Reported speech

   

Reported speech is how we represent the speech of other people or what we ourselves say.

When we use reported speech , we report:

1- Statements

2- Questions 

3- Commands / Requests

4- Other types

1) Reporting statements:

When reporting statements, check if you have to change.

A) Pronouns 

B) Tense 

C) Time and Place 

A) Pronouns:

Direct: She says to me « My brother  loves the football».

Reported: she says me that her brother loves the football.

Notice: The pronouns are changed according to the sense.

B) Tense:                                             

If the sentence starts in present, there is no change  in tense.

If the sentence starts in the past, there is change in tense.

	Direct speech	Reported speech
No change	« I write poems »	He says that he writes poems
Change	« I write poems »	He said that he wrote poems

Notice: The verbs between brackets keep the same tense if the introducing verb is present or present perfect or present continuous or future.

Examples of the main changes in tense.

Direct speech	Reported speech
Simple Present « I am happy »	Simple Past  He said that he was happy.
Present continuous « I am waiting the taxi »	Past continuous  She said that he was waiting the taxi.
Simple past « I worked long time »	Past Perfect He said that he had worked long time.
Present Perfect « I have lived in Germany»	Past Perfect She said that She had lived in Germany.
Past Perfect  « They had finished the homework»	Past Perfect They said that they had finished the homework.
Past continuous   «I was driving the car »	Past perfect continuous He said that he had been driving the car.
Future simple  «I will read the story »	Conditional He said that he would read the story.

C) Place and time

Direct speech	Reported speech
Today	That day
Now	Then
Yesterday	The day before
Days ago	Days before
Last week	The week before
Next year	The following year
Here	There
Tomorrow	The next / Following day
This	That
These	Those

2) Reporting question
When we use reported speech, we need to change:
A) Pronouns
B) Tense
C) Time and Place
+ Types of questions:
*(why -what...)

Direct speech	Indirect speech
« Why don't you speak English ?»	He asked me why I didn't speak English.

*Yes/ No question

Direct speech	Indirect speech
«Do you speak English?»	He asked me if/whether I spoke English.

3) Reporting commands or requests.
A) Pronouns
B) Time / Place expressions

Direct speech	Reported speech
«Do the exercise»	She toll me to do the exercise.

«Don't be lazy»

she asked me not to be lazy.

4) Other types:
+ Expressions of advice  with ( why don't you, must, should, ought to, you'd better,... etc ) are usually reported using advice.
Ex:
(You must read this story.)
He advised me to read that story.
(Why don't you eat more vegetables and fruits?)
The Doctor advised the patient to eat more vegetables and fruits.

- Some examples of reported speech:
1) He said to her (I helped you yesterday.)
- He said her that he had helped her the day before.
2) Ali said to Sara ( I write this letter now.)
- Ali said Sara that he wrote that letter then.
3) The man said ( I have done this work.)
- The man said that he had done that work.
4) The boy said to his friend ( Tomorrow I will travel to London.)
- The boy said his friend that the next day he would travel to London.