Reported Speech Rules and Tenses

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Questions and Answers

Which transformation is correct for the sentence 'He says he likes cats.'?

He said he likes cats.

He said he likes cat.

He said he like cats.

He said he liked cats. (correct)

What is the correct reported speech for the question 'Did you go?'?

He asked did I go.

He asked whether I go.

He asked if I had gone. (correct)

He asked if I gone.

In reported speech, how is 'She is going to the party.' transformed?

She said she is going to party.

She said she will go to the party.

She said she would go to the party. (correct)

She said she was going to the party.

What happens to the sentence 'He has finished.' in reported speech?

He said he had finished. Signup and view all the answers

How is the verb form changed when transforming 'She's saying she's watching a movie.'?

She said she was watching a movie. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a common reporting verb used in reported speech?

Say Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is the correct transformation for the question 'Where is the bakery?'?

She asked where the bakery was. Signup and view all the answers

What tense change occurs for 'He said he went to the store.' in context where the action was completed before another event?

He said he had gone to the store. Signup and view all the answers

What tense change occurs when converting 'I am studying.' into reported speech?

Present continuous to past continuous Signup and view all the answers

How does the pronoun change in the sentence 'I love you.' when converted to reported speech?

Changes to 'she loves me.' Signup and view all the answers

Which reporting verb is suitable for conveying a declaration in reported speech?

State Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct conversion for the question 'Are you coming?' in reported speech?

She asked if I was coming. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best illustrates how the future tense changes in reported speech?

They said they would finish it the next day. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of reported speech?

To recount what someone else said without quoting them. Signup and view all the answers

When changing the pronouns in reported speech, what is a common adjustment for the speaker's perspective?

Changing the pronouns based on the relation between the speaker, listener, and reporter. Signup and view all the answers

How does the tense change for an action reported in the past simple?

It becomes the past perfect. Signup and view all the answers

In reported speech, how is a yes/no question typically transformed?

It is transformed into a statement without a question mark. Signup and view all the answers

Which reporting verb implies an assertion rather than asking or commanding?

Say Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the tense when transforming 'I will go to the store.' into reported speech?

It changes to 'I would go to the store.' Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following sentences accurately reflects a conversion of direct speech to reported speech?

'They said, We are going home.' becomes 'They said they were going home.' Signup and view all the answers

In converting the question 'What did she say?' to reported speech, how is it structured?

It becomes 'He asked what she said.' Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Reported Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of expressing what someone else said without directly quoting them.
It involves changing the original sentence's tense, pronouns, and other elements to fit the reporting context.
The original statement or question needs to accurately reflect the speaker's intent.

Conversion Rules

The tense of the reported verb typically changes depending on the time frame of the original statement.
If the original statement is about a past event, the tense of the reporting verb often changes to reflect this.

Tense Changes

Present Simple to Past Simple: "He says he likes cats." (Original: Present Simple) becomes "He said he liked cats." (Reported: Past Simple).
Present Continuous to Past Continuous: "She's saying she's watching a movie." becomes "She said she was watching a movie."
Past Simple to Past Perfect: "He said he went to the store." becomes "He said he had gone to the store." (If the action in the past was completed before another action in the past).
Past Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous: "She said she was working when he called." becomes "She said she had been working when he called." (If the action in the past was ongoing).
Present Perfect to Past Perfect: "He says he has finished." becomes "He said he had finished."
Past Perfect to Past Perfect: "He said he had eaten." remains "He said that he had eaten."
Future (will) to Conditional (would): "He says he will go tomorrow." becomes "He said he would go tomorrow."
Future (going to) to Conditional (was/were going to): "She says she is going to the party." becomes "She said she was going to the party."

Questions In Reported Speech

Yes/No Questions: The auxiliary verb is placed before the subject and the question word "if" or "whether" is used: "Did you go?" becomes "He asked if/whether I had gone."
Wh- Questions: The question word (who, what, when, where, why, how) is usually placed front and center and the tense changes apply as in other cases: "Where is the bakery?" becomes "She asked where the bakery was."

Common Reporting Verbs

Say: The most common way to introduce reported speech. "He said he was tired."
Tell: Used when someone is addressed directly: "She told me her story."
Ask: Used in cases of posed questions: "He asked me if I had seen the movie."
Explain: "He explained that he was late."
Inquire: "She inquired about the pricing."
Comment: "He commented that the weather was nice."
Suggest: "He suggested we go to the park."
Advise: "She advised me to take the bus."
Request: "He requested that we leave."
Inform: "They informed me of the update."
Warn: "He warned me about the dangers."

Pronoun Changes in Reported Speech

Pronouns need to reflect the reported statement's context. For example, "I am going" becomes "He said he was going."

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Description

This quiz focuses on reported speech, also known as indirect speech, exploring its conversion rules and tense changes. Learn how to accurately change tenses and pronouns when reporting what others have said. Test your understanding of the structures and nuances involved in reported speech.