Reported Speech Overview

Reported Speech

• Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of reporting what someone else said without using their exact words. It changes the tense of the verb and often alters the pronouns and adverbs.

• Key Change: The tense of the verb used in the reported speech will change depending on the original tense and context of the speech.

• Original Statement Timing:

  • If the original statement was about a past event and is now being reported, the tense changes to a past tense of the original verb.
  • If the original statement was about something happening now, the present tense changes to the past tense.
  • If the original statement was about something true or always happening, or making a statement of fact, the tense does not change.

Reporting Verbs

• Reporting verbs are the verbs that introduce the reported speech. Examples include: said, told, asked, suggested, etc.

• Selecting the Appropriate Verb: The choice of reporting verb affects the tone and meaning of the reported speech, thus careful selection is important.

Reported Statements (Declarative Sentences)

• To report a declarative statement, the reporting verb follows the noun phrase and is followed by the reported statement. The tense of the verb in the reported statement is typically shifted.
  • Example: Original: "I like ice cream." Reported: "He said he liked ice cream".

Reported Questions (Interrogative Sentences)

• Reporting a question changes the word order and often changes the tense of the verb.
  • Yes/No Questions: A reporting verb like "asked" is used followed by "if" or "whether", and then the reported question (verb in past tense).
    • Example: Original: "Are you happy?" Reported: "She asked if I was happy."
  • Wh-Questions: "Wh-" questions (e.g. who, what, where, when, why, how) keep the "wh-" word at the beginning of the reported question and the tense of the verb in the reported question is also typically shifted to the past tense.
    • Example: Original: "Where did you go?" Reported: "He asked where I had gone."

Reported Commands (Imperative Sentences)

• Reporting a command uses reporting verbs like "told", "asked" or "ordered", followed by an object and then an infinitive, past tense of the verb from the imperative sentence.
  • Example: Original: "Close the door." Reported: "She told me to close the door."

Pronoun Changes

• Pronouns often need to be adjusted when reporting speech to match the situation in the report context.

• Switching Perspective: "I" changes to whatever the appropriate pronoun in the reported sentence is. The pronoun needs to reflect the noun phrase of the new context.

Adverbial Changes

• Adverbs of time and place often need adjustment to match the timing of the reported speech.
  • Example: Original: "I went to the store yesterday." Reported: "He said that he had gone to the store the day before".

Complex Sentence Structure

• More complex statements will require careful attention to changes in tense, word order, and pronouns to accurately reflect the original meaning in a coherent and grammatically correct reported statement.

• Nested Structures: When reporting complex sentences and reported speech within reported speech, maintaining accuracy of context is important and requires careful attention to order of clauses, verb tenses, pronouns, and adverbs.