Indirect speech doesn't use quotation marks. When
reporting speech the tense usually changes. If the sentence contains pronouns, possessive
adjectives and time expressions, we must also change them.
1. STATEMENTS: SAY (to sb), TELL (sb) , CLAIM, STATE, ANNOUNCE, EXPLAIN, ANSWER, ADD +
that
1) If the sentence is said in the present, there is no
backshift of tenses in Reported
Speech.
Example: Susan says now: "I work
in an office." → Susan says (that) she works in an office.
2) If the sentence is said in the past, there is often backshift
of tenses in Reported speech.
Example: Susan said in the past: "I
work in an office." → Susan said (that) she worked in an
office.
BACKSHIFT OF TENSES: TABLE
|
from
|
to
|
Simple Present
|
Simple Past
|
Simple Past
|
Past Perfect
|
Present Perfect
|
Past Perfect
|
will
|
would
|
Progressive
forms
|
am/are/is
|
was/were
|
was/were
|
had
been
|
has
been
|
had
been
|
BACKSHIFT OF
TENSES: EXAMPLES
|
from
|
to
|
Jane: "I live in London."
|
Jane said that she lived in London.
|
Jane: "I lived in London."
|
Jane said that she had lived in London.
|
Jane: "I have lived in London."
|
Jane: "I had lived in London."
|
Jane: "I will live in London."
|
Jane said that she would live in London.
|
Jane: "I can live in London."
|
Jane said that she could live in London.
|
Jane: "I may live in London."
|
Jane said that she might live in London.
|
Jane: "I would live in London."
(would, could, should, might →
=/ must: had to)
|
Jane: "I would live in London."
(would, could, should, might →
=/ must: had to)
|
Progressive
forms
|
Jane: "I'm living in London."
|
Jane said that she was living in London.
|
Jane: "I was living in London."
|
Jane said that she had been living in London.
|
Jane: "I have been living in London."
|
Jane: "I had been living in London."
|
this (evening)
|
that
(evening)
|
today /tonight
|
that
day / that night
|
these (days)
|
those
(days)
|
now
|
then,
at that time
|
here
|
there
|
next (week)
|
the following (week) / the
(week) after
|
tomorrow
|
the next or following day / the
day after
|
last (week)
|
the previous (week) / the (week) before
|
yesterday
|
the previous day / the day
before
|
a month ago
|
the previous month / a month
before - earlier
|
2. QUESTIONS: ASK, REQUEST, ENQUIRE, WANTED TO KNOW, WONDER + if/whether
// + wh-particle
I.Yes / No questions:
Direct speech → Did she visit you? Indirect speech → He asked me IF (WHETHER) she had
visited me.
II. Wh- questions:
- The interrogative sentence adopts the form of an affirmative/negative
sentence in Reported Speech:
WH- PARTICLE + SUBJECT + VERB
(without the auxiliary verb) + COMPLEMENTS
Direct speech → What do you want? Indirect
speech → He asked me what I wanted.
3. COMMANDS/ ORDERS: TELL, ORDER, ASK, BEG, INSTRUCT, DEMAND, WARN + sb to (infinitive)/ + sb not to
(infinitive)
Direct speech → Come here. /Don’t come here.
Indirect speech → She told him to come there. / She told him not to come there.
- The imperative form or the requests are constructed in this way in
Reported Speech:
Subject + told / asked / ordered + person + (not) to + infinitive.
4. SUGGESTIONS: SUGGEST, RECOMMEND + -ing / that + sentence // ADVISE +
sb to (infinitive)
Direct speech → Go for a walk every day / Let’s go to the concert!
Indirect speech → She suggested that
we went for a walk every day/ She suggested
going to the concert.
- Uses of the gerund
after the reporting verb:
(1) when the speaker is included in the suggestion.
(2) To make the suggestion more polite.
- Another reporting verbs which can followed by both gerund or “that”: Deny, admit.
