UNIT
27
Reported speech (1)
• When we report somebody’s words we often do that at a later moment, using indirect speech and changing tenses, personal pronouns and possessives: ‘I’m your teacher’, said Laura (to me). (Direct speech) ➝ Laura said she was my teacher. (Indirect speech) • The main reporting verbs are: Say, when the interlocutor is not mentioned ➝ He said he liked chocolate. Tell, with orders or when you mention the interlocutor ➝ She told Tom to stop laughing. Ask, when reporting questions or requests ➝ I asked him to repeat his name. • Here are some examples showing the main tense changes from direct to indirect speech: Direct speech
Indirect speech
Present simple ➝ I like jazz music.
Past simple ➝ He said he liked jazz music.
Present continuous ➝ It’s raining.
Past continuous ➝ He said it was raining.
Present perfect ➝ I haven’t seen her yet.
Past perfect ➝ He said he hadn’t seen her yet.
Past simple ➝ Anne gave me this watch.
Past perfect ➝ He said Anne had given him the watch.
Past continuous ➝ I wasn’t sleeping.
Past perfect continuous ➝ He said he hadn’t been sleeping.
Will ➝ My friends will probably be late.
Would ➝ He said his friends would probably be late.
Can ➝ I can’t come to your party.
Could ➝ He said he couldn’t come to my party.
May ➝ There may be no snow on the slopes.
Might ➝ He said there might be no snow on the slopes.
Shall ➝ Where shall I put this bowl?
Should ➝ He asked where he should put the bowl.
Imperative ➝ Put your hands up, Bill! ➝ Don’t kill me, please!
Infinitive ➝ He told Bill to put his hands up. ➝ He asked me not to kill him.
• Direct sentences with Past perfect, If clauses type 2 and 3, and modal verbs must, should, could, would usually keep the same tenses in both direct and indirect speech. shall usually turns into should, but must can also turn into had to. I must go to the dentist ➝ He said he must (had to) go to the dentist. You shouldn’t stay up so late. ➝ He said I shouldn’t stay up so late. • Sometimes we don’t need to change the present tense into past tense if the information in direct speech is still true or the reported sentence refers to a very recent past: Mum said that the tomatoes are in the fridge. (they are still in the fridge now) I saw Emma this morning: she told me she’s leaving tomorrow. (tomorrow is still in the future) • In reported sentences words referring to TIME and SPACE typically change as follows: this ➝ that
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here ➝ there come ➝ go
now ➝ right away / at that moment / then today ➝ that day this morning ➝ that morning
ago ➝ before
tonight ➝ that night
tomorrow ➝ the day after next month ➝ the following month yesterday ➝ the day before / the previous day last week ➝ the week before / the previous week