Reported Speech Quiz

Reported Speech

• Definition: Reported speech (or indirect speech) is a way to express what someone else has said without quoting their exact words.

• Key Features:

  • Changes the original speaker's words into a statement.
  • Uses a reporting verb (e.g., say, tell, ask).

• Tense Changes:

  • Present Simple → Past Simple (e.g., "She says, 'I am happy.'" → She said she was happy.)
  • Present Continuous → Past Continuous (e.g., "He says, 'I am eating.'" → He said he was eating.)
  • Present Perfect → Past Perfect (e.g., "They say, 'We have finished.'" → They said they had finished.)
  • Future Simple → Conditional (e.g., "I will go." → She said she would go.)

• Pronoun Changes:

  • Adjust pronouns to match the perspective of the reporter (e.g., "I" becomes "he/she").

• Time and Place Changes:

  • Present time indicators change (e.g., "now" → "then," "today" → "that day").
  • Place indicators are also adjusted (e.g., "here" → "there").

• Negative Statements:

  • Formed by adding "not" after the reporting verb (e.g., "He said he was not coming.")

• Questions:

  • Reported questions do not use question marks and the structure changes to a statement form.
  • Use "if" or "whether" for yes/no questions (e.g., "Do you like it?" → He asked if I liked it).
  • Wh- questions retain the question word (e.g., "What are you doing?" → She asked what I was doing).

• Commands and Requests:

  • Usually begins with "ask" or "tell" (e.g., "Please sit down." → He asked me to sit down).

• Common Reporting Verbs: say, tell, ask, suggest, explain, advise, warn.

• Practice Examples:

  • Direct: "I can swim." → Reported: She said she could swim.
  • Direct: "Don't touch that!" → Reported: He warned me not to touch that.

• Exceptions:

  • Sometimes, no tense change occurs if the reporting verb is in the present (e.g., "He says he is happy.").

Reported Speech Overview

• Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, conveys what someone has said without quoting their exact words.
• Utilizes a reporting verb to convey the action of speaking (e.g., say, tell, ask).

Key Features

• Converts the speaker's words into a statement format.

Tense Changes

• Present Simple changes to Past Simple:
  • Example: "She says, 'I am happy.'" becomes "She said she was happy."
• Present Continuous shifts to Past Continuous:
  • Example: "He says, 'I am eating.'" becomes "He said he was eating."
• Present Perfect transforms to Past Perfect:
  • Example: "They say, 'We have finished.'" becomes "They said they had finished."
• Future Simple changes to Conditional:
  • Example: "I will go." becomes "She said she would go."

Pronoun Changes

• Adjust pronouns according to the reporter's perspective (e.g., "I" changes to "he/she").

Time and Place Changes

• Time indicators are adjusted:
  • "now" becomes "then"
  • "today" becomes "that day"
• Place indicators are modified accordingly (e.g., "here" becomes "there").

Negative Statements

• Formed by adding "not" after the reporting verb:
  • Example: "He said he was not coming."

Reported Questions

• Reported questions abandon question marks and reform as statements.
• Yes/no questions use "if" or "whether":
  • Example: "Do you like it?" transforms to "He asked if I liked it."
• Wh- questions retain the question word:
  • Example: "What are you doing?" becomes "She asked what I was doing."

Commands and Requests

• Typically initiated with "ask" or "tell":
  • Example: "Please sit down." transforms to "He asked me to sit down."

Common Reporting Verbs

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

Practice Examples

• Direct: "I can swim." → Reported: "She said she could swim."
• Direct: "Don't touch that!" → Reported: "He warned me not to touch that."

Exceptions

• Occasionally, if the reporting verb is in the present tense, no tense change is necessary:
  • Example: "He says he is happy." remains unchanged.