Grammar

o Reported speech (1)

Direct speech Reported statements

• When we quote sorneone's actual words, we • In reported speech, we report what someone
can use reporting verbs like say, reply, suggest, said earlier, without quoting their actual words.
shout, etc.: • When we report someone's words, we often
'Let' s go swimming,' Peter suggested. use a past tense reporting verb like said, told,
• The speaker's words can come before or after suggested, etc.:
the reporting verb: She said (that) she knew the answer.
'1 knew the answer,' she said. • After a past tense reporting verb, we usually
She said, '1 knew the answer. ' make changes to verb tenses, pronouns and
• Notice the punctuation in direct speech: the possessive adjectives, as well as place and time
speaker' s words are put in inverted commas. references:
The comma, full stop, question mark or 'I'm visiting my cousins tomortow,' Penny said.
exclamation mark come before the closing Penny said that she was visiting her cousins the
quotation mark: following day.
'You mustn't give up,' his mother insisted.
'Do you take sugar?' she asked.
'Help!' she shouted.

Changes in reported speech

• In reported speech, tenses and modal verbs change as follows:

Direct speech -t Reported speech Example

present simple --. past simple '1 want to buy it. ' He said (that) he wanted to buy it.

present continuous --. past continuous 'I'm leaving.' He said (that) he was leaving.

past simple --. past perfect simple '1 saw her.' He said (that) he had seen her.

past continuous --. past perfect continuous '1 was working. ' He said (that) he had been working.

present perfect simple --. past perfect simple 'I've finished.' He said (that) he had finished.

present perfect continuous --. past perfect 'I've been running.' He said (that) he had been running.
continuous

am/is/are going to --. was/were going to 'I'm going to stay.' He said (that) he was going to stay.

will --. would '1'11 help you.' He said (that) he would help me.

can --. could '1 can do it.' He said (that) he could do it.

may --. might 'I may do it.' He said (that) he might do it.

must --. had to '1 must go.' He said (that) he had to go.

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 REPORTED SPEECH (1)

1
• The past perfect simple and past perfect • Tell, order and ask are some common reporting
continuous don't change in reported speech: verbs for commands and requests:
'I had finished.' ---.He said (that) he had 'Be quiet!' she told them. ---.She told them to be
finished. quieto
'I had been running.' ---.He said that he had 'Stop!' the police officer told him. ---.The police
been running. officer ordered him to stop.
• Could, would, might, should and ought to don't 'Please let me stay, Dad,' Anne said. ---.Anne
change in reported speech: asked her dad to let her stay.
'I might join you.' ---.He said (that) he might • Note that when we report negative commands
Jom uso and requests, we use not before the to-infinitive.
• When the reporting verb is in a present tense, 'Please don't do it,' she told him. ---.She told him
there is no change in reported speech: not to do it.
'I may be late.' ---.He says (that) he may be late.
• We do not need to change the verb tense when ~ ~e thínks he)s
we are reporting things that are still true: , ver-¡ c.lever ..
'Tve got a brother.' ---.He told me (that) he's got ~ •••••. H •.•. !--.. -

a brother. "
However, after past reporting verbs, we usually
change the tenses, even if the things we are
reporting are still true.
• These words and phrases also change in
reported speech:
~e ha.d the r"\erve.to te 11t'Y'Ie
Direct speech Reported speech he wa.5 ver-¡ c.lever'
here ~:o>/;.~~
there
this/these that/those
this/that + noun the + no un
ago before
last week the week before, the
previous week
next week the weekafter, the
following week Reporting verbs
now then • We often use different reporting verbs to
today, tonight that day, that night summarise what someone said.
'Why don't you stay with us?' ---.They invited
this morning that morning me to stay with them.
tomorrow the next/following day, • Reporting verbs can describe the speaker's
the day after intention, or tell us more about the way
yesterday the day before, the someone says something:
previous day Tll call the police.' ---.She threatened to call the
police.
'Tll carry the books.' ---.He offered to carry the
Reported commands and requests books.
• When we report commands and requests, we • Different reporting verbs are used with
use the following pattern: reporting verb + sb + different structures. Below are some common
to-infinitive: ones. Note that some verbs can be used with
'Pleasestay, [ohn, , she said. ---.She asked [ohn more than one structure:
to stay.
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•
REPORTED SPEECH (1)

Verbs Examples

verb + to-infinitive 'No, I won't do it!' -. He refused to do it.

agree, decide, demand, offer, promise, 'Can l help you?' -. She offered to help me.
propose, refuse, swear, threaten, volunteer Tll come back.' -. He promised to come back.

verb + sb + to-infinitive 'Please don't gol' -. She begged him not to go.
advise, beg, encourage, forbid, instruct, 'Don't cross that bridge!' -. She warned me not to cross the bridge.
invite, order, persuade, urge, warn 'You should talk to Nikki.' -. He advised me to talk to Nikki.

verb + -ing 'I stole the money,' -. He admitted stealing the money.
admit, deny, recommend, suggest 'I didn't steal the money.' -. He denied stealing the money.

verb (+ sb) + preposition + -ing 'You stole the money.' -. She accused me of stealing the money.
accuse sb of, agree (with sb) onl about, 'I'm sorry I'm late.' -. He apologised for being late.
apologise (to sb) for, complain (to sb) 'You won! Well done!' -. She congratulated me on winning.
about, congratulate sb on, insist on
verb (+ sb) + that clause 'Yes, it's a good idea.' -. He agreed that it was a good idea.
add, admit, agree, announce, boast, claim, 'My soup is cold!' -. She complained that her soup was caldo
complain, decide, deny, explain, inform 'Tll come back.' -. He promised (me) that he would come back.
(sb), persuade (sb), promise (sb), remind 'It's [ane's birthday.' -. She reminded me that it was [ane's
(sb), report, suggest, threaten, warn (sb) birthday.

• Suggest can be followed by the following structures:

• suggest + -ing:
'Let's go to the cinema.' -. I suggested going to the cinema.
• suggest + that + past simple:
I suggested that we went to the cinema.
• suggest + that + sb + should + infinitive:
I suggested that we should go to the cinema.

For reported questions, see @

PRACTICE

o Report the statements.

O 'Let me help you.' 5 '1 gave you the money last week.'
My friend offered :t9.. h~JP..m~ . She insisted .
1 '1 wasn't anywhere near the scene of the 6 'Put your hands up!'
. ,
cnme. The man ordered me .
The accused claimed . 7 'If I were you, I wouldn't work so hard.'
2 'This spot is the best place for a picnic.' My friend advised me .
My father said . 8 'No, I won't lend him the money.'
3 'We're leaving tomorrow.' Joan refused .
Ella said .
4 'Please answer the phone.'
He asked his son .

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 REPORTED SPEECH (1)

e Match the statements (1-10) with the reporting verbs (a-k).

O 'If you do that again, I'llleave,' she told me. GJ a ask
1 'I'm going to retire soon,' he said. D b beg
2 'Please bring us the wine list,' she told the waiter. D e explain
3 'Our team will easily beat yours,' he told uso D d warn
4 'Please, please give me another chance,' she told him. D e remind
5 'I'm innocent, Your Honour,' he told the judge. D f advise
6 '1 was late because 1 missed my bus,' she said. D g claim
7 'Why don't we playa game?' he said. D h announce
8 'Don't forget to phone Alex,' she told him. D threaten
9 'Careful! The water's deep!' he said. D J suggest
10 'You should be more careful inthe future,' she told the student. D k boast

Report the statements in Exercise 2.

O S~e t~YetlteV\ed to letlve if 1 did 5 .
f~~+::~9~;~:':::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 6
1 . 7
2 8
3 9
4 10

o Complete the texto Use one word in each gap.

Monday, 17 October

A new teacher
The first day back at school. We were waiting for our new teacher and 1
wondered what he or she would be like. Suddenly, the door opened and a
tall thin man walked in. He looked at us, smiled and told (O) •••••••• I.:-\~...•....

to si t down and be quiet. Billy O' Reilly (1) •••••••••••••••••• ., 'Good morning,
sir! What's your name?' in his loud cheery voice but the new teacher
(2) ••••••••••••••••••• him to put his hand up and (3) ••••••••••••••••••• to shout out
wi thout permission. He told us that his name (4) ••••••••••••••••••• Mr John
Walker. Billy giggled. 'What are you laughing at?' (5) ••••••••••••••••••• Mr
Walker. Billy said he (6) ••••••••••••••••••• a cough and he followed this wi th a
loud cough; the whole class laughed. The teacher smiled and said we
(7) ••••••••••••••••••• call him John. He explained (8) ••••••••••••••••••• he wanted us
to work hard and play hard. He said tha t the text we (9) ••••••••••••••••••• do
together for the English exam was Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He said
we (10) ••••••••••••••••••• to read the first two scenes before the (11) •••••••••••••••••••
week' s lesson. He smiled again and said he (12) ••••••••••••••••••• sure we would
get on very well. Then he asked if we had any questions.

~~----------------------------------------------------------------------------'

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- ~ Reported speech (2)
~

Reported questions
• In reported questions, the word order is the same as in statements:
'Can 1 leave the room?' 1 asked. -t 1 asked if 1 could leave the room.
She asked me where 1 was from. ,/
She 6lsked me where was 1 frem. X
• We do not use the auxiliary do/does/did in reported questions:
'What do you want?' he asked me. -t He asked what 1 wanted.
• We do not use a question mark in reported questions:
'How is [ohnny getting on at school?' she asked. -t She asked how [ohnny was getting on
at school.
• Some reporting verbs we often use in reported questions are: ask, inquire, wonder,
want to know:
She wanted to know where 1 was going.
• In reported questions, the tense changes and the changes to place/time references are
the same as those for reported statements:
'Are you OK?' -t She asked if 1 was OK.
'Is [amie here?' -t He asked if Iamie was there.

YeslNo questions
• When we report questions that can be answered with 'yes' or 'no' (e.g. Are you happy
here? Do you live in a flat?), we use if or whether after the reporting verb:
'Are you happy here?' he asked. -t He asked if/whether 1 was happy there.
'Does he live in a big flat?' she asked. -t She asked if/whether he lived in a big flato
• We can use if and whether in the same way:
'Are the summers very hot there?' he inquired. -t He asked if /whether the summers were
very hot there.
'Have you always lived in the old town?' she asked him. -t She asked him if/whether he
had always lived in the old town.
• However, when we are asking someone to make a choice, we usually use whether:
'Do you want coffee or tea?' they asked me. -t They asked me whether 1 wanted coffee or
tea.
• We use whether (not if) when the reported question includes the phrase or not:
'Are you going to tell me the answer or not?' she asked. -t She asked whether 1 was going
to tell her the answer or noto
'Is he coming or not?' 1 asked. -t 1 asked whether he was coming or noto

Wh- questions
• When we report questions that begin with a question word (who, where, why, what,
when, how, how long, etc.), we use the question word in the reported question:
'Who built that castle?' she asked. -t She wanted to know who had built the castle.
'Where did you go this summer?' he asked. -t He asked where we had gone that summer.
'Why are you laughing?' she asked uso -t She asked us why we were laughing.

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PRACTICE

o Choose the correct answer.

O The interviewer wanted to know where G/ was I from.

1 He also asked if I had / did I have any work experience.
2 He asked how old am I / I was.
3 He wanted to know what have I / I had been doing since 1 left school.
4 He asked when / whether 1 had had a nice trip down from Liverpool.
5 He also asked how long the journey had taken / did the journey take.
6 He asked me what I liked / did I like most about my job.
7 He wanted to know who had told / had they told me about their company.
8 He asked me what I thought / did I think the qualities of a good manager were.
9 He told / inquired how much money 1 was hoping to earn.
10 Finally, he asked me when can I / I could start work.

e Report the questions.

O 'Can 1 have some more pocket money?'

The boy asked .if. h~..~t?~!~.. ~A\(~. ~~~~ .. ~t?r-~. p.t?~~~t. m~"(I.f;.t .
1 'Are you stillliving in London?'
1 asked him .
2 'Do you work in the central branch or in the provinces?'
She asked me .
3 'Are you going to give me the money or not?'
She asked him .
4 'Has he brought the book back?'
1 wanted to know .
5 'Is it snowing in Manchester?'
He asked .
6 'Are you married?'
The man asked me .
7 'Have you been eating properly?'
The doctor asked him .
8 'w ould you like to join us tomorrow?'
They asked me .
9 'Do you speak French?'
She asked the girl .
10 'Have you finished?'
The teacher asked him .

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REPORTED SPEECH (2)

e Report the questions.

o 'Where were you born?' 1 asked Emmy .

f:-mmy.. 'N~~r:~..-?~~. hi:lp.. k~~~ .kt?~·
.l.~~~~.~
.. .
1 'How far is the stadium?' the man asked uso

2 'Who bought the Picasso painting?' she asked.

3 'What were they doing?' Mrs Fox asked.

4 'How long have you lived here?' [o asked Ben.

5 'How often do you visit your cousins?' 1 asked Pam.

6 'Why are you laughing?' she asked me.

7 'How long have you been waiting?' 1 asked them.

8 'What did she say?' Harry asked.

9 'What should 1 do?' she asked her friendo

10 'Where are you going to stay?' 1 asked them.

o Complete the texto Use one word in each gap.

A difficult day at school

Mrs Evans, our history teacher, decided to give us an oral test about the American
War of Independence yesterday. 1 hadn't done my homework because 1 had had a
stomachache the night before and 1 (O) .yY~r.4~r:~~. if 1 would be able to answer any
of her questions. First, she asked when the war (1) .••••••••••••• started - 1 had no idea.
Then she (2) •••••••••••••• to know if we knew the name of the English king at the
time. Then she (3) •••••••••••••• who the author of the Declaration of Independence
(4) ••••••••••••••• She asked me if 1 (5) •••••••••••••• the answer. By then, 1 wasn't feeling
very well again, so 1 asked Mrs Evans if 1 (6) •••••••••••••• be excused. She didn't hear
me though and continued with the next question, so 1 got up and walked towards
the door; Mrs Evans asked me (7) •••••••••••••• 1 was going. 1 asked her (8) ••••••••••••••
1 could leave the room and she said 1 had to wait till the test was over. 1 explained 1
wasn't feeling well and asked how long the test was (9) •••••••••••••• to take. Luckily, it
only took five more minutes! 1 was so glad when the lesson ended!

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o- informs
9 and infinitives after verbs

Verbs can be followed by an infinitive (with or Verb + -;n9 form/fhaf clause

without to), an -ing form, a no un or a that clause:
I want to tell you something. • Here are some verbs that are followed by an
I must go now. -ing form or a that clause:
They started laughing. admit deny report
I fancy an ice cream. consider imagine suggest
She admitted that she had been wrong. He admitted lying to the police.
He admitted that he had stolen the goods.
Verb + -;n9 form • These verbs can also be followed by a noun:
He admitted his crimes .
• Here are some verbs that are followed by an
• We cannot use an infinitive after these verbs:
-ing form:
He denied doing it. ,/
avoid feellike mISS
He denied te de it. X
be worth finish postpone
• When these verbs are followed by a that clause,
delay involve practise
we can omit that:
dislike keep propose
He admitted he had stolen the goods.
enJoy mention risk
fancy mind
I avoid going to noisy bars.
Verb + fo-infinitive
The castle is worth visiting. • Here are some verbs that are followed by a
• We always use the -ing form after verbs that are to-infinitive:
followed by prepositions (e.g. insist on, succeed agree hope promise
in, apologise for): appear intend refuse
She insisted on coming with me to the lawyer. can afford learn seem
He succeeded in breaking the world record. choose manage threaten
He apologised for letting me down. decide offer want
• Phrasal verbs (e.g. keep on, put off, look forward expect plan wish
to) are also followed by an -ing form: fail prepare
They were looking forward to meeting him. hesitate pretend
• Some verb phrases that are followed by I agreed to stay with her.
prepositions are also followed by an -ing formo The animal appears to be dead.
Here are some examples: be good at, be keen on, We can't afford to go on holiday this year.
be fed up with, be tired of • Some of these verbs can also be followed by a
She's good at getting people to do things. noun, an adjective or a that clause:
He's very keen on travelling. She failed the exam.
• The verbs above can also be followed by a noun: He seems frightened.
I avoid noisy bars. I agree that it is difficult.
They were looking forward to their holiday.
• Remember: we always use the -ing form of a
verb after prepositions.

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-ING FORMS ANO INFINITIVES AFTER VERBS

Verb + bare infinitive Here are some of them:

• The verbs make, let, would rather, would sooner Verb Meaning Example
and had better are followed by a bare infinitive
remember + not forget sth I remembered to
(= infinitive without to): to-infinitive you must do turn off the oven.
They let us leave early.
They made us wait for two hours. remember + have a I remember turning
I'd rather go to Italy this year. -ing form memory of off the oven.
sth you did
I'd sooner die than give the secret away!
in the past
• In the passive, we use a ta-infinitive after make:
We were made to wait for two hours. forget + not remember I forgot to phone
to-infinitive sth you Kevin.
• We do not use let in the passive. We use allow
must do, get
instead: or bring
We were allowed to leave early.
forget + not remember I'll never forget
• We also use a bare infinitive (= infinitive
-ing form sth you did visiting Venice far
without to) after modal verbs:
in the past the first time.
1 can't help you.
We might be a bit late. try + make an effort They tried to help
to-infinitive her.

Verb + -ing form/to-infinitive with try + do sth to Try closing the file
-ing form see what and then opening
no change in meaning
happens it again.
• Some verbs can be followed by an -ing form stop + stop in arder I stopped to tie up
or a to-infinitive without a change in meaning. to-infinitive to do sth my shoelace.
Here are some of these verbs:
stop + no longer do He stopped wearing
begin continue love
-ing form sth ties years ago.
can't bear hate prefer
can't stand like start go on + do sth after He told us about
1 began training as soon as 1 heard about the to-infinitive you've his childhood.
hockey match. finished Then he went on
doing sth to describe his
1 began to train as soon as 1 heard about the
else experiences in the
hockey match. army.
• These verbs can also be followed by a noun:
1 began French when 1 was twelve. go on + continue She went on talking
-ing form doing sth for hours!
1 don't like pop music very mucho
• Can't bear and can't stand both mean 'not be regret + feel sorry or We regret to inform
able to accept or not like something'. Can't bear to-infinitive sad about you that we
is common in both written and spoken English. sth you have cannat offer you
to do the post.
Can't stand is more common in spoken English.
Both can't bear and can't stand can be followed regret + feel sorry She regretted
byan -ing form, a to-infinitive or a noun: -ing form about accepting the job.
1 can't bearlcan't stand listening to this music! something
1 can't bearlcan't stand to hear them arguing! you have or
1 can't bearlcan't stand TV commercials! haven't done
mean + intend I didn't mean to
Verb + -ing form/to-infinitive with to-infinitive hurt yOU.

change in meaning mean + involve sth His new job will

-ing form or have a mean travelling
Some verbs can be followed by an -ing form or a particular a lot.
to-infinitive but with a change in meaning. result

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 ·/NG FORMS ANO INFINITIVES AFTER VERBS

PRACTICE
.................................................
o Complete the second sentence so that it
has a similar meaning to the first sentence,

o Choose the correct answer.

using the word given. Use between two and
five words. Do not change the word given.
o He denied to lie @ñg) o We were forced to give them the money.
1 1 learnt to drive / driving when 1 was twenty. MADE
2 They suggested to postpone / postponing the They m~.~~ .~~.8iX~. :t~~mthe money.
basketball match. 1 Unfortunately, we cannot accept your
3 The bad weather delayed that they application.
arrived / their arrival. INFORM
4 1 can't bear see / to see children suffer.
We regret your application has
5 We really can't afford to buy / buying a new not been accepted.
washing machine. 2 I' d prefer to work in an office.
6 1 look forward to see /seeing you at the party. RATHER
7 I' d rather stay / to stay at home if that' s ok.
1 in an office.
8 1 don't remember to see /seeing Al at the gym.
3 We were not allowed to enter the lab.
9 His mum always makes him tidy / to tidy his LET
room before he goes out.
They the lab.
10 I'm really sorry, 1 didn't mean to
4 1 said it would be a good idea to start our own
upset / upsetting you.
website.
O Complete the article. Use the correct form SUGGESTED

of the verbs in brackets. 1 our own website.

5 She managed to get a place at York University.
Pablo Picasso SUCCEEDED

From the age of seven, Picasso started She a place at York University.
(O) h~'
...xm~. (have ) artistic
.. trauung
.. frorn hiIS 6 It looks as if this door is locked after all.
APPEARS
painter father. He was very keen on
(1) .. ... ..... (paipamt ) an d it. was o b VlOUS
. t h at This door after all.
he was very good at it. He began (2) •••••••••• 7 We can't wait for our holiday next month.
(miss) classes at school and insisted on FORWARD

(3) . .. . .. .. .. (paí
pamt )' pictures mstead.
. d H'IS la
e th er We're really on holiday next
saw the thirteen-year-old Picasso painting month.
like a master, so he gave up (4) ••••.••••• (paint) 8 Tony refused to let me pay for our meal.
in order to help his son become a great INSISTED

artist. Picasso's father then persuaded the art Tony for our meal himself.
academy (5) •••••••••• (allow) his son to take
the entrance exam. Later, he decided
(6) •..••..••• (send) the young artist to Madrid's
Royal Academy. Thus, at the age of sixteen,
Picasso started (7) •••••••••• (go) to classes
in Madrid. However, he disliked formal
instruction, so he soon stopped (8) ••••••••••
(turn up) for classes and spent hours in the
Prado Museum instead.

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