Reported speech

There are two ways of relating what a person has said: direct and indirect. In
direct speech (1) we repeat the speaker's exact words. Remarks reported this
way are placed between inverted commas (quotation marks) and a comma or
a colon is placed immediately before the remark, i.e. after the reporting verb.
Direct speech is found in conversations in books, in plays, and in quotations.
(1) He said, 'I've lost my key.'
In indirect speech the exact (same as in direct speech) meaning of a remark or a
speech is given, without necessarily using the speaker's exact words (2). There is
neither comma nor quotation marks after say in indirect speech. That may also
be omitted after say and tell + object and that is the reason why that is enclosed
in brackets in (2). However, that should be kept after some other verbs, such as:
complain, explain, object, point out, protest etc.
(2) He said (that) he had lost his key.
The difference between direct and indirect forms of the sentence is usually
shown by the tense of the verb and some changes in the person of the pronouns,
possessive adjectives and certain time and place expressions expressions with
adverbial function. This is most clearly explained by considering statements,
questions and commands separately.
Reporting statements
If the reporting verb is in present, present perfect or future tense, the tenses that
follow are usually the same as those used in the original spoken statement (3)
(3) He says that he has eaten.
reporting verb = say; reported verb = has eaten
This is usual when we are:
1. reporting the conversation that is still going on

2. reading a letter and reporting what it says

3. reading instructions and reporting them
4. reporting a statement that someone makes very often (Ann says that she'll
never get married).
What is also very important is that when a reporting verb is in present, the
adverbial expressions do not change, only the pronouns do (5a,b).
(5) a. He says, 'I visited my grandparents last week.'
b. He says that he visited his grandparents last week.
However, indirect speech is usually introduced by a verb in the past tense (past
simple, past continuous, past perfect etc.). If the reporting verb is in past, then
we move the reported clause one tense back. This change is termed
BACKSHIFT, and the resulting relationship of verb forms in the reporting and
the reported clauses is known as the SEQUENCE OF TENSES.
(6) a. He said: 'I visited my grandparents yesterday.'
b. He said

that he had visited his grandparents the day before.

reporting cl.

reported clause

BACKSHIFT: visited had visited

SEQUENCE OF TENSES (between): said and had visited.

Tenses in reported speech:

DIRECT SPEECH STATEMENTS

INDIRECT
(REPORTED)
SPEECH STATEMENTS

Present Simple ---- Past Simple

1. MAC: I need a holiday.

Mac said he needed a holiday.

Present Continuous --- Past Continuous

2. SUE: Im not wasting my time.
Present Perfect ---- Past Perfect
3. TOM: Ive had some good news.
4. PAM: Ive been sleeping.

Sue said that she wasnt wasting her

time.
Tom said that he had had some good
news.
Pam said that she had been sleeping.

Past Simple ---- Past Perfect

5. LOU: I went home early.

Lou said that he had gone home early.

Past Continuous ---- Past Continuous or

Past Perfect Continuous
6. MARY: I was waiting for you.
Past Perfect doesnt change
7. JOE: I had eaten earlier.
8. PAT: I had been waiting for you.
Modal present becomes conditional or
past
9. TIM: I will see you later.
10.DON: I can speak French.
11.KIM: I may arrive later.
shall with a future reference becomes
would
12.RON: I shall speak to him.
shall in offers and suggestions becomes
should
13.Shall I speak to him?
past or conditional modals do not
change
14.I could help you.
15.ANN: I might see him.
16.JIM: I would enjoy that.
perfect modal forms do not change
17.SAM: I must have fainted.

Mary said that she was waiting or had

been waiting for him.
Joe said that he had eaten earlier.
Pat told me that she had been waiting
for me/us.
Tom said he would see me/us later.
Don said that he could speak French.
Kim said that she might arrive later.

Ron said that he would speak to him

(John).
She asked me if she should speak to
him.
He said that he could help me.
Ann said that she might see him later.
Jim said that he would enjoy that (it).

Sam said that he must have fainted.

18.DON: I couldnt have said that.

19.NED: I neednt have gone there.
20.LYN: I ought to have helped her.

should (= its advisable) doesnt change

21.LEE: You should go to the dentists.

Don said that he

that.
Ned said that he
there.
Lyn told us that
helped her.
Lee said that I
dentists.

couldnt have said

neednt have gone
she ought to have
should go to the

should used in place of would in

conditionals becomes would
22.If I were you I should get legal advice. He said that if he were me, he would
get legal advice.
must (=necessity in the past) does not
change, or becomes had to
23.PAUL: I must catch an early train.
Paul said that he must catch / had to
catch an early train.
24.JILL: I must speak to you.
Jill told me that she must speak / had
to speak to me.
must (=necessity in the future) does not
change, or becomes would have to
25.BILL: I must leave tomorrow.
Bill said that he must leave / would
have to leave the following day.
26.JANE: I must work till late.
Jane said that she must work / would
have to work till late.
must (= deduction or possibility) does not
change
Phil said hat John must be a fool.
27. PHIL: John must be a fool.
mustnt (=prohibition) doesnt change
28. JEAN: I mustnt eat meat.
Jean said that she mustnt eat meat.
29. JEFF: They mustnt give up.
Jeff said that they mustnt give up.
Other changes in reported speech
Pronouns and possessive adjectives usually change from the first or second to
the third person except when the speaker is reporting his own words:
(7) He said, Ive forgotten the combination of my safe. ----- He said that he
had forgotten the combination of his safe.

BUT
I said, I like my new house. ----- I said that I liked my new house.
(speaker reporting his own words)

This / these:
This in time expressions usually becomes that:
(8) He said, She is coming this week. --- He said that she was coming that
week.
This and that used as adjectives usually change to the:

(9) He said, I bought this pearl / these pearls for my mother. --- He said
that he had bought the pearls for his mother.

This/these used as pronouns may become it, they/them:

(10) He said, Well discuss this tomorrow. --- He said that they would discuss it
/ the matter tomorrow.

This, these used to indicate choice or to distinguish some things from others,
can become the one(s) near him etc.
(11) Ill have this one. He said that he would have the one near him.

Expressions of time and place in indirect speech

Adverbs and adverbial phrases of time change as follows:
NOW
TODAY
TONIGHT

THEN
THAT DAY
THAT NIGHT

YESTERDAY

THE PREVIOUS DAY / THE DAY BEFORE

THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

TOMORROW

TWO DAYS BEFORE

THE NEXT DAY / THE FOLLOWING DAY

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW

LAST WEEK / YEAR

IN TWO DAYS' TIME

THE PREVIOUS WEEK / YEAR

NEXT WEEK / YEAR / SATURDAY

YEAR / SATURDAY

THE FOLLOWING WEEK /

AGO
BEFORE/PREVIOUSLY ( a year ago a year before / the
previous year )
HERE

THERE

(12) 'I saw her the day before yesterday,' he said. --- He said that he had
seen her two days before.
(13) 'I'll do it tomorrow,' he promised. --- He promised that he would do it
the next day / the following day.
(14) She said, 'I'm starting the day after tomorrow, mother.' --- She told her
mother that she was starting in two days' time.
BUT: if the speech is reported on the same day, these time changes are not
necessary:
(15) At breakfast this morning he said, 'I'll be very busy today.' At
breakfast this morning he said he would be very busy today.

Reporting questions
Reporting questions:
- do not have the same word order (auxiliary verb before subject) as direct
questions do
- do is not used
- question marks are not used either.

Direct question: He said, 'Where is she going?'

Indirect question: He asked where she was going.
When we turn direct questions into indirect ones, the following changes are
necessary:
- Tenses, pronouns, possessive adjectives, adverbs of time and place
undergo the same changes that they do in statements.
- The interrogative form of the verb changes to the affirmative form. The
question mark is therefore omitted in indirect questions.
He said, 'Where does she work?' He asks where she works. She asked
where she worked.
- With subject wh-questions, i.e. questions in which question words
function as subjects, the change is not necessary:
'Who lives next door?' --- He asked who lived next door.
- If the introductory verb is say, it must be changed into a verb of inquiry
ask, inquire, want to know, wonder etc. Ask, inquire, wonder may be
used in direct speech as well.
'Where is the station?' he inquired / said. He inquired where the station
was.
- Only ask (out of these four verbs mentioned previously) can be followed
by the person addressed (indirect object).
He asked me / Mary what I / she had in my bag.
SO if we want to mention the person addressed, we have to use the
verb ask when reporting questions.
- If there is no question word, as in all previously mentioned examples, if /
whether must be
used instead.
Direct question: 'Do you speak English?'
Indirect/Reported question: He is asking if / whether you speak
English. He asked me if / whether I spoke English.

- Normally we can use either if or whether. If is the more usual, while

whether can emphasize that a choice has to be made.
'Do you want to go by air or by sea?' the travel agent asked.
The travel agent asked whether I wanted to go by air or by sea.

REPORTED YES-NO QUESTIONS

Is she sleeping?

she was sleeping.

Can he ski?

he could ski.

Have you booked your tickets?

we had booked our

tickets.

Have you got any siblings?

She asked me

I had any siblings.1

if

Will Suzie be there?

He wondered

Suzie would be there.

Have you been running?

They wanted whether

to know

I had been running.

Will you be seeing Mr. White?

I would be seeing
Mr. White.
I lived there.

Do you live here?

I had seen them.

Did you see them?

I had any experience

of working with kids.

Do you have any experience of

working with kids?
REPORTED WH-QUESTIONS
Why is she sleeping?

why

she was sleeping.

Where can he ski?

where

he could ski.

How long have you lived in

Zenica?

how long

I had lived in Zenica.

How many siblings have you

She asked how

many I had.

1 The past of both have and have got is had. E.g. Lisas got/ Lisa has long hair. BUT in the past ---- Lisa had
long hair when she was a child. (*Lisa had got)

got?

me

When will Suzie be there?

How long
waiting?

have

you

siblings

He
wondered
been

when

They
how long
wanted
to
What time will you be seeing Mr.
know
White?
what time
Where do you live?
where
How do you travel to work?
how
When did you see them?
when
How much sugar do you take in
how
much
your coffee?
sugar

Suzie would be there.

I had been waiting.
I would be seeing
Mr. White.
I lived.
I travelled to work.
I had seen them.
I took in my coffee.

Reporting commands, requests, advice

They are often reported by reporting verb + object pronoun + infinitive.
Commands: He said, ' Lie down, Tom.' He told Tom to lie down.
He said, 'Don't take that!'
Requests:

He told them not to take that.

He said: 'Can you open the window, please?' He asked me

to open the window.

Remember that if we ask for objects we don't need infinitives.

'Can you lend me a pen?' he said. He asked me for a pen.
Offers:

'Shall I bring you some tea?' He offered to bring me some

tea.

Invitations: 'Would you like to sit down?' My hostess invited me to sit

down.

Advice:

My friend said, 'If you travel abroad you should take traveller
cheques with you.' My friend advised me to take traveller
cheques with me if I travelled abroad.

Warnings:

'Be careful of pickpockets', said the policeman. The

policeman warned me to be careful of pickpockets.

Pleas:

'Please, please don't take any risks,' said his wife. His wife
begged/implored him not to take any risks.

Encouragement: 'Go on, apply for the job,' said Jack. Jack encouraged
me to apply for the job.
Reminders: 'Don't forget to bring the money,' said Mr. Pitt. Mr. Pitt
reminded his wife to bring the money.
Indirect commands, requests, advice are often expressed by a verb of
command/ request / advice + object + infinitive. The following verbs can be
used: advise, ask, beg, command, encourage, entreat, forbid, order, request,
tell, urge, warn.
!!! 'Say' is not included in the list, it can never be followed by to-infinitive.