
present simple → past simple
present
→ past continuous
continuous
present perfect past perfect
→
simple simple
present perfect past perfect
→
continuous continuous
past perfect
past simple →
simple
past perfect
past continuous →
continuous
future-in-the-past
future (will) →
(would)
past perfect (no
past perfect ↔
change)
Modal verbs
 Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift
back’ in time and change in indirect
speech.
‘We will be He promised
will becomes
will there,’ he they would
would
promised. be there.
 shall usually
She said, ‘I
She said she becomes
shall need
would need would
more
more money. in reported
shall money.’
She asked if questions,
‘Shall I open
she should shall
it?’ she
open it. becomes
asked.
should
 He added
‘I can see can
that he
can you at 2.30,’ becomes
could see
he added. could
me at 2.30.
may
‘I may be She said she
(possibility)
back later,’ might be
becomes
she said. back later.
might
may ‘You may He said we
may
wait in the could wait
(permission)
hallway,’ he in the
becomes
said. hallway.
could
 She said, She said we must
‘You must had to pay (obligation)
pay by 30th by 30th usually
April.’ April. becomes
must ‘It must be She said it had to
awful to live must be must
in such a awful to live (speculation
noisy place,’ in such a ) does not
she said. noisy place. change
‘We could
He said they
sell it for
could sell it
could about 2,000 no change
for about
euros,’ he
2,000 euros.
said.
 ‘You should She said I
go there should go
should no change
immediately, there
’ she said. immediately.
‘I would buy He said he
it if I had the would buy it
would no change
money,’ he if he had the
said. money.
 ‘It might He warned
snow that it
might no change
tonight,’ he might snow
warned. that night.
‘You
He said we
needn’t
needn’t
need come till six no change
come till six
o’clock,’ he
o’clock.
said.
No backshift
 He told me his brother works for an Italian
company. (It is still true that his brother
works for an Italian company.)
 She said she’s getting married next year.
(For the speakers, the time at the moment of
speaking is ‘this year’.)
 He said he’s finished painting the door. (He
probably said it just a short time ago.)
 She promised she’ll help us. (The promise
applies to the future.)
Indirect speech: changes to
pronouns
direct indirect
‘I don’t want to Tom said he different
shock people,’ didn’t want to speakers (I
Tom said. shock people. changes to he)
‘I’ll look after I said I would same speaker
Toby,’ I said. look after Toby. (no change)
George told
‘You need to be
Beatrice she different
here at nine
needed to be speakers (you
o’clock,’ George
there at nine changes to she)
told Beatrice.
o’clock.
same speaker
‘I hope you will I told James I
(no change to I;
join us tonight,’ I hoped he would
you changes to
said to James. join us that night.
he)
Indirect speech: changes to
adverbs and demonstratives
direct speech
I said, ‘I’ll meet you here
tomorrow.’
She said, ‘I do not wish to
discuss it at this moment
in time.’
He said, “I want it now.”
‘I finished the job three
weeks ago,’ the boy
protested.
indirect speech
I told her I would meet her
there the next/following
day.
She said she did not wish
to discuss it at that
moment in time.
He said he wanted it
then/at that moment.
The boy protested that he
had finished the job three
weeks before.
Typical changes

direct indirect
this → that
these → those
now → then
yesterday → the day before
the next/following
tomorrow →
day
two weeks ago → two weeks before
here → there
Indirect speech: typical
errors
 The word order in indirect reports of wh-
questions is the same as statement word order
(subject + verb), not question word order:
 She always asks me where [S] [V]I am going.
 Not: She always asks me where am I going.
 We don’t use a question mark when reporting
wh-questions:
 I asked him what he was doing.
 Not: I asked him what he was doing?
 Karen: "Don't play football in the
garden!„
 Teacher: "Don't forget your homework!„
 Mandy: "Are the boys reading the book?
„
 Jason: "Who gave you the laptop?„
 Robert: "Is Tim leaving on Friday?„
 Jennifer: "Where do you play football
today?"
Turn into direct speech
 1. Mary said she was very tired.
Mary said,
“____________________________________________________________.”
2. The teacher told the boys to open their books.
The teacher said to the boys,
“___________________________________________________________.”
3. Tom’s mother told him not to eat any ice cream.
Tom’s mother said to Tom:
“_____________________________________________________________.”
4. My friend said that he was going skiing at the weekend.
My friend said:
“__________________________________________________at the
weekend.”
 5. Bob’s mates told the teacher that Bob was ill that day.
Bob’s mates said:
“Teacher,________________________________________________
__________ today.”
6. Mary told Jane she would help her.
Mary said to
Jane,”____________________________________________________
.”
7. My father told me to look for a job if I wanted more
money.
My father
said:”____________________________________________________
_________.”
 8. Tim wrote to his brother that their cat
had died that day.
Tim wrote to his brother:
“___________________________________________
_____________________.”
9. The teacher informed the students that
the break lasted ten minutes.
The teacher said to the
students,”_________________________________
___________________________.”