When reporting speech, the tense usually
changes. This is because when we use
reported speech, we are usually talking
about a time in the past (because obviously
the person who spoke originally spoke in the
past). The verbs, therefore, usually have to
be in the past too.
The tenses of the reported clause are
usually moved back. This moving back of
tenses is called BACKSHIFT
• Changing verb tenses:
Direct speech Reported speech
Present Simple ➙ Past Simple
Present Continuous ➙ Past Continuous
Present Perfect Simple ➙ Past Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Continuous ➙ Past Perfect Continuous
Past Simple ➙ Past Perfect Simple
Future ➙ Conditional
Imperative ➙ Infinitive
Note that the Past Perfect Simple and the Past Perfect Continuous do not change since no
backshift is possible. .
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
• Can could
• May might
• Must had to
• Shall should
• Will would
Note: Past Modals are unchanged
Examples:
Direct speech Indirect speech
Present simple Past simple
She said, "It's cold.“ She said it was cold.
Present continuous Past continuous
She said, "I'm teaching She said she was
English online." teaching English online.
Present perfect Past perfect
She said, "I've been on She said she had been on
the web since 1999." the web since 1999.
Direct speech Indirect speech
Past simple Past perfect
She said, "I taught online She said she had taught online
yesterday.“ yesterday.
Past continuous Past perfect continuous
She said, "I was teaching earlier." She said she had been teaching
earlier.
Past perfect
She said, "The lesson had already Past perfect
started when he arrived.“ NO CHANGE
Modals Modals
“I can/will/might see later”, He said he could/would/might see
me later.
• Changing pronouns, personal and possessive.
• Pronouns change (or not) depending on the view of the reporter
Direct speech Reported speech
him / his /
I me my ➙ he / she
her her
We us ours ➙ they them their
Direct Speech
John said, “I am coming.”
Indirect Speech
John said that he was coming.
TIME AND PLACE CHANGES
It is often necessary to make time and place changes in relation to tense
changes:
Time expressions
Direct speech Reported speech
Now ➙ then
Today ➙ that day
Tonight ➙ that night
Yesterday ➙ the day before
the following day / the
Tomorrow ➙
next day
next day / week / month the following day / week
➙
/ year / month / year
• Place expressions:
Direct speech Reported speech
Here ➙ there
This ➙ that
These ➙ those
Direct Speech
John said, “I did this exercise last night.”
Indirect Speech
John said that he had done that exercise the
previous night.
CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Type 1 conditional statements are reported as follows:
'If you pass your test, I'll buy you a car' he said.
He said that if I passed my test he would buy me a car.
Type 2 conditional statements are reported as follows:
'If you passed your test I would buy you a car' he said.
He said that if I passed my test he would buy me a car.
Type 3 conditional statements are reported as follows:
'If you'd passed your test I'd have bought you a car' he said
He said that if I'd passed my test he'd have bought me a car.
EXCLAMATIONS
Note the word order in reported exclamations:
'What a silly boy you are' she exclaimed
She told him what a silly boy he was.
She told him that he was a silly boy.
Indirect statements with mixed tense
sequences
Form of indirect statements with mixed tense sequences
actual spoken statement
I've read Tony's book and I don't understand it'
indirect statements with mixed tense sequences
Jim says he's read Tony's book and didn't understand it.
Jim said he's read Tony's book and doesn’t understand it.
Jim said he'd read Tony's book and doesn't understand it.
Jim said he’d read Tony's book and didn't understand it.
Yes/No question
When the question is preceded by auxiliary that needs
yes/No answer it will be used the conjunction if or
whether in the indirect speech
The steps how to make indirect speech:
The question sentence of the indirect speech is firstly
changed to be statement
It then follows the rules before.
Example
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
Doctor: ‘Do you usually take a nap?’
It is firstly changed to be:
You usually take a nap Doctor asks
if/whether I
usually take a
nap
actual spoken questions Indirect questions
Be: 'Are you ready?' He asked (me) if/whether I am/was
ready
Have: 'Have you finished? He asked (me) if/whether I (have)/had
finished.
Do 'Do you play chess? He asked (me) if/whether I
play/played chess .
Modals: 'Can I have it? He asked (me) if/whether he
can/could have it.
Indirect question-word questions
• In the question using Question Word (QW)
• To form indirect speech the question is firstly
changed to be statement
• QW: what, when, where, which, why, who, whom,
etc. are used as conjunction
actual spoken questions indirect questions
Be: Where are you going? He asked (me) where I was going.
Have: 'Why haven't you finished? He wanted to know why I
(haven't)/hadn't finished.
Do: What do you think of it? He wanted to know what I
(think) /thought of it.
Modals: 'When must I be there9 He asked (me) when he must
be/had to be there
INDIRECT SUBJECT-QUESTIONS
actual spoken questions indirect questions
Be: 'Who is in charge here?' He asked (me) who was in
charge here.
Present: 'Which firm makes these parts'? He asked (me) which firm
(makes) made those parts
Past: 'What caused the accident? He asked (me) what caused/had
caused the accident
Modals: 'Whose novel will win the prize?' He asked (me) whose
novel would win the prize.
TO-INFINITIVE IN INDIRECT SPEECH
actual spoken words reported version
'Keep a record of your expenses' I told him to keep a record
of his expenses.
'Don't make a mess in the kitchen’ I told him not to make a
mess in the kitchen.
'How do I prepare the sauce?’ He wanted to know how to
prepare the sauce.
I want to speak to the manager. She asked to speak to the
manager.
reported speech
Look at the girl on the right. We would turn the statement into the reported
speech by changing:
➙ the verb from the present simple to the past I love my
simple new dress.
➙ the personal pronoun I to she
➙ the possessive pronoun my to her
The sentence would then be:
The girl said she loved her new dress.
reported speech
There are several reporting verbs we can use:
➙ The most commonly used one is to say.
She said she was studying.
➙ When the person who we are talking to is referred, we can use to tell.
You told me you liked your new dress.
➙ We may report something that was said without keeping to the original
words, the reporting verb itself may contain that idea or intention. The verbs
here can be: to admit, to advise, to agree, to remind, to suggest, to
encourage, to insist, to persuade, to warn, to refuse, to urge, among others.
- I admit it, I did it!
She admitted she did it.
reported speech
Time to practise!
Look at the images that will appear and change what the characters say into
the reported speech. Take in consideration all the changes that must occur: in
the verbs, the pronouns and the expressions of time and place.
reported speech
My mother
gives me new
dolls regularly.
reported speech
The girl said her mother gave her
new dolls regularly.
My mother
gives me new
dolls regularly.
reported speech
My book
is being very
interesting!
reported speech
The woman said her book was being very
interesting.
My book
is being very
interesting!
reported speech
I was
so tired I passed
out on the middle
of the street.
reported speech
I was
so tired I passed
out on the middle
of the street.
The man said he had been so tired he passed out
on the middle of the street.
reported speech It has been
years since I’ve
had this much
fun!
reported speech It has been
years since I’ve
had this much
fun!
The woman said it had been years since she
had had that much fun.
reported speech
I will catch
a fish
today!
reported speech
The girl said she would catch a fish that day.
I will catch
a fish
today!
reported speech
STOP!
reported speech
The man yelled at me to stop.
STOP!
