92
Diana had a meeting yesterday. Today, Diana met Alison. Alison
asked her what they ha d said. Diana to ld her that they would use
her plans.
• Direct Speech is the exact words someone said. We use quotation
marks (' ') in direct speech. e.g. 'I'm very tired,' /v1ary
said.
/ ' --' / ... ~ ."-~ .... - -
We use the verb say: • both in direct and reported speech without
the preposition to when it is not followed by the person
being spoken to. e.g. Jerry said, "need some money. ' Jerry said
(that) he needed some money.
• both in direct and reported speech with the preposition to when
it is followed by the person being spoken to. e.g. Jerry said to
me, "need some money. ' Jerry said to me (that) he needed some
money.
• in expressions such as: say good morning/afternoon, etc., say
something, say one's prayers, say so, etc.
We use the verb ten without the preposition to: both in direct and
reported speech when it is followed by the person we are talking
to. e.g. Jerry told me, '/ need some money.' Jerry told me (that)
he needed some money. (NOT: deff'y' ffiieJ k3 m& fRat he ... )
in expressions such as: tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a secret,
tell a story, tell the time, tell the difference, tell sb one's
name, tell sb the way, tell one from another, etc.
Fill in the gaps with say or tell in the correct tense.
A Richard (1) '" t old ... Sarah that he was having a party on
Saturday night. He (2) ........ .. ...... .. ........ . .. that it
would start early but it would finish quite late. He (3) .... ....
.......... ........... her to bring her sister along as well. Sarah
(4) .......... .... ........ she was look- ing forward to going.
Richard (5) ........ .. .... .. .. ..... .. her he would probably
call again on Friday to (6) ............ .. ........ ....... her
the way to his house.
B 'What shall we do?' asked Carrie. 'It's raining ou side, so let's
watch television,' I (1) .. .. .. .. .. ... ......... . I turned on
the television and Carrie (2) ............... .. . to me, 'Look!
That's my favourite programme. Let' watch it. ' 'To (3)
............................. you the truth , don't like it,' I (4)
........ ..................... .
C 'Good morning, Mr Pearson,' (1) .. ..... .. ...... .. .. Sell,
'Good morning, Sella,' he replied. 'I've got lots ( letters for you
to type today,' he (2) .. .......... .. ...... .. .. to her.
'Alright,' Sella (3) .. .. ..... ... .... .. ....... ..... 'I'll
typ them after I finish writing this report for you.'
I'm having a great time. I really like their new house.
~:E!Jr:"
Yesterday, the Johnsons and the Smiths had a barbecue together.
What did Laura say to Jim? What did Ed say to Celia?
The hot dogs are delicious. You're a great cook.
Laura told Jim that the hot dogs were delicious and that he was a
great cook. Ed told Celia that he was having a great time and that
he really liked their new house.
V When we report statements (that is, a positive or negative
sentence), we use the verbs 'say' or 'tell' to introduce the
statement. Pronouns and possessive adjectives change according to
the meaning. e.g. Sop hie said, 'I bought a new camera yesterday.
'
Sophie said (that) she had bought a new camera the day
before.
t> When the introductory verb is in the past simple, the verb
tenses change as follows:
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Present Simple Past Simple 'I want to find a better job,' he said.
He said he wanted to find a better job.
Present Continuous Past Continuous 'They're playing table tennis,'
he said. He said they were playing table tennis.
Present Perfect Past Perfect 'I've ordered a new fridge, ' she
said. She said she had ordered a new fridge.
Past Simple Past Perfect 'Jack left the country,' they said. They
said Jack had left the country.
Future (will) Conditional (would) 'f'J1 send you a letter,' he
said. He said he would send me a letter.
Certain words and time expressions change as follows:
Direct Speech
yesterday, last night/week/month/year, etc.
tomorrow, next week/month/year, etc.
two days/months/years, etc. ago
--- - - ---- - - -
that night, that day, that week/month/year, etc. then, at that
time, at once, immediately
the day before/the previous day, the previous
night/week/month/year, etc., the night/week/month/year, etc.
before
the day after/the following /next day, the next/following
week/month/year, etc.
two days/months/years etc. before
that, those/the/some there go
94
When the introductory verb is in the present, future or present
perfect simple or when the sentence expresses something which is
always true (general truth), there are no changes in the verb
tenses in reported speech.
Direct speech: Reported speech:
She says, 'I don't like him.' I 'It is cold in the Arctic,' said
the teacher. She says (that) she doesn't like him. The teacher said
(that) it is cold in the Arctic.
+ The past continuous, past perfect simple and past perfect
continuous do not change in reported speech.
Direct speech: 'I was watching 1V while she was cooking,' he said.
Reported speech: He said (that) he was watching TV while she was
cooking.
• Certain modal verbs do not change in reported speech. These are
WQuld, could, might, should and ought to.
Direct speech: 'I could run fast when I was young,' Tom said.
Reported speech: Tom said (that) he could run fast when he was
young.
Fill in the gaps with the correct pronouns or possessive
adjectives.
1 Mary said, 'I want to go out with my friends.' Mary said (that)
... e;he... wanted to go out with ... her .. . friends.
2 Tom said, 'I have lost my keys.' Tom said (that) .... .........
.. .. .... had lost ..... .. .. : ........... . keys.
3 Bob and Marie said, 'We are taking our dog for a walk.' Bob and
Marie said (that).. .. ........... were taking ...... .. ...... .
dog for a walk.
4 Andrew said, 'My sister is coming to visit me next week.' Andrew
said (that) ............... sister was going to visit
............... the following week.
5 Mr Jones said, 'I need to buy a present for my wife.' Mr Jones
said (that) ............... needed to buy a present for .... ....
.. .. ... wife.
6 Father said, ') want you to wash my car for me.' Father said
(that) ..... ........ .. wanted .... .. .. .. ..... to wash
........... .... car for ............... .
Turn from direct into reported speech.
1 ') can 't find my bag,' she said. She said (t hat) she couldn't
find her bag.
2 'They are working in the garden,' he said.
3 'We got married six months ago,' she said to us.
4 'I'll go shopping tomorrow,' he said.
5 'I bought a new car last week,' he said.
6 'We aren't dOing anything next week,' they said.
7 'I can't go out tonight,' she said to me.
8 'I forgot to pay the bill,' he said.
9 'We've brought you a present,' she said to me.
10 'I 'll phone you tomorrow,' she said to Peter.
In which of the following sentences d<t1) the tenses not change?
Why? Then, tuna the following statements from directl into reported
speech.
1 'I' ll paint the house next week,' he says. Tene;e£5 do not
change becau£5e the Introductory verb ;£5 in the present £5jmple.
He £5aye; (that) he will paint the hou£5e .
2 'I've put the washing in the washing-machine,' Rose said.
3 'A giraffe is bigger than a mouse,' he said.
4 'We haven't seen Tom for two weeks,' she said.
5 'I haven't phoned my uncle since last month,' she says.
6 'Birds can fly,' the student said.
7 'He's studying for an exam now,' she said.
8 'Leaves fall from the trees in autumn,' he said .
9 'We visited the circus last weekend,' they said.
10 'She dropped the vase on the floor,' Tony said.
11 'He took the money to the bank this morning,' she said.
' \
Yesterday, Mary went to the doctor's.
The doctor asked Mary how often she exercised. She also asked her
if/whether she drank milk.
We introduce reported questions with a.k or want to know. In
reported questions, the verb is in the affirm ative and the
question mark is omitted. Verb tenses, pronouns and time
expressions change as in statements. e.g. 'Are you working tomorrow
morning?' Paul
asked her. Paul asked her if she was working the next
morning.
When the direct question begins with a questkm word (who, where,
how, when, why, what, etc.), then the reported question begins with
the same question word. e.g. 'Why are you late?' Mother asked
me.
Mother asked me why I was late.
When the direct question begins with an auxi ... lary (is, do,
have, etc.) or a modal verb (can, may, etc.), then the reported
question begins with if or whether. e.g. 'Can you speak French?'
they asked me.
They asked me if/whether I could speak French.
~~~- . ... -. _ ... -
1 'How old are you?' he asked me. He asked me how old J wae;,
2 'When will you call me?' she asked George.
3 She asked, 'Can you play the piano?'
4 He asked, 'Who's there?'
5 'Do you like fish?' she asked Jonathan.
6 'What have you done today?' Mother asked.
7 Jim asked, 'Did you go to work yesterday?'
8 'How did you get here?' he asked.
9 'Have you seen my blue jacket anywhere?' she asked.
10 He asked, 'Will you take me to work tomorrow?'
11 She asked, 'Where have you been?'
12 She asked, 'Will they visit us in the summer?'
There has been a fire in a busy area of your town. Read the
reporter's questions and turn them into reported speech.
1 'How did the fire start?' The reporter asked how the fire had
e;tarted.
2 'Who called the fire brigade?' The reporter wanted to know
........ ..... ............... ..... .
3 'Did you ask people to leave the building?' The reporter asked
............................ ...... ............... .
4 'Was anybody injured?' The reporter wanted to know
............... .. .. ....... ...... ..
5 'How many fire-fighters are here now?' The reporter asked
........... ....... .... ............. ........... ... .
6 'Have any of the houses been damaged?' The reporter wanted to
know .. .. ........ ..... ............. .. ..
96
Be careful with the glue. Don 't make a mess.
The teacher suggested making some cards. She asked Ruth to sit
down. She told the children to be careful with the glue. She also
told them not to make a mess.
To report commands or instructions we use the verbs order or tell +
sb + (not) to c infinitive. e.g. 'Give me your money!' he said to
me.
He ordered me to give him my money.
'Don't shoot!' he said to them. He ordered them not to shoot.
'Cut the paper into two pieces, ' she said to me. She told me to
cut the paper into two pieces.
• To report requests, we use the verbs ask or beg + sb + (not) to -
infinitive. The sentence in direct speech usually contains the word
'please'. e.g. 'Listen to me, please, ' Laura said to Bob.
Laura asked Bob to listen to her.
'Please, please don't tell anyone I'm here, ' she said to him. She
begged him not to tell anyone (that) she was there.
To report suggestions, we use the verb suggest + -Ing form. e.g.
'Let's play a game,' Father said to us.
We can/could play a game,' Father said to us. 'Shall we play a
game?' Father said to us. 'How about playing a game?' Father said
to us.
I I
f Father suggested playing a game.
Fill in the gaps with the verbs in the lis,l in the correct
form.
order, tell, ask, beg, suggest
1 'Let's call Brian,' Susan said to me. Susan ... suggested ...
calling Brian.
2 'Don't make any noise,' Mother said to us. Mother .. ...... ....
.. .. ...... .. ... us not to make any noise.
3 'Please stay a little longer,' Kate said to her sister. Kate ....
.... ... ... .... ...... her sister to stay a little longer.
4 'Fire!' the General said to the soldiers. The General ....
........ .... ...... .... ..... the soldiers to fire.
5 'Please, please forgive me,' she said to him. She .... ... .....
.... ......... ...... ...... ........ him to forg ive her.
Turn the following sentences into reported speech.
1 Be carefu l of the glass! The f ire-fighter told them t o be
careful of the glass.
2 Stand back! ........................... ..
....................... .. ..... ... . 3 Bring the light nearer! ..
........ .. .. .. .......... .. .. .. .......... .... . 4 Pass me
an axe! ........ .. ........................ .. ...... .. .. ......
.. . 5 Go to the other side of the plane! .... .............. ..
.... .. ..
Turn from direct into reported sp eecfro,
1 Mary said to me, 'Come with me, please.' Mary asked me to go with
her.
2 The shop assistant said to the child, 'Don't touch
anything.'
3 The secretary said to me, 'Wait here, please.'
4 She said, 'Shall we go swimming?'
5 The park keeper said to them, 'Don't walk on the grass.'
6 He said to them, 'Don't stay out late tonight.'
7 Annie said to Barry, 'Please, please help me.' ..... . .... ..
..... . ... .... .. .. ........ . .... . ..... .... ..... .... .. .
. . ...... .. .. .......
Apart from 'say' and 'tell', there are other introductory verbs
which can be used in reported speech. These verbs give the meaning
of the direct sentence more accurately and are followed by either
the to - infinitive or the '-ing form'. Study the table:
i Introductory Verb : Direct Speech
prOmiSe} refuse + to - inf offer
adViSe} . ask beg + sb + to • inf order warn
suggest + -iog form
'I'll be home early.' 'No, I won't wash the dishes.' 'Can I get you
an aspirin?'
'You should stay in bed.' 'Piease post this letter.' 'Please,
please listen to me.' 'Don't move! ' 'Don't go near the
fire.'
'Let's have some tea: 'Shall we go to Helen's party?'
Choose an introductory verb and turn the following from direct into
reported speech.
advised, asked, ordered, warned, promised, begged, offered,
refused, suggested
1 'I think you should eat more vegetables,' my mother said to me.
My mother advie7ed me to eat more vegetabJee7.
2 'Please get me a glass of water,' he said to Jill.
3 'No, \ won't help you,' she said to Jim.
4 ' \'11 buy you something nice for your birthday,' her mother said
to her.
5 'Don't play near the road because it's dangerous,' he said to
us.
6 'Would you like me to do the shopping?' she said .
7 'Please, please don't leave me alone in the dark, ' she said to
her parents.
8 'How about going to the cinema tonight? ' he said .
9 'Go to bed! ... Now!' his father said to him.
10 'Shall we watch a video?' they said.
Reported Speech
He promised to be home early. He refused to wash the dishes. He
offered to get me an aspirin.
He advised me to stay in bed. He asked me to post the letter. He
begged her to listen to him. He ordered me not to move. He warned
me not to go near the fire.
He suggested having some tea. He suggested going to Helen's
party.
The people in the picture had a meeting yesterday in which they
discussed some business matters. Read their comments and turn them
into reported speech.
1 Tom: 'We should advertise on TV: Tom e7uggee7ted advertie7ing on
TV.
2 Alison: 'I'll help you organise the meeting.'
3 Alex: 'I can give you copies of the plan.'
4 Bob: 'Let's do some research on the subject.'
5 Nick: 'I'll give you all the details next week.'
6 Diana: 'Don't decide until you know the cost.'
97
98
To turn a sentence from reported into direct speech, we follow the
same steps as we do when we turn a sen tence from direct into
reported speech (see page 93), but in reverse order. We also:
put the sentence in quotation marks. • mention the speaker before
or after the direct speech. • put commas before or after the direct
speech. • begin the direct speech with a capital letter. • put a
question mark and not a comma if the direct speech is a question
and the person being spoken
to comes after it.
reported speech: direct speech:
Jack told me that he was leaving the next day. Jack said to me,
'I'm leaving tomorrow.' or 'I'm leaving tomorrow, ' Jack said to
me.
reported speech: direct speech:
The boss asked me if I enjoyed my work. 'Do you enjoy your work?'
the boss asked me. or The boss asked me, 'Do you enjoy your
work?'
Turn the following sentences from reported into direct
speech.
1 Trevor asked me if I had posted the letter. 'Did you post t he
letter?' Trevor asked me.
2 Sarah told me she was looking for a new job.
3 Brian wanted to know what time the train to Leeds left.
4 She said that she didn't like jogging.
5 He said he would be back the following day.
6 He asked how much my new car had cost.
7 I asked Marie if she could do the shopping for me.
8 Jill asked Ray to close the window.
Turn from direct into reported speech or vice versa.
1 'I've finished the h()usework,' she said. She said (that) she had
finished the housework.
2 'Why did you do that?' he asked her.
3 Susie told her mother that Titanic was the best film she had ever
seen.
4 He told them to put the rubbish in the bin.
5 'Please answer the telephone,' he said to her.
6 Alex said that they were going to Hawaii for their
honeymoon.
7 'Are you going out on Saturday night?' Ben asked me.
8 Adam said that he had never ridden a horse before.
9 'We'll go to the circus tomorrow,' said Mother.
10 Mr Carter told them to pick up the paper from the floor.
11 Julia begged her parents to let her go to the party.
12 Greg said , 'Let's have a party on my birthday.'
Turn the underlined sentences from reported into direct
speech.
I met an old friend yesterday. I hadn't seen her for two years. I
asked what she had been doing. We decided to go for a drink. We sat
in a cafe for three hours. We talked about many different things.
She asked me to give her my phone number and she wrote it down.
When we left the cafe, I told her to call me very soon.
'What have you been doing?' I asked her.
Correct the mistakes.
1 He asked me where was the post office. 2 She suggested to visit
the zoo. 3 Mother said, 'You must always say the truth .' 4 The
doctor told me to not exercise a lot. 5 My parents offered giving
me a lift to the railway station. 6 Our teacher said to us that the
test was quite easy. 7 She asked how could she contact me. a He
said that Kate had left the last month. S The old man told good
night and went to bed.
10 Jenny said me, 'I hate Maths.'
Underline the correct word(s).
1 A: Where are you going/do you go? B: To work.
2 A: Did you do/Have you done your homework yet? B: Yes. I was
doing/did it last night.
3 A: Did you paint the house? B: Yes. I did it all by
me/myself.
4 A: Can you get the sugar from the shelf? B: No, I'm not tall
too/enough to reach it.
5 A: Do you still play tennis? B: No, I used to/didn't use to play
every week, but
I don't any more. 6 A: Do I have to go to the shops today?
B: No, you needn't/mustn't. I'll go instead. 7 A: Why are your
clothes all wet?
B: I was washing/have been washing the dog! 8 A: Have you read this
book?
B: Of course. It is written/was written by my aunt! 9 A: Who's that
woman over there?
B: It's the woman whose/who's son is in my class at school.
10 A: Shall/Must we go out tonight? B: Yes. Let's go to the cinema.
A: Okay. I have to/will meet you there at 8 o'clock.
11 A: I need some paper. S: There is some in the drawer who/which
is on
your right. 12 A: Nicola's hair is short now.
..
Tim Stevens, the famous actor, gave a press conference yesterday.
lucy Morton, a young reporter, attended the conference. Read what
TIm Stevens said. Then, in pairs, ask and answer questions, as in
the example.
SA: What did Tim Stevens say? SB: He said that he was very happy to
be in our
country. SA: What else did he say?
1 I'm very happy to be in your country. 2 I have already
been to Venice and Florence.
Lucy is writing an article about Tim Stevens for the magazine she
works for. Complete the article using the information from the Oral
Activity.
~ FAMOUS ACTOR VISITS OUIt COUNTRY 1 '\
~ 1
Tim Stevens, who I'm sure ati fJj iJ6bt know, was here for a short
visit. f was tw;kll enough to attend the press conference he gav~
~esterday . This is what Mr Stevens taM, the r€tfJ6rters. He said
that he was very happy to be it'i. oUr country.
\\" He also said .. .... ................. ...... " ...... . ,
............. .. . )
B. 1. said 2. said
4. said
3. tell
(!{)2 he, his 3 they, their 4 his, him
5 he, his 6 he, me, his, him
4. said
@ 2 He said (that) they were working in the garden. 3 She told us
(that) they had got married six months
before. 4 He said (that) he would go shopping the -rollowing/
next day. S He said (that) he had bought a new car the pre
vious week/the week before. 6 They said (that) they weren't doing
anything the
next/following week. 7 She told me (that) she couldn't go out that
night. 8 He said (that) he had forgotten to pay the bill. 9 She
told me (that) they had brought me a pres
ent 10 She told Peter (that) she would phone him the
following/next day/the day after.
@3, 6, 8 and 12 do not change tense because they are general
truths.
5 does not change because the introductory verb is in the present
simple.
GRAMMARW A Y 2. Express Publishing
5. told 6. tell
@ 2 She asked George when he would call her. 3 She asked if/whether
1 could play tile piano. 4 He asked who was there. 5 She asked
Jonathan if/whether he iiked fish. 6 Mother asked what lrlad done
that day. 7 Jim asked if/whether! had gone to work the pre
vious day/the day before. 8 He asked how I had got there. 9 She
asked if/whether I had seen her blue jacket
anyvvhere. 10 He asked if/whether I would take him to work
the
-[ollowing/next day/the day after. 11 She asked where ! had been.
12 She asked if/whether they would visit us in the
summer.
.~
® 2 who had called the fire brigade. 3 if/whether we/they had asked
people to leave
the build ing. 4 if/whether anyone had been injured. 5 how many
fire-fighters were there then/at that time. 6 if/wllether any of
the houses had been dam-
aged.
-®2 told . 3 asked
4 ordered 5 begged
2 Rose said (that) she had put the washing in the
washing machine. @) 2 The 'fire-'fighter told/ordered "them to
stand back. 3 He said (that) a giraffe is bigger than a mouse. 3
The fi,e-'iigh1er told/ordered them to bring the light 4 She said
(that) they hadn't seen TomJo~--.--~- _ _ _ ---"'J.lj
e*cliJre.(~rr.._------------------
weeks. 5 S;1e says (that) she hasn't phoned her un_cle
since iast month. 6 The student said (that) birds can fly. 7 She
said (that) he was studying for an exam
then/at that time.
lld 8 He said (that) !eaves -10.11 from the trees in
autumn. 9 They said (thal) they had visited the circus the
previous weekend/the weekend before. 10 T ony said (that) she had
dropped the vase on the
floor. 11 She said (that) he had taken the money to the
banK that morning. 12 The teacher said (that) the earth movss
round
the sun.
(2'.) 4 The fire-fighter told/ordered them to pass him an
axe. 5 The fire-fighter told/ordered them to go to the
other side o'f the plane.
® 2 The shop assistant told the child not to touch anything.
3 The secretary asked me to wait the,s. 4 She suggested going
swimming. 5 The park keeper told them not to walk on the
----_. -------
6 7
s 9
He asked·Jil! to get him 8. glass o-r water. She refused to help
Jim. Her mother promised to buy her something nice ·ior her
birthday. He warned us not to play near ·the road because it was
dangerous. She o·flered to do the shoppii~g. She begged her parents
not to leave her alone in the dark. He suggested going to the
cinema that night His -rather ordered him to go to bed at once/
jmr(led~a·teiy .
10 They suggested watching a video.
@ Alison offered to help organise the meeting. 3 Alex oiVered to
give them copies of the plan. 4 Bob suggested doing some (;9search
on the
subject. 5 Nick promised to give them ail the details the
fol
lowing wee!,. 6 Diana warned them not to decide until they
knew
the cost.
®SUg9<=S"ilCl~ 6lIlSW\sTS} 2 Sarah said to me, 'I'm looking for
a new job.' 3 Brian asked, 'What time does the train to Leeds
leave?'
~Ll Jhe said, '; don't like jogging.' 5 'I' ll be bac~( tomoi"m w,'
he said . 6 He asked , ' }-low much did your new car cost?' 7 'Can
you do tile Sllopping for ine, please?'
asked Mafie. 8 Jill said to Roy, 'Please dose the window.'
~,fSliJgj'£i""'$'}"'1'1 ~;"""w'~""~) \,.y\ .~ , : i -.>"\: :~~:
:l:~ --r.- '~. J..,.~ . rJ.~~.~ ~.~ + 2 ~le C~SI<VU j I v i \iv.
Iy ~i le , ;~~d "'-'Iv ,. ':.-t '.. l .al..
3 'Titanic is the best film I've ever seen,' Susie said
to her mother. 4 'Put the rubbish in the bin,' he said to them. 5
He aSKed her to answer the telephone . . {) 'We're going to Hawaii
for our honeymoon,' Aiex
said . 7 Ben asked me if/whether l was going out on
Saturday night. 8 'i've never ridden a horse before,' said Adam. 9
Mother said that we would go to the circus the
"following day. 10 'Pick up the paper from the floor,' Mi" Carter
said
to them . . ; 1 'Please, please let me go to the party,'
julia
asked her parents. 12 Greg suggested having a party 0;, his
birthday.
~ (Sii.i~1i1iieS~~:cJ al;'$W~;'~) ~'Cai~YoU give rne your phon'3
nurnber, ples.se?' sile
asked rne. 'Ca!! me very soon,' j said to 11er.
He asf<ed me wheTS the post office INElS.
She suggested vlsj1iing the zoo. 3 Moiher said, 'You must always
~iSl~ the truth.' cL!_ The doctor told rne il10~ ~{) exercise a lot
5 NJy parents offered !(CI ~h/@ me a lift to the railway
station.
S Our teacher ~'O llD] us that the test was quite easy. 7 She asked
hovv sJ;]19 ©Q~i.d contact me. 8 He said that Kat6 had left ~h@
[O;'@vj©;.ss j'Ji!,Q)J'1Il'J/
~tJs rnorutjj ~e7'Oj"IS. 9 The oid man sai~ good night and we;,-!
to bed.
10 Jenny said ~©l me, 'j hate Maths.'
® Have you done, did 8 was written
3 myself 9 whOSe
5 used to 11 which {) needn't '12 used to
7 have been washing
lU ffi1~t 10 Reported speech 1
We often tell people what other people have told us , This is
called reported or indirect speech. We usually change tenses and
references to people, places and times.
Statements are often repeated immediately, and the reporting verb
is in a present tense, In this case, there are no tense
changes.
'Jack is on the phone. He says he's gOirlg to the cinema, (I1ul do
we 1Vtlnt to go too?'
Statements are usually reported with a past tense verb and an
optional that, All tenses that follow move back into the past. This
is sometimes called backshift.
® Present simple to
Q will to would
eJ be going to, to was/ were going to
o must
'1 need some help. ' She said (tbat) she needed some help.
'We are having ottr lunc". ' She said thtlt they were having their
!tmch.
'1 have lost my keys. ' He said (that) he had lost his keys.
'1 will be home at 6.00.' She said thatshe Qe;oll1d be home ,~t
6.00.
'1 wrote two letters to her. ' He said (that) he had qe;ritten two
letters to her.
'They are going to come back' She said (that) they were going to
come back.
'1 mllst finish this before 1 go. ' If e said he must finish it
before he 'Went. Note that mt/st does not change. He said he had to
fin ish it before he went.
('j) Note that sentences in direct speech have speech marks
(inwrted commas) around the spoken words. Indirect or reported
speech does not use speech marks.
Q Note that past perfect in reported speech can be a report of
either past simple or present perfect.
'I've lost my keys!' saidJoe. J oe said be bad lost his hys. '1
lost them yesterday,' he said. He said be bad lost them the day
before.
41
Speakers in reported speech
Verbs easily confused: say, tell, speak
If the report is about something which is always true, it may not
be necessary to _
backshift. '1 like apples more than I like oranges.' She said that
she likes apples more tban s/Je likes oranges. 'Budapest is the
capital of Hungary'. He said that Budapest is the capital of
Hungary.
Some speakers prefer to backshift in sentences of this kind .
Q Speakers can be mentioned at the beginning or end of the sentence
in direct speech. Direct speech
Jack said, 'We're going to miss the train. ' 'We're going to miss
the train,' saidJack.
< (j Speakers arc mentioned at the beginning of the sentence in
reported speech.
Reported speech Jacle said (that) they were going to miss the
train.
In reported speech, references to people, places and times often
change, because the point of view changes.
'I'll see you here tomorrmv,' said Site. Sue said she WO/lId see me
there the next day. '1 bought this book yesterday,' said Martin.
Martin said he had bought tbe bool~ tbe d,ty before.
el Sometimes each word is reported (verbatim reporting), but we
often summarize what people say w hen we make reports .
'Look, tlctHally, tell him I'll give him a call next week, OK?' She
said sbe'd call yOlt next wee/to
o See Unit 11 for ways of reporting some kinds of statement.
Speak describes the act of talking. Simon spoke to me in the
SIIpermarket yestac/ay.
Say describes the words used. It: is followed by optional tbat.
'It's warm today,' she stlid. Sbe said (that) it was warm.
Tell describes giving information It needs an object. It is
followed by optional that,
'YOlt 've won first prize, 'she said. She told me (tbat) 1 had 7Von
first prize.
42
-.
a) Sally tok! that she had lost her keys. ...
$.41j.W.!d.t/llIM/tJijlflfl.(Q-.t./.r.r,r.Ko/--i ..............
........................ ...... ................ .
b) Chris said me that he must leave early. ...... .... ..
................ ........ .. ............. .. ..... .............
.. ..... .. : .. ......... .......... ... ........ .
c) Maria and Tony said they shall sce us tOmorrow.
d) Tom said, I'm coming to your party.
e) Sue said that she had wrote a letter to Lisa.
f) Steve said llS that he was arriving at 8.00.
g) 'I had bought a new bike Pam to ld us.'
11) 'What's the matter? ElIen told.
i) Jim says that he had needed some help.
j) Joe said that he doesn't feci well yesterday.
a) Anna told us tha.! she had finished. ' .. /I'; .. {t/l(~jlr.d
....... .. ... ......................... ,' Anna told us.
b) George said that he would be back at 6.00.
' .... .. .. ....... .. ....... .. ..... ...... ..... .. .. .....
...... " GeOl'ge said.
c) I-Ielen said she was going to go shopp.ing. ' .. ......... .....
...... .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .......... .. ...... " said
Helen.
d) Paul said that he wanted to make a phone call. ' ..............
........... ..... .. ....................... .. " said Paul.
c) Ti na told the teacher she had forgotten her homework.
' ........... .. ........ ..... ... ..... ...................... .
" Tina told the teacher. £) David said he had to be back by
3.30.
' ..... ....... .. .... ....... .. .. .. ................ .. ... ..
... ,' David sa id.
g) J an told me she would let me know. ' .... ...............
........... .... ........... ........ .. .. ,' Jan told me.
h) Bill said he was going to be late.
' ....... .. ..... ....... .... .. ........................... ...
,' Bi ll said.
Intermediate L~ngttage Practice
3 Match each sentence in dire,;t speech with ilS summarized version
in reported speech .
4 Complete each sentence, uSlllg say, tell or speak in an
appropriate form.
5 Rewrite each sentence III reponed speech, beginning as
shown.
a) 'Look, sorry about this, but I'm afraid I'm going to be a bi t
late.' .3 ..
b) 'Actually I've no idea at all where I am!' ..... c) 'The thing
is, I know it's silly but I've missed the bus.' .....
d) 'Anyway, I'll be back in next to no time.' .... . e) '1 did
ring, you know, earlier in the evening ... .. .
1) She said she would be back soon. 2) She said she had missed the
bus. 3) She said she was going to be late. 4) She said she had
already rung. 5) She said she didn't know where she was.
a) Jim ... Md .......... me that he was playing in the school
basketball team.
b) I .. ................. to Helen, and she .... ...............
she would phone you. .,
c) 'You're lucky,' .. .............. ... Steve. '1 ..... ..
............ you that you would win!'
d) A translator ...... ... .... .. .... the President what everyone
was .. ............ ..... . c) 'Look,' I .... .. .. .. .........
her, 'why don't you ........ .. .. ..... .. me what you mean?' f) I
.. ................ my teacher that I ... .. ............. Chinese,
but she didn't believe me. g) 'Please don't .. .... .. .. .... ....
anything during the test,' our teacher ..... ..... .... .... liS
.
h) I .... ... ...... ... my friends about my party, and they ....
............ they wo uld come.
a) ' I won't be there because I'Ill having a party,'said Belen.
Belen told us that she .. .
wp.HM«'t.b.~f/JP.I~t:.I!~fi«Hqr.~Mwfl~/.IflV.':WJ.l!I!(!r.lj .. ·
.. .... · .... ··
b) 'I've lost the map and I don' t know the way,' said Jack. Jack
told me that he ................................... .. ..
................... ... ... .. .. .. ....... ...............
..
. ....... .. ... .... ... .. .... ............. ... ..
.................................. .. ....... .. ... ..... ......
.......... ............. .
d) 'I'm doing some homework but I won't be long,' said Mike. Mike
said that he .......... ..... ........................... .. ...
.................................... .......... ... .
c) 'I like swimming but I don't go very often,' said Mary. Mary
told us that she .. ... ...... .. .. .. .. ....... .. .. .. ..
........ .. ...... .. ........... .. .............. ...... ....
.
f) 'I got up late and I missed the bus,' said Richard. Richard said
that he .................. .. ............ ... .... ..............
.. .................................... .
.............. ....................... ....... . .... ..... ... ..
... ....... ..... ....... ...... .. ....... ...... .......
....
.. .. .. ........ .. ...... .. ......... .... ....... ..... ....
................. ......... " .. ....... ..... .. ..... ... .. ..
.. .. ....... ...... .
Unit 11 Reported speech 4
e Commands are reported with tell and the infinitive. 'Wait! Wait!'
I told him to stop.
Requests are reported with ask and the infinitive.
'Please waIt!' I asked her to wait. . . I .
<3 Questions with the answer yes or no are reported wnh
backshlft (seQ Umt 10) and using if.
'Does the London train stop here?' she asked. She asked me if the
London train stopped here.
i o Note that the question form' of the direct speech is not used
in repoded
speech, as there is no longer a direct question. There is no
question mark.
Whether means if. . . or not. We use whether when we report
questions linked with or. The question is reported with
backshift.
'Are you staying the night, or are yotl going bome?' he asked. He
asked me whether I was staying the night or going home.
Questions beginning when, what, wby, where, how, etc. are reported
with backshift (see Unit 10). The question forms of direct speech
are not used, so the subject in bold comes before the verb. There
is no question mark.
'Where is the bus-station?' she asked. She asked 7vhere the
bus-station was. 'Where have you come from?' he asked. 11 e asked
me where I had come from.
'" Indirect or embedded questions are questions which have an
introdufwry question before them. The indirect question does not
have a question: form. Note that there is no change of tenses
(backshift). 1
I Introductory question: Co/dd you tell me . .. ? Do you know .. .
? !
" Wh- questions Where is the post office? Could YOH tell me where
the post office is? When does the film start? Do you know when the
film starts?
45
I
! I
i, ' I' ' ~
i I. } I
Q Yes/no questions These questions use if
Is this the right street? Do you know if this isthe rig!)t
street?
it There is a question mark, because of the introductory question.
,
Reporting verbs include part of the meaning of the words reported.
Here are some of the most common reporting verbs.
advise '1 wouldn't buy that car,janos, if 1 were YOII. ' I
advisedjanos not to buy the car.
agree 'Yes,jill, I think YOtI're right,' said Mike. Mike agreed
with Jill.
apologize 'I'm really sorry for being so late,' said Maria. Maria
apologized for being late.
ask 'Do YOII think you collld help me, Sue?' I asked Sue to help
me.
congratulate 'Well done, Tina, yotl've passed the exam!' I
congratulated Tina on passing her exam.
decide There are two types of decision. 'I'm going to become a
doctor!' said H elen. This is a decision about the future, or a
plan. H elen decided to become a doctor. 'I'll have the fish pie,
please,' said BiLL This is a decision of the moment. Bill decided
to have the fish pie.
invite 'Would you like to come to the cinema on S,1t1trciay, Pam?'
I invited Pam to tbe cinema on Saturday.
offer 'Shall I carry YOllr case, Dawn?' said Pete}: Peter offered
to carry Dawn's case.
promise 'I'll definitely be home by eight,' said Ann. Ann promised
to be home by eight. 'I'll wait for YOIi, H elen,' said Peter.
Peter promised H elen tbat be would wait for her.
refme 'No, 1 won't open the door! ' said Carol. Carol refused to
open the door.
remind 'Don 't forget to send your mother a birthday card,Joe. ' I
remindedJoe to send his mother a birthday card.
sttggest 'How abo/It spending the day at the beach?' said Carlos.
Car/os Sltggested spending the day at the beach.
46
:JL Put one suitable word in each space.
2 Complete each question in direct speech, ending as shown.
3 Rcwri te each sentence 111
reponed speech, beginning as shown.
Unit 11 Reported speech 2
a) Helen asked me .. . whdA~r: ... I .. I!!M ........ . going to
school or not.
b) David asked his mother ...... .. .......... she ........ ..
........ be coming home.
c) Peter asked us ................ .. we .................. ever
been to Hungary.
d) Costas asked me .................. I .................. many
photographs.
e) Maria asked a policeman .......... ........ the museum
was;--'
f) Dora asked her sister .... .............. she .......... ..
...... fed their dog.
a) Jack asked me whether i was having lunch or going out.
' .. /.,r.t!Jw~h(!V.i!J§lw:l,dr.qr.!JPI:I1!J.q!lt... ..............
?' Jack asked me.
b) Carol asked Ann what she had done the day before.
' .. ............................. ......
......................................... , Ann?' asked
Carol.
c) J olm asked us if we often went sailing.
' ... .... .. .................. .. .......... ..........
........................ .. ... ?' John asked us.
d) Kate asked me how many German books I had read.
................................. .. .................... ..
........ .......... .. . ?' Kate asked me.
e) George asked Sue if she was going to change schools.
' ........... .. ...... ..... ................ .....
................................. , Sue?' asked George.
f) Alice asked me who I sat next to in class.
' .... .. ................................
........................................ ?' Alice asked me.
g) My teacher asked me if I would be there the next day.
' ........ .. ................................................ ..
.................. ?' my teacher asked me.
' ......................... .. ...
....................................... ........ . exactly? ' Mary
asked me.
a) 'Are you staying here all summer?' the little girl asked
me.
The little girl asked me .. .ifl.whth(.(.,WIM((lJI'n!J.
l{(r,r.~.tJ!14!1!11m~( .............. ......... . b) 'What does
'procrastinate' mean?' r asked my teacher.
I asked my teacher ....
.........................................................................................
.
c) 'Have you done your homework, or not?' my mother asked me.
My mother asked me .... .. ........................ .....
...................... .......... .. .................... .
r asked Sue ..... ....... ........... ........... ... ........
................. ..... ...... ... ...... ........ ....... ........
. .
e) 'Did you remember to lock the door,' my father asked me.
M y father asked me ......................................
............ ......................................... .
f) 'Why have you turned off the television?' Ellcn asked me.
Ellen asked me ..... .. ......... ............. ....... ..
....................... .... ................... .... ...........
.
g) 'Do you speak Italian?' the tourist guide asked me.
The tourist guide asked me ................. .. ..
...................... .... ............... ......... ........
.
47
! :: ! ,!I
~ 1
i. j ' ,
4 Rewrite each question, beginning as shown.
5 Rewrite each sentence in reported speech, beginning as shown.
Usea verb from the list.
h) 'How much did you pay for your bike?' I asked Steve.
I asked Steve .. .... ........ ... .... ..................... ..
.......... ...... ........... ... .. .. ........ ...... ..
......... .
b) What does this mean?
Do you know .............. ......... .. ......................
?
Could you tell me ............................. ................ ..
?
Do you know ...................... ........... ..............
?
Could you tell me ................ ........ ....
................... ?
f) Where's Asham Street?
Could you tell me ..... .... .... ................ .. .........
....... ?
Do you know .... ...... .... ...................... ... ....... .
?
advised apologized congratulated invited offered promised refused
suggested
a) 'I'll definitely be at your house before 8.00, Sue,' said
Mike.
Mike .. f!rP.IIH:ir-i .. Sue that ..
.!(~.w.qaMflr.llni(.r.IJ..kr.Ilf.(r(r.l(qfl,~~.klifo.r: .. P../!.q,
... ............ . b) 'Would you like to come to the cinema, Jean?'
asked Chris.
Chris ..... .... .. .. ..... ....... .... ....... .... ......
...... .. ...... .. .............. .... ......... ..... ........ ..
... ..... ... . .
c) 'I wouldn't eat too much if I were you, Dave,' said Patsy.
Patsy .... ............... ............... ............ ..
........................ ................................. ..
........ ..
George .... .... .... ......... ......... .. .. .. ...... ... ...
..... ... ..... ........ ... .... ... ...... ............... .....
........ .
e) 'I'm terribly sorry for breaking the window,' said Carol.
Carol ... ... ............ ..... .... ..
......................................................................................
..
Bill ... ... ........................ .. ....... ...............
..... .... ................... .. ............. ..... ........
......... .
g) 'Well done, you've passed your driving test,' said Tina's
mother.
Tina's mother ...... ..... .. ....... . her .. .... .. ... ... ....
....... .......... ... .............. ..... .. ....... ........
.
h) 'No, I won't go to the dentist's !' said Pat.
Pat .......... .. .......... ...... ....... ..... ..... ..
............. ........ .......... .... ....... ... .... ... .. ..
..... .. ......... . .
48
_ _________ ~~F-- . . ,
y.
~r
.3 a) Shall we play tennis? b) 1'm going to study Arabic in Cairo.
c) I'll be home by midnight. d) I'll meet you later. e) Will you go
to the shops for me? f) We won't ma.i;:e too much noise. g) Shall I
help you with those bags? h) We'll come back later if you like. i)
I'll have a lemonade. j) Will you take the dog for a walk?
./) a) ./ b) When you grow older, you' ll change
your mind about this. c) ./ d) I won'tleave until you give me
the
money. e) As soon as the taxi arrives, I'll iet you
know. f) Will you be using the video next
lesson? g) By the time we get to Helen's house,
she'll have left. h) 'Do you want me to carry this?' 'No
that's all right, I'll do it.' i) ./ j) By the time we arrive, the
play will
have started.
5 a) will have finished b) meet next! again, I'll phone c) I check
the spelling cl) let me share her e) w.e have f) leave/go until
I
5 a) arrived, Steve had b) I help c) do you usually d) has been
playing tennis for e) I'll f) was eating/having my meal g) gone h)
is staying i) haven't seen David j) you doing
6 1) been 7) ./ 13) if 2) .t 8) are 14) been 3) .t 9) been 15) if
4) have 10) will 16) have 5) had 11) shall 17) be 6) ./ 12)
have
7 a) it had stopped b) I haven't played it before. c) When did
Peter write to you last? d) Do you ever go to t..'le cinema? e) I
went to the beach every day. £) She is playing basketball. g) I've
been waiting here for ages! h) How long have you lived in this
flat?
Il a) Have you finished yet? b) I'll see you tomorrow! c) Did you
have a nice time? d) Do you know what I mean? e) Are you coming
oudor a drink later? f) Have you been waiting iong? g) Are you
enjoying yourself? h) Have you heard the latest?
Grtzmmar answers
:5 a) wouldn't be there becaztse she was having a paTty
b) had lost u"e map and (he) didn't know the way
c) she had finished the book she was going to watch
television
d) was doing some homework but he wouldn't be long
e) liked swimming but (she) didn't go very often
f) had got up late and (had) missed the bus
g) was going to visit friends in Fiji but (she) wasn't sure
when
h) wanted to buy it but (he) hadn't brought any money
~ R£fbRfEl:J 5PtRH a) whetheTlwafi b) when/would c) if,whetherlhad
d) if,whetherltook e) where £) if,whetherlhad
2 a) ATe you having lunch or going out b) What did you do yesterday
c) Do you often go sailing d) How many German books have you
read e) Are you going to cha.'lge schools f) Who do you sit next to
in class g) Will you be here tomorrow
g) the lesson has finished h) you be doing .~ REibRf8)
'S,PERf.'1
h) Where do you live
3 a) if/whetheT I was staying the7e all summer
~I'obl®m~~ E!i'!i'@ni9
©c~SlDndst!illl!J'il j,
a) I used to ride b) Shall I c) Have you seen her d) have you been
working e) I haven'dinished f) I was washing g) are you staring h)
I'm having i) stops j) did you last go
2 a) doyoudo f) am studying b) ran g) was reading c) was sitting h)
know d) don't understand i) am staying e) realized j) did you
do
3 a) befoTe f) never b) since g) lately c) all week h) at d) yet i)
for e) As soon as j) By the time
'l 1) c 2) a 3) d 4) d 5) b 6) a 7) c 8) c 9) d 10) b 11) b 12) d
13) a 14) c 15) a
a) Sally said that she had lost heT keys. b) Chris said that he
must leave early. c) Maria and Tony said they wouid s~e
us tomorrow. d) Tom said, 'I'm coming to your party.' e) Sue said
that she had written a letter
to Lisa. f) Steve told us/said that he was arriving
at 8.00. g) 'I have bought a new bike,' Pam told
us. h) 'What's the matter?' Ellen said/asked. i) Jim says that he
needs some help. j) Joe said that he didn't reel well
yesterday.
:2 a) I've finished b) I'll be back at 6.00 c) 1'm going to go
shopping d) 1 want to make a phone call e) I've forgotten my
homework f) I have to be back by 3.30 g) I'll let you know h) I'm
going to be late
3 a) 3 b) 5 c) 2 d) 1 e) 4
<} a) told e) told/tell b) spoke/said f) told/spoke c) saidltold
g) say/told cl) told/saying h) told/said
253
b) what 'procrastinate' meant c) if/whether I had done my homework
d) when her birthday was e) if/whether I had remembered to
lock
the door f) why I had turned off the television g) if/whether I
spoke Italian h) how much he had paid for his bike
4 a) what the time is b) what this means c) how much this costs d)
what time the museum opens e) if/whether I am in the right seat f)
where Asham Street is g) if/whether this is Trafalgar Square h)
when this bus leaves
5 a) Mike promised SZ1e that he would definitely be at her home
before 8.00.
b) Chris invited Jean to the cinema. c) Patsy advised Dave not to
eat too
much. d) George suggested going for a walk. e) Carol apologized for
breaking the
window. £) Bill offered to do the washing-up. g) Tina's mother
congratulated her on
~~- . - -~~~~~~~~-