INDIRECT SPEECH

PRESENT TIME
When we report things happening now, or general facts, or give messages, or report something we are
reading, we use a present tense reporting verb, and do not backshift tenses into the past. Note that for
written texts we report what the text says:
Im going to wait for you. He says hes going to wait for us.
Fifty people were injured. It says here that fifty people were injured.

PAST TIME WITH TENSE CHANGES

When reporting what people said, we use a past tense reporting verb and we backshift the tenses
following into the past.
Were thinking She said they were thinking it over.
I had an accident He told me hed had an accident.

Note that both past simple and present perfect become past perfect:
Ive bad an idea She said shed had an idea.

FACTS AND STATES

When we use a past tense reporting verb, a continuing state is not back shifted, though if we use back-
shift this is not wrong.
Reindeer can swim really well:
- He told us that reindeer can swim really well.
- He told us that reindeer could swim really well.

If we do use back-shift, it may be necessary to use a time phrase to make the time reference clear.
She said she was unhappy in her job at that time. [unhappy in the past]
She said she was unhappy in her job at the moment [unhappy now]

MODALS AND CONDITIONALS

Can, will, shall [future] and MAY change to could, would and might:
Ill be back on Friday. He said he would be back on Friday.
I may be late. She said she might be late.

Shall in requests etc. changes to SHOULD. See also wh-questions below.

What shall we do? They wanted to know what they should do.

Would, should, ought to, could, might, used to remain unchanged. MUST is often changed to had to, but
can remain unchanged, or be changed to would have to if there is future reference.
You must be more careful in future.
She told me I must be/has to be/ would have to be more careful in future.

First conditional sentences are usually changed, but not second or third conditional.
If youre late, they wont let you in. [first conditional]
He said that if I was late, they wouldnt let me in.
If youd brought a map, we wouldnt have got lost. [third conditional]
She said that if I had brought a map, we wouldnt have got lost.

CHANGES OF VIEWPOINT
References to time, place and specific reference usually change.
Bring this ticket with you tomorrow.
He told me to bring the ticket with me the next day.
Give that to me He told me to give it to him.

REPORTED YES/NO QUESTIONES

Yes/no questions are reported using if or whether, there is no inversion or auxiliary do/did. If the
auxiliary have is used in the question it becomes had. The same backshift rules apply as for statements.
There is no question mark.
Do you like Japanese food? She asked me if/whether I liked Japanese food.
Have you finished? They asked me if/whether I had finished.

REPORTED WH-QUESTONS
We form reported wh-questions without inversion or auxiliary do/did. Auxiliary have becomes had.
Whats the time? He asked me that the time was.
Where have you been? She asked me where I had been.

In everyday speech, questions with very long question phrases remain inverted:
Where is the restaurant serving the cheapest Thai food?
He asked me where was the restaurant serving the cheapest Thai food.
Polite requests beginning could/would are not back shifted into the past after a past tense reporting
verb:
Could you help me? She asked.
She asked me if I could help her/to help her.

It may be possible to report the request rather than the actual words of the request:
Could you tell me where the station is?
He asked me for direction to/the way to the station.

RESPORTING IMPERATIVES: TELL AND ASK

We use tell to report orders and ask to report requests.
Stop what you are doing! She told me to stop what I was doing.
Please dont go. He asked me to stay.

REPORT VERBS
Some verbs express the general meaning of what people say so we do not need to report exactly what
they said:
<<Ill bring my homework tomorrow, honestly, I will, really!>>He promised to bring his homework the
next say.

Some verbs [check, convince, explain, imply, point out, suggest] express what effect someone wanted
their words to have. It is not easy to show this effect in direct speech.
She implied that I ought to start working harder.

Different verbs can be followed by different constructions, and the same verb can be followed by more
than one construction.

VERBS FOLLOWED BY "IF" OR "WHETHER"

ask see
know doubt
remember wonder
say

VERBS FOLLOWED BY A "THAT"

add feel remark
admit insist remember
agree reply repeat
announce report confess
answer reveal accept
argue say assure
boast state conclude
claim suggest decided
comment suppose imagine
complain tell imply
confirm think mention
consider understand point out
deny warn predict
doubt mention promise
estimate observe protest
explain persuade threaten
fear propose whisper

VERBS+PERSON+THAT-CLAUSE
assure remind
convince inform
promise tell

VERBS FOLLOWED BY "TO-INFINITIVE"

decide promise
expect swear
guarantee threaten
hope offer
agree refuse
volunteer
VERBS USED TO TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY SHOULD DO, OR TO GIVE ADVICE OR ORDERS, ARE OFTEN
USED WITH SHOULD, OR SUBJUNCTIVE [WITHOUT 3RD PERSON S] OR UNREAL PAST. THIS IS A MORE
FORMAL USE

advise insist recommend

beg prefer request
demand propose suggest

They insisted that he should hand over the documents immediately.

They insisted that he hand over the documents immediately.
They insisted that he hand over the documents immediately.

VERBS FOLLOWED BY A CLAUSE STARTING WITH A QUESTION WORD

decide imagine see

describe know suggest
discover learn teach
discuss realise tell
explain remember think
forget reveal understand
guess say wonder

VERBS FOLLOWED BY OBJECT+INFINITIVE WITH "TO"

advise forbid teach

ask instruct tell
beg invite warn
command remind challenge
request order convince
permit encourage
persuade expect

VERB + -ING
Suggest For
Deny Mention
Admit Recommend
Apologize Regret

VERB+OBJECT+PREPOSITION+ING
Congratulate
Accuse someone of
Blame someone for
Thank someone for