DIRECT SPEECH VERSUS REPORTED
SPEECH
A hospital spokesperson said:
‘The President’s condition is not
serious. We expect him to make
a speedy recovery.’
A spokesperson for the hospital
said that the President’s
condition was not serious and
that his doctors expected him to
make a speedy recovery.’
We repeat the actual words of a
speaker/writer in quotations
and informal speech (e.g.
telling jokes).
We use reported speech to say
what a speaker/writer meant when the actual words are not
very important, (though we
may repeat all of them).
Form changes
The above examples show some changes:

no inverted commas (‘...’) in reported
speech, and no punctuation after said.

‘that’ is added in formal speech/writing.

tense change (e.g. present is  past
was)
pronoun (we) replaced by noun (his doctors)
to make meaning quite clear.
Pronouns and
Possessive Adjectives:
changes
Direct
speech
I
we
my
our
mine
ours
Reported
speech
he/she
they
his/her
their
his/hers
theirs
Obviously, if we are reporting our own
words, I, my, etc. will not change, and
if the speaker was speaking to us,
you/your, etc will change to me/my,
etc.
Time and Place:
changes
Direct speech
here
this/these
today / this
afternoon
yesterday / last
week
tomorrow / next
week
Reported speech
there (when the listener knows which place
is meant)
that/those (or the if the person/object can’t
be seen by the listener)
that day/afternoon
the day/week before (or the previous
day/week)
the next day/week (or the following
day/week)
ago
before
now
then
I work here on Saturdays ---------She said (that) she worked there on Saturdays.
I’m going to London tomorrow.--She said (that) he was going to London the next
day.
I’ve written a letter today----------She said (that) she had written a letter that day.
I saw an old friend yesterday –
She said (that) she had seen an old friend the day
before.
I had forgotten to tell you.---------She said (that) she had forgotten to tell me.
I’ll ring you later this week -------She said (that) she would ring us later that week.
I cannot hear you.-------------------She said (that) she could not hear me.
You must do your homework.----She said (that) I had to do my homework.
I may join you later.----------------She said (that) she might join us later.
REPORTING
VERBS:

Other verbs apart form said used in the
R.S. with a that clause: explained, admitted
complained, argued, promised. Ex:
I’ll give you a hand with your homework---My father promised me to give me a hand
with my homework.

When “suggest” is used to report
advice it is followed by should. Ex:
Ask in the Post Office for directions----- He
suggested that we should ask in the Post
Office for directions.

A)The verb “tell” can be used to
introduce a reported statement. It is followed
by a personal object and a that clause. Ex:
He told us that the film was excellent.
Other common verbs like this are: advise,
warn, remind.
B) The verb “tell” is also used to
introduce commands. Ex:
Go to your room------------------He told me to
go to my room.
Other common verbs like this: advise invite
recommend forbid ask, warn, remind.
Changes in
Construction
‘Have you felt this
pain
before?’
‘How long is your
normal working day?’
Yes/no
question
Whquestion
The doctor asked (him) if he
had felt the pain before.
The doctor asked (him) how
long his normal working
day was.
‘Unbutton your shirt’ Request/ord The doctor asked/told him
er
to unbutton his shirt.