Reported Speech Definition:
Reported Speech (also called Indirect Speech) is used to communicate what someone else said, but without using
the exact words. A few changes are necessary; often a pronoun has
to be changed and the verb is usually moved back a tense, where possible.
Direct speech is used to give the exact words used
by another speaker. The words are given between quotation marks (" ")
in writing:
|
Reporting
|
Direct Speech
|
Reported Speech
|
|
Statement
|
“I’m not hungry
now.”
|
He said that he was not
hungry at that time.
|
|
Imperative
|
“Do not touch my
computer!”
|
She told me not to
touch her computer.
|
|
Yes-no question
|
“Did you eat my
cake?”
|
She wanted to know
if I’d eaten her cake.
|
|
Information
question |
“Who is the winner?”
|
He asked me who the winner
was.
|
Rules for changing Direct into
Indirect Speech
1. The
past tense is often used when it is uncertain if the statement is true or when
we are reporting objectively.
|
Indirect
Speech Conversion
|
Direct
Speech Condition
|
|
Present Tenses in the Direct Speech
are changed into Past Tense.
|
If the reporting or principal verb is
in the Past Tense.
|
|
Do Not Change Tense of reported Speech
in Indirect Speech sentence
|
If in direct speech you find say/says
or will say.
|
|
Direct speech the words within the quotation
marks talk of a universal truth or habitual action.
|
|
|
The reporting verb is in a present
tense.
|
2. When
there are two sentences combined with the help of a conjunction and both
sentences have got different tenses. then change the tenses of both sentences
according to the rule.
3. Words
expressing nearness in time or places are generally changed into words
expressing distance.
|
Change
of place and time
|
Direct
Speech Word
|
Indirect
Speech Word
|
|
Here
|
There
|
|
|
Today
|
that day
|
|
|
this morning
|
that morning
|
|
|
Yesterday
|
the day before
|
|
|
Tomorrow
|
the next day
|
|
|
next week
|
the following week
|
|
|
next month
|
the following month
|
|
|
Now
|
Then
|
|
|
Ago
|
Before
|
|
|
Thus
|
So
|
|
|
Last Night
|
the night before
|
|
|
This
|
That
|
|
|
These
|
Those
|
|
|
Hither
|
Thither
|
|
|
Hence
|
Thence
|
|
|
Come
|
Go
|
Change in Tenses
The past
perfect and past perfect continuous tenses do not change.
|
Rules
|
Direct
Speech
|
Indirect
Speech
|
|
Simple Present Changes
To Simple Past |
"I always drink coffee", she
said
|
She said that she always drank coffee.
|
|
Present Continuous Changes
To Past Continuous |
"I am reading a book", he
explained.
|
He explained that he was reading a
book
|
|
Present Perfect Changes
To Past Perfect |
She said, "He has finished his
work"
|
She said that he had finished his
work.
|
|
Present Perfect Continuous Changes
To Past Perfect Continuous |
"I have been to Spain", he
told me.
|
He told me that he had been to Spain.
|
|
Simple Past Changes
To Past Perfect |
"Bill arrived on Saturday",
he said.
|
He said that Bill had arrived on
Saturday
|
|
Past Perfect Changes
To Past Perfect (No Change In Tense) |
"I had just turned out the
light," he explained.
|
He explained that he had just turned
out the light.
|
|
Past Continuous Changes
To Past Perfect Continuous |
"We were living in Paris",
they told me.
|
They told me that they had been living
in Paris.
|
|
Future Changes
To Present Conditional |
"I will be in Geneva on
Monday", he said
|
He said that he would be in Geneva on
Monday.
|
|
Future Continuous Changes
To Conditional Continuous |
She said, "I'll be using the car
next Friday."
|
She said that she would be using the
car next Friday.
|
Exercise
1. she said "I'd never been there before"
ü She said….
2.
She
said "I'm visiting Paris next
weekend"
ü She said….
3.
He said "I was playing football when the accident occurred".
ü He said….
4.
dony said "I would buy mercedes if i were rich".
ü Dony said….
5.
dinda said "I was sleeping when Julie called"
ü Dinda said….
6.
"I have been to spain", he told me.
ü He said….
7. They
complained, "We have been waiting for hours".
ü They said….
8. She said, "I'll be using the car next friday".
ü She said….
9. "We were living in paris", they told me.
ü They said…
10. "Bill arrived on saturday", he said.
ü He said….
Source:
