1 Definition of Reported Speech
Generally, Indirect speech also known
as reported speech or indirect discourse, is a means of expressing the content
of statements, questions or other utterances, without quoting them explicitly
as is done in direct speech.
In grammar, indirect speech often
makes use of certain syntactic structures such as content clauses
("that" clauses, such as (that) he was coming), and sometimes
infinitive phrases. References to questions in indirect speech frequently take
the form of interrogative content clauses, also called indirect questions.
2.1 Direct and Indirect Speech
2.1.1
Direct Speech
Direct
speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in
writing, we place the words spoken between quotation marks (" ") and
there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being
said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or telling someone later about
a previous conversation.
Example
:
·
She says, "What time will you be
home?"
·
She said, "What time will you be
home?" and I said, "I don't know! "
·
"There's a fly in my soup!"
screamed Simone.
·
John said, "There's an elephant
outside the window."
2.1.2 Indirect Speech
I Indirect
speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense
of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we
may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are
not used.
Example
:
- · She said, "I saw him." (direct speech)
·
She said that she had seen him.
(indirect speech)
·
She told him that she was happy. (direct speech)
·
She told him she was happy. (indirect speech)
3.1 Reporting Statements
When
transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
3.1.1 Pronouns
“In reported speech, you often have to change the
pronoun depending on who says what”.
Example:
She says, “My dad likes roast
chicken.” – She says that her dad likes roast
chicken.
3.1.2 Tense
A. Reported Tense Rules
1. Present simple tense
into Past simple
2. Present Continuous tense
into Past continuous
3. Present Perfect tense
into Pas perfect
4. Present Perfect
Continuous into Past perfect continuous
5. Past simple into Past
Perfect
6. Past Continuous into
Past Perfect Continuous
7. Past Perfect into
Past Perfect
8. Future simple, will
into would
9. Future Continuous,
will be into would be
10.Future
Perfect, will have into would
B. Tense Change when Using Reported Speech
Normally, the tense in reported
speech is one tense back in time from the tense in direct speech:
|
Phrase in Direct
Speech
|
Equivalent in
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
|
|
Simple
present
|
Simple
past
|
|
"I always drink coffee", she said
|
She said that she always drank coffee.
|
|
Present
continuous
|
Past
continuous
|
|
"I am reading a book", he explained.
|
He explained that he was reading a book
|
|
Simple
past
|
Past
perfect
|
|
"Bill arrived on Saturday", he said.
|
He said that Bill had arrived on Saturday.
|
|
Present
perfect
|
Past
perfect
|
|
"I have been to Spain", he told me.
|
He told me that he had been to Spain.
|
|
Past
perfect
|
Past
perfect
|
|
"I had just
turned out the light," he
explained.
|
He explained that he had just
turned out the light.
|
|
Present
perfect continuous
|
Past
perfect continuous
|
|
They complained,
"We have been waiting for hours".
|
They complained that they had been
waiting for hours.
|
|
Past
continuous
|
Past
perfect continuous
|
|
"We were living in Paris", they told me.
|
They told me that they had been
living in Paris.
|
|
Future
|
Present
conditional
|
|
"I will be in Geneva on Monday", he said.
|
He said that he would be in Geneva on Monday.
|
|
Future
continuous
|
Conditional
continuous
|
|
She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday".
|
She said that she would be
using the car next Friday.
|
*Footnote*
You do not need to change the tense
if the reporting verb is in the present, or if the original statement was about
something that is still true, e.g.
He says he has missed the train but he'll catch the next one.
We explained that it is very difficult to find our house.
These modal verbs do not change in reported
speech: might, could, would, should, ought to:
We explained, "It could be difficult to find our house." = We
explained that it could be difficult to find our house.
She said, "I might bring a friend to the party." = She said that
she might bring a friend to the party.
3.1.3 Place, demonstratives and time expressions
Place, demonstratives
and time expressions change if the context of the reported statement (i.e. the
location and/or the period of time) is different from that of the direct
speech.
In the following table, you will find the different
changes of place; demonstratives and time expressions.
|
Direct Speech
|
Reported Speech
|
|
Time Expressions
|
|
|
Today
|
that day
|
|
Now
|
Then
|
|
yesterday
|
the day before
|
|
… days ago
|
… days before
|
|
last week
|
the week before
|
|
next year
|
the following year
|
|
tomorrow
|
the next day / the following day
|
|
Place
|
|
|
Here
|
there
|
|
Demonstratives
|
|
|
This
|
That
|
|
These
|
those
|
4.1
Reporting Questions
When transforming questions, check whether you have to
change:
- pronouns
- place and time
expressions
- tenses (backshift)
Also note that you have to:
- transform the question
into an indirect question
- use the question word (where, when, what, how) or if / whether
|
Types of questions
|
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
With question word
(what, why, where, how...)
|
"Why"
don’t you speak English?”
|
He asked
me why I didn’t speak English.
|
|
Without question word
(yes or no questions)
|
“Do you
speak English?”
|
He asked
me whether / if I spoke English.
|
5.1 Reporting Verb
Reporting
verbs are used to report what someone said more accurately than using say and
tell.
1. verb + infinitive
agree,
decide, offer, promise, refuse, threaten
Example:
They agreed
to meet on Friday.
He refused
to take his coat off.
2. verb + object + infinitive
advise,
encourage, invite, remind, warn
Example:
Tom advised
me to go home early.
She reminded
me to telephone my mother.
3. verb + gerund
deny,
recommend, suggest
Example:
They
recommended taking the bus.
She
suggested meeting a little earlier.
4. verb + object + preposition
accuse,
blame, congratulate
Example
He accused
me of taking the money.
They
congratulated me on passing all my exams.
5. verb + preposition + gerund
apologise,
insist
Example
They
apologised for not coming.
He insisted
on having dinner.
6. verb + subject + verb
admit,
agree, decide, deny, explain, insist, promise, recommend, suggest
Example:
Sarah
decided (that) the house needed cleaning.
They
recommended (that) we take the bus.
6.1 Reported Speech Exercises
Complete the sentences in reported speech.
1. John said, "I love this
town."
John said that :
2. "Are you sure?" He asked
me.
He asked me :
3. "I can't drive a lorry," he
said.
He said that :
4. "Be nice to your brother,"
he said.
He asked me :
5. "Don't be nasty," he said.
He urged me :
6. "Don't waste your money"
she said.
She told the boys :
7. "What have you decided to
do?" she asked him.
She asked him :
8. "I always wake up early,"
he said.
He said that :
9. "You should revise your
lessons," he said.
He advised :
10.
"Where have you been?" he asked
me.
He wanted to know :
References :
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