INDIRECT Reported

8/10/2019 INDIRECT Reported

1/17

INDIRECT

QUESTIONS


2/17

Consider the following situation:

You are talking to a man at a meetingthat you have never met. However,

you know his name and also that this

man knows a colleague named Jack.You turn to him and ask:

Where is Jack?

This question is not very friendly...


3/17

Indirect Phrases

1) Can you tell me

2) Could you tell me

3) I'd be interested to hear

4) I'd like to know

5) Would you mind telling me


4/17

Here's how to do it:

Introductory phrase +question word (or if) +positive sentence


5/17

Examples:

Where is Jack?

I was wondering if you know where

Jack is?

When does Alice usually arrive?Do you know when Alice usually

arrives?


6/17

Example

"Can you tell me what you like

most about your present job?

Can you tell me what do you

like?"


7/17

Direct question:What is he doing?

Indirect question:

Do you know what he isdoing?


8/17

Reported speech


9/17

Backshift of tenses

from to

Simple Present Simple Past

Simple Past

Past PerfectPresent Perfect

Past Perfect

will would

Progressive forms

am/are/is was/were

was/were

had beenhas been

had been


10/17

Backshift of tenses

from to

Peter: "I workin the garden." Peter said that he workedin thegarden.

Peter: "I workedin the garden."

Peter said that he had workedin the

garden.

Peter: "I have workedin the

garden."

Peter: "I had workedin the garden."

Peter: "I will workin the garden."Peter said that he would workin the

garden.

Peter: "I can workin the garden."Peter said that he could workin the

garden.

Peter: "I may workin the garden."Peter said that he might workin the

garden.

Peter: "I would workin the garden."

(could, might, should, ought to)

Peter: "I would workin the garden."

(could, might, should, ought to)


11/17

Progressive formsPeter: "I'm workingin the

garden."

Peter said that he was workingin

the garden.

Peter: "I was workingin the

garden."

Peter said that he had been

workingin the garden.

Peter: "I have been workingin

the garden."

Peter: "I had been workingin

the garden.


12/17

Direct speech Reported speech

present simpleI am happyI sleep

past simpleHe said he was happyHe said he slept

present continuosI am feeling happyI am sleeping

past continuosHe said he was feeling happyHe said he was sleeping

past simpleI was happyI slept

past perfectHe said he had been happyHe said he had slept

present perfectI have been happyI have slept

past perfectHe said he had been happyHe said he had slept

present perfect continuosI have been feeling happyI have been sleeping

past perfect continuosHe said he had been feeling happyHe said he had been sleeping

futureI will be happyI will sleep

simple conditionalHe said he would be happyHe said he would sleep

future perfectI will have been happyI will have sleep

simple conditional perfectHe said he would have been happyHe said he would have slept


13/17

positive imperativeShut up!

tell + infinitiveHe told me to shut up.

negative imperativeDon't do that again!

tell + not + infinitiveHe told me not to do it again.

imperatives as requestsPlease give me somemoney.

ask + infinitiveHe asked me to give him somemoney.


14/17

Direct speech Reported speech

CAN

I can sleep

COULD

He said he could sleep

MAYI may sleep

MIGHTHe said he might sleep

WILLI will sleep

WOULDHe said he would sleep

MUSTI must sleep HAD TOHe said he had to sleep


15/17

If h i i f i h i


16/17

If the sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it as

well.

Peter: "I worked in the garden yesterday."

Peter said that he had worked in the garden the day before.

Shifting of expressions of time

this (evening)that (evening)

today/this day that daythese (days) those (days)

now then

(a week) ago (a week) before

last weekendthe weekend before /

the previous weekendhere there

next (week) the following (week)

tomorrow the next/following day


17/17

nowthen

at that moment

Tonight That night

today that day

here there

this that

this week that week

tomorrow

the following day

the next day

the day after

next week

the following

weekthe next week

the week after

yesterdaythe previous day

the day before

last weekthe previous week

the week before

ago previouslybefore

2 weeks ago2 weeks previously

2 weeks before

tonight that night

Last night The night before

last Saturdaythe previous Saturday

the Saturday before

Next year The year after

next Saturday

the following Saturday

the next Saturday

the Saturday after

that Saturday

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