Understanding Reported Speech

• Reported speech conveys what someone else said without using their exact words and is also known as indirect speech.

Two Types of Speech

• Direct Speech: Uses the speaker's exact words enclosed in quotation marks, e.g., "I'm going to the library," she said.
• Reported Speech: Reports what was said, often with changes to pronouns, verb tenses, and time expressions, e.g., She said that she was going to the library.

Why Use Reported Speech?

• It is used to summarize conversations
• It avoids excessive quotation marks
• It focuses on the overall message rather than exact wording

Key Changes in Reported Speech

• Pronouns change
  • "I" changes to "he" or "she"
  • "My" changes to "his" or "her"
  • "You" changes to "I," "he," "she," etc., depending on context
• Verb tenses change
  • Present simple changes to past simple
  • Present continuous changes to past continuous
  • Past simple changes to past perfect
  • Other tense changes may also occur
• Time expressions change
  • "Now" changes to "then"
  • "Today" changes to "that day"
  • "Yesterday" changes to "the day before"
  • "Tomorrow" changes to "the next day"

Example of Direct to Reported Speech

• Direct: He said, "I am happy to be here today."
• Reported: He said that he was happy to be there that day.

Important Notes

• The word "that" is optional in reported speech.
• Tense changes aren't always needed, like if the reporting verb is in the present tense.
• Reporting verbs include "said," "told," "asked," and "explained."

Direct vs. Reported Speech Review

• Direct Speech uses quotation marks to show the speaker's exact words: "I love pizza," she exclaimed.
• Reported Speech conveys what was said without quotation marks, often altering pronouns, tenses, and time expressions: She exclaimed that she loved pizza.

Pronoun Changes

• I becomes he/she: "I'm tired," he said becomes He said he was tired.
• My becomes his/her: "My book is new," she said becomes She said her book was new.
• You becomes I/he/she/they: "You're late," he told me becomes He told me he was late.
• We becomes they/we: "We went to the park," they said becomes They said they had gone to the park.

Tense Changes (Backshifting)

• Present Simple becomes Past Simple: "I like cats," she said becomes She said she liked cats.
• Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous: "I am reading," he said becomes He said he was reading.
• Past Simple becomes Past Perfect: "I saw the movie," she said becomes She said she had seen the movie.
• Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect: "I have finished," he said becomes He said he had finished.
• Past Continuous becomes Past Perfect Continuous: "I was walking," she said becomes She said she had been walking.
• Future Simple (will) becomes Conditional (would): "I will go," he said becomes He said he would go.
• Can becomes Could: "I can swim," she said becomes She said she could swim.
• May becomes Might: "I may be late," he said becomes He said he might be late.

Time and Place Expressions

• Now becomes Then: "I'm busy now," she said becomes She said she was busy then.
• Today becomes That day: "I'm going today," he said becomes He said he was going that day.
• Yesterday becomes The day before: "I saw him yesterday," she said becomes She said she had seen him the day before.
• Tomorrow becomes The next day: "I'll call tomorrow," he said becomes He said he would call the next day.
• Here becomes There: "I live here," she said becomes She said she lived there.
• This/These becomes That/Those: "I want this book," she said becomes She said she wanted that book.
• Ago becomes Before: "I saw him a week ago," she said becomes She said she had seen him a week before.

Reporting Verbs for General Statements

• Use said, told, stated, or remarked

Reporting Verbs for Questions

• Use asked, inquired, or questioned

Reporting Verbs for Commands/Requests

• Use told, ordered, requested, or advised

Reporting Verbs for Exclamations

• Use exclaimed, shouted, or cried

Special Cases of Reported Speech

• No Tense Change: If the reporting verb is in the present simple (says, tells) or present perfect (has said), the tense in the reported speech usually doesn't change.
  • Example: He says, "I am happy" becomes He says he is happy.
• Universal Truths: Tenses don't change for universal truths.
  • Example: "The sun rises in the east," she said becomes She said the sun rises in the east.

Practice Examples

• Direct Speech Example: Direct: "I have been working hard," he said.
• Question Examples
  • Direct: "Where is the station?" she asked.
  • Direct: "Please help me," he requested.

Advanced Level Reporting Verbs

• Asserting: claimed, maintained, insisted, argued
• Suggesting: suggested, recommended, proposed
• Denying: denied, refuted
• Promising: promised, vowed
• Admitting: admitted, confessed
• Explaining: explained, clarified
• Ordering/Requesting: ordered, commanded, requested, begged, advised
• Example: "I didn't do it!" he insisted. → He insisted that he hadn't done it (emphasis on his strong denial).

Reporting Questions

• Yes/No Questions: Use "if" or "whether."
  • "Did you see the game?" she asked becomes She asked if/whether I had seen the game.
• Wh- Questions: Use the same question word.
  • "Where are you going?" he asked becomes He asked where I was going.
• Embedded Questions: No change is needed as it's already a reported question within the direct speech.
  • "I wonder where she went," he said.

Reporting Commands and Requests

• Use "tell" + infinitive
  • "Close the door," he said becomes He told me to close the door.
  • Use other verbs like ordered, commanded, requested, begged, advised, warned,
  • "Please help me," she begged becomes She begged me to help her.
• For negative commands, use "not to"
  • "Don't be late," he said becomes He told me not to be late.

Reporting Exclamations

• Use verbs expressing strong emotion: exclaimed, shouted, cried, gasped, etc
  • "Oh no!" she cried. → She cried that something terrible had happened; this often requires paraphrasing
• Interjections are often omitted or incorporated into the reporting verb
  • "Wow, that's amazing!" he said. → He exclaimed that it was amazing.

Reporting Conditional Sentences

• Type 1 (Real): Often changes from "will" to "would."
  • "If I see her, I will tell her," he said becomes He said that if he saw her, he would tell her.
• Type 2 (Unreal Present): Often changes from "would" to "would have."
  • "If I had a million dollars, I would travel the world," she said becomes She said that if she had had a million dollars, she would have traveled the world.
• Type 3 (Unreal Past): No change is usually needed
  • "If I had studied, I would have passed," he said becomes He said that if he had studied, he would have passed.

Reporting Infinitives and Gerunds

• Infinitive: No change.
  • "I want to go," she said becomes She said she wanted to go.
• Gerund: No change.
  • "I enjoy swimming," he said becomes He said he enjoyed swimming.
• Reporting verbs with gerunds include admitted, denied, suggested, and recommended
  • "I didn't steal it," he denied becomes He denied stealing it.

Less Common Scenarios

• Formal Reports: Often use the passive voice
  • "The suspect was seen leaving the scene," the witness becomes It was reported that the suspect had been seen leaving the scene.
• Emphasis: Sometimes, backshifting isn't necessary for emphasis or clarity
  • "I did see him," she said becomes She insisted that she did see him.
• Mixed Tenses: Be careful with complex sentences containing multiple tenses and apply the rules systematically

Reporting Verbs – Subtle Differences

• Nuance: The choice of reporting verb is crucial.
  • Said: Neutral reporting.
  • Told: Implies a listener.
  • Explained: Provides clarification.
  • Suggested: Offers a proposal.
  • Complained: Expresses dissatisfaction.
  • Warned: Alerts of potential danger.
  • Accused: Implies wrongdoing.
  • Admitted: Confesses to something.

Reporting Speech with Different Structures

• Imperatives (Commands/Requests):
  • Positive: "Close the door," he said becomes He told me to close the door (infinitive).
  • Negative: "Don't touch that," she said becomes She told me not to touch that (not + infinitive).
  • Polite Requests: "Could you help me?" he asked becomes He asked me if I could help him (modal verb change).
• Exclamations:
  • "Oh dear!" she cried becomes She exclaimed in dismay (paraphrasing).
  • "How wonderful!" he said becomes He expressed his delight (paraphrasing).
• Statements:
  • With emphasis: "I did see him!" she insisted becomes She insisted that she had seen him (maintain emphasis).
  • With reason: "I'm tired because I worked all night," he said becomes He explained that he was tired because he had worked all night (maintain logical connection).

Time and Place – Relative Terms

• Flexibility: "today", "yesterday", etc. are kept if the context is clear
  • "I'll see you tomorrow," she said yesterday, becomes She said she would see me tomorrow if the reporting is soon after.
• "Ago" vs. "Before": "I saw him a week ago," she said becomes She said she had seen him a week before or She said she had seen him the previous week (before is often preferred with past perfect).

Conditional Sentences – Nuances

• Mixed Conditionals combine different types and the mixed structure is maintained in reported speech.
  • "If I had studied harder (Type 3), I would have a better job now (Type 2)," he said becomes He said that if he had studied harder, he would have a better job then.
• Zero Conditional (Facts): There is often no change, as it's a general truth.
  • "If you heat water, it boils," she said becomes She said that if you heat water, it boils.

Reporting Verbs + Prepositions/Adverbs

• Some verbs require specific prepositions or adverbs
  • Accused (someone) of (something): "You stole my wallet!" she accused becomes She accused me of stealing her wallet.
  • Blamed (someone) for (something): "You're responsible for this!" he blamed becomes He blamed me for it.
  • Insisted on (something): "I must have the money," he insisted becomes He insisted on having the money.
  • Apologized for (something): "I'm sorry I'm late," she apologized becomes She apologized for being late.

Formal vs. Informal Reporting

• Formal: Often uses passive voice and more complex sentence structures.
  • "The witness saw the suspect," the officer reported, becomes It was reported that the suspect had been seen by the witness.
• Informal: More direct and simpler language
  • "I'm going to the store," he said becomes He said he was going to the store.

Reporting Thoughts and Feelings

• Internal monologue: "I'm so tired," she thought becomes She thought (to herself) that she was very tired.
• Indirect thought: "I wonder where he is," she said becomes She wondered where he was (no change needed - already embedded).

Key points for converting Direct to Reported Speech

• Use "if" or "whether" for yes/no questions, and the same question word for wh- questions.
• Remember backshifting rules where past simple often becomes past perfect.
• Time expressions like "tonight" and "yesterday" often change to "that night" and "the previous day" but context allows flexibility.
• Pay attention to the nuances of reporting verbs as "requested" is more formal than "asked."
• Paraphrase exclamations to convey the emotion.
• No tense change is usually needed in the reported clause with a present reporting verb.
• Time references can be relative, and "yesterday" might not change if the reporting is very soon after the original statement.