Reported speech
Direct speech : Reported
speech
“He dances well,” she said She said (that) she
danced well
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Simple Present Simple Past
Example: Jane said, “I cook Example: Jane said that she
pasta.” cooked pasta.
Present Continuous Past Continuous
Example: Jane said, “I am Example: Jane said that she
cooking pasta.” was cooking pasta.
Present Perfect Past Perfect
Example: Jane said, “I have Example: Jane said that she
cooked pasta.” had cooked pasta.
Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Example: Jane said, “I have Example: Jane said that she
been cooking pasta.” had been cooking pasta.
Simple Past Past Perfect
Example: Jane said, “I Example: Jane said that she
cooked pasta.” had cooked pasta.
Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Example: Jane said, “I was Example: Jane said that she
cooking pasta.” had been cooking pasta.
Past Perfect Past Perfect (No change)
Example: Jane said, “I had Example: Jane said that she
cooked pasta.” had cooked pasta.
Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous (No
change)
Example: Jane said, “I had
been cooking pasta.” Example: Jane said that she
had been cooking pasta.
Direct Speech Reported Speech
This That
These Those
Adverbs of Place
Here There
Adverbs of Time
Now Then
Today That day
Tomorrow The next day / The following day
Yesterday The previous day
Tonight That night
Last week The week before
Next week The week after
Last month The previous month
Next month The following month
Last year The previous year
Next year The following year
Ago Before
Thus So
Come Go
Direct Reported Speech
Speech
Will Would
May Might/Could
Can Could
Shall Should (asking for advice);would(asking for
info)
Has/Have Had
Needn’t Didn’t need to/didn’t have to(with present
reference); wouldn’t have to (future reference)
Must Must/had to (for obligation); Must may remain
the same when it expresses logical assumption :
“You must be tired,” Paul told Susan. Paul told
Susan (that) she must be tired. (logical
assumption)
Would, could, might, should, ought to, had better, used
to and mustn’t DON’T change.
“I used to like him,” Melanie said. Melanie said
that she used to like him.
Say / Tell
Say – is used with or without a personal
object. When used with a personal object , It is
always followed by the preposition TO.
She said , “I’m hungry.” She said that she
was hungry
She said to me, “I’m hungry.” She said to
me that she was hungry.
Tell – is always followed by a personal object.
He told me, “I’m thirsty.” He told me that
he was thirsty.
Reported questions
direct speech: 'Do you work from home?' he said.
indirect speech: He asked me if I worked from home.
direct speech: 'Who did you see?' she asked.
indirect speech: She asked me who I'd seen.
direct speech: 'Could you write that down for me?' she
asked.
indirect speech: She asked me to write it down.
The reported questions are usually introduced with ask,
inquire, wonder or the expression want to know.
The verb in reported questions is in affirmative
(positive).
“When is the next train to London, please?’’ she
asked me She asked me when the next train to
London was.
- When the direct speech begins with a question word
(who,when,where, how old, how long,why etc), the
reported question starts with the same question word.
“How old is Tom?” Sue asked me. Sue asked me
how old Tom was.
- When the direct question begins with an auxiliary
verb (be, do, have) or a modal verb ( can, may, etc),
the reported question starts with If or Whether.
“Do you like pizza?” he asked us. He asked us
If/whether we liked pizza.
Commands
To report commands, we use the verbs order or tell+sb
+(not) to-infinitive
“Stand up straight!” she said to him (direct order)
She told him to stand up straight. (reported order)
“Don’t be late!” he said to me (direct order) He
ordered me not to be late. (reported order)
!Some exceptions!
Tenses DON’T change in reported speech:
- when the reporting verb (say,tell) is in the present,
future or present perfect (when we pass on messages;
when we report the content of a letter or article while
reading it; when we refer to something someone says
very often)
“Lunch is ready,”mum says. Mum says that lunch
is ready.
“People use too much electricity,” the article says
The article says that people use too much
electricity.
- In conditionals type 2 and 3
“If I had a lot of money , I would go on a cruise,”she
said. She said that If she had a lot of money, she
would go on a cruise.
Tenses can either change or remain the same in
reported speech when:
- the speaker expresses general truths, permanent
states or conditions.
“Water boils at 100 degrees.” He said He said
that water boils/boiled at 100 degrees.
- the speaker is reporting something immediately after it
was said (up-to-date reporting)
“The meal tastes delicious,” he said. He said that
the meal tastes/tasted delicious.