Reported speech

REPORTED SPEECH

• How we report another person’s words;

• How we restate what someone said

* restate - express again, say again, state a new

Quoted Speech v. Reported speech

Quoted speech =

Teacher said, “I like birthdays.”

Reported speech =

Teacher said she liked birthdays..

Uses the exact word of the speaker

Doesn’t use the exact word of the speaker

Direct speech

Indirect speech

Quoted Speech v. Reported speech

Quoted speech =

Uses quotation marks “ ”.

Reported speech =

Doesn’t use quotation marks.

Quoted Speech v. Reported speech

Quoted speech =

Teacher said, “I like birthdays.”

“I like birthdays” , teacher said.

“I like birthdays” , said teacher.

Reported speech =

Teacher said she liked birthdays.

SAY v TELL

• Both say and tell reporting verbs.

• We often use tell if we name the speakerand the listener.

She told us that she is over 30.

SAY v TELL

We can use say to name the listener, too, but it’s not as common:

• She said to us she is over 30.

[okay]

• She told us she is over 30.

[More natural]

SAY v TELL

If you use say to name the speaker and the listener use to.

Don’t use to after tell.

• She said to us that she is over 30.

• She told us that she is over 30.

SAY v TELL

Summary of reported statements.

• Who? + SAID + (that)…

She said that she is over 30.

• Who? + TOLD + Whom? + (that) …

She told us she is over 30.

REPORTED QUESTION 1

• Uses ‘ask’

Direct question =

“Where is the birthday cake? “, she asked.

Reported question =

She asked me where the birthday cake was.

Direct question begins: * an auxiliary (be, do, have) * a modal verb (can, may, etc),

then the reported question is introduced with if or whether.

Direct question =

He asked, “Is teacher there?”

Reported question =

He asked me if/whether teacher was there.

REPORTED QUESTION 2

Report John’s questions.

1. Have you travelled abroad?

2. Who is your favourite actor?

3. Have you got any pets?

4. Can you drive?

5. Where do you live?

6. When did you move here?

John asked if/whether I had travelled abroad.

John asked who my favourite actor was.

John asked if/whether I had got some pets.

John asked if/whether I could drive.

John asked where I lived.

John asked when I had moved here.

Reported commands• Uses verbs ask or tell +sb+(not) to infinitive

Direct order Reported order

Be quiet! She asked us to be quiet.

Direct order Reported order

Don’t talk! She told us not to talk.

Read the list of introduction and turn them into reported speech

•Pay the telephone bill •Water the plants •Cut the grass X•Call your grandmother to wish her a happy birthday

•Iron clothes X•Buy groceries

They told her to pay the telephone bill.

They told her not to cut the grass.

They told her to call your grandmother to wish her a happy birthday.

They told her not to iron clothes

They told her buy groceries

They told her to water the plants.

We learned that reported speech is indirect speech, meaning it doesn’t use the exact words of the speaker.

So if we don’t use the, exact words, which words do we use? Which words stay same and which words change? How do they change?

We’ll begin to understand the answers. To these questions in this lesson. As we talk about most logical changes first: changes to reference words

*reference = words that are use to talk about a certain person or

thing, not by the name

Our focus

What are reference words?

How do we need to change in the reported speech?

Reference words

= words that are use to talk about a certain person or thing, not by the name

I have a spring birthday. My birthday is in March. I don’t like to tell people how old I am . I keeps my age to myself.

Example of reference words

Example of reference words

Teacher has a spring birthday. Her birthday is in March. She doesn’t like to tell people how old she is. She keeps herage to herself.

Types of reference words

o Pronoun (Who?, Whom?)

I, you, me, him, myself….

o Possessive adjectives ( Whose?)

My, your, his, our….

Changing pronouns

Example:

• “I made the cake myself,” Emma said.

Emma said she made the cake herself

Changing possessive adjectives

• Example:

• “The cake is for my Mom,” Emma said.

Emma said the cake was for her Mom.

Exercise 1 Complete the changes for each reported statement.

o “My birthday is in May,” said Bileg.

o Bileg said ______birthday was in May. his(Whose?)

o 1. Tom said, “It’s my mother’s birthday , so I’m taking her out to dinner.”

o Tom told us it was ____ mother’s birthday , so _____ was taking her out to dinner.

o 2. Steve and Lisa said “, We’ll bring some wine to the party.”

o Steve and Lisa said _____would bring some wine to the party.

his he

they

o 3. “I bought a present for my cousin,” Anna said.

o Anna said _______ had bought a present for _____cousin.

she

her

Careful!

• 4. We’ll buy you a plane ticket for your birthday so you can visit us, said my grandparents.

• _____ grandparents told ____that ______ would buy ____a plane ticket for ___ birthday so ____ could visit _____.

My me they

myI them

me

Okay so we’ve talked about changing pronouns and possessive adjectives.

There is another group of reference words that we need to address.

Those are words that refer to time and place.

Let’s talk about those now.

OTHER

REFERENCE WORDS

Time and Place

Changing time and place words

• Much time can pass between when words are said and when words are reported. The place where words are spoken and place where words are reported can also be different. That’s why reference words for time and place change in reported speech.

Changing Time Words

• Example:

• “There’s a big party tonight,” said Julie [Saturday]

Julie said there was a big party last night. [Sunday]

Julie said there was a big party that night.

[a few weeks later]

Changing Place Words

Example:

• “The party will be here in my home,” said Mike.

Mike said that the party would be there in his home.

Common Changes in Reported Speech

TIME

“today” that day/yesterday

“tomorrow” the next day/ the following day

“yesterday” the day before

“now” then/at that moment/

at that time

Common Changes in Reported Speech

• PLACE

“here” there

“this” that

“these” those

Note: There, that, and those in quoted speech must often change to here, this, and these.

Exercise 2

Complete the changes for each reported statement.

• “I can bring the cake there to your house,” said Jack.

• Jack said that he could bring the cake _____ to my house.

here

Example

• “I’ll buy balloons tomorrow,” said Wendy.

• Wendy said she would buy balloons _____________ .

• [a week later]

the next day

Also: following day

2. My friends said, “This restaurant is a great place to celebrate your birthday.”

My friends said ______ restaurant was a great place to celebrate my birthday.

that

• 3. “I didn’t see you at the party yesterday,” Drake said.

• Drake said he hadn’t seen me at the party ________ .

[a week later]

the day before

• 4. “We need to get ready now,” my husband told me.

• My husband told me that we had to get ready ________________. at that moment

Also: then or right then

Report John’s questions.

1. Have you travelled abroad?

2. Who is your favourite actor?

3. Have you got any pets?

4. Can you drive?

5. Where do you live?

6. When did you move here?

John asked if/whether I had travelled abroad.

John asked who my favourite actor was.

John asked if/whether I had got some pets.

John asked if/whether I could drive.

John asked where I lived.

John asked when I had moved here.