Grammar notes:
REPORTED SPEECH
Definition
Reported speech is
often also called indirect speech. When
we use reported speech, we are usually talking about the past (because
obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs
therefore usually have to be in the past too. For example:
"I'm
going to the cinema".
He said he was going to the cinema.
Basic tense
chart
The tenses
generally move backwards in this way (the tense on the left changes to the
tense on the right):
present simple |
past simple |
present continuous |
past continuous. |
present perfect simple |
past perfect simple |
present perfect
continuous |
past perfect
continuous |
past simple |
past perfect |
past continuous |
past perfect
continuous |
past perfect |
past perfect |
past perfect
continuous |
past perfect continuous |
Other verb forms
also sometimes change:
will |
would |
can |
could |
must |
had to |
shall |
should |
may |
might |
Things are slightly more complicated with imperatives.
positive imperative |
tell + infinitive |
negative imperative |
tell + not +
infinitive |
imperatives as requests |
ask + infinitive |
When
verbs don't follow the rules
The verb tenses do
not always follow the rules shown above. For example, if the reporting verb is
in the present tense, there is no change in the reported sentence. Also, a
sentence in direct speech in a present or future tense can remain the same if
what is said is still true or relevant. For example:
You've
invited someone for dinner at your house, and the phone rings. It's them! They
say:
I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to be a bit late. There's a lot of
traffic.
After
you finish speaking on the phone, you say to someone else:
That was Juan. He said he thinks he's going to be late because there's a
lot of traffic.
Another example:
A
friend says to you:
María's ill. She's got
chickenpox!
You
say to someone else:
Laura said that María's ill. She's got
chickenpox.
However,
the following day you see María at the beach. You're
surprised and say to her:
Laura said that you were ill. She said you had chickenpox.
This
has to change to the past because it isn't true. María
obviously isn't ill.
Direct statements
in a past tense do not always change either, because a change might alter the
meaning or just make it sound confusing. For example:
A
friend is telling you about the horrible weather:
It started raining heavily when I left work.
This
is where things get confusing:
He said it had started raining heavily when he had left work (it sounds
horrible and the sentence is almost nothing but verbs).
He said it had started raining heavily when he left work (is wrong because
it means it was already raining when he left work)
He said it started raining heavily when he left work (is the best
version because it is accurate, short, and there is no confusion because of the
time context)
Generally
speaking, the past simple and continuous don't always need to be changed if:
there is a time context which makes
everything clear,
and/or
there is another action already using
the past perfect, which might alter the meaning or make things confusing.
Time and place
references often have to change:
now |
then |
today |
that day |
here |
there |
this |
that |
this week |
that week |
tomorrow |
the following day |
next week |
the following week |
yesterday |
the previous day |
last week |
the previous week |
ago |
previously |
2 weeks
ago |
2 weeks
previously |
tonight |
that night |
last Saturday |
the previous Saturday |
next Saturday |
the following Saturday |
Examples:
I
went to the theatre last
night.
He said he had gone to the theatre the
night before.
I'm
having a party next
weekend.
He said he was having a party the
next weekend.
I'm
staying here until next
week.
He said he was staying there until the
following week.
I
came over from
He said he had come over from
EXERCISE
Reported Speech
Fill in the gaps reporting the direct speech. Be careful with pronouns
and adverbs as well as verb tenses. There may be alternative ways of expressing
adverbs, e.g. the next day, the following day, the day after, etc.
1 "I'm going to
He said that _________________________ to
2 "They haven't spoken to their parents for six
years."
She said that they _________________________ to their parents for six
years.
3 "Sue doesn't want to go out with me."
He said that Sue _______________________ to go out with _________________________.
4 "You'll have to be here at 3 o'clock this
afternoon."
She told me that I _________________________ at 3 o'clock _________________________.
5 "I moved into my flat three years ago."
I said that I ___________________ into my flat three years _________________________.
6 "If I hear anything I'll phone you."
He told me that if he _____________________ anything he _________________________.
7 "You can move into the flat as soon as you want."
She told _______________ that they ____________ into the flat as soon as____________.
8 "You must bring me the money tomorrow."
He told us that _________________________ the money _________________________.
9 "I often go to the cinema."
She told us that she often _________________________ to the cinema.
10 "I'm going to do it now if you'll let me."
She told him that she _________________________ if he _________________________.