REPORTED SPEECH
-
It is used when we report what another person has said
- We usually use a 'reporting verb' like
'say' or 'tell'.
‘I like ice-cream’ è She said she liked ice-cream
- We have to change:
1) The pronouns
2) Tenses
(backshift)
3) Place and
time expressions
1) Present simple: past simple: She said “it’s cold”
She said that it was
cold
2)
Present continuous: past continuous
They said “he is teaching English online”
they said that he was teaching English online
3)
Past simple: past perfect
“I visited NY last year”
Jordá said that he had visited NY the previous year / the year before
4)
Past continuous: past perfect continuous
“She was playing football when the accident happened”
Noelia said that she had been playing football when the accident had happened
5)
Present perfect simple: past perfect
“I’ve lived here for a long time”
Alba said that she had lived there for a long time
6)
Present perfect continuous: past perfect continuous
“I have been cooking for two hours”
Karolis said that he had been cooking...
7)
Past perfect (no change):
“They had
already finished
the work when I arrived”
Chaima told me that they had already finished the work when she had arrived
8)
Past perfect continuous (no
change):
“I had been reading the newspaper when the light went off”
Ana said that she had been reading... when the light had gone off
9)
Future simple “will”: would
“I will open the door”: Joan said that he would open the door
10)
Modal verbs:
Will è would
Can è could
Must èhad to
May è might
Could (no change)
Should (no changel)
Would (no change)
Might (no change)
Needn’t (no change)
11)
Expressions of time:
This è that
These è those
Now è then
Here è there
Today è that day
Yesterday è the day before / the previous day
Tomorrow è the next day / the following day
Two weeks ago è two weeks before
Reporting Verbs
Said, told and asked are
the most common verbs used in indirect speech.
We use asked to
report questions:-
For example: I asked Lynne what time the
lesson started.
We use told with
an object.
For example: Lynne told me she felt tired.
We usually use said without
an object.
For example:
Lynne said she
was going to teach online.
If said is used with an object
we must include to ;
For example:
Lynne said to me
that she'd never been to China.
For example:
Lynne told me (that) she'd never been to China.
There are many other verbs
we can use apart from said, told and asked.
|
These
include: admitted,
announce, answer, advised, agreed, apologised, begged, complained, denied,
explained, insisted, mentioned, invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied,
suggested and thought.
|
We often omit that, especially in informal
situations
INFINITIVE AND GERUND
CONSTRUCTIONS:
- Agree, refuse, offer, promise,
threaten + INFINITIVE:
Tom: “I won’t lend you any money”
Tom said (that) he wouldn’t lend him any money
Tom refused to lend him any money
- ACCUSE + OBJECT + OF, ADMIT, DENY, APOLOGISE FOR, INSIST ON,
SUGGEST + VERB (-ING)
“You took the money!”
He accused me of taking the money
“Yes, I took it!”
I admitted taking it.
QUESTIONS:
Reporting verbs:ask, enquire,
request, want to know, wonder
YES / NO QUESTIONS:
Clause introduced by if or whether.
If is more common than whether.
“Are you
Scottish?”
“Do you want a
table near the window?”
“Did you come by
train or by bus?”
“Are you feeling
cold?”
WH- QUESTIONS:
We use a reported clause beginning
with a wh-word (who, what, when, where, why, how).
We don’t use a question mark.
“What do you
want?”
“Where is the bus
station?”
“Who did you
invite to the party?”
“How do you want
to do the activity?”
“When did it
happen?”
COMMANDS / REQUESTS / ADVICE:
They are usually
expressed by a verb of
command / request / advice + OBJECT + TO + INFINITIVE
The following verbs can be used:
ADVISE, ASK, BEG, IMPLORE, INVITE, ORDER, RECOMMEND, REMIND, REQUEST, TELL,
WARN.
Reporting
verbs:
“Sit down”
“You had better hurry, Bill” she said
Negative commands, requests… are
reported by: NOT + TO + INF.
“Don’t be lazy”
“Don’t open that door, John” I said
REPORTED SUGGESTIONS
Verbs:
suggest or recommend
1) Verb
+ gerund
e.g.
“Let’s take a taxi” she said
She
suggested…
2) verb
+ that + subject + (should) + infinitive
She suggested…
