2º BACHILLERATO

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…