REPORTED SPEECH
10th grade
 Reporting Statements
 We use the Reported Speech (or Indirect Speech) when we are telling what someone says or said.
 The reporting verb may be in the Present or in the Past:
- if it is in the present tense, there are no tense changes.
- if it is in the past tense, there are tense, person and place changes.
Ex.: Direct speech: Sarah: “I am a journalist.”
Reported speech (Present): Sarah says (that) she is a journalist.
Reported speech (Past): Sarah said (that) she was a journalist.
 The conjunction “that” can be omitted;
 To report a statement we use the reporting verbs:
- Say + something: Tom said he loved being a surgeon.
- Tell + someone + something: Tom told me he loved being a surgeon.
- Other reporting verbs: reply, explain, promise, claim, announce and declare.
Verb Tenses Changes
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
Present Simple
Simple Past
Julia said: “I want to be a teacher.”
Julia said (that) she wanted to be a teacher.
Present Continuous (am/is/are + ing)
Past Continuous (was/were + ing)
“I am going to the doctor,” Julia said.
Julia said (that) she was going to the doctor.
Simple Past (ed /
2nd
column)
Past Perfect (had + p.p.)
Julia: “I worked as a cook in a hotel”
Julia said (that) she had worked as a cooker in a hotel.
Present Perfect (has/have + p.p.)
Past Perfect (had + p.p.)
Jack: “John has given up his job.”
Jack said (that) John had given up his job.
Present Perfect Continuous (has/have + been + ing) Past Perfect Continuous (had + been + ing)
“I have been writing my CV,” Jack said.
Jack said (that) he had been writing his CV.
Future (will + inf.)
Conditional (would + inf.)
Jack said: “I will be a gardener someday.”
Jack said (that) he would be a gardener someday.
Modals: can; may; must
could; might; had to
The boss said: “You can do this job, Sarah.”
Peter said: “Susan may go to university,”
Peter said: “I must find a job.”
The boss said (that) Sarah could do that job.
Peter said (that) Susan might go to university.
Peter said (that) he had to find a job ( present
necessity/obligation)
Julia said (that) he mustn’t smoke there.
(regulations/prohibition/probability)
Julia said: “You mustn’t smoke in here”.
Note 1: Verbs in the Past Continuous, Past Perfect and Conditional undergo no tense change.
Note 2: The verb used to and the modals would, should, could and might do not change in the Reported Speech.
Time Changes
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
now
today / tonight
tomorrow
yesterday
this (morning)
last (week)
next (week / month / year)
then / at that moment
that day / night
the next day / the following day
the day before / the previous day
that (morning)
the (week) before / the previous (week)
the following (week / month / year)
Place Changes
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
here
this
there
that
Pronouns and Determiners Changes
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
I / you (subject)
we / you (subject)
me / you (object)
us / you (object)
my / your
mine / yours
our / your
ours / yours
this
these
Personal Pronouns
she / he
they
him / her
them
Possessive Pronouns / Determiners
his / her
his / hers
their
theirs
Demonstrative Pronouns / Determiners
that
those
 Reporting Questions (Indirect Questions)
 When we report questions we can use the reporting verbs: ask, want to know, wonder and inquire.
 In reported questions we use the same word order as in a statement: Subject + Verb:
Ex.: Teacher: “How are you?”
The teacher asked Sam how he was.
 Yes / No questions (beginning with a verb) are reported with if or whether.
Ex.: Teacher: “Do you have a dream job, Sam?”
The teacher asked Sam if / whether he had a dream job.
 Wh-questions are reported with the same question word used in the direct question.
Ex.: Teacher: “Which one do you prefer, Suzy?”
The teacher asked Suzy which one she preferred.
 Reported Imperatives (Indirect Imperatives)
 Imperative clauses change into infinitive clauses preceded by a verb such as tell, command,
order, warn, recommend, advise.
Ex.: Teacher: “Be careful.”
The teacher recommended his students to be careful.
 Negative imperatives (Don’t…) - “not” goes before the infinitive.
Ex.: Teacher: “Don’t make silly mistakes in the exam.”
The teacher advised his students not to make silly mistakes in the exam.
 Exclamations
 Exclamations become statements in the reported speech.
Ex.: Jane: “What a wonderful job!”
Jane said that it was a wonderful job.
A. Rewrite the following sentences:
1. “ I am having a party next week.”
He said___________________________________________________________________________________________
2. “ Someone is following me now.”
She complained _________________________________________________________________________________
3. “ They are going to meet Susy at four tomorrow.”
She announced _________________________________________________________________________________
4. “ I will have to write to your parents this week.”
She explained __________________________________________________________________________________
5. “ I don’t understand what the teacher is explaining-.”
He admitted _____________________________________________________________________________________
6. “ I know we don’t have enough money today.”
She stated _______________________________________________________________________________________
7. “ I have learned English for some time.”
She told _________________________________________________________________________________________
8. “ I have been learning German this year.”
She said _________________________________________________________________________________________
9. “ They had gone to France last year.”
I said _____________________________________________________________________________________________
10. “ The farmer doesn’t know why the weather is going to change.”
They exclaimed _________________________________________________________________________________
11. “ Jane cam play the piano very well.”
She told me _____________________________________________________________________________________
12. “ The government is sending specialized fire fighters to the area today.”
They assured ___________________________________________________________________________________
B. Rewrite the following questions:
1. “ How old are you?”
He asked me _____________________________________________________________________________________
2. “ What do you do in your free time?”
The teacher asked me __________________________________________________________________________
3. “ How long have you been working in your present job?”
The director asked Peter ______________________________________________________________________
4. “ Why did you apply for this job?”
The director asked Jane ________________________________________________________________________
5. Can you type?”
She asked me ____________________________________________________________________________________
6. Have you got driving license?”
The policeman asked me _______________________________________________________________________
7. “ Where are you from?”
They asked me _________________________________________________________________________________
8. “ Why were you so late yesterday?”
The teacher used to ask me ___________________________________________________________________
9. “ Have you got the key to the front door?”
Her husband asked her ________________________________________________________________________
10. “ Can you also speak a little German?”
The tourist asked the guide ____________________________________________________________________
11. “ Is it going to rain so hard on my wedding day?”
She wondered __________________________________________________________________________________
12. “ Are you going to leave your flat or not?”
C. Rewrite the following commands:
1. “ Sit down, please.”
The teacher told the students _____________________________________________________________________
2. “ Give me some more money, please.”
“ Bob begged his parents __________________________________________________________________________
3. “ Don’t play with my toys.”
Michael said to his little brother __________________________________________________________________
4. “ Don’t forget to say your prayers.”
Their brother advised them _______________________________________________________________________
5. “ Look at me and listen carefully to my words.”
The Captain ordered his soldiers _________________________________________________________________
6. “ Don’t move and keep smiling.”
The photographer went on saying to everybody _______________________________________________
7. “ I forgot my pen, please lend me yours.”
Peter told Jane _____________________________________________________________________________________
8. “ Don’t go away, wait for me.”
He told his friend __________________________________________________________________________________
9. “ Give me another sandwich, please, but this time with a little more cheese.”
She asked her husband ___________________________________________________________________________
10. “ Just call me if there is anything you need.”
The nurse said to the patient _____________________________________________________________________
D. Report the following sentences. Pay attention to the verb tenses and other
changes.
1. “I work in this factory, but I have never met this new boss.”
The man said ________________________________________________________________________________________
2. “I think he will visit us next week.”
The men said_________________________________________________________________________________________
3. “Did they work long hours in these conditions?”
They asked _________________________________________________________________________________________
4. “Get ready to work and don’t be lazy!”
The boss ordered him _____________________________________________________________________________
5. “Yesterday, I didn’t do my homework.”
Paul told Susan ______________________________________________________________________________________
6. “I will buy a new car next year”.
Mary said ____________________________________________________________________________________________
7. “Have you read this book?”
Peter asked Jenny __________________________________________________________________________________
8. “Don’t buy tickets for us, because we’re not going to the cinema this evening.”
They told Frank ____________________________________________________________________________________
9. “How many records have you bought?”
He asked her _______________________________________________________________________________________
10. “How many cakes did Susan eat?”
He asked me ________________________________________________________________________________________
11. “ I will be working on a movie next year.”
The actress admitted ______________________________________________________________________________
12. “ I worked at a restaurant and at a store selling shoes some years ago.”
She stated __________________________________________________________________________________________
13. “ Clean the bird cage today, Sally.”
Mrs. Jones told Sally _______________________________________________________________________________
14. “ Children should eat vegetables at meals.”
The doctor advised _______________________________________________________________________________
15. “ Why don’t you phone the editor?”
She asked me ________________________________________________________________________________________
16. “ A women and two children refused to enter the Immigrants’ Centre yesterday.”
The journalist reported ___________________________________________________________________________
17. “ You shall have the computer back by the end of the week.”
They assured ______________________________________________________________________________________
18. “ Please don’t tell anyone what happened.”
Ann told me ________________________________________________________________________________________
19. “ Are you going to let me alone?”
She asked him angrily ________________________________________________________________________________
20. “ You have made very good progress this semester.”
The teacher informed us__________________________________________________________________________
21. “ I was going to the cinema when I saw the thief last night.”
She declared _______________________________________________________________________________________
22. “ Do you smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day?”
The doctor asked his patients _______________________________________________________________________
23. “ I will resign even if it is against everybody’s opinion.”
He threatened _____________________________________________________________________________________
24. “ I might have to go away this week.”
She stated __________________________________________________________________________________________
25. “ I have taken my exams this week and tomorrow I will go to the Algarve.”
She told me ________________________________________________________________________________________
26. “ You may have fever.”
The doctor told me _______________________________________________________________________________
27. “ Carol wasn’t invited to the party.” They said _________________________________________________
28. Did you buy anything for me?”
She asked me _______________________________________________________________________________________