1º Bachillerato - REPORTED SPEECH

USE
Reported speech is used to retell or report what other person has actually said.
It is a very usual function in everyday language.

In direct speech we repeat exactly what someone said:

He said 'I don't like football'

In reported speech, however, we tell what someone said without repeating his
exact words.

He said (that) he didn't like football.

STRUCTURE
• Formal aspects

We can find different ways of expressing the Direct Speech:

• - John said: “It is quite hot today”.

• - „It is quite hot today‟, he said
• - „It is quite hot today‟, said John.

All of them are reported in the same way, taking the usual word order
(SVC): John said it was quite hot that day

• Reporting verbs

The most usual verbs are SAY, TELL or ASK, but they only report the
information without adding any extra meaning. “Say” may be followed by the
indirect complement, always preceded by the preposition “to”. “Tell” is always
followed by the indirect complement, without preposition.

Mary said (to her mother) she was tired / Mary told her mother she was tired.

There are other verbs that also add the speaker’s intention or the way, or
intonation used while speaking:

• In statements: admit, agree, answer, apologize, boast, claim,

complain, declare, deny, explain, inform, insist, offer, promise,
refuse, remind.
• In questions: enquire, request, want to know, wonder.
• In orders: demand, order, shout, threaten, warn.
• In insistent requests: beg
• In other functions: advise, invite, suggest, recommend.
 CHANGES:
Changes in verbal tenses:

When the introductory verb (the main verb) is in the present tense, the verb of
the words we are reporting doesn‟t change:

e.g.: She says: ”It is a lovely day” à She says it is a lovely day.
But when the introductory verb is in the past tense, some verbal changes are
required:

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

Present simple Past simple
Present continuous Past continuous
Present perfect (continuous) Past perfect (continuous)
Past simple Past perfect
Past continuous Past perfect continuous
Past perfect (continuous) Past perfect (continuous)
Future simple Conditional
Future continuous Conditional continuous
Future perfect Conditional perfect
Conditional Conditional

Changes in expressions of time and place

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

Today That day
Tonight That night
Yesterday The day before/the previous day
The day before yesterday Two days before
Tomorrow The day after/ the following day/ the
next day
The day after tomorrow In two days’ time/two days after
Next week/ month/year The following week/ month. The
week/month after. The next week/ the
next month.
Last week/month/year… The week/month before. The
previous week/month.
A week/month/year ago A week/month before.
Now Then/ in that moment.
Tomorrow morning, afternoon, The following morning..
evening,..
Yesterday morning/ yesterday The previous morning.
afternoon,..
Here There
OTHER CHANGES IN REPORTED SPEECH

• this = that, the I found this watch on a train'

• these = those, the He said that he had found that/the watch on a train.

• Pronouns and possessive adjectives change from first or second person

to third person, except when the speaker is reporting his own words.

He said. I've forgotten the combination of my safe'

He said that he had forgotten the combination of his safe.

but I said, 'I like my new house' = I said that I liked my new house

We met at the bridge and he said, 'I'll be here again tomorrow'

We met at the bridge and he said that he would be there again the
following day. but She said, 'You can sit here, Tom'

TENSES IN REPORTED SPEECH TO PRACTISE

Tenses in reported speech are "more past" (because we're not talking at the
same time as the speaker was).

DIRECT SPEECH

Present simple

'I like peaches.'

Present progressive

'Is it raining?'

Past simple

'I didn't recognize you.'

Present perfect

'You've annoyed the dog.'

Past progressive

'I was joking about the price.'

Past perfect

'I hadn't seen her before that day.'

Shall/will

'We'll be late.'

Can, may

'I can swim.'

'It may rain.'

Would, could, might, ought, should

'You could be right.'

'That should be interesting.'

Must

REPORTED SPEECH (answers)

Past simple

He said he liked peaches.

Past progressive

He asked if it was raining.

Past perfect

She explained that she hadn't recognized me.

Past perfect

I told her she'd annoyed the dog.

Past progressive or past perfect progressive

He said he was joking (or: had been joking)

about the price.

Past perfect
'You said you hadn't seen her before that day.'

Should/would

'I was afraid we'd be late'

Could, might

She thought she could swim.

They said it might rain.

Would, could, might, ought, should

I felt he could be right.

She said it should be interesting.

Must or Had to

He said he must go. (or: ...or had to go)

'I must go.'

Note that we may have shall or should in direct speech,and would in reported
speech (because of the difference of person).

'I should be delighted to come.' He said he would be delighted to come.

STATEMENTS

- With reported statements we normally use the conjunction that, which can be
omitted.

He said, 'I'm going home' = He said (that) he was going home.

- We also normally use say and tell as reporting verbs. Remember that tell must
be followed by the person addressed or a personal pronoun in object form.

'I have forgotten my keys at home', he said.

He said (to me) that he had forgotten his keys at home.

or He told me that he had forgotten his keys at home.

QUESTIONS
Yes/no questions (the ones starting with an auxiliary verb): when reporting this
type, we

introduce them with IF and the subject-verb inversion and the question mark
disappear. e.g.: He asked: “Is anyone here?” à He asked if anyone was there.

“Did you see the accident?”, asked the policeman asked. à The policeman
asked if he had seen the accident.

WH- questions: when we report this kind of questions, the interrogative word
remains and the subject-verb inversion and the question mark disappear.

e.g.: “Where does he live?”, said Mary. à Mary asked where he lived.

She asked me: “What do you want?” à She asked me what I wanted.

COMMANDS, REQUESTS, ADVICE, ETC.

They're all often reported by reporting verb + object pronoun + infinitive.

Commands: 'Be back before ten', my mother said.

My mother told (or ordered) me to be back before ten.

Requests: He said, 'Can you open the window, please?' = He asked me to open
the window.

Offers: He said: Shall I bring you some tea? He offered to bring me some tea.

Invitations: He said: ‘Would you like to come with me? He invited me to go with
him.

Advice: Should/ought/ had better/ If I were you.

If I were you, I would study hard. My teacher said

My teacher adviced me to study hard.

Warnings: ‘Don’t cross the railways’ He said. He warned me not to cross the
railways.

Remember that if we ask for an object we don't need infinitives.

'Can you lend me a pen?' he said. He asked me for a pen.

'Shall I bring you some tea?'
He offered to bring me some tea.

'Would you like to sit down?'

My hostess invited me to sit down.

My friend said, 'if you travel abroad you should take

My friend advised me to take traveller cheques with me if I travelled abroad.

'Be careful of pickpockets', the policeman said to us. The policeman warned us
to be careful of pickpockets.

'Please, please don't take any risks,' said his wife. His wife begged/implored
him not to take any risks.

Encouragement: 'Go on, apply for the job,' said Jack.

Jack urged/encouraged me to apply for the job.

Reminders: 'Don't forget to order the wine,' said Mrs Pitt

Mrs Pitt reminded her husband to order the wine.

ACCEPT.- 'O.K. I'll do the job,' he said. = He accepted to do the job

ACCUSE.- 'You are a thief,' said the manager to him = The manager accused
him of being a thief.

ADMIT.- 'Yes, I stole the money,' he said. = He admitted having stolen the
money / that he had stolen...
AGREE.- 'You can use my flat while I'm away,' he said. = He agreed to let us
use his flat while he was away. APOLOGIZE.- 'Sorry, I', late,' he said. = He
apologized for being late.

CALL.- 'Ann, come.' = He called Ann.

'You are a liar, Henry,' he said. = He called Henry a liar. COMPLAIN.- 'The price
is too high,' he said. = He complained about the price. / He complained that the
price was too high.
CONGRATULATE.- 'Congratulations on your success!' he said to me. = He
congratulated me on my success.
DENY.- 'No, I didn't see her yesterday,' he said. = He denied having seen her
the day before / that he had seen...

EXCLAIM.-' Ugh, there's a fly in my soup!' he said. = He exclaimed with disgust

that there was a fly in his soup.
EXPLAIN.- 'In the USA, the speed limit is 55 m.p.h..' = He explained that in the
USA the speed limit is 55 m.p.h.

GIVE.- 'Here's your money, John,' he said. = He gave John his money.
INTRODUCE.-' Please, Peter, meet Tom.' = He introduced Peter to Tom.
POINT OUT.- 'There are a few mistakes in your essay,' the teacher said. = The
teacher pointed out that there were a few mistakes in my essay.
PROMISE.- 'I will never smoke again,' he said. = He promised never to smoke
again.
PROTEST.- 'I think the Government's work policy is unfair,' the union leader
said. = The union leader protested about (against) the Government's work
policy.

'It's long past bedtime, child,' said the father. 'Oh, please daddy,' said the child.
= The child protested when his father told him to go to bed.

REFUSE.- 'I won't lend you any more money,' he said. = He refused to lend me
any more money.

SUGGEST.- 'Why don't we take a holiday in the mountains?' he said. = He

suggested taking a holiday in the mountains.

THANK.- 'Thank you for this splendid meal,' he said to his hostess. = He
thanked his hostess for the meal.

THREATEN.- ' If you say another word I will punish you,' he said. He threatened
his son to punish him if he said another word.

WISH.- 'I wish you good luck,' he said to me. = He wished me good luck

Exclamations
Exclamations usually become statements in indirect speech. The exclamation
mark also disappears.

Exclamations beginning with “What a...” or “How...”can be reported by:

“Exclaimed / said (that)...”

e.g.: He said: “What a dreadful idea!” / “How dreadful!” à He exclaimed it was a

dreadful idea /he exclaimed it was dreadful.
REPORTED SPEECH: EXERCISES

1.- INDIRECT SPEECH: STATEMENTS

1. 'I have something to show you,' I said to her.

2. 'Nothing grows in my garden. It never gets any sun,' she said.
3. 'I'm going away tomorrow, mother,' he said.
4. 'I've been in London for a month but so far I haven't had time to visit the
Tower,' said Rupert.
5. 'It isn't so foggy today as it was yesterday,' I remarked.
6. 'The new underpass is being officially opened the day after tomorrow,' said
the BBC announcer.
7. 'We have moved into our new flat. We don't like it nearly so much as our last
one,' said my aunt.
8. 'We have a lift but very often it doesn't work,' they said.
9. 'From one of the windows of my flat I can see the Eiffel Tower,' he said.
10. 'I've no idea what the time is but I'll dial 8081 and find out,' said his
daughter.
11. He said, 'My wife has just been made a judge.'
12. 'I'll come with you as soon as I am ready,' she replied. 13. 'I have a German
lesson this afternoon and I haven't done my homework yet,' said the small boy.
14. 'If you let the iron get too hot you will scorch your clothes,' I warned her.
15. 'You haven't given me quite enough. The bill is for £13,' he pointed out.
16. 'Ann said, 'Englishmen make good husbands because they are always
willing to help in the house.'
17. 'I'll see Mary on Sunday,' she said.
18. 'I met her about three months ago,' he said.
19. 'If I press my ear against the wall, I can hear what the people in the next flat
are saying,' he said.
20. The advertisement said, 'If you answer the questions correctly you may win
£100.'
21. 'I'll sit up till she comes in, but I hope she won't be late,' he said.
22. 'Pete and Sue are getting married tomorrow,' she said. 23. 'We'll see her
next summer,' they said.
24. 'Stephen's bringing some records to the party tonight,' she said.
25. 'I must go out to post a letter,' she said.
26. 'I'm going fishing with mother this afternoon,' said the small boy, 'and we are
going into the garden now to dig for worms.'
27. Motoring report: The new Rolls Royce runs so quietly that all you can hear
is the ticking of the clock.
Managing director of the Rolls Royce company: In that case we'll have to do
something about the clock.
28. 'I've missed my train,' said Bill. 'Now I'll be late for work and my boss will be
furious.'
29. 'I couldn't get into the house because I had lost my key, so I had to bread a
window,' he said.
30. 'They should put traffic lights here, otherwise there'll be more accidents,'
she said.
31. 'I found an old Roman coin in the garden yesterday,' he said, 'and I'm going
to take it to the museum this afternoon.' 32. 'I can drive,' she said.
33. 'You may go climbing in the Alps next summer,' he
said.
34. 'I shall ring you up as soon as I arrive,' he said to me. 35. 'If you lend me the
chainsaw,' said Mary, 'I'll bring it back the day after tomorrow.'

36. He said, 'If you called on me tomorrow, I could see you for half an hour.'
37. He said, 'If I had any money, I'd buy you a drink.'

2.- INDIRECT SPEECH: SAY OR TELL?

Use the correct form of SAY and TELL in these sentences.

1. She ...... me she didn't agree.

2. He ...... 'Have we met before?'
3. I ...... them I wasn't happy with their work.
4. She ...... me a story about her parents.
5. He ...... 'Are you feeling OK?'
6. She smiled, and ...... to me, 'I'm very pleased to meet you.'
7. I didn't hear: what did she ......?
8. Could you ...... me the time, please?
9. They ...... me they were going to a meeting.
10. I ...... the policeman my address.
11. I ...... I wanted to buy a magazine.
12. He ...... he wasn't interested in politics.
13. Could you ...... me your name again, please?
14. Do you think he's ..... the truth?
15. Would you ...... them to come early tomorrow?
16. If he ...... that again there'll be trouble.
17. I ...... them it was dangerous to swim here.
18. Did you ...... anything to him about your problems at work?
19. ...... me what happened.
20. I think he was ...... lies.

3.- REPORTED SPEECH: QUESTIONS.

You have come as a new student to a British college and the other students are
asking you questions. Imagine that you report these questions later to an
English friend.

1. 'What country do you come from?' said Bill.

2. 'How long have you been here?' said Ann.
3. 'Are you working as well as studying?' asked Peter.
4. 'Have you got a work permit?' Bill wanted to know.
5. 'What are you going to study?' asked Ann.
6. Have you enrolled for more than one class?' said Peter. 7. 'Do you want to
buy any second-hand books?' said Bill. 8. 'Have you seen the library?' asked
Ann.
9. 'Do you play rugby?' said Peter.
10. 'Will you have time to play regularly?' he went on.
11. 'Did you play for your school team?' said Bill.
12. 'Are you interested in acting?' asked Ann.
13. 'Would you like to join our Drama Group?' she said.
14. 'What do you think of the canteen coffee?' asked Peter.

4.- REPORTED SPEECH: QUESTIONS.

1. 'Where has John left his bicycle?' I said.

2. 'When did David buy his new car?' Peter wanted to know. 3. 'Where shall we
meet on Saturday?' John asked Mary.
4. 'Do you like Marlon Brando?' she said.
5. 'What have you bought for Mary's birthday?' I asked mother.
6. 'Whom did you see at the cinema last night?' she wanted to know.
7. Are you enjoying yourself?' he asked.
8. 'Whose book has Betty borrowed?' Father said.
9. 'Why haven't you written to us for such a long time?' they asked Mary.
10. 'Does your father work here?' she asked.
11. 'Which of the two boys is the elder son?' said the
lawyer.
12. 'Do you live near your family?'he asked.
13. 'When will you pay back the money father lent you?' asked Peter.
14. 'Do you want to eat now or do you prefer to wait for Henry?' she asked me.
15. 'Have you met Danny before?' he asked.
16. 'Are you hungry?' he asked.
17. 'What are you going to prepare for dinner?' he asked the cook.
18. 'Did you borrow my dictionary?' he asked.
19. 'Is she going to get married now or wait?' she asked.
20. 'Have your exams finished?' he asked.
21. 'Whose telephone number are you looking up?' my secretary asked.
22. 'Do you know who broke the window?' he asked.
23. 'Did you lend them your camera?' he asked.
24. 'Will you be able to come or not?' he asked me.
25. 'Which of these films have you seen?' my friend said.
26. 'Why don't you get up earlier in the mornings?' the manager wanted to
know.
27. 'How much should we pay for a month in Spain?' they wondered.
28. 'Whose money is that on the table?' Peter wanted to know.
29. 'What happened to Mr Budd?' said one of the men.
30. 'Can you get coffee on the train?' asked my aunt.

5.- INDIRECT SPEECH: COMMANDS, REQUESTS, ADVICE EXPRESSED BY

OBJECT + INFINITIVE.

1. 'Switch off the TV,' he said to her.

2. 'Could you shut the door, Tom?' she said.
3. 'Would you mind lending me your pen for a moment? I said to Mary.
4. 'Don't watch late-night horror movies,' I warned them.
5. 'Don't believe everything you hear,' he warned me.
6. 'Don't hurry,' I said.
7. 'You shouldn't touch that switch, Mary,' I said.
8. 'Open the safe!' the raiders ordered the bank clerk.
9. 'Remember to write to your mother,' I said to them.
10. 'Please, please, don't tell my father,' she said to me.
11. 'Why don't you go by train? It's much less tiring than driving,' I said.
12. 'Don't go near the water, children,' she said.
13. 'Would you like to come in?' he said to us.
14. 'Would you take the children to school for me?' she said to her husband.
15. 'Would you move your car, please?, she said.
16. 'Run!' the general ordered the soldiers.
17. 'Don't forget your sandwiches,' said his mother.
18. 'Please don't drink any more,' said his wife.'Don't forget that we have to
drive home.'
19. 'You oughtn't to spend so much money on unimportant things,' he said to
his wife.
20. 'You'd better begin your homework now,' I told him.
21. 'Go and get me a paper, and come straight back,' he said to me.
22. 'Will you help me, please?' she said. 'I can't reach the top shelf.'
23. 'If I were you I'd try to get a room on the top floor,' he said.

24. 'Could you sew on this button for me?' Tom asked Ann. 25. 'Please, daddy,
let me stay and see the end of the film,' the little girl said.

6.- Reported speech: mixed types.

Put the following into indirect speech, avoiding as far

as possible the verbs say, ask and tell and choosing instead from the following:
accept, accuse, admit, advise, agree, apologize, assure, beg, call
(=summon), call (+ noun/pronoun + noun), complain, congratulate, deny,
exclaim, explain, give, hope,
insist, introduce, invite, offer, point out, promise, protest, refuse, remark, remind,
suggest, thank, threaten, warn, wish.

1.- He said, 'don't walk on the ice; it isn't safe.'

2.- 'Miss Brown, this is Miss White. Miss White, Miss Brown,' he said.
3.- 'Here are the car keys. You'd better wait in the car,' he said to her.
4.- 'Please, please, don't tell anyone, she said.
5.- 'Would you like my torch?' I said holding it out.
6.- Tom: I'll pay. Ann: Oh, no, you mustn't! Tom: I insist on paying!
7.- 'Come in and look round. There's no obligation to buy,' said the shopkeeper.
8.- 'If you don't pay the ransom, we'll kill the boy,' said the kidnappers.
9.- 'I won't answer any questions,' said the arrested man. 10.- 'He expects a lot
of work for very little money,' complained one of the typists. 'Yes, he does,'
agreed the other.
11.- 'I wish it would rain,' she said.
12.- 'You pressed the wrong button,' said the mechanic 'Don't do it again. You
might have a nasty accident.
13.- 'Your weight's gone up a lot!' I exclaimed. 'I'm afraid it has,' she said sadly.
14.- 'I hope you'll have a good journey,' he said. 'Don't forget to send a card
when you arrive.'
15.- 'Hurrah! I've passed the first exam!' he exclaimed. 'Congratulations!' I said,
'and good luck with the second.' 16.- 'All right, I'll wait a week,' she said. (Omit
all right)
17.- 'Many happy returns of your birthday!' we said.
18.- 'You door is the shabbiest in the street,' said the neighbour. 'It is,' I said.
19.- 'Cigarette?' - 'Thanks,' I said.
20.- 'I'll sell the TV set if you keep quarrelling about the programme,' said the
mother. 'No, don't do that! We won't quarrel any more,' said the children.
21.- 'I'll give you £500 to keep your mouth shut,' he said to me.

22.- 'I'll wait for you, I promise,' he said to me.

23.- 'I'm sorry I'm late,' she said. 'The bus broke down.

24.- 'You've been leaking information to the Press!, said his

colleagues. 'No, I haven't,' he said. 'Liar!' said Tom. 25.- I'll drop you from the
team if you don't train harder,' said the captain.l
26.- 'If the boys do anything clever, you call them your sons,' complained his
wife. 'But if they do anything stupid, you call them mine.'
27.- 'Let's have a rest,' said Tom. 'Yes, let's,' said Ann.
28.- 'Ugh! There's a slug in my lettuce. Waiter!' he cried.