6 Questions
Also known as indirect discourse or ______ speech, indirect speech is a way of reporting what someone has said without using their exact words.
oblique
When reporting speech, the ______ of the original sentence often changes.
tense
According to the backshift of tenses, Present Simple in direct speech usually becomes ______ in indirect speech.
Past Simple
In indirect speech, Future Simple in direct speech usually becomes ______.
Conditional
If the original speech is still true or relevant, the ______ of the original speech may not change.
tense
If the reporting verb is in the ______, the tense of the original speech may not change.
present
Study Notes
Reported Speech
Indirect Speech
- Also known as indirect discourse or oblique speech
- A way of reporting what someone has said without using their exact words
- Often uses verbs like "said", "told", "asked", "ordered", etc. to introduce the reported speech
- The reported speech is usually in a different grammatical form than the original speech
Tenses in Reported Speech
-
Backshift of Tenses: When reporting speech, the tense of the original sentence often changes
- Direct speech: "I am going to the store."
- Indirect speech: "She said she was going to the store."
-
General Rules:
- Present Simple → Past Simple
- Past Simple → Past Perfect
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect
- Past Perfect → Past Perfect
- Future Simple → Conditional
-
Exceptions:
- If the original speech is still true or relevant, the tense may not change
- If the reporting verb is in the present, the tense of the original speech may not change
Reported Speech
Indirect Speech
- Indirect speech is a way of reporting what someone has said without using their exact words
- It is also known as indirect discourse or oblique speech
- Verbs like "said", "told", "asked", and "ordered" are commonly used to introduce the reported speech
- The reported speech often takes a different grammatical form than the original speech
Tenses in Reported Speech
Backshift of Tenses
- In reported speech, the tense of the original sentence often changes
- The purpose of backshift is to maintain the original timeline and logical connection between the reported speech and the time of reporting
General Rules for Backshift of Tenses
- Present Simple → Past Simple
- Past Simple → Past Perfect
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect
- Past Perfect → Past Perfect
- Future Simple → Conditional
Exceptions to the Backshift Rule
- If the original speech is still true or relevant, the tense may not change
- If the reporting verb is in the present, the tense of the original speech may not change
- This allows the reported speech to retain its original meaning and significance
Test your understanding of reported speech, also known as indirect discourse, and how to change verb tenses when reporting what someone has said.
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