REPORTED SPEECH

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REPORTED SPEECH

FIRST APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING

Watch the video.

What is Susan Boyle's dream?

Susan replied that she wanted to be a professional singer.

Simon asked Susan what her dream was.

"I want to be a professional singer."

"What is your dream, Susan?"

Simon asked/told Susan to go back.

"Come back, Susan."

The judge said that that was the biggest surprise he had had in three years. He added that everyone had been laughing at her, but that no one was laughing then. He told her that it had been stunning.

"That is the biggest surprise I've had in three years.... Everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was stunning."

The judges' verdict

• Reporting verbs: She said that/He told me that...
• Tenses backshift: present simple →past simple
• Personal pronouns: I→he/she
• Time expressions: now→then
• Deictics: this →that here→there
• come→go

Reported Speech changes summary

THANKS!