Reported Speech

Reported Speech
‘You can’t play football’ What did the doctor say?
She told me I couldn’t

play football.
Direct speech is the Reported speech is the

exact words exact meaning of what
someone said. someone said but not
the exact words.
Say - Tell
She said to me, ‘I am very tired’.
She told me that she was very tired.
She said that she was very tired.
When the reporting verb is in the past, the verb tenses change as follows:
Direct speech Reported speech
Present simple Past simple
Present Continuous Past Continuous
Present Perfect Past Perfect
Past simple Past Perfect
will would
can could
may might
must had to
Time expressions change as follows:
Direct speech Reported speech
tonight, today, this week that night, that day, that week
now then, at that time, at once
yesterday the day before
last week, year the previous week, year
two days, years ago two days, years before
tomorrow the day after
next week, year the next / following week, year
She said she would
I will study French study French the next
next year. year.
I’m playing
basketball with
my friends.
What did she say?
She said that she

was playing with
her friends.
I have seen this
accident.
He said he had
seen that accident.
What did he
say?
Where is their
homework?
We did our homework
two days ago.
They said that they

had done their
homework two days
before.
Put the sentence into reported speech
I don’t believe him.

She said
I don’t believe him.

She said (that) she didn’t
believe him.
We cleaned our house yesterday.

They said
We cleaned our house yesterday.

They said they had cleaned their
house the day before.
I can meet you at the airport.

He told me
I can meet you at the airport.

He told me that he could meet
me at the airport.
I didn’t see your car five minutes ago.

The policeman told the woman
I didn’t see your car five minutes ago.

The policeman told the woman that he
hadn’t seen her car five minutes
before.
Report the sentences
1) Susan said, ‘I got ‘A’ on my English test yesterday’.
2) Victor said, ‘My friends are swimming in the pool now.’
3) Marta said, ‘I have typed ten letters’.
4) John said, ‘I clean my room every weekend’.
5) Bob said, ‘I did my homework’.
6) Susan said, ‘I’ll have a test tomorrow’.
7) Alex said to us, ‘We won’t go out this evening’.
8) Sam said, ‘I didn’t see Molly at the university yesterday’.
Reported Questions
In Reported questions we use affirmative word order
and the question mark is omitted.
To report a wh-question, we use ask followed by the
question word (who, what, where).
When there is no question word in direct questions,
if or whether is used in reported questions .
Pronouns, possessive adjectives, tenses, time
expressions change as in statements.
Put the following into reported question
‘What are you doing?’ she asked her son.

She asked her son
‘What are you doing?’ she asked her son.

She asked her son what he was doing.
‘Do you like my new clothes?’ she asked

her friend.
She asked her friend
‘Do you like my new clothes?’ she asked

her friend.
She asked her friend if she liked her new
clothes.
Report the questions
1 ‘Where have you spent your money?’ she asked him.
2 ‘Where is your sister?’ she asked me.
3 ‘Does she know Robert?’ he asked me.
4 Steve asked, ‘What are you going to do next weekend?’
5 Nancy asked her sister, ‘Did you swim in the river last
summer?’
6 Kate asked Mary, ‘Will you go shopping tomorrow?’
7 They asked us, ‘What time does the party start?’
8 They asked us, ‘Are you going anywhere at the weekend?’
Report the questions
1 She asked me, ‘Could you help me with my luggage ?’
2 He asked me,’Do you understand the rules of the game?’
3 She asked him, ‘Will I see you again?’
4 Sam asked his father, ‘Have you repaired my bike?’
5 Jimmy asked, ‘Where did you meet him?’
6 Henry asked his mother, ‘Where is my shirt?’
7 Leah asked me, ‘How is your journey?’
8 ‘Have you eaten your soup?’ mum asked me.
Reported Commands
Our teacher told us to
Open your open our student’s
student’s books. books.
What did the

teacher say?
Reported Commands
To report commands, requests, suggestions we
use a reporting verb ( order, ask, tell, beg,
suggest) followed by to infinitive or not to
infinitive.
He said to me, ‘Don’t touch it!’

He told me not to touch it.
Learn collocations Don’t be afraid of
and phrases every making mistakes.
day.
How to learn
English well?
Watch a lot of
videos in English.
Listen to the texts as
much as you need to
Don’t copy, do
understand well.
everything on you own.
Report the sentences
1 ‘Please buy some milk’, she asked me.
2 ‘Could you please open the window?’
3 ‘Could you bring the book tonight?’
4 ‘Can you help me with my homework, please?’
5 ‘Park your car behind the hotel, please,’ the porter asked me.
6 ‘Stop laughing at me, please,’ asked me.
7 ‘You mustn't touch the screen,’ the shop assistant ordered me.
8 ‘Don't eat so much red meat,’ the doctor advised me.
9 ‘Don't forget about your mum's birthday,’ Sarah reminded me.
You are the best students.
Thank you for your job.
Our teacher said that we

were the best students.

Reported Speech

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reported Speech

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reported Speech

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reported Speech

‘You can’t play football’ What did the doctor say?

She told me I couldn’t

Direct speech is the Reported speech is the

She said that she

They said that they

I don’t believe him.

I don’t believe him.

We cleaned our house yesterday.

We cleaned our house yesterday.

I can meet you at the airport.

I can meet you at the airport.

I didn’t see your car five minutes ago.

I didn’t see your car five minutes ago.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked her son.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked her son.

‘Do you like my new clothes?’ she asked

‘Do you like my new clothes?’ she asked

What did the

He said to me, ‘Don’t touch it!’

Our teacher said that we

You might also like