Reported Speech

Direct Speech gives the exact words someone Repońed Speech gives the exact meaning of what
said. We use inverted commas in Direct Speech. someone said but not the exact words. We do not
"lt's quite warrn," she said. use inverted commas in Reported Speech.
She sard it was quite warm.
 ,ffi |
*tr
"'.s Expresslons with say, tell and a$k
Expressions with say say good morning/evening etc, say something, say one's prayers, say a few words,
s-?v-
9?Y 9 9-, 99I T 9!9:
19- 19 1 99 t3i il9-YI9- 919

Expressions with tell tellthe truth, tell a lie, tell (sb) the time, tell sb one's name, tell a story, tell sb a secret,
tell sb the way, tell one from another, tell sb's fortune, tell sb so, tell the difference etc

r*óióś.ió.ś *iiń ;;( ; i iiuóui; ;k iń; iińó, iśr..Jq.jilii;ń; ;.k iń; ó'ł; ;i;
"śr,

ffi Fill in say, tell or ask in the correct form.

1 My parrot can ...say.. a few words in English.

2 Please me what you think of my new dress.
3 He that he couldn't reply to any more questions.
4 My mother used to me a story before I went to bed.
5 He promised to ............. no more about the matter.
6 She stopped to ............. the time because she thought she was late.
7 The little girl her prayers and then went to sleep.
I Sally couldn't for certain whether or not she would be.
staying.
9 He had taken an oath so he had to ............. the truth in court.
10 With identical twins you can rarely ............. the difference between
them.
11 The old man always good morning to his neighbours.
12 "l'd love to go," she ............. to me.
13 When wasI younger I used to ............. my sister all my secrets.
14 "Could you help me with these bags?" she ............. me.
15 Rachel keeps me that she's going to change jobs, but she never
'.;ą;tł{'

.$
$ Statements
o Reported statements are introduced with say or tel|. lnverted commas are omitted in Repońed Speech.
That is optional in the reported sentence.
.She
ls s/eeplng,', -f.am said' * Tom safd (fłlaf,} sńe lvas sleeplng"

O Tenses change as follows:

: I Direct Speech Reported Speech
* ił plii-,, ;;ii,
j" "" "" " "" " " :

Present Simple i"He ptays well," she said.

"""" """" .

: śł- rtł,ń
: Present Cont. ,,He
is płaying weil,', she said' * She ''ia
sard {that) he was playrng well.
i

i Past Simple "ffe playeef we/d " she sald" s, She said {that) he had played well.
i

i Past Cont. '.He was pfayłnE well, '' she sald. .* She said (that) he fiad been playrng wetl.
i

i a urould ptay welt.

:

Future Simple ''He wilt płay we!|,', she said' She said (that) he
i .*
i
Future Cont. ',He wilłbe playł"lg urre//, '' słe sald. She sald (that) he would be playing well.
: *
i

Present Perfect 'He has piayed we{,'s,łe said. She sald (that) he had played we//.
"rYe ftas been playfng well," she said. *' She said (that) he J"lad been płaying u,lelt"
i

: '::::::Pi-l: 'onl ;

O Note that Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous remain the same in Reoorted Soeech.

O Tenses do not change in Reported Speech when

i the reporting verb (said, told etc) is l 'The Weatheris hol,,sńe says. ,ł She says (łhać] fhe
: i hof.
:

in the Present, Future or Present Perfect. weafher rs I

:

: the speaker expresses general ''Water freezes ał 0 "C,,'he said,

"ł He sald (that) water
i truths, permanent states or conditions. i freezes ał 0 "C" i

i the speaker Is repońing something i '.rne hofel is awfu!,,,he said. * He sald (that) the hoie/ is ;

: immediately after it was said (up to date). awful. (up to date)

: "'"".' "" " ""'
i the reported sentence deals with unreal "l wish I were rfch, " she sald.
'* She said siie rushed she i

I past, conditionals type 2/type 3 or wishes, were rich. :

o lf the speaker expresses something which is believed to be true, the tenses may change or remain unchanged.
"l lave the place," she sald. She sald she foves/foved the place.
"*
o However, if the speaker expresses something which is believed to be untrue, the tenses change.
,,China
ls a small Country,,'łe sald, * ffe said {that) China uras a small eaunty.

O The Past Simple changes to the Past Perfect or remains the same. When the reported sentence contains a
time clause, the tenses remain unchanged.
"The car brake down while I was drivfng ta work," ,he said. * He sald the car had braken dawn while he was
driving to work.
Note: the reported sentence is out of date, the tenses change, but if it is up to date, the tenses can remain tne
lf
.,He
same. łnoyed out a month ago,,' he said. * He said that he łładrnoved out a month before. (speech
reported after he had moved out - out of date) "l am gofng to the cinena tonight," she said. "r She said she is
going ta the cinema tonight. (speech reported before she goes to the cinema - up to date)
a Time words can change or remain the same depending on the time reference.

Direct Speech Reported Speech

tonight, today, this week/month/year - that night, that day, that week/month/year
now - then, at that time, at once, immediately
now that - since
yesterday, last night/week/month year - the day before, the previous night/week/month/year
tomorrow, next week/month/year - the following day/the day atter, the following/next week/
monthlyear
two days/months/years etc ago - two days/months/years etc before
sitting an exam tomorrow,', he said. ł He said he was sitting an exam the nertlfollowing day' (out-of-
,,l,m

date reporting) ''l,m sitting an exam tamorraw,,, he said. ł He said he is sitting an exam tomorrow' (up-to.
date reporting)

W Turn the following sentences into Reported Speech.

"l'm visiting Greece," says Angela. (up-to-date reporting)
...An7ala oayo ohe'e viaitinq Oreece,...
"l've never been to Paris before," said John. (out-of-date reporting)

3 "l'm taking my driving test next week," she said. (up-to-date reporting)

4 "l don't speak Spanish," said Sarah.

5 "My house is not far from the town centre," ne says.
6 "Water boils at 100'C." he said.
7 "Australia is a very big country," he said.
I "lf I see him, l'll invite him to the party," said Mary. (out-of-date reporting)

9 "l was locking the car when a traffic warden turned up," she said.

10 "l'm not going on holiday next week," he said. (up-to-date reporting)

11 "l've written five letters this morning," said Eddy. (up-to-date reporting)

12 "l saw a car accident last night," he said to me.

13 "l met David while I was working in Manchester," she said. ..........

14 "l'll see you tonight," she said to him. (out-of-date reporting)

15 "lt's time you got a job," his mother said to him. ..........
16 "lf you had studied harder, you would have passed your exam," the teacher said to Tom. .........

17 "lf I were rich, I would buy a mansion in Beverly Hills," she sald.
i Direct questions i neported queslions i

i He asked her, "What is your name?" i He asked her what har name was.
tea?"
i

i Hs asked her, "Do yau like : He asked her if lwhether she liked tea. i
 2
3
4 "What time have you arranged to meet Clare?,,he asked her
5 "How long has Jane been working here?" she asked me. ...........
6 "Who left the door open?" she asked them.
7 "Did you actually see the man fall?" the reporter asked the bystander.

I "VVill you give me a hand lifting the piano?" the workman

asked his heloer.
9 "Can you check the brakes please?" she asked the mechanic.

10 "Have they finished renovating their house?,' he asked me.

11 "ls Mary still having a party next Saturday?', she asked me.

'12 "Where does your father work?" the teacher asked him.
 Reported Commandsi RequestsiSuggestlonś

O To report commands, requests, sr.rggestions we use an introductory verb (advise, ask, beg, offer, suggest
etc) (see pages 111,112) followed by a to-infinilive, an -ing form or a that-clause depending on the
introductory verb.
"Be careful," he said to me. - He told me to be careful. (command)
"Please don't talk," he said to me. r He asked me fiiot to talk. (equest)
"Let's watch W," he said. He suggested watching TV. (suggestion)
"You'd better go to the dentist," he said. - He suggested that I (should) go to the dentist. (suggestionladvice)
ffi Turn the following sentences from Direct to Reported Speech'

1
,,Don't
run down the corridors, please," he said to us. ...Ha aaked ua notto run down the corridora."'
2
3 "Let's turn on the television," said Paul.
4 "soldiers! Stand to attention!" said the Major.
5 "Can you open the window?" she said to me.
6 "Shall we go ice-skating on Saturday?" said Miles. """"
7 "Don't touch the statue!" he said to us.
8 "Shall we go camping this summer?" said my brother'
9 "Let's have a picnic tomorrow," said John.
10 "You'd better go to bed now," he said to the children
 t\{odal Verhs in RePorted $Peeetl
$

o Some modalverbs change in Repońed Speech when the repońed sentence is out
of date, as fol|ows:
.
will/shall+ would, can could (present reference) / would be able to (future reference), may
' .might/could'
sha|l ł shou|d 1ast<ing for advicej / wou|d (asking for information) / ołfer (expressing offers),
ł
must
didn't
must/had
need to /
possibi|ity or deduction), needn't
to (obligation) (* must remains the same when it expresses
didn't ńave to (present reference) / wouldn't have to (future reference).

Direct SPeech Reported SPeech

He said, "l'll phone you this evening." - He said that he would phone me that evenlng'
He said, "l can sPeak French'" . He said (that) he could speak French' (fact)
He said, "l can join You soon." . He said (that) he woutd be able to join us soon' (ability)
He said, "l maY be late home." - He said (that) he mighl be late home.
He said, "How shall I get there?" - He asked how he should get there' (advice)
He said, "Where shallwe go?" - He asked where they should go. (information)
He said, "Shall l take You home?" - He offered to take me home. (offer)
He said, "You must trY harder'" ) He said (that) | had to try harder. (obligation)
He said, "You must be joking." - He said (that) | must be joking. (deduction)
He said, "You should take a holiday." ' He said (that) | should take a holiday.
He said, "She had better tidy her room'" ' He said (that) she had better tidy her room.
He said, "She needn't know who he was." ' He said (that) she didn't need to/have to know who he was'
He said,
.,You
needn't meet me tomorrow.'' ł He said (that) I wouldn't have to meet him the next day'
ffi Turn the following sentences into Reported Speech'
.,Sha||
He said, | carry your bags?'' ...He offered to carry my baąa...'
report."
1

2 He said, "She needn't see the """"""":""

3 He said, "l'll pick you up at 4 o'clock
4 He said, "You should get away for a while''
5 He said, "Kevin may need your help later.' '.""" "'+"""""""
6 He said, "You must control your feelings."' """"""
7 He said, "You need to let me know tomorrow'" """"'
8 He said, "She had better not say that again'"
9 He said, "We must be cousins.
10 He said, "l can run faster than you." '.'......
11 He said, "l can meet you next week."
12 IHe said, "Who shall
19 Oqlvt Yv to for helP?
rsrr I go

13 He said, "Where shall we go to eat tonight?"

14 He said, "Shall I lend you the money?"
 ę Special Introductory Verbs
Introductory verb Direct Speech Reported Speech
agree + to-inf i"Yes, l'll be happy to help you." - He agreed to help me.
demand i"Tell the truth!" + He demanded to be told the truth.
offer l"Would you like me to open the door?" r He offered lo open the door.
promise i"l'll detinitely be here early." - He promised to be there early.
refuse l"No, I won't lend you any money." - He refused to lend me any money.
threaten i"Hand over your money or l'll ł He threatened to shoot me if I didn't
ishoot you." hand over my money.
claim i"l saw him steal the car." + He claimed to have seen him stealthe car.
;J;i;ó; l
śo ió.i'ł l;Vou .ń"il ;;;
Jo.toi.;; -
He advised me to see a doctor.
allow i"You can borrow my car." r
He allowed me to borrow his car.
ask i"Please, turn the light ofi." ł
He asked me to turn the |ioht off.
beg i"Please, please stop shouting so loudly." r) He begged me to stop shouting so loudly.
command r"Leave the room!" a He commanded us to leave the room.
encourage i"Go ahead, drive the car." - He encouraged me to drive the car.
forbid i"You must not arrive late tonight." - He forbade me to arrive late that night.
instruct i"Lift the receiver and wait for the - He instructed me to lift the receiver
idialling tone." and wait for the dialling tone.
invite i"Would you like to come out to He invited me to go out to dinner with him.
idinner with me?"
order i"Close the door immediately." rt He ordered me to close the door immediately.
permit i"You may leave now." a He permitted/allowed me to leave then.
remind l"Don't forget to water the plants." ł He reminded me to water the olants.
urge l"Try to be punctual." a He urged me lo try to be punctual.
warn :"Don't go near the edge of the cliff." - He warned me not to go near the edge
of the cliff.
want i"l'd like you to study harder."
'i" " " .'" .. "..'.
rt He wanted me to study harder.

accuse sb of + łng form i"You stole my handbag!" - She accused me of stealing her handbag.
apologise for i"l'm sorry lwas rude to you." - He apologised for being rude to me.
admit (to) !"Yes, I broke the window." - He admitted (to) breaking/having
broken the window.
boast about i"l'm more intelligent than you." He boasted about being more intelligent
than me.
complain to sb about i"You
"l*ays
leave the door open." - He complained to me about my always
leaving the door open.
deny i"trlo, I didn't break the window." - He denied breaking/having broken the window.
insist on
^ i"You must take all the medicine." - He insisted on me/my taklng all the medicine.
suggest
i ::l: s: ":11?t i v1l
- He suggested going out for a walk.
agree + that-clause i"Yes, it's a great idea." - He agreed that it was a great idea.
boast :"1'm the best player of all." - He boasted that he was the best player of all.
claim i"l know who stole your car." - He claimed that he knew who had stolen my car.
complain :"You never help me " - She complained that he never helped her.
deny i "l never touched the vase!" - He denied that he had ever touched the vase.
exclaim :"lt's a success!" - He exclaimed thal it was a success.
explain i"lt's a difficult theory to follow." - He explained that itwas a difficulttheoryto follow.
inform sb :"Your application is under review." .ł He informed me that my application was
! under review.
promise i"l won't forget again." r) He promised that he wouldn't forget again.
suggest i"You ought to help her out." - He suggested thal I help her out.
explain to sb + how i"That's how lcrashed the car." He explained to me how he had crashed
the car.
 Introductory verb i eirect Speech Repońed Speech
wonder where/what i He asked himself, "How can she do that?" + He wondered how she could do that.
why/how + clause l He asked himse|f,
..Where
have they gone?'' ł He wondered where they had gone.
(when the subject of the I He asked himself, "Why is Tom so rude?" - He wondered why Tom was so rude.
introductory verb is not i He asked himself, "What will they do?" . He wondered what they would do.
the same as the subject i

in the reported question)

wonder + łvhether + i He asked himse|f, '.Sha|| | take the job?'' . He wondered whether to take/
to-inf or clause he should take the iob.
wonder where/what/ :
He asked himself, "What shall I do next?" + He wondered what to do next.
how + to-inf He asked himself, "How can I break the - He wondered how to break the news.
(when the subject of the news?"
infinitive is the same as
the subject of the verb)
ffi First write an appropriate introductory verb, then report the following sentences.

1 "You took my bag, didn't you?" ...accuae... - ...?he accuoed me of takinq her baq....
2 "l'll bring my homework tomorrow."
3 "Get out of the room now!" .........
4 "The train leaves at 6 o'clock
5 "Don't forget to make a dental appointment." ..............

7 "You must give us a call when you get back!"

I "Would you like to go out with us?"

10 "lf you do that again, l'll punish you." .........

13 "First turn this knob, then flick the switch."

15 "What about going for a walk?"

16 "You should go on a diet."
17 "You mustn't touch the camera
18 "Don't cross the road without looking both ways."
19 "Would you like me to water your plants?" .................
20 "Yes, it was me who broke the teapot."
21 "lt is a difficult situation, you see."
22 "l met the Queen once, you know."
23 "You always leave the bathroom in a mess!"
24 "You may use the fax machine whenever you want."

25 "You must stay until 5 o'clock every day!"

27 crossed the At|antic sing|e-handed.', ...........

..l
.ł.................
28 "You may call me by my first name."
29 "Please, empty all the ashtrays before you leave the room.''

31 "Go on, tell us what's on your mind."

32 "l'd like you to cook dinner tonight."
33 "l'm sorry I spoilt the surprise party."
34 "Sure, I'd be glad to lend a hand." ............1 .....
35 "l'll never let you down again." ................