Reported Speech Quiz

Study Notes

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.

Description

Test your knowledge on reported speech. This quiz covers the definition, key features, tense and pronoun changes, and time indicators necessary for mastering indirect speech. Perfect for students looking to enhance their understanding of English grammar.