Reported speech

I’m going home

Direct speechDirect speech

• She said, “I’m going home”.

February 25th March 4th

Reported speechReported speech

• She said (that) she was going home.

Reported Speechis the grammar we use when we want to tell

another person about a conversation that took place in the past.

We often use reported speech to . . .

1. Give someone a telephone message:Example:Example: Ellen said she couldn’t come today because…

•2. Tell someone news that we heard from someone else:•Example:Example: Tom told me that he and Karen got engaged!

•3. To report something that happened:•Example:Example: Sam said that the other driver wasn’tpaying attention and hit his car.

Reported speech /2Posibles cambios:

• Tiempos verbales.

He said, “I love you”

He said (that) he loved me.

• Orden de las palabras

Mum says, “Why aren’t you at school?”

Mum wants to know why you aren’t at school.

• Pronombres (Ver ejemplo en tiempos verbales)

• Otras palabras (time expressions)

Peter said, “I’m seeing the doctor tomorrow”.

Peter said (that) he was seeing the doctor the following day.

am / is •become •was•are •becomes •were•have /

has•become •ha

d•can / can’t•become

•could couldn’t

•will / won’t

•become •would wouldn’t

Reported speech /3Cambios en los tiempos verbales:

Direct speech Reported speech• Simple Present Tense Simple Past Tense

‘I like peaches’. He said he liked peaches.• Present continuous Tense Past continuous Tense

‘Is it raining?’ He asked if it was raining.• Simple Past Tense Past Perfect Tense

‘I didn’t recognize you’. She explained that she hadn’t recognized me.

• Present Perfect Tense Past Perfect Tense“she hasn’t recognized me” She explained that she

hadn´t recognized me. .

Reported speech /4Cambios en los tiempos verbales (continuación)

Direct speech Reported speech

•shall / will should / would

‘We’ll be late.’ I told him we’d be late.

• can, may could, might

‘I can swim.’ She thought she could swim.

• must must or had to

‘I must go.’ He said he must / had to go.

Reported speech /5

Reporting questions

Two kinds of questions

1. Yes / No questions

He wanted to know if / whether I was leaving.

‘Are you leaving?’ he said.

s vaux

aux s v

Reported speech /6

2. Wh-questions

‘Where is the President staying?’ the reporter said.

Wh-word aux s v

The reporter asked where the President was staying.

Wh-word s aux v

Reported speech /7

Otras palabras (TIME EXPRESSIONS

• here there

•now then, at the time

•today that day

• yesterday the day before / the previous day

• tomorrow the next / following day

• this week that week

• last week the week before, the previous week

• an hour ago an hour before / earlier

Reported speech /8

Say or tell

Tell

Daniel told me (that) he was ready.

Say

Daniel said (that) he was ready.

Ask, want to know, wonder

‘What’s the problem?’ he said.

He wanted to know / asked (me) / wondered what the problem was.

+ el oyente

no se menciona el oyente

Reported speech typically uses the following structure:

Someone said (that) … Sentence, past

ORSomeone told me (that) …

Sentence,past

However, in English, you can NEVER say•Someone said

me . . .

‘Andrew is working,’ Jessica said.

Jessica said (that) Andrew was working.

‘I’ve fixed the shelves,’ John told Susan.

John told Susan (that) he had fixed the shelves.

‘My money had run out,’ said Daniel.

Daniel said his money had run out.

‘You can sit over here,’ the steward said.

The steward said we could sit over there.

‘When did you start acting, Melissa?’ Guy said.

Guy asked Melissa when she had started acting.

‘Has the taxi arrived yet?’ someone asked.

Someone asked if / whether the taxi had arrived yet.

Examples for practice:Examples for practice:

1. Shawn said:“I don’t feel like going to the movies today.”

Reported speech:

Shawn said that he didn’t feel like going to the movies that day.

2. Tina said:“My sister is coming to visit me soon.”

Reported speech:

Tina told me that her sister was coming to visit her soon.

. . . And more examples:

3. The counselor said:“I’ll always be available for your students.”

Reported speech:The counselor said that she would always be available for my students.

4. The students said:“We want to do oral presentations in class so we can practice speaking more.

Reported speech:The students told me that they wantedto do oral presentations so they could practice speaking more.

Do you understand reported speech better

NOWNOW than you did BEFOREBEFORE?•Congratulations!

Keep practicing!!! And please . . . ask if you need assistance!