Unit 5

REPORTED SPEECH
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/course/upper-interme
diate/unit-2/session-1
Reported Statements
• When do we use reported speech?

• Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm going

to the cinema tonight".

• Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first

person said.
• When we want to report what someone said without speech
marks and without necessarily using exactly the same words,
we can use indirect speech (also called reported speech). For
example:

• Direct speech: “We’re quite cold in here.”

• Indirect speech: They said (that) they were cold.

• Direct speech: “I have a new car.”

• Indirect speech: He said he had a new car.
Let´s practice
• https://wordwall.net/resource/507518/direct-or-reported-spe
ech
Examples
Present simple ⇨ Past Simple
• I’m from Spain. ⇨ He said he was from Spain.
• I love speaking in English ⇨ She said she loved speaking in
English.
• I live in London. ⇨ He said he lived in London.

Present Continuous ⇨ Past Continuous

• I’m resting on the sofa. ⇨ He said he was resting on the sofa.
• You’re driving on the wrong side. ⇨ She said I was driving on
the wrong side.
• You’re working too hard. ⇨ She told me I was working too
hard.
• Past Simple ⇨ Past Perfect
• I drove to Paris yesterday. ⇨ He said he had driven to Paris the
previous day.
• I woke up in hospital. ⇨ He said he had woken up in hospital.
• I worked last Sunday. ⇨ He said he had worked last Sunday

• Present Perfect ⇨ Past Perfect

• I’ve bought a new cushion. ⇨ She said she had bought a new cushion.
• I’ve swum with sharks. ⇨ She said she had swum with sharks.
• I’ve swallowed my chewing gum. ⇨ He said he had swalloed his
chewing gum.

• Past Perfect ⇨ Past Perfect

• The jury had had many doubts about the case. ⇨ She said the jury
had had many doubts about the case.
• Can ⇨ Could
• I can’t understand Scottish people. ⇨ She said she
couldn’t understand Scottish people.
• I can play the piano. ⇨ He said he could play the piano.
• I can cook for you. ⇨ He said he could cook for me.

• Will ⇨ Would
• I’ll take the rubbish out this evening. ⇨ He said he would take
the rubbish out that evening.
• I’ll love you forever. ⇨ She said she’d love me forever.
• I’ll speak to the manager. ⇨ He said he would speak to the
manager.
Let´s practice
• Match up
• https://wordwall.net/resource/2477844/reported-speech-ten
se-transformations

• Quiz
• https://wordwall.net/resource/20522282/reported-speech-te
nses
• https://wordwall.net/resource/6592172/reported-speech
Personal pronouns

• Ryan told me: «I‘m in a bit of a rush.»

• Ryan told me he was in a bit of a rush

• My mum said: «I’m coming to your place for lunch». 

• My mum said she was coming to my place for lunch.
Changing Time Expressions
• Sometimes it’s necessary to change the time expressions when you
report speech, especially when you are speaking about the past
and the time reference no longer applies. For example:

• Direct speech: “I’m seeing my brother tomorrow.”

• Indirect speech: She said she was seeing her brother the following
day.

• this afternoon ⇨ that afternoon

• today ⇨ that day
• now ⇨ then/at that time
• tomorrow ⇨ the following/next day
• last week ⇨ the week before/the previous week
• next month ⇨ the following month
Here are some other examples:

• Direct speech: “I had a headache yesterday.”

• Indirect speech: You said you’d had a headache the day before
yesterday

• Direct speech: “It’s been raining since this afternoon.”

• Indirect speech: He said it’d been raining since that afternoon.

• Direct speech: “I haven’t seen them since last week.”

• Indirect speech: She said she hadn’t seen them since the
previous week.
Let´s practice
• Match up
• https://wordwall.net/resource/1220289/reported-speech

• https://wordwall.net/resource/8648406/gateway-b1/gw-b1-re
ported-speech-rule

• https://wordwall.net/resource/15691031/angielski/reported-s
peech-changes-in-time-and-place

• https://wordwall.net/resource/2700054/angielski/reported-sp
eech
 Aim
• I can explain the differences between direct and indirect speech.

Success
Success Criteria
Criteria
• Statement
I can identify
1 Lorem
directipsum
and indirect
dolor sitspeech
amet, consectetur
in writing. adipiscing elit.
• Statement
I can recognise
2 where inverted commas are needed to punctuate direct
speech.
• Sub statement
• I can change direct speech into indirect speech (and vice-versa).
• I can create examples of direct and indirect speech.
Using Speech within Writing
Within writing, there are two ways to narrate the words spoken by a character.
These are called:
I bid you
• direct speech farewell
Earthlings!
• indirect (or reported) speech

In a direct speech sentence, we would narrate Iggy’s spoken words like this:

“I bid you farewell Earthlings!” shouted Iggy from his spaceship.

If we were writing an indirect speech sentence, we would narrate Iggy’s spoken

words like this:

From his spaceship, Iggy bid farewell to the Earthlings.

Using Direct Speech I bid you
farewell
Earthlings!
Let’s look carefully at the direct speech sentence.

What do you notice?

“I bid you farewell Earthlings!” shouted Iggy from his spaceship.

In direct
The exact There is often a reporting clause to
speech, the The correct explain who said the speech.
words of the
exact words of punctuation Sometimes the reporting clause can
speaker are
the speaker is used be extended with an adverb,
enclosed in
are quoted before the subordinate clause or prepositional
inverted
with no inverted phrase to explain more about how,
commas where or when the speech was said.
change to commas
(speech The reporting clause can appear
their content close.
marks). before or after the spoken words
or order.
themselves.
Using Indirect Speech I bid you
farewell
Earthlings!

Now, let’s take a look at the indirect (reported) speech sentence.

How is it different to the direct speech sentence?

From his spaceship, Iggy bid farewell to the Earthlings.

The actual words of the There are no reporting clauses

In indirect speaker are often changed.
speech, no
The spoken words need to be
inverted in the correct tense, extra
commas (speech
words may need to be added
marks) are used. and pronouns may need to be
changed (e.g. I  Iggy).
within indirect (reported)
speech. However, an adverb or
prepositional phrase to explain
more about how, where or
when the speech was said can
be added if needed.
Are Inverted Commas Needed?
Look at these speech sentences. Are they examples of direct or indirect speech?

If they are examples of direct speech, where should we place inverted commas?

Kayla explained that she used to live in New York.

This is an example of indirect speech

and does not need inverted commas.
The sentence is reporting what Kayla
explained.
Are Inverted Commas Needed?
Look at these speech sentences. Are they examples of direct or indirect speech?

If they are examples of direct speech, where should we place inverted commas?

“ Watch out!” screamed George as he launched the frisbee.

This is an example of direct speech and does

need inverted commas around the spoken
words. Where should they go?
Are Inverted Commas Needed?
Look at these speech sentences. Are they examples of direct or indirect speech?

If they are examples of direct speech, where should we place inverted commas?

Guthrum announced that they should charge towards to the village.

This is an example of indirect speech and does not

need inverted commas. The sentence is reporting
what Guthrum announced.
Are Inverted Commas Needed?
Look at these speech sentences. Are they examples of direct or indirect speech?

If they are examples of direct speech, where should we place inverted commas?

The doctor gently said, “ Open your mouth as wide as possible. ”

This is an example of direct speech and

does need inverted commas around the
spoken words. Where should they go?
 Spotting Direct
and
Indirect Speech
Can you spot an example of direct speech
in this newspaper report?
Here is a passage of direct speech. It has
inverted commas, other speech punctuation
and a reporting clause.

Can you spot an example of indirect speech

in this newspaper report?

Here is a passage of indirect speech. It has

no inverted commas or reporting clause. It
tells the reader what Justin Gatlin promised
his supporters.
 Changing Indirect Speech to Direct
Speech
Do you remember this indirect speech sentence from earlier? Could you turn it into
a direct speech sentence?

Guthrum announced that they should charge towards to the village.

“We should charge towards the village!” announced Guthrum.

What has changed? Why?

 Changing Direct Speech to indirect
Speech
Now, can you do the opposite? Could you turn this direct speech sentence from
earlier into a line of indirect speech?

The doctor gently said, “Open your mouth as wide as possible.”

The doctor gently told the patient that he should open his mouth as wide as
possible.

What has changed? Why?

 Writing Direct and Indirect Speech
Sentences
Look at this photograph. Can you invent both a direct and an indirect speech
sentence based upon it?

Example Sentences

Direct Speech
“I want an ice cream!” shouted the angry little
boy.

Indirect Speech
The angry little boy shouted that he wanted an
ice cream.

Photo courtesy of Mindaugus Danys(@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
 Writing Direct and Indirect Speech
Sentences
Look at this photograph. Can you invent both a direct and an indirect speech
sentence based upon it?

Example Sentences

Direct Speech
The championship driver shrieked, “We won the
race!”

Indirect Speech
The championship driver shrieked that they had
won the race.

Photo courtesy of Steven Harrell(@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
 Writing Direct and Indirect Speech
Sentences
Look at this photograph. Can you invent both a direct and an indirect speech
sentence based upon it?

Example Sentences

Direct Speech
“Say cheese, dad, ” pleaded the girl as
she was taking the photograph.

Indirect Speech
As she was taking the photograph,
the girl pleaded for her dad to say
cheese.

Photo courtesy of Michael Coghlan(@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
Increasing Vocabulary
• Adjectives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2RuO_fseyM