Reported Speech

Reported Speech

4rt TQE

Lorena Rodríguez

Multiple Choice

When we want to repeat what somebody else has said, we can use:

• Direct Speech

• Indirect Speech

• Both are correct

• When we want to repeat what somebody else has said, we can use both:

  • Direct Speech

  • Indirect Speech

Fill in the Blank

In direct speech we repeat the person's exact _____ and put them in quotation marks (").

Fill in the Blank

In reported speech we repeat the exact _______ of what the person said, but we make some changes, especially in tenses. We don't use quotation marks (").

Multiple Choice

When we are using Reported Speech the main changes that the sentence suffers are:

• Tense

• Time and place expressions

• Personal pronouns and Possessive adjectives

• All the answers are correct

Reported sentences changes:

1. Tenses

2. Time and place expressions

3. Personal pronouns and possessive adjectives

1- TENSES

Fill in the Blank

'I work in a bank.' ⇒ He said that he ___________ in a bank.

Fill in the Blank

'I am working today.' ⇒ She told us she ___________ that day.

Fill in the Blank

'I was at the doctor all morning.' ⇒ She told me that she ___________ at the doctor all morning.

Fill in the Blank

'I'll lend you the money .' ⇒ He told me he _____________ me the money.

Fill in the Blank

'I can't do it without your help.' ⇒ She said she __________ it without my help.

Multiple Choice

'The meeting will start early.' ⇒ He told us that the meeting ___________ early.

• might start

• can start

• would start

Multiple Choice

"I see the clouds.".He told me that she ________ the clouds.  

• sees

• is seeing

• saw

Multiple Choice

"My mother is taking the bus to work tomorrow". He told me that his mother ________ the bus to work tomorrow.      

• is taking

• was taking

• will take

Multiple Choice

"I have been there". She told me that she ________ there. 

• had been

• has been

• was

Multiple Choice

"Open the window!". He asked me ________ the window.      

• to open

• open

• opened

Special things

• The past perfect and the past perfect progressive do not change.

  • He said, ‘I had forgotten his number’.

    • He said (that) he had forgotten his number.

• • He said, ‘We had been driving for hours’.

    • He said (that) they had been driving for hours.

• Would, could, might, should, ough to and musn’t do not change in reported speech.

  • ‘You should try again’, he said to me.

    • He told me (that) I should try again.

  • ‘We mustn’t be late’, she said.

    • She said (that) they musnt’t be late.

2- Time and Place expressions

• ‘These books are mine’, he said.

  • He said (that) those/the books were his.

• ‘We’re going out tonight’, she said.

  • She said (that) they were going out that night.

• ‘We came back a week ago’, she said.

  • She said (that) they had come back a week before.

• ‘I’ll call you tomorrow’, she said to me.

  • She told me (that) she would call me the following day/the next day/the day after.

Fill in the Blank

Rachel, “I will go to the doctor TOMORROW.”

Fill in the Blank

Lucas, “My friend didn't go to school YESTERDAY.”

Fill in the Blank

Kevin, “I'm feeling bad TODAY.”

Fill in the Blank

Teacher, “Children will have a trip to London NEXT MONTH.”

Fill in the Blank

Benjamin, “We have been living HERE since July.”

3- Personal and possessive pronouns and determiners

Fill in the Blank

Jacob: "I work in an office." Jacob told me (that) _____  worked in an office.

Fill in the Blank

Ryan and Lucas: "We play football." Ryan and Lucas told me (that)     _________  played football.

Fill in the Blank

Victoria: "I like my cat." Victoria told me (that)  ______  liked    _____ they  cat.

Fill in the Blank

Henry: "Can you see me?" Henry asked me if ______ could see  _______.

Fill in the Blank

Julian: "I will have to borrow your pencil." Julian told me (that) _____ would have to borrow ______  pencil.

REPORTED QUESTIONS

• To report a question we can use the verbs ask or wonder or the expression want to know.

• The verb in the reported question must be in the affirmative form.

• If there is a question word (who, what, how, where, when, etc.), we use the same in the reported question.

  • ‘Where are they staying?’ she said.

    • She wanted to know where they were staying. (no: where were they)

  • ‘What time do you go to bed?’ he said to me.

    • He asked me what time I went to bed. (no: time did I go)

• If there is no question word, we use IF or WHETHER.

  • ‘Did you lock the door?’ Dad said to Mum.

    • Dad asked Mum if/whether she had locked the door. (no: had she locked)

Fill in the Blank

Christopher: "Do you want to dance?"

Christopher asked me __________________________.

Fill in the Blank

Betty: "When did you come?"

Betty wanted to know ______________________.

Fill in the Blank

Mark: "Has John arrived?"

Mark asked me _____________________.

Fill in the Blank

Ronald: "Where does Maria park her car?"

Ronald asked me _______________________.

Fill in the Blank

Mandy: "Can I help you?"

Mandy wanted to know _________________.

REPORTED COMMANDS AND REQUESTS

• To report a command or request we use a verb such as tell, ask, order, beg, warn, etc. + an infinitive with to (or not to).

  • The policeman said to them, ‘Put your hads up.’

    • The policeman ordered them to put their hands up.

  • ‘Pass me the salt, please’, she said to me.

    • She asked me to pass her the salt.

  • The child said to us, ‘Please, give me some money.’

    • The child begged us to give him some money.

  • ‘Don’t go near the lion cage’, he said to us.

    • He warned/told us not to go near the lion cage.

Fill in the Blank

Andrew: "Clean the blue bike!"

Andrew told me _______________________.

Fill in the Blank

Jessica: "Don't write a text message!"

Jessica told me _____________.

Fill in the Blank

Nelly: "Help Peter's sister!"

Nelly told me ________________.

Fill in the Blank

Anna: "Don't open the window!"

Anna told me ___________________.

Reporting Verbs

• Item

• Item

• Item

Say and Tell

• With say you don’t need to use a personal object to say who you are saying something to.

  • He said it was going to be a great film

• With tell you must use a personal object to say who you are saying something to.

  • He told ME it was going to be a great film

Other reporting verbs