Indirect Speech
reported
speech
When we report what someone has said, we make certain changes:
"I smoke five cigarettes a day," said Mike.
Mike said he smoked five cigarettes a day.
The main change in reported speech sentences is that the tenses change. Here is a summary of the tense changes that take place:
|
Tense Changes in Reported Speech |
|
|
Direct Speech |
Reported Speech |
|
Present Simple |
Past Simple |
Examples:
"I am going to
He said he was going to
"I will tell you where I have been on holiday."
She said she would tell me where she had been on holiday.
"I was reading this book all day yesterday."
He said he had been reading that book all the previous day
You can see in the last sentence how "this" becomes "that" and how "yesterday" becomes "the previous day" (or "day before"). Here are some other changes that take place:
|
Other Changes in Reported Speech |
|
|
Direct Speech |
Reported Speech |
|
Today |
That day |
Examples:
"I didn't go last week, I went 3 weeks ago."
He said he hadn't gone the week before; he had gone 3 weeks before.
"I don't want that report today; I want it here and now!!"
The boss said he didn't want the report that day; he wanted it there and then.
It is not
necessary to change the tenses if what you are reporting is still true:
"
He said that
We stay with the present simple because
Be careful when you use say and tell as they are used
differently:
Say something
(to someone).
Tell someone
something.
He told me he
was getting married.
He said he was
getting married.
|
Indirect Speech |
|
|
Indirect Speech (also referred to as 'reported speech') refers to a sentence reporting what someone has said. It is almost always used in spoken English.
· If the reporting verb (i.e. said) is in the past, the reported clause will be in a past form. This form is usually one step back into the past from the original.
For example:
o He said the test was difficult.
o She said she watched TV every day.
o Jack said he came to school every day.
· If simple present, present perfect or the future is used in the reporting verb (i.e. says) the tense is retained.
For example:
o He says the test is difficult.
o She has said that she watches TV every day.
o Jack will say that he comes to school every day.
· If reporting a general truth the present tense will be retained.
For example: The teacher said that phrasal verbs are very important.
Changing Pronouns and Time Signifiers
When changing from direct speech to indirect speech, it is often necessary to change the pronouns to match the subject of the sentence.
For example:
· She said, "I want to bring my children." BECOMES She said she wanted to bring her children.
· Jack said, "My wife went with me to the show." BECOMES Jack said his wife had gone with him to the show.
It is also important to change time words (signifiers) when referring to present, past or future time to match the moment of speaking.
For example:
· She said, "I want to bring my children tomorrow." BECOMES She said she wanted to bring her children the next day.
· Jack said, "My wife went with me to the show yesterday." BECOMES Jack said his wife had gone with him to the show the day before.
Indirect Questions
When reporting questions, it is especially important to pay attention to sentence order. When reporting yes/ no questions connect the reported question using 'if'. When reporting questions using question words (why, where, when, etc.) use the question word.
For example:
· She asked, "Do you want to come with me?" BECOMES She asked me if I wanted to come with her.
· Dave asked, "Where did you go last weekend?" BECOMES Dave asked me where I had gone the previous weekend.
· He asked, "Why are you studying English?" BECOMES She asked me why I was studying English.
The following chart includes sentences changed from quoted speech to reported speech using a past form. Pay special attention to sentences marked with "*". Note Simple past, present perfect, and past perfect all change to past perfect in the reported form.
|
Direct Speech |
Indirect Speech |
|
He said, "I live in |
He said he lived in |
|
He said, "I am cooking dinner." |
He said he was cooking dinner. |
|
He said, "I have visted |
He said he had visited |
|
He said, "I went to |
He said he had gone to |
|
He said, "I had already eaten." |
He said he had already eaten. |
|
He said, "I am going to find a new job." |
He said he was going to find a new job. |
|
He said, "I will give Jack a call." |
He said he would give Jack a call. |
|
He said, "I have been working on that project for over two weeks." |
He said he had been working on that project for over two weeks. |
|
He said, "I can come tonight." |
He said he could come that night. |
|
* He said, "I may buy a new car." |
He said he might buy a new car. |
|
* He said, "I might go to |
He said he might go to |
|
* He said, "I must give Ken a call." |
He said he had to give Ken a call. |
|
* He said, "I have to give Ken a call." |
He said he had to give Ken a call. |
|
* He said, "I should see a doctor" |
He said he should see a doctor. |
Exercises on Reported Speech
Exercise 1 -
Questions
Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns and tenses.
1. "Where is my umbrella?" she asked.
She asked ______________________________________.
2. "How are you?" Martin asked us.
Martin asked us ______________________________________.
3. He asked, "Do I have to do it?"
? He asked ______________________________________.
4. "Where have you been?" the mother asked her daughter.
? The mother asked her daughter______________________________________.
5. "Which dress do you like best?" she asked her boyfriend.
? She asked her boyfriend______________________________________.
6. "What are they doing?" she asked.
? She wanted to know______________________________________.
7. "Are you going to the cinema?" he asked me.
? He wanted to know ______________________________________.
8. The teacher asked, "Who speaks English?"
? The teacher wanted to know ______________________________________.
9. "How do you know that?" she asked me.
? She asked me______________________________________.
10. "Has Caron talked to Kevin?" my friend asked me.
? My friend asked me______________________________________.
Answers Exercise
1
Questions - Exercise 1
Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns and tenses.
"Where is my umbrella?" she asked.
? She asked where her umbrella was. Simple Present becomes Simple Past (3rd person singular + was)
"How are you?" Martin asked us.
? Martin asked us how we were. Simple Present becomes Simple Past (we + were)
He asked, "Do I have to do it?"
? He asked if he had to do it. Simple Present becomes Simple Past
the auxiliary verb 'do' (first position) is dropped and the main verb (have) is put into Simple Past
"Where have you been?" the mother asked her daughter.
? The mother asked her daughter where she had been. Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect
"Which dress do you like best?" she asked her boyfriend.
? She asked her boyfriend which dress he liked best. Simple Present becomes Simple Past
the auxiliary verb 'do' (first position) is dropped and the main verb (like) is put into Simple Past
"What are they doing?" she asked.
? She wanted to know what they were doing. Present Progressive becomes Past Progressive (they/we + were)
"Are you going to the cinema?" he asked me.
? He wanted to know if I was going to the cinema. Present Progressive becomes Past Progressive (I + was)
The teacher asked, "Who speaks English?"
? The teacher wanted to know who spoke English. Simple Present becomes Simple Past
"How do you know that?" she asked me.
? She asked me how I knew that. Simple Present becomes Simple Past
"Has Caron talked to Kevin?" my friend asked me.
? My friend asked me if Caron had talked to Kevin. Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect
Exercise 2: Backshift and Place expressions
Imagine you want to repeat sentences that you heard two weeks ago in another place. Rewrite the sentences in reported speech. Change pronouns and expressions of time and place where necessary.
1. They said, "This is our book."
? They said ______________________________________.
2. She said, "I went to the cinema yesterday."
? She said ______________________________________.
3. He said, "I am writing a test tomorrow."
? He said ______________________________________.
4. You said, "I will do this for him."
? You said ______________________________________.
5. She said, "I am not hungry now."
? She said ______________________________________.
6. They said, "We have never been here before."
? They said ______________________________________.
7. They said, "We were in London last week."
? They said ______________________________________.
8. He said, "I will have finished this paper by tomorrow."
? He said ______________________________________.
9. He said, "They won't sleep."
? He said ______________________________________.
10. She said, "It is very quiet here."
? She said ______________________________________.
Answers Exercise
2
They said, "This is our book."
? They said that was their book. Simple Present becomes Simple Past, this becomes that, the ponoun 'our' becomes 'their' as they were talking about themselves.
She said, "I went to the cinema yesterday."
? She said that she had gone to the cinema the day before. Simple Past becomes Past Perfect, yesterday becomes the day before, the pronoun 'I' becomes 'she' as she was talking about herself
for advanced learners: due to the time expression indicating past, backshift is not necessary here
He said, "I am writing a test tomorrow."
? He said that he was writing a test the next day. Present Progressive becomes Past Progressive, tomorrow becomes the next / following day, the pronoun 'I' becomes 'he' as he was talking about himself.
You said, "I will do this for him."
? You said that you would do that for him. “will” becomes would, this becomes that, the pronoun 'I' becomes 'you' as in reported speech the person I am now talking to said this to me.
She said, "I am not hungry now."
? She said that she was not hungry then. Simple Present becomes Simple Past, now becomes then, the pronoun 'I' becomes 'she' as she was talking about herself.
They said, "We have never been here before."
? They said that they had never been there before. Present Perfect Simple becomes Past Perfect Simple, here becomes there, the pronoun 'we' becomes 'they' as they were talking about themselves.
They said, "We were in London last week."
? They said that they had been in London the week before. Simple Past becomes Past Perfect, last week becomes the week before, the pronoun 'we' becomes 'they' as they were talking about themselves
for advanced learners: due to the time expression indicating past, backshift is not necessary here
He said, "I will have finished this paper by tomorrow."
? He said that he would have finished that paper by the next day. will becomes would, tomorrow becomes the next/following day, the pronoun 'I' becomes 'he' as he was talking about himself.
He said, "They won't sleep."
? He said that they wouldn't sleep. will becomes would, the pronoun 'they' is not changed as he was talking about others.
She said, "It is very quiet here."
? She said that it was very quiet there. Simple Present becomes Simple Past, here becomes there, the pronoun is not changed
Exercise 3 – Requests (negative)
Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns in some sentences.
1. "Don't touch it," she said to him.
? She told him ______________________________________.
2. "Don't do that again," he said to me.
? He told me ______________________________________.
3. "Don't talk to me like that," he said.
? He told her ______________________________________.
4. "Don't repair the computer yourself," she warned him.
? She warned him ______________________________________.
5. "Don't let him in," she said.
? She told me ______________________________________.
6. "Don't go out without me," he begged her.
? He begged her ______________________________________.
7. "Don't forget your bag," she told me.
? She told me ______________________________________.
8. "Don't eat in the lab," the chemistry teacher said.
? The chemistry teacher told his students ______________________________________.
9. "Don't give yourself up," he advised her.
? He advised her ______________________________________.
10. "Don't hurt yourselves, boys," she said.
? She told the boys ______________________________________.
Answers Exercise 3 – Requests (negative)
Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns in some sentences.
"Don't touch it," she said to him.
? She told him not to touch it. don't is dropped; not + to + rest of the sentence
"Don't do that again," he said to me.
? He told me not to do that again. don't is dropped; not + to + rest of the sentence
"Don't talk to me like that," he said.
? He told her not to talk to him like that. don't is dropped; not + to + rest of the sentence; note that the pronouns have to be changed
"Don't repair the computer yourself," she warned him.
? She warned him not to repair the computer himself. don't is dropped; not + to + rest of the sentence; note that the pronouns have to be changed
"Don't let him in," she said.
? She told me not to let him in. don't is dropped; not + to + rest of the sentence
"Don't go out without me," he begged her.
? He begged her not to go out without him. don't is dropped; not + to + rest of the sentence; note that the pronouns have to be changed
"Don't forget your bag," she told me.
? She told me not to forget my bag. don't is dropped not + to + rest of the sentence; note that the pronouns have to be changed
"Don't eat in the lab," the chemistry teacher said.
? The chemistry teacher told his students not to eat in the lab. don't is dropped; not + to + rest of the sentence
"Don't give yourself up," he advised her.
? He advised her not to give herself up. don't is dropped; not + to + rest of the sentence; note that the pronouns have to be changed
"Don't hurt yourselves, boys," she said.
? She told the boys not to hurt themselves. don't is dropped; not + to + rest of the sentence; note that the pronouns have to be changed
Exercise 4
1. "Stop talking, Joe," the teacher said.
? The teacher told Joe ______________________________________.
2. "Be patient," she said to him.
? She told him ______________________________________.
3. "Go to your room," her father said to her.
? Her father told her ______________________________________.
4. "Hurry up," she said to us.
? She told us ______________________________________.
5. "Give me the key," he told her.
? He asked her ______________________________________.
Answers Exercise
4
"Stop talking, Joe," the teacher said.
? The teacher told Joe to stop talking.to + rest of the sentence; name is dropped
"Be patient," she said to him.
? She told him to be patient.to + rest of the sentence
"Go to your room," her father said to her.
? Her father told her to go to her room.to + rest of the sentence; note that the pronouns have to be changed
"Hurry up," she said to us.
? She told us to hurry up.to + rest of the sentence
"Give me the key," he told her.
? He asked her to give him the key.to + rest of the sentence; note that the pronouns have to be changed
"Play it again, Sam," she said.
Exercise 5 Convert the phrases below into reported speech.
"It's raining," she said.
1 ______________________________________________
He said to her, "I love you."
2 ______________________________________________
"I saw María in the supermarket yesterday," said Carlos.
3 ______________________________________________
"We've lived here for three years," he said.
4 ______________________________________________
"I'll bring a pasta salad," said Francesca.
5 ______________________________________________
"Mark's going to install solar panels," said Miranda.
6 ______________________________________________
"They found gold here," said the geology teacher.
7 ______________________________________________
"Jenny can't speak French," said Pierre.
8 ______________________________________________
"I first met my wife in Seville," he told us.
9 ______________________________________________
"I want your homework handed in by tomorrow," he said.
10 ______________________________________________
"My mother made these cakes," said Juan.
11 ______________________________________________
"I'm feeling tired now," said David.
12 ______________________________________________
"It's raining," she said.
1 She said (that) it was raining.
He said to her, "I love you."
2 He told her (that) he loved her.
"I saw María in the supermarket yesterday," said Carlos.
3 Carlos said (that) he saw/had seen María in the supermarket the previous day.
"We've lived here for three years," he said.
4 He said (that) they had lived there for three years.
"I'll bring a pasta salad," said Francesca.
5 Francesca said (that) she would bring a pasta salad.
"Mark's going to install solar panels," said Miranda.
6 Miranda said (that) Mark was going to install solar panels.
"They found gold here," said the geology teacher.
7 The geology teacher said (that) they had found gold there.
"Jenny can't speak French," said Pierre.
8 Pierre said (that) Jenny couldn't speak French.
"I first met my wife in Seville," he told us.
9 He told them (that) he first met/ had first met his wife in Seville.
"I want your homework handed in by tomorrow," he said.
10 He said (that) he wanted their homework handed in by the next day.
"My mother made these cakes," said Juan.
11 Juan said (that) his mother made/had made those cakes.
"I'm feeling tired now," said David.
12 David said (that) he was feeling tired then.