Reported speech

What did Peter tell you?

He said: “I want to be a footballer”

He said: “I am going to be rich”

He also said: “ I saw Beckham last month”

REPORTED SPEECH

When we report what someone says we can do it in two different ways:

✤We can use Direct Speech and say the exact words.

✤We can use Reported Speech. In this case, we report the exact meaning of what someone said, but we don’t use the exact words.

BLAH, BLAH, BLAHBLAH, BLAH, BLAH

REPORTED SPEECHBLAH, BLAH, BLAHBLAH, BLAH, BLAH

What did Peter tell you?

He said he had seen Beckham the month

before

He said he wanted to be a footballer

He said he was going to be rich


“She wants to go to Italy” She said she wanted to go to Italy

“They are meeting at six” He said they were meeting at six

In Reported Speech the tenses, word-order and pronouns may be different from those in the

original sentence

Present simple and present continous tenses


Past simple and past continuos tenses

“I lived in London for 2 months”

He said he had lived in London for 2

months

“They were reading your book”

He said they had been reading your

book


Perfect tenses

“He’s bought a new bike” He said he had bought a new bike

* The past perfect tense does not change in reported speech


Can and Will

“I can pick him up”She said she

could pick him up

I’ll be there at six” He said he’d be there at six


Other modals

“She could try again” She said she could try again

“They had to leave at six”He said they had

to leave at six

Other modal verbs don’t change in reported speech


Reporting orders

“Sit down and shut up”The teacher told him to

sit down and shut up


Reporting requests

“Can you close the window, please?”

The teacher told him to close the window


Reporting advice

“You should do it again”

The teacher advised him to do it again


Reported questions

“Did you enjoy the party?”

She asked me whether / if I had enjoyed the

party

The tense of the verb changes as it does in reported speech BUT

the word order is the same as in an affirmative sentence

Yes/no questions


Reported questions

“When does the party start?”

She asked me when the party started

The tense of the verb changes as it does in reported speech BUT

the word order is the same as in an affirmative sentence

Wh- questions


QUIZ TIME

Which sentence is correct?

a. He said he will go to the shops later

b. He said he would go to the shops later


QUIZ TIME


a. He asked if I was in love

b. He said if was I in love


QUIZ TIME


a. He told me to go away

b. He said me to go away


QUIZ TIME


a. She asked where the meeting was

b. She asked where was the meeting


QUIZ TIME


a. They said that they had had to leave at once

b. They said that they had to leave at once


QUIZ TIME


a. He said they had never been there

b. He said they never were there


Report their words

Flashcards from busyteacher.org

She said: “It’s easy. I’ll teach you”


Report their words


She said that using chopsticks was easy and that she would teach me


Report their words


He said: “Sign at the bottom, please”


Report their words


He told him to sign at the bottom


Report their words


She said: “Dinner’s ready. Will you set the table, please”


Report their words


She said that dinner was ready and asked me to set the table


Report their words


He said: “I’ve found some footprints”


Report their words


He said that he had found some footprints


Report their words


He said: “Don’t tell my parents, please”


Report their words


He told him not to tell his parents


Report their words


They said: “Don’t be shy! Give us a hug”


Report their words


They told us not to be shy and to give them a hug


Online exercises

★ British Council: Exercise 1★ British Council: Exercise 2★ British Council: Reported

questions

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-exercises/reported-speech-1

BLAH, BLAH, BLAHBLAH, BLAH, BLAH

REPORTED SPEECH

Reported speech

Education

Transcript of Reported speech