Reported speech

Do you need any help with No, thanks. You’ll only get
your homework? things wrong.

Her mother asked Claire whether she needed any help with her homework. Claire thanked her
mother, but explained that she would only get things wrong.
Direct speech Reported speech
Present (simple / continuous) ! Past (simple / continuous)
Past (simple / continuous) ! Past perfect (simple / cont.)

Present perfect ! Pastperfect

am / is / are going to ! was / were going to

can / can’t ! could/ couldn’t

will / won’t ! would / wouldn’t
“I’m resigning,” said the CEO.
"The CEO said (that) he was resigning.
“Jill has broken the news to Leo,” said Ben.
"Ben said (that) Jill had broken the news to Leo.
“I’ll let you know,” said Amy.
"Amy said (that) she would let me know.
“Did you pass on the message?” asked Juan.
"Juan asked if I had passed on the message.
“What did you text?” asked Ella.
"Ella asked me what I’d texted.
“Give me a call later,” he said.
"He asked me to give him a call later.
 GET IT RIGHT!

✓
I said to Ian about the news.
I told Ian about the news.

✓
He told that he was amazed.
He told me (that) he was amazed.
He said (that) he was amazed.

✓
I asked her did she want to be a journalist.
I asked her if she wanted to be a journalist.
I asked her whether she wanted to be a journalist.
Language in action
Sally: Can I borrow your phone to text my Sally asked Alex if she could borrow his phone, but Alex
mom? said that he didn’t have it. He said that Mrs. Lopez had
Alex: Sorry, I don’t have it. Mrs. Lopez taken it from him that morning in class.
took it from me in class this morning. Sally asked Alex if he had been using it in class. He said
Sally: Oh, were you using it in class? that he had. He said that Mrs. Lopez had warned them
Alex: Yes. She’d warned us not to use our not to use their phones in class, but he’d tried to send
phones in class, but I tried to send a a quick Tweet and he’d got caught.
quick Tweet and got caught.
Sally asked Alex whether he’d apologized. He said that
Sally: Did you apologize?
he had, but that Mrs. Lopez had been very strict
Alex: Yes, I did, but she’s been strict
recently and so she’d still taken it from him.
recently, so she still took it.
Sally: When will you get it back? Sally asked Alex when he would get it back, but he said
Alex: I’m not sure. Maybe at the end of that he wasn’t sure. He thought that it might be at the
the day. end of the day.
 Can you remember the rules?
Reported speech
1 When we report what someone said, there is often a change in the verb
tense between the direct speech (what the person actually said) and the
indirect (reported) speech.
! He said someone had
“Someone’s eaten all the food!” he said.
eaten all the food.

“I can’t do this,” he said. ! He said he couldn’t do it.

2 If the information in the direct speech is still true, we don’t necessarily need
to change the verb tense.
! She told me he’s hopeless.
“He’s hopeless,” she told me.
 Can you remember the rules?
Reported questions and requests
1 When we report a yes/no question, we use if or whether and normal word
order (subject + verb).
“Do you know this song?” ! She asked me if I knew the song.

2 When we report wh- questions, we use the same question word and normal
word order (subject + verb).
“Where did they go?” ! He asked me where they’d gone.

3 When we report a request or order, we use asked + person + to + infinitive.

“Please, help me!” ! He asked me to help him.
 Put the dialogue in the correct order, then describe
the conversation using reported speech.

Dan: Have you heard the news? Dan: Have you heard the news?
Dan: She’s resigned and has left the school. Jane: What news?

Dan: The news about Ms. Thomas. Dan: The news about Ms. Thomas.
Jane: No, I haven’t. What’s happened?
Dan: Well, she’s moving to Australia.
Dan: She’s resigned and has left the school.
Jane: What news?
Jane: Wow! Why did she do that?
Jane: Wow! Why did she do that? Dan: Well, she’s moving to Australia.
Jane: Now I feel bad. I didn’t go to our last Jane: Now I feel bad. I didn’t go to our last class with
class with her. her.
Jane: No, I haven’t. What’s happened?

Dan asked Jane if she’d heard the news. Jane didn’t know what he was talking about, so Dan told her
that the news was about Ms. Thomas. Jane hadn’t heard the news and asked what had happened.
Dan told her that Ms. Thomas had resigned and that she had left the school. Jane wanted to know
why Ms. Thomas had done that. Dan explained that she was moving to Australia. Jane regretted not
having gone to their last class with Ms. Thomas.
 Complete the sentences to make them true for you.

Yester
day I a
sked m
(Friend’s name) told me that … y teache
c c used r…
a
r /sister
brothe f ... My mom said that she’d never seen ….
M y m e o

I wasn’t
n’t ... t e d th at
oul d m it
t I c My brother/sister denied ... I ad in g to …
e ) tha go
d’s nam
(f r ien
I told
me) My gra
’s n a ndma s
iv e ( f riend aid tha
t she p
would g keep in r
touch … efers to
I said
I to …
a call