Reported Speech Structure Quiz

Reported Speech Structure

• Reported speech relays someone else's words without duplicating the exact phrasing.
• Tense shifts reflect the difference between the original speaker's time and the reporter's.
• Common reporting verbs include: said, told, asked, inquired, exclaimed, commented, suggested, wondered, etc.
• Adapt the reported statement to match the original context's time and situation.

Simple Statements

• Reported statements change to earlier tenses.
• If the reporting verb is past tense, the verb within the reported statement uses past tense or past perfect tense, depending on the original statement and maintaining consistency.
• Example: "I eat pizza" becomes "She said she ate pizza."
• Example: "I had eaten pizza" becomes "She said she had eaten pizza."

Questions

• Yes/no questions turn into indirect questions using auxiliary verbs like "did," "would," or "could."
• Example: "Are you happy?" becomes "He asked if I was happy."
• Example: "Would you like to come?" becomes "She inquired if I would like to come."
• Wh-questions keep their initial word (like where, why, when) and adapt the tense.
• Example: "Where are you going?" becomes "She asked where I was going."
• Example: "Who is your favorite musician?" becomes "She asked who my favorite musician was."

Commands and Requests

• Commands and requests use "told" or "asked" as reporting verbs.
• The reported verb changes to infinitive form, followed by "to."
• Example: "Close the door" becomes "She told me to close the door."
• Example: "Please help me" becomes "She asked me to help her."

Reported Speech Exercises

• Exercise 1: Transform from direct to reported speech:

  • "I am going to the cinema" becomes "He said he was going to the cinema."
  • "I have finished my homework" becomes "She said she had finished her homework."

• Exercise 2: Transform from direct to reported speech:

  • "Are you coming with us?" becomes "He asked if I was coming with them."
  • "Where was he?" becomes "She asked where he was."

• Exercise 3: Transform from direct to reported speech:

  • "Please, help me with this" becomes "He asked me to help him with that."
  • "Don't forget your book" becomes "She told me not to forget my book."

Further Considerations

• Time expressions: Update time words to align with the reported time (e.g., "today" to "that day," "tomorrow" to "the next day").
• Pronouns: Adjust pronouns to fit the context of the report (e.g., "I" to "he/she/we").
• Adverbs of place: Modify place words to reflect the reported situation.

Complex Sentences

• Complex sentences in reported speech adjust tense in a way that preserves the meaning of the original speaker.
• Changes depend on the original tense of subordinate clauses within the complex sentence.

Additional Reporting Verbs

• Different reporting verbs impact the tone/meaning:
  • "advise" (suggesting)
  • "promise" (showing agreement)
  • "warn" (indicating caution)

Common Mistakes

• Missing tense changes
• Incorrect use of reporting verbs
• Misunderstanding the link between direct and reported speech

Conclusion

• Mastering reported speech improves communication by allowing precise and accurate narration.

Test your understanding of reported speech structures with this quiz. You will explore how to change tenses and reporting verbs when conveying what someone else has said. Improve your grasp of grammar rules related to reported speech in simple statements.