ESL / EFL Reported Speech

GENERAL RULES FOR REPORTED SPEECH

• Tenses change from present to past (if we are talking about what somebody said in the past):
  • “I am 15.” - He said he was 15.
  • “We have a problem.” - They said they had a problem.
  • “I can swim.” - She said that she could swim.
  • “She comes by bus.” - He said that she came by bus.
  • “Your sister doesn’t like pizza.” - She said that my sister didn’t like pizza.
  • “You are looking through the window.” - He said that I was looking through the window.
  • “They will probably fail.” - She said that they would probably fail.
  • “My mother saw a mouse.” - She said that her mother had seen a mouse.
• Personal pronouns change (if somebody is telling
  what somebody else has said before):
  
  • “I am 15.” - He said he was 15.
  • “My mother saw a mouse.” - She said that her mother had seen a mouse.
  • “We saw you at the cinema.” - They said that they had seen me at the cinema.
• Place and time complements have to be adapted to the new context:
• He came here.” - They said that he had gone there. 
• “It’s raining today” - Jake said that it was raining then / yesterday.
• “I saw you last week.” - She said that she had seen me the week before.

STATEMENTS

• Tell and say are common reporting verbs. (Tell is used before an indirect object.):
• She said that she liked pizza.
• My mother told me to go with her.
• Everyone said that the lesson was very difficult.
• He told his friends about my illness.

• Other verbs can be used: know, promise, insist, warn...
• That can be omitted after say:
• She said that she liked pizza. - She said she liked pizza.
• They knew that he liked her. - They knew she liked her.

QUESTIONS

• Typical reporting verbs are: ask, wonder, want to know.
• He wanted to know the opening times of the museum.
• She wondered how old my mother was.
• If the question is answered with yes or no, if should be introduced before the indirect question:
• My sister asked if you wanted to come with us.
• I wondered if she was watching the programme on TV.
• Subject always comes before the verb:
• She asked me how old I was.

IMPERATIVES

• We use ask / tell + object + (not) + to + infinitive to say what people want(ed) us to do:

• “Please, open the window.” - She asked us to open the window.

• “Tidy your room.” - My father told me to tidy my room.

• “Don’t smoke here.” - My aunt asked me not to smoke in her car.

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