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

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

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.

3- Personal and possessive pronouns and determiners

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)

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.

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