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Reported Speech
Grammar Guide
mgr Anna Waligórska – Kotfas
PWSZ Konin
Introduction
When we report what we or other people have
said or thought, we can use:
 direct speech (saying the exact words):
‘I love you’ he said.

but we usually use indirect speech or reported
speech:
He said he loved me.

When reporting speech in literature, authors
often use direct speech – the exact words are
between inverted commas.
 The reporting verb (said, replied, etc.) can go
before the speech in inverted commas, after the
speech, or in the middle of it:
Lovett said, ‘Houston, we have a problem.’
‘Houston, we have a problem,’ Lovett said.
‘Houston,’ Lovett said, ‘we have a problem.’
Reporting Verbs
There are a number of common introductory
verbs used to report statements, which are often
followed by that: say, tell, add, continue,
answer, reply, mention, remark
For the third time that day, the minister
replied that it was out of the question.
Reporting Verbs: say vs. tell
 say
sth (to sb)
He said that he had been here before.
He said to us that his mobile phone had
been out of action all day.
 tell
sb sth
He told us that his mobile phone had
been out of action all day.
Changes: 1. Pronouns
When we report another person’s words in
indirect speech, we often have to change:
 the pronouns used in the direct speech
James added ‘I really don’t understand the
problem.’
James added that he really didn’t
understand the problem.
Changes: 2. Time and Place

adverbs of time and
place
here  there
now  then
this (evening) → that (evening)
today  that day
tomorrow  the next day
next (week)  the following (week)
yesterday  the day before
last Monday  the last / previous Monday
(a week) ago  (a week) before
these (days)  those (days)
Changes: 3. Tenses
 When
we use indirect speech after a past
tense reporting verb, we usually change
the tense in the sentences we are
reporting. We use a tense one step further
in the past (‘backshift’):
 PAST
‘I am from Poland,’ she said.
 She said she was from Poland.
 PRESENT
Changes: 3. Tenses
Simple  Past Simple
‘I live in a small flat,’ he said.
 He said he lived in a small flat.
 Present
Continuous  Past Continuous
‘I’m leaving in ten minutes,’ she said.
 She decided she was leaving in ten
minutes.
 Present
Changes: 3. Tenses
Perfect  Past Perfect
‘Mr Jackson has left,’ she said.
 She said that Mr Jackson had left.
 Present
Simple  Past Perfect
‘I learnt a lot,’ he said.
 He said that he had learnt a lot.
 Past
Changes: 3. Tenses
 Future in the Past
‘I’ll help you,’ she said.
 She said that she would help me.
 Future
 could
‘I can’t find my money,’ she shouted.
 She shouted that she couldn’t find her
money.
 can
REMEMBER!
 We
do not change the tense of the original
words in reported speech when the
reporting verb is in a present tense:
‘Intelligent life in the universe does not
exist’, he says.
 He says that intelligent life in the
universe does not exist.
Indirect Questions: Reporting Verbs
 The
most common verbs for reporting
questions are: ask, want to know:
The assistant asked what type of printer
we had, but I don’t know.
Laura wanted to know if anybody had
reported the missing person.
Indirect Questions: Reporting Verbs

We also use enquire for formal questions and
wonder for ‘ask ourselves’:
He inquired politely where they were going.
The party was boring and John wondered when
he could leave.

We report negative questions which express
surprise or criticism with a ‘functional’ verb like
complain:
'Isn't that stupid?‘ he asked.
→ He complained that it was stupid.
Indirect Questions: Close Questions
Patterns


When we report questions, we use the word order of an
affirmative statement: the subject usually comes before
the verb, and the auxiliary do / does / did is not used.
Tense, pronouns and time / place expression changes
are the same as for other types of reported speech.
We introduce yes/no questions with if or whether:
‘Do you like apples?’ she asked me.
 She asked me if I liked apples.
Indirect Questions: Close Questions
Patterns
‘Is there a lift in the apartment block?’ Deborah
asked.
 Deborah asked if there was a lift in the
apartment block.
‘Did Marama's horse win a prize?’ Owen asked.
→ Owen asked whether Marama's horse had won
a prize.
Are you going to the film tomorrow?
→ She asked if we were going to the film the next
day.
Indirect Questions: Open Questions
Patterns
 In
indirect open questions we use a
question word and the word order of an
affirmative statement:
‘What do you like doing in your free time?’
→ He asked me what I liked doing in my
free time.
Indirect Questions: Open Questions
Patterns
Dave asked, ‘Where did you go last weekend?’
→ Dave asked me where I had gone the
previous weekend.
He asked, ‘Why are you studying English?’
→ She asked me why I was studying English.
‘Why won't you marry me?’ asked Donald.
→ Donald asked her why she wouldn't marry
him.
REMEMBER!

We do not change the tense when the reporting
phrase is in a present tense:
‘Is she coming with us?’
→ Do you know if she is coming with us?
‘When does the film begin?’
→ Could you tell me when the film begins?
Indirect Commands and Requests:
Reporting Verbs

Verbs used to report commands are tell, order,
command and forbid (negative):
When the vet had finished, he told them to let
the animal sleep.
He forbade us to pass on any of the information
to the authorities.

We use ask for reporting requests, and beg or
urge with urgent requests:
His secretary asked me to come back later.
Indirect Commands and Requests:
Patterns

To report orders, requests and suggestions, we
use:
a reporting verb + object + (not) + to + verb.
‘Be careful,’ I told him.
→ I told him to be careful.
‘Go away,’ he said. → He told me to go away.
Indirect Commands and Requests:
Patterns
‘Call the first witness,’ said the judge.
→ The judge ordered them to call the first
witness.
She told him, ‘Please wait here till I return.’
→ She requested him to wait there till she
returned.
‘Stop smoking,’ the doctor said.
→ The doctor told me to stop smoking.
Indirect Commands and Requests:
Patterns
The teacher said to the students, ‘Work hard.’
→ The teacher advised the students to work
hard.
I said to the child, ‘Do not look down into the well.
→ I warned the child not to look down into the
well.
The man with the gun said to us, ‘Don't move!’
→ The man with the gun warned us not to
move.
Reported Speech
is not difficult
if you keep practising it!

Changes: Tenses







Present  Past: am / is / are  was / were
Present Simple  Past Simple come  came
Present Continuous  Past Continuous
am / is / are living  was / were living
Present Perfect  Past Perfect
has left  had left
Past Simple  Past Perfect: sang  had sung
will help  would help
can  could
Bibliography
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Bourke K.: Verbs and Tenses: Intermediate. Test it, Fix
it. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Leech G., Cruickshank B., Ivanic R.: An A-Z of English
Grammar & Usage. Harlow: Longman, 2004.
Murphy R.: English Grammar in Use. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Swan M.: Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005.
Thomas A. J., Martinet A. V.: A practical English
Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986.
Vince M.: Intermediate Language Practice (New
Edition) . Oxford: Macmillan Education 2010.