Reported Speech

1. Reported Speech
Cansu SÜER

2. Reported Speech
• We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say'
or 'tell'.
• In reported statements, we can
use either 'say' or 'tell'. The
meaning is the same, but the
grammar is different. For example:
• Direct speech:
• John: "I'll be late".
• Reported speech: John said (that)
he would be late.

3. Reported Speech
• OR John told me (that) he was
going to be late.
• With 'tell' we NEED the object
(e.g. 'me', 'you', 'her').
With 'say' we CAN'T use the
object (e.g. 'me', 'them', 'us').
• So we CAN'T say:
• “John said me that he would be
late.”
• “John told that he would be late.”

4. Reported Speech
• We can also use 'tell' in reported
orders. In this case, 'tell' is
followed by a direct object and 'to
+ infinitive':
e.g. 'She told me to sit down'.

5. Reported Speech
• If this verb is in the present tense, it's
easy. We just put 'she says' and then
the sentence:
• Direct speech: I like ice cream.
• Reported speech: She says (that)
she likes ice cream.
• We don't need to change the tense,
though probably we do need to
change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she',
for example. We also may need to
change words like 'my' and 'your'.

6. Reported Speech
• But, if the reporting verb is in the
past tense, then usually we change
the tenses in the reported speech:
• Direct speech: I like ice cream.
• Reported speech: She said (that)
she liked ice cream.

7. Other Verbs
• Apart from say and tell we can use
some other verbs to add variety to
our speech. The following verbs can
be used for this purpose.
announce remark predict
complain mention promise
declare reply deny
state answer explain

8. Reported Speech
Tense Direct Speech Reported Speech
present simple I like ice cream
She said (that) she
liked ice cream.
present
continuous
I am living in
London
She said (that) she
was living in London.
past simple I bought a car
She said (that) she
had bought a car OR
She said (that) she
bought a car.
past continuous
I was walking
along the street
She said (that) she
had been walking
along the street.

9. Reported Speech
present perfect I haven't seen Julie
She said (that) she hadn't
seen Julie.
past perfect*
I had taken English
lessons before
She said (that) she had taken
English lessons before.
will I'll see you later
She said (that) she would see
me later.
Tense Direct Speech Reported Speech
can
I can speak perfect
English
She said (that) she could
speak perfect English.
shall I shall come later
She said (that) she would
come later.

10. Reported Speech

11. Reported Speech
• Occasionally, we don't need to
change the present tense into the
past if the information in direct
speech is still true (but this is only for
things which are general facts, and
even then usually we like to change
the tense):
• Direct speech: The sky is blue.
• Reported speech:
She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

12. Time Expressions
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Now Then
Today- Tonight That day- That night
Tomorrow The next day/ The following day
Yesterday The day before/ The previous day
This (evening) That (evening)
These days Those days
Last (month) The (month) before / The previous
(month)
Next
(weekend)
The (weekend) after / The following
(weekend)
A week ago A week before

13. Time Expressions
• He said “I will take him to
office tomorrow.”
– He said (that) he would take him to
office the next day/ the following day.
• She said “I am eating ice cream now.”
– She said (that) she was eating ice
cream then.
• He said “We went to London last
week.”
– He said (that) they went to London the
week before/ the previous week.

14. Modal Verbs
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Can Could
May Might
Shall Should
Must Must/ Had to
Will Would
Needn’t Needn’t/ Didn’t need to/ Didn’t have to
• He said “I can speak French.” – He
said (that) he could speak French.
• She said to him “You must finish your
food. – She said (that) he had
to finish his food.

15. Reported Questions
• If it is Wh- question the question
word is used to connect the two
sentences in between.
- «Where is the post office?»
She asked me where the office was.
- «Who was that fantastic man?»
She asked me who that fantastic
man had been.
- «What are you doing?»
He asked me what I was doing.

16. Reported Questions
• Yes/No Questions
• Since we don't have any question
words to help us. Instead, we
use 'if/whether‘.
- «Do you love me?»
He asked me if I loved him.
- «Have you ever been to Mexico?»
She asked me if I had ever been to..
- «Are you living here?»
He asked me if I was living here.

17. Reported Requests
Direct Request Reported Request
Please help me.
She asked me to help
her.
Please don't smoke.
She asked me not to
smoke.
Could you bring my
book tonight?
She asked me to bring
her book that night.
Could you pass the milk,
please?
She asked me to pass
the milk.
Would you mind coming
early tomorrow?
She asked me to come
early the next day.

18. Reported Requests
• To report a negative request,
use 'not':
- «Please don't be late.»
She asked us not to be late.

19. Reported Orders
• We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask‘.
Direct Order Reported Order
Go to bed!
He told the child to go to
bed.
Don't worry! He told her not to worry.
Be on time! He told me to be on time.
Don't smoke! He told us not to smoke.

20. Exclamatory Sentences
• To change exclamatory sentences
into indirect speech, follow the
following rules along with the above-
mentioned rules:
• In case, there is an interjection,
i.e., alas, aha, hurray, etc. in the
reported speech, then they are
omitted along with sign of
exclamation.

21. Exclamatory Sentences
• Reporting verb, i.e., said is always
replaced with exclaimed with joy,
exclaimed with sorrow, exclaimed
joyfully, exclaimed sorrowfully or
exclaimed with great wonder or
sorrow.
• In case, there is what or how at the
beginning of the reported speech,
then they are replaced
with very or very great.

22. Exclamatory Sentences
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
He said, “Hurray! I have
won the match.”
He exclaimed with great joy that he
had won the match.
She said, “Alas! My brother
failed in the test.”
She exclaimed with great sorrow that
her brother had failed in the test.
They said, “What a
beautiful house this is!”
They exclaimed that that house was
very beautiful.
I said, “How lucky I am!”
I said in great wonder that I was very
lucky.
You said to him, “What a
beautiful drama you
writing!
You said to him in great wonder that he
was writing a beautiful drama.

23. Operative Sentences
• Those sentences, which express
hope, prayer, or wish, are called
optative sentences. Usually, there is a
mark of exclamation at the end of
optative sentence. For example:
• May you succeed in the test!
• May you get well soon!
• Would that I were rich!

24. Operative Sentences
• To change optative sentences into
indirect speech, follow the following
rules along with the above-
mentioned rules:
• In case, the reported speech starts
with the word may, then the
reporting verb said is replaced with
the word prayed.

25. Operative Sentences
• In case, the reported speech starts
with the word would, then the
reporting verb said is replaced with
the word wished.
• May is changed in might.
• Mark of exclamation is omitted.
• In indirect speech, the operative
sentences become assertive
sentences.

26. Operative Sentences
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
He said to me, “May you
live long!”
He prayed that I might live long.
My mother said to me,
“May you succeed in the
test!”
My mother prayed that I might
succeed in the test.
She said, “Would that I
were rich!”
She wished she had been rich.
I said to him, “Would that
you were here on Sunday!”
I wished he had been there on
Sunday.
You said to me, “ May you
find your lost camera.”
You prayed that I might find my
lost camera.

27. Example Questions
• The manager will be in his office all
afternoon. cümlesinin dolaylı (indirect)
biçimini elde etmek için,
The secretary told me that the
manager ………… in his office all afternoon.
ifadesinde boş bırakılan yere aşağıdakilerd
en hangisi getirilmelidir?
A) will have been
B) would have been
C) would be
D) will have
E) would have had
(ÖYS 1988)

28. Example Questions
• The manager will be in his office all
afternoon. cümlesinin dolaylı (indirect)
biçimini elde etmek için,
The secretary told me that the
manager ………… in his office all afternoon.
ifadesinde boş bırakılan yere aşağıdakilerd
en hangisi getirilmelidir?
A) will have been
B) would have been
C) would be
D) will have
E) would have had
CEVAP C

29. Example Questions
• Do you want me to turn off the radio?
cümlesinin dolaylı (indirect) biçimini elde
etmek için, I asked my sister ………. me to
turn off the radio, ifadesinde boş bırakılan
yere aşağıdakilerden hangisi getirilmelidir?
A) whether you wanted
B) whether you want
C) that she had wanted
D) if she would have wanted
E) if she wanted
(ÖYS 1988)

30. Example Questions
• Do you want me to turn off the radio?
cümlesinin dolaylı (indirect) biçimini elde
etmek için, I asked my sister ………. me to
turn off the radio, ifadesinde boş bırakılan
yere aşağıdakilerden hangisi getirilmelidir?
A) whether you wanted
B) whether you want
C) that she had wanted
D) if she would have wanted
E) if she wanted
CEVAP E