Direct & Reported Speech Transformation

• Direct speech involves reporting the exact words someone said.
• Reported speech involves reporting what someone said without using their exact words.
• Reported speech is also known as indirect speech.

Transformation from Direct to Reported Speech

• Direct speech: "I am going to the store."
• Reported speech: "He said he was going to the store."
• In the example, the present simple tense in direct speech ("am going") changes to the past simple tense in reported speech ("was going").
• Pronouns may also change, such as "I" becoming "he."
• The word "said" is a common reporting verb used to introduce reported speech.
• The conjunction "that" can be used after the reporting verb "said," but it is often omitted. For example: "He said that he was going to the store".

Tense Changes

• Present Simple to Past Simple: Direct: "I work here." Reported: He said he worked here.
• Present Continuous to Past Continuous: Direct: "I am working." Reported: He said he was working.
• Past Simple to Past Perfect: Direct: "I worked." Reported: He said he had worked.
• Present Perfect to Past Perfect: Direct: "I have worked." Reported: He said he had worked.
• Past Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous: Direct: "I was working." Reported: He said he had been working.
• Past Perfect remains Past Perfect: Direct: "I had worked." Reported: He said he had worked.
• Future Simple (will) to Conditional (would): Direct: "I will work." Reported: He said he would work.
• Future Continuous (will be) to Conditional Continuous (would be): Direct: "I will be working." Reported: He said he would be working.

Modal Verb Changes

• Can to Could: Direct: "I can do it." Reported: He said he could do it.
• May to Might: Direct: "I may go." Reported: He said he might go.
• Must to Had To: Direct: "I must go." Reported: He said he had to go.
• Should, Could, Would, and Ought To remain the same.

Pronoun Changes

• Pronouns often change to reflect the change in perspective from direct to reported speech.
• "I" often changes to "he" or "she," depending on the speaker.
• "We" might change to "they" or "us" might change to "them."
• "You" changes depending on who is being addressed.

Time and Place Expression Changes

• Time and place expressions often need to be adjusted in reported speech to reflect the shift in context.
• "Now" often changes to "then."
• "Today" often changes to "that day."
• "Yesterday" often changes to "the day before" or "the previous day."
• "Tomorrow" often changes to "the next day" or "the following day."
• "Here" often changes to "there."
• "This" often changes to "that."
• "These" often changes to "those."

Reporting Verbs

• Verbs other than "said" can be used to introduce reported speech, such as "told," "explained," "stated," "claimed," "mentioned," and "replied."
• The choice of reporting verb can add nuance regarding the speaker's intention or attitude.
• "Tell" is used when the listener is specified: "He told me that he was going to the store."

Questions in Reported Speech

• When reporting questions, the word order changes to statement order.
• The question mark is removed.
• If the direct question begins with an interrogative word (who, what, where, when, why, how), that word is used as the conjunction in reported speech.
• Direct: "Where is she going?" Reported: He asked where she was going.
• If the direct question is a yes/no question, the conjunction "if" or "whether" is used.
• Direct: "Are you coming?" Reported: He asked if/whether I was coming.

Commands and Requests in Reported Speech

• Commands and requests are reported using "tell" or "ask" followed by the person being addressed and an infinitive.
• Direct: "Close the door." Reported: He told me to close the door. -Direct: "Please help me." Reported: He asked me to help him.

Exceptions and Special Cases

• If the statement in direct speech is a universal truth or a fact that is still true, the tense may not change in reported speech.
• Direct: "The Earth is round." Reported: He said that the Earth is round. (or was round)
• If the reporting verb is in the present tense, the tense in the reported clause usually does not change.
• Direct: "I am tired." He says, "I am tired." Reported: He says he is tired.

Purpose of Reported Speech

• Reported speech allows us to relay information without quoting verbatim.
• It provides flexibility in summarizing and conveying messages.
• It helps to integrate different speakers' statements into a single narrative or account.
• Effective use of reported speech is crucial for clear and accurate communication.

Explanation of direct and reported speech, including how to transform direct speech into reported speech. Covers tense and pronoun changes. Includes examples of present simple changing to simple past.