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Reported Speech PDF

Reported speech is used to report what someone else has said and involves changing the verb tenses and pronouns while keeping the general meaning. Key rules for changing direct to reported speech include changing present tenses to past tenses, changing pronouns like I to he/she, and optional backshifting of tenses under certain exceptions. Questions are changed by using verbs like "ask" followed by if/whether and changing the subject and verb tense.

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LORAINE CAUSADO BARON
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168 views

Reported Speech PDF

Reported speech is used to report what someone else has said and involves changing the verb tenses and pronouns while keeping the general meaning. Key rules for changing direct to reported speech include changing present tenses to past tenses, changing pronouns like I to he/she, and optional backshifting of tenses under certain exceptions. Questions are changed by using verbs like "ask" followed by if/whether and changing the subject and verb tense.

Uploaded by

LORAINE CAUSADO BARON
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reported speech

What is Reported Speech?


When you “report” what someone else has said to you

Reported speech verbs: said, explained, told,


suggested, recommended, asked, admitted, claimed,
insisted, theorized, noted, complained, reported, wrote,
continued, stated, etc.

Direct/normal sentence: Mike said, “I like your hat!”


indirect/reported speech sentence: Mike said
(that) he liked my hat.
Rules - Present tenses

Present Simple ---> Past Simple


Sandra admitted, “I always wear jeans.”
Sandra admitted that she always wore jeans.

Present Continuous ---> Past


Continuous
Sandra told her, “I am looking for my keys.”
Sandra told her (that) she was looking for her
keys.
Rules - Present tenses

Present Perfect ---> Past Perfect


Sandra claimed, “He has written 4 letters.”
Sandra claimed (that) he had written 4 letters.
Present Perf. Continuous ---> Past Perf.
Continuous
Sandra wrote, “We have been waiting for hours.”
Sandra wrote that they had been waiting for
hours.
“
Sandra said, “ Angela likes fashion magazines.”

Sandra told me, “ Charles is a


wonderful person.”
Sandra stated, “These are my
favorite books.”

Change the quotes into


reported speech

Sandra admitted, “We are having a


great time today.” Sandra insisted, “Peter is
driving his new bike tonight.”
Rules - Past Tenses

Past Simple ---> Past Perfect


Sandra added, “My friend gave me an apple
yesterday.”
Sandra added that her friend had given her an apple
the day before.

Past Continuous ---> Past Perfect Continuous


Sandra stated, “We were living in London.”
Sandra stated that they had been living in London.
Rules - Past Tenses

Past Perfect ---> Past perfect


Sandra said, “Mary had cooked a big cake.”
Sandra said that Mary had cooked a big cake.
Past Perf. Continuous ---> Past Perf.
Continuous
Sandra told the class, “He had been teaching for
15 years.”
Sandra told the class that he had been teaching
for 15 years.
Rules - Future Tenses
Will ---> Would
Sandra said, “I will finish my report in two days.”
Sandra said that she would finish her report in
two days.

would ---> would


Sandra stated, “He would work in the garden.”
Sandra stated that he would work in the garden.
Rules - Future Tenses

Can ---> Could


Sandra admitted, “I can speak English.”
Sandra admitted that she could speak English.
Could ---> Could
Sandra told her, “He could play in the match.”
Sandra told her that he could play in the match.
Rules - Future Tenses
Should ---> Should
Sandra said, “I should go to the doctor next week”.
Sandra said that she should go to the doctor the following
week.

May ---> Might


Sandra told her family, “I may invite them to the dinner.”
Sandra told her family that she might invite them to the dinner.

Might ---> Might


Sandra insisted, “Carlos might get a new car next year.”
Sandra insisted that Carlos might get a new car the following
year.
Rules - Future Tenses

Must ---> had to


Sandra said, “I must go to the bank.”
She said she had to go to the bank.

Have to ---> Had to


Sandra told her students, “You have to study
for the midterm.”
She told her students that they had to study for
the midterm.
Exceptions

When a reporting verb is in the simple past tense,


backshifting is optional when the statement refers to
something just said, something that's still true, or a
scientific or general truth.

 Tom just called. He said that the director is (OR was) leaving.
[something just said]
 Ann told me that she needs (OR needed) to renew her
passport. [something still true]
 He noted that the Earth is (OR was) the fifth largest planet in
the solar system. [a scientific or general truth]
Questions
Meg asked, “Do you know how to get to the station?”
Meg asked if I knew how to get to the station.
Meg asked whether I knew how to get to the station.

▸ Start with the subject + asked + if/whether


▸ Change the subject according to the speaker:
you  I
▸ Put the verb in the correct past tense:
do ... know  knew
Questions

Question words:
who, what, where, when, why, which, how

Trish asked Paul, “Where do you live?”


Trish asked Paul where he lived.

Jaime asked, “How did you react to that offensive


joke?”
Jaime asked me how I had reacted to that offensive
joke.

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