Reported Speech

Reported Speech

Indirect style or reported speech is how you can count, explain, write, or say something in your own words, shifting verbal time to the past. It differs from direct discourse in this way, as direct discourse involves you saying or writing everything textual and accurate to how it happened.

Reported Speech

We need to determine some concepts:

1. Direct Speech involves you saying accurate to how it happened.
2. Indirect Speech (Reported speech) is how you explain something in your own words, shifting verbal time to the past.
3. We use "THAT" to connect the senteces and make it to reported speech.

Reported Speech Structure

Subject + Said + THAT + Subject + past tense + Complement. Subject + Told + Object Pronoun + THAT + Subject + past tense + Complement.

Collocations with SAY / TELL

She said that she enjoyed meeting people. They ________ us that they had a new car. He _________ me that he gotten married. You _________ that he was at a birthday party. She _________ that she wanted some ice cream. We _________ her that the train was delayed. You ________ that you would cook tonight I _________ him that I had to work late.

Collocations with SAY / TELL

Reported Speech Structure

Subject + Reporting Verb + THAT + Subject + Clause

Reporting Verbs with object and infinitive

Subject + Reporting Verb + Object Pronoun + INFINITIVE + Compl. (To V1) Subject + Reporting Verb + Object Pronoun + NOT + INFINITIVE + Compl.

+ Reporting Verbs

Reported Questions (Yes/No questions)

In yes/no questions, we use if or whether to report the question. If is more common.

Direct Question: Are you going to the Helsinki conference?

Indirect Question: He asked me if I was going to the Helsinki conference.

Subject + Asked + Object Pronoun + if + Subject + Verb + Complement

Past tense

(Reporting Verb)

Reported Questions (Yes/No questions)

Subject + Asked + Object Pronoun + if + Subject + Verb + Complement

(Reporting Verb)

Past tense

Write the sentences using reported speech:

1. Mark: "Has John arrived?"
2. Elisabeth: "Did you watch the game?"
3. Students: "Do we have to do it?"
4. Luis: "Are you going to the cinema?"
5. Ana: "Has Caron talked to Kevin?"
6. Juan: "Do you like living in London?"

Reported Questions (Questions with a question word)

Subject + Asked + Object Pronoun + Questions Words + Verb + Complement

(Reporting Verb)

(Optional)

Past tense

Time words

Here is a list of common time words, showing how you change them for reported speech:

Reported Speech

Exercise to implement reported speech

Reported Speech

Exercise to implement reported speechSuppose you're listening to the dialogue between two people, in a direct style:

• Carolina: Hey Felipe! What are you doing? I haven’t seen you since the last week.
• Felipe: Oh, hey Carolina! Sorry, I’ve just come back from the hospital
• Carolina: Are you ok? What happen to you?
• Felipe: Well, it seems that I catch a hard flu. But don’t worry, I’m fine now.
• Carolina: I am glad to hear that.

Example:

Carolina asked Felipe what he was doing. And she said that she had not seen him since the last week.

Direct Speech

Reported Speech