REPORTED SPEECH

Direct speech is the exact words someone said or wrote.

Reported speech is the exact meaning of what someone said or wrote without using his/ her exact words.

TYPES OF REPORTED SPEECH

• STATEMENT

Direct speech: “The plane will be late,” they said.

Reported speech: They said (that) the plane would be late.

• QUESTION

Direct speech: “Why are you late?” she asked. Direct speech: “Are you feeling well?” he asked me.

Reported speech: She asked why I was late. Reported speech: He asked me if I was feeling well.

• COMMAND

Direct speech: “Don't touch it!” he said. Direct speech: “Turn on the light, please” he said.

Reported speech: He told me not to touch it. Reported speech: He asked me to turn on the light.

THE MOST COMMON REPORTING VERBS - SEY, TELL, TALK and ASK We use: SAY - when we don't mention who we are talking to. Direct speech: “I don't know what to do,” he said to Mary. Reported speech: He said (that) he didn't know what to do. SAY + infinitive Direct speech: The teacher said to study harder. Reported speech: He spoke/ talked about his experiences. He told us about his experiences. TELL - if we mention who we are talking to. Direct speech: She told Mary to wait. Reported speech: They told me that they didn't know her. ASK - in reported questions and commands. Direct speech: He said to me, “Please, stay!” Reported speech: He asked me to stay. Direct speech: He said, “Do you like strawberries?” Reported speech: He asked me if I liked strawberries.	THE COMMON EXPRESSIONS WITH SAY, TELL and ASK
		SAY ...good morning, ...a few words, ...no more, ...one's prayers, ...sth, ...so, ...for certain. ASK ...a favour, ... the time, ...a question, ...the price.	TELL ...the truth, ...a lie, ...sb the time, ...sb one's name, ...sb's fortune, ...a story, ...a secret, ...sb so, ...sb the way, ...one from another, ...the difference.

CHANGING FROM DIRECT INTO REPORTED SPEECH

TENSES		TIME EXPRESSIONS
Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Present Simple (can)	Past Simple (could)	tonight now now that today yesterday tomorrow tomorrow morning last night the day before yesterday the day after tomorrow this week/ month/ year last week/ month/ year next week/ month/ year two days/ years ago	that night then, at that time, at once/ immediately since that day the day before, the previous day the day after/ following/ next day the morning after/ next morning the night before/ previous night two days before in two days' time that week/ month/ year the previous week/ month/ year the following week/ month/ year two days/ years before
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
Past Simple	Past Perfect
Future Simple (will)	Conditional (would)
Future Continuous	Conditional Continuous
Words such as:
this/ these	that/ those/ the
here	there
come	go
bring	take

WE DO NOT CHANGE THE TENSE IN REPORTED SPEECH WHEN:

• the sentence express a general truth or permanent states and conditions

Direct Speech: My mother said, “”it gets dark earlier in the winter.”

Reported Speech: My mother said that it gets dark earlier in the winter.

• the introductory verbs is in the Present, Future or Present Perfect tense

Direct Speech: She says/ will say/ has said, “I can cook well.”

Reported Speech: She says/ will say/ has said that she can cook well.

• the verb of the sentence is in the Unreal Past (e.g. 2^nd Conditionals, Wishes, “It's time,” “Would rather”, “Suppose”)

Direct Speech: He said, “I would rather go out for dinner.”

Reported Speech: He said that he would rather go out for dinner.

• the following verbs are used: had, better, could, would, used to, needn't have, should, might and ought to

Direct Speech: Her boyfriend said, “I really ought to go home.”

Reported Speech: Her boyfriend said that he really ought to go home.

• there is Past or Past Continuous in a Clause of Time

Direct Speech: She said, “When I was swimming, I got cramp.”

Reported Speech: She said (that) when she was swimming, she got cramp.

• the sentence express sth which is believed to be true - in this case the verb tense can either change or remain unchanged

Direct Speech: He said, “Ethiopia is a third-world country.” (true)

Reported Speech: He said that Ethiopia is/ was a third-world country.

MODAL VERBS IN REPORTED SPEECH

MUST changes into: had to - for obligation at present would have to - for obligation at future MUST does not change or changed into should when it expresses advice, duty or logical assumption. MUSTN'T does not change or changed into wasn't/ weren't to/ couldn't as a negative infinitive. CAN changes into: could - when it refers to the present would able to - when it refers to the future

SHALL changes into: offered to - for offer should/ wondered/ asked -for asking for advice would - for asking for information NEEDN'T changes into: didn't need to/ didn't have to (or does not change) - when it refers to the present wouldn't have to - when it refers to the future

EXCLAMATIONS Exclamations are introduced in Reported speech by: exclaim, say, give an exclamation of/ with an exclamation of surprise/ horror/ disgust/ delight, thank, wish, call. Direct speech: She said, “Happy Birthday!” Reported speech: She wished me (a) happy birthday. Direct speech: “Yuk!” She said when she saw the mouldy cake. Reported speech: She gave an exclamation of disgust when she saw the mouldy cake. Direct speech: He said, “You idiot!” Reported speech: He called me idiot.	`YES' and `NO' short answers `Yes' and `No' short answers are expressed in Reported speech by: subject + appropriate introductory verb Direct speech: “Will you come with me?” he said. “Yes,” I sad. Reported speech: He asked me if I would go with him and I said I would. Direct speech: ”Can I have a pay rise?” he said. ”No,” the boss said. Reported speech: He asked (the boss) if he could have a pay rise and the boss said he couldn't.
QUESTION TAGS Question tags are omitted in Reported speech. However, we can use the verb reminded as a suitable introductory verb in order to retain their effect. Direct speech: “This isn't the first time she has made the same mistake, is it?” he said. Reported speech: He reminded me that that wasn't the first time she had made the same mistake.

MIXED TYPES OF REPORTED SPEECH

In everyday conversation we use a mixture of statements, commands and questions. To turn them into Reported speech, we can join them with:

and as adding that and he added that

because but since and he went on to say

and he continued explaining that or the introductory verb in present participle form.

Language features such as “Oh”, “well” etc. which are used in Direct speech, are omitted in Reported speech.

INTRODUCTORY VERBS

VERB + THAT-CLAUSE add - dodać, dopowiadać admit - przyznać, zgodzić się announce - ogłosić, zakomunikować believe - sądzić, uważać, wierzyć claim - twierdzić, domagać się confirm - potwierdzać, zapewniać decide - postanowić, zdecydować doubt - wątpić estimate - szacować exclaim - wykrzyknąć, zawołać feel - czuć, mieć wrażenie hope - mieć nadzieję imply - sugerować inform sb - informować mean - znaczyć, zamierzać mention - nadmieniać, wspominać object - sprzeciwać się persuade - przekonywać, namawiać predict - przewidywać reckon - myśleć, sądzić remark - komentować, napomknąć repeat - powtarzać reply - powtarzać report - donosić, informować say - powiedzieć state - oświadczać, ogłaszać suppose - przypuszczać, zakładać think - myśleć, sądzić, wyobrażać/ przypominać sobie promise (sb) - obiecywać, zapowiadać reassure (sb) - uspokajać, pokrzepiać, utwierdzać, zapewniać

VERB + INFINITIVE demand - żądać, wymagać offer - oferować, proponować refuse - odmawiać, odrzucać threaten - grozić, straszyć encourage - zachęcać forbid - uniemożliwiać instruct - instruować, zalecać, uczyć invite sb - zapraszać, zachęcać order - zamawiać, nakazywać permit - pozwalać remind - przypominać urge - zalecać, nakłaniać, popędzać warn - ostrzegać want - chcieć VERB + SB + INFINITIVE advise - radzić allow - pozwalać, dopuszczać ask - pytać, prosić, życzyć sobie beg - prosić, błagać command - wydawać polecenie persuade - przekonywać, namawiać VERB + GERUND accuse sb of - oskarżać kogoś admit - przyznać, zgodzić się, wpuścić apologies for - przepraszać, usprawiedliwiać się

OTHER INTRODUCTORY VERBS

agree + infinitive agree + that-clause complain to sb about + gerund/ noun complain + that-clause deny + gerund deny + that-clause explain + that-clause explain to sb + why/ how + clause

promise + infinitive promise + that-clause suggest + gerund (if the subjects are the same) suggest + that-clause (if the subjects are different) insist on + gerund insist + that-clause tell + sb + infinitive tell + sb + that-clause

• wonder where/what/why/how + clause - when the subject of the introductory verb is not the same as the subject in the direct question.

Direct speech: He asked himself, “Why is she unhappy?”

Reported speech: He wondered why she was unhappy.

• wonder where/what/how + infinitive - when the subject of the infinitive is the same as the subject of the verb

Direct speech: He asked himself, “Where shall I buy her a present from?”

Reported speech: He wondered where to buy her a present from.

VERBS WHICH CAN BE IMPERSONAL WITH `IT' The speaker may not want to take personal responsibility for a statement, or may be reporting the views of a group of people. These verbs can be used in the passive, introduced by `it'. e.g. It has been agreed to close most of the coal mines. These verbs are: agree, announce, believe, claim, confirm, consider, decide, estimate, expect, fear, feel, hope, imply, know, predict, reckon, recommend, report, rumour, say, state, suggest, suppose, think.

VERBS DESCRIBING AN ACTION . These verbs are: accept, congratulate (sb on doing sth), decide, greet, interrupt, introduce. e.g. - Hi, Dave, how are you? He greeted me.

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