Reported speech

Reported speech

What did she say?

What is the reported speech

We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what someone said. 

SHE TOLD ME

SHE WAS ANGRY

Steps To make a reported speech !!

2.- Use a reporting verb (e.g. say, tell, ask, mention etc.)

2.- Change the tense of what was actually said in direct speech.

PARTS OF A REPORTING SENTENCE

• PT 1: HE SAID (THAT)/ HE TOLD ME (THAT)

• HE ________ COFFEE

• HE TOLD ME THAT HE WANTED A COFFEE

Don't forget to change the pronouns and possessives

I like your trousers.

She said she liked my trousers

Fill in the Blank

You never listen to me

She / (say to me ) / ____________

Fill in the Blank

I haven't seen Julie

She / (tell me) / __________

Fill in the Blank

I am getting bored

He / (tell me) /____________

Open Ended

Tell me an example about some gossip

WHAT ABOUT QUESTIONS?

-The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word.

BUT we need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence.

Direct speech: Where do you live? Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.

Where is Julie?

She asked me where Julie was.

Who was that fantastic man?

She asked me who that fantastic man had been.

ASK

HE ASKED ME WHERE HIS MARBLES WERE

YEs No Questions

But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We don't have any question words to help us. Instead, we use 'if':

Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?

Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

Do you love me?

He asked me if I loved him.

Are you living here?

She asked me if I was living here.

REPORTING COMMANDS AND REQUESTS

• There is no backshift of tenses

• You only have to change the person and shift expressions of time/place

• affirmative commands → to + infinitive

• negative commands → not + to + infinitive

Remember pt1 and pt2

• He told me

• to do my homework

THIS IS NEGATIVE

• Pt1. HE TOLD ME

• PT2. NOT TO SAY bad words

• HE TOLD ME NOT TO SAY BAD WORDS