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REPORTED SPEECH

Note the reported verbs below:


+ to-inf. agree, offer, refuse, *claim, *promise, *threaten, demand +-ing. apologise for, complain to sb of, deny, suggest, insist on, admit (to), boast about/ of,
etc.+ that clause explain, inform sb., exclaim/remark sb + to-inf. warn, invite

TENSES
TENSES

TENSE
CHANGE

SPEECH

Past Simple
Past Continuous
Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous
Past Simple/Past Perfect
Past Cont./Perfect Cont.
Past Perfect
Past perfect continuous
Conditional (would)

MODALS/MD. PERFECT
will
can
can/will be able to
shall (for advice/offers)
may
must (obligation)
mustnt (obligation)
must (logical assumption)
modal perfect tenses
CONDITIONALS
type 1 Conditional tense
type 2 & 3 Conditionals

MODALS/MD. PERFECT
Would
could, also could/would
be able to (for future ref.)
should/would
might
had to/to be to/should

______________

mustnt/be
to/shouldnt

not

must
remain the same
CONDITIONALS
Change in Rep. Speech
do not change

exact words someone


used: I am exhaused, Tim said.
REPORTED SPEECH= the
exact meaning of what
someone said but not
the exact words: Tim
said (that) he was
exhausted/tired.
that can be omitted.
NOTE
tell is always followed
by a personal object: He
told me (that) he was
tired.
Say is used with(out) a
personal object but when used with a personal
object, it is always
followed by the preposition to:
He said that/he said to
me that he was tired.
Change of Pronouns
I s(he), we they, you
I/we, they they,
s(he) s(he), it it ,
neutral statement I
There is no need to worry
I said that there was no
need to worry.
_____________________

would, could, might,


should ought to, had
better, used to, musnt.
remain the same

Tina said,
I want to study hard this week
Im cleaning the room today.
Tim has broken your vase.
I have been working all day
I tried to phone you
He was cleaning the room.
Gabi had left before I came.
Id been working till yesterday
I will talk to him about it.
MODALS/MD. PERFECT--
I will buy a house one day
I can get a job in London
Hell be able to come next week
When shall I give you a call?
That man may help you
I must feed my dog first
you mustnt smoke here
Tim must be hungry
you could have visited me first
CONDITIONALS---If you try it, you will/can learn it

No change in tenses

DIRECT SPEECH = the

Time Expressions:

remain or change according to the meaning of


the sentence
now then, at that time
immediately today, tonight that day, that
night yesterday the
previous day, the day before tomorrow the following day, the next day
this week that week
last week the previous
week, the week before
next week the following week three days ago
three days before here
there come go

Change of tenses..

1 Should the statement reported on the


same day, in the same
place, one would say:

Samantha said, I will


come here tomorrow
X She said she would

go there the next day.


She said that she
would come here tomorrow.
(No change necessary)
2 if we no longer believe the direct statement we would say:
She said she was
going to come but I
dont think so.

, forbid, *remind, ask, order, advise,


allow, beg + how explain to sb. in
reported questions: ask, inquire,
want to know, wonder, etc.
_____________________________

INDIRECT (REPORTED)
SPEECH

DIRECT

Present Simple
Present Continuous
Present Perfect
Present Perfect Contnuous
Past Simple
Past Continuous
Past Perfect
past perfect continous
Future Simple

* = Verbs can be used with that-clause

when:

1 an introductory /reported
verb is in present simple,
present Perfect or future.
Sara says, Papa is here
X Sara says papa was here.
Sara says papa is here.
2 Reported verb is in the
present tense when:
a reporting/reading the content of the letter, report,
article, etc.
b conveying/passing on any
messages
c reporting something someone says very often.
a The letter says that I must
b He says he has to leave now.
c Papa often says that I am
too nave for this world.
3 Tenses either change or
remain the same in indirect
speech when reporting:
a up-to-date affairs/states
b General truths/law of nature
b The teacher said that water
boils/boiled at 100 degree C.
4 the tenses in reported
speech is not usually changed
when:

Tina said (to me)/told me (that)


she wanted to study hard that week.
She was cleaning the room.
Tim had broken my vase.
she had been working all day.
she (had) tried to phone me.
he was cleaning/had been cleaning the
Gabi had already left before I came.
shed been working till the day before.
she would talk to him about that.
MODALS/MD.PERFECT
she would buy a house one day.
she could get a job in London.
hed be able to come the week after.
she should she give me a call.
that man might help me..
she must/had to feed her dog first.
I mustnt/was not to smoke there.
Tim must be hungry.
I could have visited her first.
CONDITIONALS
If you tried it, you would/could learn it.

a indirect speech action is still happening or going to take place.


b after time conjunctions, e.g. after,
before, when, etc.
a Linda said she is working on(still
working on)
b he said he had got a job after he
(had) finished his degree.

Reported Questions
Introduced with the verbs: ask,
want to know (very common), wonder, inquire Verbs are written in
affirmative expressions such as,
oh, well.., please, you know, etc.
are omitted Wh-questions (what,
why, where, who, what, how long,
when, etc.) in direct speech remain
the same in reported questions
should the question begins with
auxiliary verbs (is, do, have, etc.) or
a modal ( can, will, may, etc.) we
use if/whether in Rep. questions

Reported

request,

suggestions,

commands

Introduced with the verbs ask,


beg, suggest, tell, request, plead,
etc. + to-infinitive, -ing form or
that-clause She told me to do all
the housework john asked her not
to leave She suggested going for a
drink

Sweet but horrible, easy yet difficult, what else???

Tenses, Tenses, and Tenses

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