Reported Speech

We can report people’s words by using direct speech or indirect (reported) speech.

Direct speech is the exact words someone said, quoted in inverted commas:
e.g. He said to the class, ‘I’m very happy with your exam results.’ ‘I’m so tired,’ Helen said.

Indirect (reported) speech is the exact meaning of what someone said, but not the exact
words:
e.g. He told the class (that) he was very happy about their exam results. Helen said (that)
she was tired.

When we report something, we need to make certain changes to the pronouns:

e.g. Ann told me, ‘I like your dress a lot!’ vs Ann told me (that) she liked my dress a lot.

When we report somebody’s words in the present, we do not change the tenses:
e.g. ‘I prefer tennis and basketball to football,’ Alex says. → Alex says he prefers
tennis and basketball to football.

However, if we report somebody’s words in the past, it requires a few changes:

a) time expressions:
● now → then, that moment,at that time, immediately
● today, tonight → that day, that night
● yesterday → the day before yesterday, the previous day
● tomorrow → the next day, the following day
● this week → that week
● last week → the week before, the previous week
● next week → the week after, the following week
● two days ago → two days before
● here → there
● come → go
b) tenses - use the so-called ‘one-tense-shift-back’ technique:
● Present Simple → Past Simple, e.g. He said, ‘I don’t play any musical
instruments.’ → He said he didn’t play any musical instruments.
● Present Continuous → Past Continuous, e.g. Jane said, ‘I’m studying
for my Math test.’ → Jane said she was studying for her Math test.
● Present Perfect → Past Perfect, e.g. ‘I’ve already seen this movie,’
Jamie said. → Jamie said she had already seen this movie.
● Past Simple → Past Perfect (sometimes it can remain unchanged),
e.g. Tina said, ‘I got up late today.’ → Tina said she had got up late
that day. Arthur said, ‘This picture was a family relic.’ → Arthur said
the picture was a family relic.
● Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous (or can remain as it is),
e.g. ‘We were swimming in the sea at that time,’ Tom said. → Tom
said they’d been swimming at that time.
● will → would, e.g. Ron said, ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ → Ron said he
would call me the next day.
Note that some things do not change in indirect speech:
● Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous
● used to
● should, ought to, had better
● could, might
● mustn’t
● Conditionals type 2 and 3

There are 2 ways we can report somebody’s words:

- out-of-date reporting, i.e. we report someone’s words a long time after they were
said;
- up-to-date reporting, i.e. we report a) somebody’s words a short time after
they were said, so the situation is still of current importance, e.g. Jack said
yesterday, ‘I’m seeing my dentist tomorrow’ → reporting his words today,
we can do it this way: Jack said he’s seeing his dentist today.; b) some truths,
laws, rules that are always true, e.g. The teacher said, ‘The Eiffel tower is
in Paris.’ → The teacher said the Eiffel tower is in Paris. As seen from the examples,
in similar cases, tenses do not require changes.

Tell vs Say

Both in direct and indirect speech, we use the verbs say and tell.
Though they are the same in meaning, grammatically there are some differences:

Tell must be followed by a personal object: e.g. Please tell me how it happened. Paul told
us all (that) he’d never agree to that.
Say can be used with or without an object. When used with a personal object, it’s followed
by to, e.g. He said to me he was going to finish the project in a month. I said (that) I quite
liked the performance.

Here are some set expressions with say and tell:

say say hello \ goodbye; say good morning \ evening \ goodnight; say
something \ nothing; say so; say one’s prayers; say a few words; say
thank you; say sorry; say yes \ no

tell the truth; tell a lie (lies); tell a joke; tell a secret; tell a story; tell the
time; tell the difference; tell one’s name; tell smbd the way; tell one
from another; tell one’s fortune

Task 1. Complete the sentences below with say or tell, put them in a proper form.
1. Jane told me yesterday she was going to Portugal in summer.
2. Mike said that he was disappointed with the book I’d given him.
3. They constantly fight and tell lies to get each other into trouble.
4. It was apparent John wanted to stay, but in the end he pulled himself together, said
goodbye and left the room.
5. ‘Don’t cry’, an old lady says to a little girl softly. ‘We’ll find your toy.’
 6. Could you please tell us more about your experience in advertising?
7. Hope you know that telling a lie in court is crime.
8. I’m not sure I can help you with this, to tell the truth.
9. Tell the police officer what you’ve just told me.
10. Say it’s not true. I can’t believe he did it.
11. As the conference began, the chairman greeted everyone, said a few words about
the subject and introduced the participants.
12. The coffee is about half the price of that one, and yet you cannot tell the difference.
13. Some parents are unable to say no to their kids.
14. It wasn’t easy, and Joe had to make an effort to tell everyone the truth about what
had happened.
15. If you don’t know the answer, don’t be afraid to say so.
16. He’s usually quite chatty, but that evening he had nothing to say.
17. No, I don’t want to know - don’t tell my fortune.
18. Most people find it difficult to say sorry and admit they were wrong.
19. If you tell him a secret, he’ll give it away. Don’t trust him.
20. Granny would always say her prayer before going to sleep.

Task 2. Fill in the gaps with the correct pronoun.

1. James said, ‘My boss wants me to go to London tomorrow.’ → James said
… boss wanted … to go to London the following day.
2. Mary said, ‘I’m waiting for my cousin to arrive.’ → Mary said … was waiting
for … cousin to arrive.
3. George said, ‘I’ve bought a new car for my mom.’ → George said … had
bought a new car for … mom.
4. Julie said to me, ‘I need you to help me with my birthday preparations.’ →
Julie told me … needed … to help … with … birthday preparations.
5. John said, ‘I’d like to take you out to dinner.’ → John said … would like to
take … out to dinner.
6. Helen said to Jane, ‘I think your new haircut is lovely.’ → Helen told Jane …
thought … new haircut was lovely.

Task 3. Change the time expressions in indirect speech.

1. Peter said, ‘I’m leaving tomorrow.’ → Peter said he was leaving __.
2. Nate said, ‘I must finish my report tonight.’ → Nate said he had to finish his
report __.
3. Mum told us, ‘The dinner’s ready! Come to the kitchen right now!’ → Mom
told us the dinner was ready and said to go to the kitchen __.
4. Jake said, ‘I haven’t seen Ann since last week.’ → Jake said he hadn’t seen
Ann since __.
5. Jennie said, ‘I spoke with my brother yesterday.’ → Jennie said she’d
spoken with her brother __.
6. Tom said, ‘We can wait here.’ → Tom said we could wait __.

Task 4. Report the following. Change the tenses only where it’s necessary.
1. Tina tells the children, ‘I’ve cooked dinner.’
2. Mark says, ‘I’ve never seen this picture before.’
 3. Joe said, ‘I don’t know much about art or philosophy.’
4. Annie told her little daughter, ‘You always should look to the left and to the right when
you cross the road.’
5. Jill said to James in anger, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about!’’
6. George told Lucy, ‘Thank you! The birthday party was fantastic!’
7. Tony’s mother said, ‘You mustn’t talk to strangers in the street.’
8. Kate said, ‘The movie is on tonight at the cinema. Why not go see it?’
9. The doctor said, ‘You should exercise regularly.’
10. Marge said to her friend, ‘I wrote this letter a long time ago.’
11. The teacher explained to the pupils at the lesson, ‘The sun rises in the east and sets
in the west.’
12. They said, ‘We’ll go to the bank tomorrow.’
13. Mom said to me, ‘You must do your homework now.’
14. Peter said, ‘If I earned as much money as my elder brother does, I’d buy the biggest
house in the area.’

Indirect Questions

Reported (indirect) questions are often introduced with the verbs ask, wonder, inquire or
the expression it’s interesting to know.

Unlike direct questions, reported questions are embedded in a complex sentence, thus:
1) we do not put a question mark at the end, e.g. Tommy asked, ‘Where did
you go after the party?’ → Tommy wanted to know where we’d gone after the
party.
2) the word order is direct, i.e. a subject is followed by a predicate; no
auxiliary is used unless required in an affirmative sentence, e.g. Pete asks,
‘Where do you live?’ → Peter wonders where I live. Gina asked, ‘What are you
working on now?’ → Gina asked what I was working on that moment.
3) if you report in the past, use ‘one-tense-back’ technique

If we report a Wh-question, the indirect question begins with the question word (when, why,
where, who, how, how long, etc.):
e.g. ‘What do you want to know?’ she asked me. → She was wondering what I
wanted to know.
‘Where are you going on holiday this time?’ Lucy wanted to know. → Lucy
wanted to know where we were going on holiday that time.

We can use indirect questions to make our utterances sound less categoric:
e.g. What do you mean? (direct question) vs Could you please clarify what you mean?
(indirect question)

If we report a general question, the reported question begins with a special linking word - if
or whether (mind the spelling: do not confuse with ‘weather’!):
e.g. The detective asked, ‘Have you seen this man before?’ → The detective
asked if I had ever seen the man before.
My friend said, ‘Are you aware of the consequences?’ → My friend was
curious whether I was aware of the consequences.
 My boss asked, ‘Can you handle Linda’s job while she’s on vacation?’ → My
boss wanted to know if I could handle Linda’s job while she was on vacation.
Martha asks, ‘Do you know what’s going on here?’ → Martha asks whether I
know what’s going on here.

Task 5. Match the beginning of the sentence with the correct ending. Say which question is
direct and which is indirect.
1. Do you know how old a) is the church?
Excuse me, how far away b) the church is?

2. Could you tell me where a) are the nearest shops?

Sorry to bother you, but how expensive b) the nearest shops are?

3. What’s the a) countryside like?

Have you got any idea what b) the beach is like?

4. Excuse me, a) if there’s a cinema near

here?
Do you happen to know b) is there a theatre near here?

5. Do you think a) the restaurant open at 9?

Does b) the cafe closes on Sunday?

Task 6. Report the following questions using some of the expressions below:
- I wonder
- By any chance, do you know
- Could you tell me please
- I’m curious
- It’s interesting

1. What is he doing?
2. What do you want from me?
3. Where did Steve and Lana spend their honeymoon?
4. Has anybody seen my dog?
5. Are you sure you realize what you’re doing?
6. When do you have to finish the task?
7. Have you seen the latest movie with Tom Hanks?
8. What do you like the most about your present job?
9. Why aren’t they interested in the outcomes of our research?
10. Have you applied for similar positions before?
11. Who did you see at the party?
12. Was there anything interesting at the conference?
13. How often do the patients have to take blood tests?
14. Were there many fans at the concert?

Task 7. Correct mistakes in the sentences below:

1. Can you tell me what time does your boss usually arrive at the office?
2. I’m not sure weather he’s coming to the party tonight.
 3. I was curious had this lady ever been abroad?
4. I have no idea what can she tell you about the case.
5. I don’t know when did they launch the product.
6. Do you know does the concert begin at 7 or 8?
7. I can’t explain how did we manage to solve the issue.
8. Do you happen to know how can I reach him out?
9. I wonder do you know where is Jack?
10. I can’t recall what is it called in English.

Reporting Commands, Requests and Suggestions

● To report commands and instructions, we use the introductory verbs order,

command or tell smbd + infinitive:
e.g. ‘Put the gun down,’ the policeman told the criminal. → The policeman
commanded to put the gun down.
‘Don’t look down,’ the guide said. → The guide told us not to look down.
‘Arrest the suspect,’ the detective said. → The detective ordered to
arrest the suspect.
● To report requests, we use the introductory verbs ask or beg (smbd) + infinitive:
e.g. ‘Could you please help me, Tom?’ Jean said. → Jean asked Tom to help
her.
‘Please do not call the police,’ Jerry told the shop owner. → Jerry
begged the shop owner not to call the police.
● To report suggestions, we use the verbs to suggest + gerund \ that smbd (should) +
bare infinitive or to offer + infinitive:
e.g. ‘Why don’t we go outside?’ Tom said = ‘Let’s go outside,’ Tom said =
‘We could go outside,’ Tom said → Tom suggested going outside. = Tom
suggested that we (should) go outside. = Tom offered to go outside.

Task 8. Report the following sentences using a suitable introductory verb:

order, tell, ask, beg, suggest

1. ‘Please visit me in hospital,’ Joan said to Collin.

2. ‘Let’s eat out tonight,’ Paul said to his wife.
3. ‘Please, be careful!’ mom said to Jake.
4. ‘Don’t go near the fire,’ dad told us.
5. ‘Quiet!’ the commander said to the troops.
6. ‘Let’s try one more time,’ the teacher told his student.
7. ‘Don’t tell him I know,’ Mary said to me.
8. ‘Don’t lean back,’ the choreographer told Julia.
9. ‘Come back to see me again next week,’ the doctor told the patient.
10. ‘Stop here!’ the guard said to the driver.
11. ‘Shall we go for a walk,’ he said to Alice.
12. ‘Please don’t leave me here!’ she said to Mike.
13. ‘Will you please open the window?’ the woman sitting next to me said.
14. ‘How about going for a drive?’ mom said.
15. ‘Let’s see this film,’ Tina said to James.
 Introductory verbs used in reported speech:

introductory verb direct speech indirect speech

agree + infinitive ‘Ok, I’ll give you a lift.’ She agreed to give me a lift.
offer ‘I could carry those boxes.’ He offered to carry the boxes.
promise ‘I promise, I’ll help you.’ He promised to help me.
refuse ‘No, I won’t do that.’ He refused to do that.
threaten ‘Stop talking or I’ll send She threatened to send me out if I
you out.’ didn’t stop talking.

advise + smbd + to ‘You should see a doctor.’ She advised me to see a doctor.
ask ‘Could you do something She asked me to do something for
for me?’ her.
beg ‘Please don’t tell anyone.’ She begged me not to tell anyone.
command ‘Drop your weapons!’ He commanded them to drop the
weapons.
invite ‘Will you come to my She invited me (to go) to her party.
order party?’
remind ‘Get out of here!’ He ordered me to get out of there.
warn ‘Don’t forget to write Paul.’ She reminded me to write Paul.
‘Don’t eat this.’ He warned me not to eat that.

admit (to) + gerund ‘Yes, I stole the plan.’ He admitted (to) stealing the plan.
accuse smbd of ‘You lied to me.’ She accused me of lying to her.
apologise for ‘I’m sorry I shouted at you.’ She apologized for shouting at me.
boast about \ of ‘I’m the smartest.’ He boasted of being the smartest.
complain to smbd of \ ‘I have a headache.’ She complained (to me) about
about having a headache.

deny ‘I didn’t take your bag.’ He denied taking my bag.

insist on ‘You must try harder.’ She insisted on me \ my trying
harder.
suggest ‘Let’s visit Jane.’ She suggested visiting Jane.

warn + that-clause ‘You’ll get hurt.’ He warned that I would get hurt.
complain ‘You’re always late.’ He complained that I was always late.
threaten ‘Don’t tell anyone or you’ll He threatened that I’d regret if I told
regret it.’ someone.
admit ‘I’ve let out your secret.’ He admitted that it was him who had
let out my secret.
deny ‘I don’t know what you’re He denied knowing what I was talking
talking about.’ about.
apologize ‘It’s my fault - I misled He apologized that he’d misled
everyone.’ everyone.
boast ‘I got an award!’ She boasted that she’d got an award.
insist ‘I didn’t lie!’ He insisted that he didn’t lie.
suggest ‘You’d better go home.’ He suggested that I (should) go home.
exclaim \ remark ‘What a beautiful dress it She exclaimed \ remarked that the
is!’ dress was beautiful.
explain ‘It’s a difficult situation.’ He explained that it was a difficult
situation.
Task 9. Report the sentences below using a suitable introductory verb from the table above.
1. ‘Will you come to the ball with me?’ he asked the girl he liked.
2. ‘I’m the best student in the school,’ Tim said.
3. ‘What a great idea! I love it!’ Marge said.
4. ‘Yes, I’ll lend you some money,’ he said to Jane.
5. ‘My husband always forgets our anniversary,’ Mary said.
6. ‘Let’s go for a picnic,’ Dean said.
7. ‘I know, it was you who stole the money,’ Tom said to Jim.
8. ‘Don’t forget to hang out the washing,’ mom told me.
9. ‘I promise I’ll call you as soon as I get to the hotel,’ Max said to his wife.
10. ‘You must finish the report, it’s urgent,’ the boss said to me.
11. ‘Don’t touch the wet paint,’ dad said.
12. ‘There’s nothing else I can do,’ he said.