Reported Speech Overview

Study Notes

Reported Speech

Definition: Reported speech (or indirect speech) is the conveying of what someone else has said without quoting their exact words.
Key Features:
- Does not use quotation marks.
- Often involves changes in pronouns, verb tenses, and time expressions.
Tense Changes:
- Present Simple → Past Simple (e.g., "She says" → "She said")
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous (e.g., "He is studying" → "He was studying")
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect (e.g., "They have finished" → "They had finished")
- Will → Would (e.g., "I will go" → "He said he would go")
Pronoun Changes:
- First and second-person pronouns change to third-person (e.g., "I" → "he/she", "you" → "they").
Time Expressions:
- Now → Then
- Today → That day
- Tomorrow → The next day
- Yesterday → The day before
Types of Reported Speech:
1. Statements:
  - Direct: "I am happy."
  - Reported: She said (that) she was happy.
2. Questions:
  - Direct: "Are you coming?"
  - Reported: He asked if I was coming.
3. Requests/Commands:
  - Direct: "Please close the door."
  - Reported: She asked me to close the door.
Punctuation:
- No quotation marks used in reported speech.
- Use conjunction "that" often (but it's optional).
Common Verbs Used in Reported Speech: say, tell, ask, suggest, advise.
Exceptions:
- If the reporting verb is in the present tense, the original tense remains unchanged (e.g., "She says she is happy.").
Practice Tips:
- Convert direct speech sentences to reported speech.
- Pay attention to context for accurate pronoun and tense changes.

Definition of Reported Speech

Reported speech conveys someone's words without quoting directly.
Commonly referred to as indirect speech.

Key Features

No quotation marks are used to denote reported speech.
Requires adjustments in pronouns, verb tenses, and time expressions.

Tense Changes

Present Simple changes to Past Simple (e.g., "She says" → "She said").
Present Continuous changes to Past Continuous (e.g., "He is studying" → "He was studying").
Present Perfect adapts to Past Perfect (e.g., "They have finished" → "They had finished").
"Will" transforms to "would" (e.g., "I will go" → "He said he would go").

Pronoun Changes

First-person and second-person pronouns convert to third-person (e.g., "I" becomes "he/she", "you" becomes "they").

Time Expressions

"Now" is converted to "then".
"Today" changes to "that day".
"Tomorrow" shifts to "the next day".
"Yesterday" becomes "the day before".

Types of Reported Speech

Statements: Expressed directly as "I am happy." becomes "She said (that) she was happy."
Questions: Direct question "Are you coming?" reported as "He asked if I was coming."
Requests/Commands: From "Please close the door." to "She asked me to close the door."

Punctuation

Quotation marks are absent in reported speech.
The conjunction "that" is often used, though it remains optional.

Common Verbs in Reported Speech

Frequently used verbs include say, tell, ask, suggest, and advise.

Exceptions

When the reporting verb is in the present tense, the original tense is not altered (e.g., "She says she is happy.").

Practice Tips

Convert sentences from direct to reported speech for better understanding.
Attend closely to context to ensure correct pronoun and tense transformations.

Description

This quiz covers the fundamentals of reported speech, including definitions and key features. Learn about tense changes, pronoun alterations, and time expression modifications necessary for converting direct speech into reported speech. Test your understanding of the various types and rules associated with this grammar concept.