Reported Speech
Turning direct speech into indirect: the shift of tenses, pronouns, times and places, and the three patterns for statements, questions and orders.
يتكوّن الدرس من 4 أجزاء: Reporting Statements، Reporting Questions، Reporting Orders, Requests and Advice، Practice and Review.
Reporting Statements
Reporting Statements
1. What changes
Reported speech communicates what somebody said without using their exact words. Four things change.
- The **punctuation**: the inverted commas disappear and *that* may be added.
- The **pronouns**, because the speaker is no longer the same person.
- The **tenses**, which move one step into the past.
- The **expressions of time and place**, because the moment and the place of speaking have changed.
> Direct: He said, "My friend is here today." > Reported: He said that his friend was there that day.
2. The shift of tenses
| Direct speech | Reported speech | | :--- | :--- | | present simple | past simple | | present continuous | past continuous | | past simple | past perfect | | past continuous | past perfect continuous | | present perfect | past perfect | | past perfect | past perfect *(no change)* | | will | would | | can | could | | may | might | | must | had to | | would, could, might, should | *no change* |
Examples:
- Cindy said, "I **like** watching TV." → Cindy said that she **liked** watching TV.
- Frank declared, "I **am thinking** about moving." → Frank declared that he **was thinking** about moving.
- She said, "I **did** my homework." → She said that she **had done** her homework.
- She said, "I **have just seen** an old friend." → She said that she **had just seen** an old friend.
- I said, "They **will** spend their holidays in Italy." → I said that they **would** spend their holidays in Italy.
3. The pronouns
| Direct | Reported | | :--- | :--- | | I / me / my / mine | he, she / him, her / his, her / his, hers | | we / us / our | they / them / their | | you / your | they, them / their | | this / these | that / those |
4. Times and places
| Direct | Reported | | :--- | :--- | | here | there | | today / tonight | that day / that night | | yesterday | the day before | | tomorrow | the next day | | now | at that moment | | this week | that week | | next month | the next month | | last year | the year before | | a year ago | the year before |
5. The case where nothing changes
> If the reporting verb is in the present, the tense of the reported verb does not change.
- He **says**, "I am tired." → He **says that he is** tired.
- She **has told** me, "I will come." → She has told me that she **will** come.
The same holds when the statement is a permanent truth:
> The teacher said that water boils at 100 °C.
6. Say or tell?
- **say** takes no person, or takes *to*: *He **said** that… / He **said to me** that…*
- **tell** always takes a person without *to*: *He **told me** that…*
> *He told that he was late* is wrong; write *He told me that he was late* or *He said that he was late*.
7. Practice
A. Report these statements.
- He said, "I am waiting for the bus."
- She said, "I finished my project yesterday."
- They said, "We will travel next week."
- He said, "I have never seen this film."
B. Choose *said* or *told*.
- She ______ me that she was tired.
- He ______ that the meeting had been cancelled.
C. Report, keeping the present tense of the reporting verb.
- He says, "I do not agree with this decision."
Reporting Questions
Reporting Questions
1. The golden rule
> In a reported question the word order becomes that of a statement: subject before verb. The auxiliary *do / does / did* disappears, and there is no question mark.
2. Wh- questions
> subject + asked (+ person) + question word + subject + verb
| Direct | Reported | | :--- | :--- | | The teacher said to her pupil, "What do you want to study?" | The teacher asked her pupil what he wanted to study. | | He said, "Where are you going?" | He asked where I was going. | | She said, "Why did he leave so early?" | She asked why he had left so early. | | They said, "How much does it cost?" | They asked how much it cost. |
Notice in each case: the auxiliary goes, the subject comes first, the tense shifts back.
3. Yes / no questions
When there is no question word, English supplies if or whether.
> subject + asked (+ person) + if / whether + subject + verb
| Direct | Reported | | :--- | :--- | | The teacher said, "Have you done your homework?" | The teacher asked if he had done his homework. | | She said, "Do you speak English?" | She asked whether I spoke English. | | He said, "Will you come tomorrow?" | He asked if I would come the next day. |
*If* and *whether* are interchangeable here. *Whether* is preferred in formal writing and is compulsory before *or not*: *He asked whether or not I agreed.*
4. The reporting verbs
- **ask** is the usual verb: *He **asked** me where I lived.*
- **want to know**, **wonder**, **enquire** are alternatives: *She **wondered** why he was late.*
5. The three mistakes to avoid
| Wrong | Right | | :--- | :--- | | He asked me where did I live. | He asked me where I lived. | | She asked what was the problem? | She asked what the problem was. | | He asked that I was ready. | He asked if I was ready. |
The first is the most common of all: keeping the interrogative word order after the question word.
6. Practice
A. Report these questions.
- He said to me, "Where do you live?"
- She said, "Did you watch the match yesterday?"
- The examiner said, "What are you going to study next year?"
- He said, "Can you help me?"
- She said, "Why has the flight been cancelled?"
B. Find and correct the mistake.
- He asked me what did I want.
- She asked that I had finished.
- They asked where was the station.
C. Turn the reported question back into direct speech.
- She asked me whether I had ever visited Algiers.
- He wanted to know how long the journey took.
Reporting Orders, Requests and Advice
Reporting Orders, Requests and Advice
1. The general pattern
For an imperative — an order, a request, a piece of advice — English uses an infinitive with to, and no *that*.
> subject + verb + person + (not) to + stem
| Type | Reporting verb | | :--- | :--- | | Order | told, ordered, commanded | | Request | asked, begged | | Advice | advised, recommended | | Warning | warned | | Reminder | reminded | | Encouragement | encouraged | | Invitation | invited |
2. Examples
| Direct | Reported | | :--- | :--- | | The headmaster said to Mr Harris, "Sit down, please." | The headmaster asked Mr Harris to sit down. | | The officer said, "Stop!" | The officer ordered him to stop. | | "You should not stand in your son's way," he said. | He advised him not to stand in his son's way. | | "Do not touch that wire," she said. | She warned him not to touch that wire. | | "Don't forget your passport," my mother said. | My mother reminded me not to forget my passport. |
3. The negative
The word not goes before *to*, never after it.
> *She told him not to be late.* — not *to not be late*.
4. Reporting suggestions
Suggestions have their own patterns.
| Direct | Reported | | :--- | :--- | | "Let's go to the cinema," he said. | He suggested going to the cinema. | | "Why don't you rest?" she said. | She suggested that he should rest. | | "Shall we start?" he said. | He suggested starting. |
*Suggest* is never followed by an infinitive with a person: *He suggested me to go* is wrong. Write *He suggested going* or *He suggested that I should go*.
5. Reporting other speech acts
| Act | Pattern | Example | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Promise | promise to + stem | He promised to help me. | | Refusal | refuse to + stem | She refused to answer. | | Offer | offer to + stem | They offered to drive me home. | | Apology | apologise for + -ing | He apologised for being late. | | Accusation | accuse somebody of + -ing | They accused him of stealing the money. | | Admission | admit + -ing | He admitted taking the money. | | Denial | deny + -ing | She denied knowing him. | | Congratulation | congratulate somebody on + -ing | We congratulated her on passing. |
These verbs are worth memorising: the exam often asks you to report a sentence "using the verb given".
6. Practice
A. Report using the verb in brackets.
- "Close the door," he said to me. *(tell)*
- "Please lend me your pen," she said. *(ask)*
- "You should see a doctor," he said to her. *(advise)*
- "Do not swim here, it is dangerous," the guard said. *(warn)*
- "Let's take the train," he said. *(suggest)*
B. Correct the mistakes.
- He told me to not be late.
- She suggested me to call him.
- He apologised to be late.
C. Report with the most suitable verb.
- "I will pay you back tomorrow," he said.
- "I did not take the money," she said.
- "It was you who broke the vase," he said to his brother.
Practice and Review
Practice and Review
1. The three patterns on one page
| Type of sentence | Pattern | Example | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Statement | said / told + person + (that) + clause | He told me that he was tired. | | Wh- question | asked + person + question word + subject + verb | She asked me where I lived. | | Yes / no question | asked + person + if / whether + subject + verb | She asked me if I lived there. | | Order, request, advice | told / asked / advised + person + (not) to + stem | He told me not to shout. | | Suggestion | suggested + -ing / that + should | He suggested leaving early. |
2. The full checklist for a transformation
- Choose the **reporting verb** (*say, tell, ask, advise, warn…*).
- Remove the **inverted commas** and the question mark.
- Shift the **tense** one step back, unless the reporting verb is present.
- Change the **pronouns** to match the new speaker.
- Change the **time and place** words.
- Put the words in **statement order** if it was a question.
3. A worked example
> Direct: Yesterday my teacher said to me, "Have you finished your project? You must hand it in tomorrow."
- Reporting verbs: *asked* for the question, *added* for the statement.
- Tense: *have you finished* → *had finished*; *must* → *had to*.
- Pronouns: *you* → *I*, *your* → *my*.
- Time: *tomorrow* → *the next day*.
> Reported: Yesterday my teacher asked me if I had finished my project and added that I had to hand it in the next day.
4. Mixed exercise
A. Put into reported speech.
- "I am preparing for my exam," she said.
- "Did you see the advertisement?" he asked me.
- "Do not believe everything you read," the teacher said to us.
- "We visited the museum last week," they said.
- "Where can I find a pharmacy?" the tourist asked.
- "I will call you tomorrow," he promised.
B. Put back into direct speech.
- He said that he had been working since morning.
- She asked me whether I wanted to join them.
- They advised us not to take that road.
C. Report with a suitable verb from the list: *admit, deny, apologise, refuse, congratulate*.
- "I am sorry I forgot your birthday."
- "No, I did not copy the answers."
- "Yes, it was me who broke the window."
- "Well done on your excellent result!"
5. Answers to check yourself
A. 1. She said that she was preparing for her exam. — 2. He asked me if I had seen the advertisement. — 3. The teacher told us not to believe everything we read. — 4. They said that they had visited the museum the week before. — 5. The tourist asked where he could find a pharmacy. — 6. He promised to call me the next day.
B. 1. He said, "I have been working since morning." — 2. She said to me, "Do you want to join us?" — 3. They said to us, "Do not take that road."
C. 1. He apologised for forgetting her birthday. — 2. She denied copying the answers. — 3. He admitted breaking the window. — 4. They congratulated him on his excellent result.
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