REPORTED SPEECH

A presentation by: Mohamed Reda Aoulad Abdelkrim

1/ REPORTING STATEMENTS

2/ REPORTING QUESTIONS

3/ REPORTING ORDERS AND

REQUESTS
 1/ REPORTING STATEMENTS
A/ TENSE CHANGES

Normally, the tense in reported speech is one

tense back in time from the tense in direct
speech.

Note:
You do not need to change the tense if the reporting verb is in
the present, or if the original statement was about something
that is still true:
- He says he has missed the train but he'll catch the next
one.
- He explained that it is very difficult to learn Japanese.
 Direct speech Reported speech
Present simple Simple past
Present continuous Past continuous
Simple past Past perfect
Past continuous Past perfect continuous
Present perfect Past perfect
Present perfect Past perfect continuous
continuous
Future simple Present conditional
Future continuous Conditional continuous
Past perfect Past perfect
 Direct speech
She said, “ I always go to work
by car.”
Peter said, “ I’m coming.”
“ I didn’t like the film”, Kim
said.
"We were living in Paris", they
told me.
"I have been to Spain", he told
me.
They complained, "We have
been waiting for hours".
"I will be in Paris on Monday", he He said that he would be in Paris
said.
She said, "I'll be visiting my
uncle next Sunday”.
"I had just left home,” he
explained.
Reported speech
She said that she always went
to work by car.
Peter said he was coming.
Kim said that she hadn’t liked
the film.
They told me that they had been
living in Paris.
He told me that he had been to
Spain.
They complained that they had
been waiting for hours.
on Monday.
She said that she would be
visiting her uncle the following
Sunday.
He explained that he had just
left home.
 2/ Time & Place Expressions Changes

Now then / at that time

Today that day
Tonight that night
Yesterday the day before / the previous
day
The day before yesterday two days before
Tomorrow the next / following day
The day after tomorrow in two days time / two days
later
Next week / month / year the following week / month /
year
Last week / month / year the previous week / month /
year
Ago before
Here there
1/ REPORTING QUESTIONS
Note:
1/Normal word order is used in
reported questions; that is, the subject
comes before the verb.
2/ It is not necessary to use 'do' or
'did.
Example:

a- “ Where do you live?”

He asked me where I lived.

b- “ Does Steve like meat?”

She wanted to know if Steve liked
meat.
 A/ YES/NO QUESTIONS

Yes/No questions are reported by using :

‘ask’* + ‘if / whether ’ + clause.
* The following verbs can be used instead: enquire, wonder, want to
know.

Direct speech Reported speech

"Do you speak English?" He asked me if I spoke English.

"Are you British or American?" He asked me whether I

was British or American.

"Is it raining?" She asked if it was raining.

"Did you come on foot?" He wanted to know if I had

come on foot.
 A/ WH- QUESTIONS

Wh- questions are reported by using :

‘ask’ + ‘question word ’ + clause.*
* The clause contains the question in normal order
with the necessary tense change.

Direct speech Reported speech

“Who are you?" He asked me who I am.

“What places did you visit in He wanted to know what

Rome?" places I had visited in Rome.

“Why was Liz crying?" She wondered why Liz had

been crying.
“How did you go to the village?" He enquired how we had gone
to the village.
 1/ REPORTING ORDERS AND REQUESTS

When we report an order or a request we use the structure:

‘tell’ /’ask’ + someone to do something.
The negative structure is:
‘tell’/’ask’ + someone not to do something.

Direct speech Reported speech

“Stop laughing." My father told me to stop

laughing.
“Don’t try to cheat!" Our teacher warned us not to
try to cheat.

“Bring me a glass of water, She asked her friend to bring

please." her a glass of water.
“Can I use your mobile phone, He asked to use my mobile
please?" phone.
 Practice activity 1
1/ Report the following statements: 

a/ “Omar isn’t my friend.”

Bilal said that ......…………………………………………………

b/ “ I didn’t do my homework today.”

A student admitted that …..………………………………………

c/ “Your friend has invited you to her party next Saturday.”

My mother told me that ...........................................................
.
d/ “Four men are guarding the president now.”
A journalist said
that .................................................................
 ANSWERS

a/ “Omar isn’t my friend.”

Bilal said that Omar wasn’t his friend.

b/ “ I didn’t do my homework today.”

A student admitted that she hadn’t done her homework that day.

c/ “Your friend has invited you to her party next Saturday.”

My mother told me that my friend had invited me to her party the following
Saturday.

d/ “Four men are guarding the president now.”

A journalist said that four men were guarding the president then.
 Practice activity 2
1/ Report the following questions: 

a/ “Who broke that vase?”

My mother ............................……………………………………

b/ “ Did you go to school yesterday?”

My friend ….......................………………………………………

c/ “How many letters have you written?”

Sarah ......................................................................................
.
.
d/ “Will you attend the conference Mr president?”
A journalist ...............................................................................
 ANSWERS

a/ “Who broke that vase?”

My mother wanted to know who had broken the vase.

b/ “ Did you go to school yesterday?”

My friend asked me if I had gone to school the previous day.

c/ “How many letters have you written?”

Sarah asked me how many letters I had written.
.
d/ “Will you attend the conference, Mr president?”
A journalist asked the president if he would attend the
conference.
 Practice activity 3
1/ Report the following commands: 

a/ “Don’t use the calculator during the test.”

Our maths teacher .................
……………………………………

b/ “ Can you show the way to the train station, please?”

A tourist ….........................………………………………………

c/ “Put the gun down!”

The police ............... the criminal ............................................

d/ “Turn off the TV and go to do your homework.”

My father .................................................................................
 ANSWERS

1/ Report the following commands: 

a/ “Don’t use the calculator during the test.”

Our maths teacher told us not to use the calculator.

b/ “ Can you show the way to the train station, please?”

A tourist asked me to show her the train station.

c/ “Put the gun down!”

The police ordered the criminal to put down the gun.

d/ “Turn off the TV and go to do your homework.”

My father told me to turn the TV off and to go to do my
homework.
 Oh, I like the
So boring! I
course, but I
How do you wish I were
like the
find this home now.
teacher more. I really like
course?
it..

Kim
Jim
Teacher Mary

Report what the teacher and students said:

1/ The teacher .......................................................................................
2/ Mary .................................................................................................
3/ Kim wished .......................................................................................
4/ Jim thought .......................................................................................
 ANSWERS

1/ The teacher asked the students if they liked that

course.

2/ Mary said that she really liked it.

3/ Kim wished she had been at home then.

4/ Jim thought that he liked the course, but he liked

the teacher more.
I hope you have enjoyed this
presentation, and I hope you
have found it helpful.