Direct and Indirect Speech There are two main ways of reporting people s words, thoughts, beliefs etc. Direct speech We can give the exact words that were said. This kind of reporting is called direct speech. She said, What do you want? Peter said, It is not my fault. Jane said, Are you coming with me? He said, I don t want to talk to you. Monica says, You look beautiful. Mother said, Stop talking. Indirect speech We can report a speaker s thoughts and words in our own words, using conjunctions and changing pronouns, tenses and other words where necessary. This kind of reporting is called indirect speech. She asked what I wanted. Peter said that it was not his fault. Jane asked me if was going with her? He said that he didn t want to talk to me. Monica says that I look beautiful. Mother asked her children to stop talking. Basic rules for indirect speech In indirect speech, words spoken by one person is reported in another place at a different time by a different person. Because of this, there are many grammatical differences between direct and indirect speech but most of the changes are natural and logical. 1. Detailed rules for change of tenses in indirect speech When the reporting verb is in the past tense, all present tenses of the direct speech change to corresponding past tenses. The present simple tense becomes the past simple tense. He said, I am fine. He said that he was fine. The present continuous tense becomes the past continuous tense. He said, I am writing. He said that he was writing. The present perfect tense becomes the past perfect tense. He said, I have finished. He said that he had finished. The present perfect continuous tense becomes the past perfect continuous tense. He said, I have been studying for two hours. He said that he had been studying for two hours. The past simple tense in the direct speech becomes the past perfect tense in the indirect speech. He said, The horse died in the night. He said that the horse had died in the night. The past continuous tense in the direct speech becomes the past perfect continuous tense in the indirect speech. He said, I was studying maths. He said that he had been studying maths. The past perfect simple and past perfect continuous tenses do not change.
CHANGES IN MODAL VERBS: Will Mary said: I'll never marry anyone Will be Bob said: I will be studying Maths Can Susan said: I can't see Joe anywhere Must / Have to Susan said: I must / have to finish may homework May Would Mary said that she would never marry anyone Would be Bob said that he would be studying Maths. Could Susan said that she couldn't see Joe anywhere Must / Had to Susan said that she must / had to finish her homework. Might Susan said: It may rain this morning Susan said that it might rain that morning. Note: SHOULD, COULD, WOULD, MIGHT, OUGHT TO and USED TO do not change. Notes: The tenses may not change if the statement is still relevant or if it is a universal truth. We can often choose whether to keep the original tenses or change them. Direct speech: Peter said, I know her. Indirect speech: Peter said that he knew her. OR Peter said that he knows her. Direct speech: The teacher said, London is the capital of England. Indirect speech: The teacher said that London is the capital of England. 2. Indirect Speech: Change in Pronouns, Adverbs and Demonstratives. - Adverbs of place and time: Here There Mary said: My house is just here Now Mary said: I m relaxing now! Today Mary said: Today I m getting married! Tonight Mary said: We re going out tonight. Tomorrow Mary said. I ll see you tomorrow. Yesterday Mary said: I saw you yesterday. Next week/ next year Mary said: We re meeting next week. Last week / last year Mary said: I didn t go to the cinema last week..ago Mary said that her house was just there. Then Mary said that she was relaxing then That day Mary said that she was getting married that day. That night Mary said that they were going out that night. The next day / The following day Mary said that she would see me the next day / the following day. The previous day / the day before Mary said that she had seen me the previous day / the day before. The following week / the following year Mary said that they were meeting the following week. The week before / the year before Mary said that she hadn t gone to the cinema the week before..before Mary said: I met him three months ago. Mary said that she had met him three months before. - Pronouns: A change of speaker may mean a change of pronoun. Alice (on Sunday evening): I don t like this party. I want to go home now. Peter (on Monday morning reports what Alice said on Sunday): Alice said that she didn t like
the party, and she wanted to go home. In the examples given above, Alice says I to refer to herself. Peter, when reporting what Alice said, naturally uses she to refer to her. The same happens with possessive adjectives and pronouns. She said to me: My clothes are nicer than yours! She said that her clothes were nicer than mine. - Demonstratives: This Bob said: I like this car! These Bob said: I have to finish these exercises. That Bob said that he liked that car. Those Bob said that he had to finish those exercises. - Diferencias entre los verbos TELL y SAY Both are used in indirect speech with the same meaning decir but there are some differences: a) We use TELL if we want to say who we are speaking to: Ex.: The boss told them they could leave early. We use TELL without an indirect object (ex. them / me / ) only in the expressions tell a story, tell the truth and tell a lie. b) We use SAY when we do not mention the person we are speaking to: Ex.: The boss said they could leave early. If we use SAY and we want to mention the person we are speaking to, we need to use TO after SAY, especially when the words are not reported: Ex.: The boss wanted to say something to all of them. She said to me she didn t want to go out that night. (not usually used) THAT can be omitted either using tell or say when reporting statements. It is never used in reported questions and orders. 3. Reporting commands Commands are usually made with an imperative and they change into indirect speech using the to-infinitive: Ex.: He told me: Wait for me here. She shouted: Don t move! He told me to wait for him there. She ordered us not to move. Reporting verbs for commands: TELL, ORDER, ASK. Ex.: He said: Please don t shout He asked / told / ordered us not to shout. 4. Reporting questions 4.1. YES/NO QUESTIONS: a. There is no change of word-order. It is no longer a question. b. No question mark or inverted commas. c. IF / WHETHER is used after the reporting verb. d. Changes in tenses, pronouns, demonstratives, adverbs of place and time. e. Reporting verbs: ASK, ENQUIRE, WONDER, WANT TO KNOW, Ex.: Did you speak to John last night? she asked. She asked if / whether I had spoken to John the night before. Are you working these days? he enquired. He enquired if / whether I was working those days. 4.2. WH-QUESTONS: Same changes as in yes/no questions but with the question word used in the question.
Ex.: Who did you speak to last night? she asked. She asked who I had spoken to the night before. Where are you working these days? he asked. He wondered where she was working those days. Who told you this story? he asked. He asked who had told us that story. 5. Reporting requests and suggestions 5.1. Requests: Reporting verbs: ASK, DEMAND, BEG (pedir, rogar, suplicar), REQUEST + person + TO- infinitive Ex.: John, don t open the window, please I said. I asked / begged / requested John not to open the window. If LET is used, we omit the modal verb and use the infinitive: Can you let me use your phone, please? I asked my neighbour I asked my neighbour to let me use his phone. If LET is not used, then we keep the modal verb: Can I use your phone, please? I asked my neighbour. I asked my neighbour if I could use his phone. 5.2. Suggestions: There are a number of formulas used when making suggestions in English. Here are some of the most common: Why don't you / we go to the movies tonight? You / we could visit New York while you're / we're there. Let's go to the travel agent's this afternoon to book our ticket. What about asking your brother for help? How about going to Hawaii for your vacation? I suggest you / we take all the factors into consideration before we decide. a. Reporting verb: SUGGEST b. Suggest + verb + -ING c. Suggest + that clause should or subjunctive (less usual) Ex.: Let s go to the theatre! She suggested going to the theatre. She suggested that we (should) go to the theatre Let s not argue again, she said She suggested not arguing again. She suggested that they (should) not argue again. 6. Offers, warnings, apologies, etc. We can report these kinds of sentences with say or ask, or we can use OFFER, WARN, APOLOGIZE, etc. I can lend you some money. She offered to lend me some money. She said she could lend me some money. Here are some patterns we can use. 6.1. A single clause: I m sorry. He apologized. Thank you very much. He thanked me. I really must have a break He insisted on a break. Be careful. The path is slippery. He warned me about the path. 6.2. Verb + to-infinitive: I m not going to walk all that way. Also: agree, offer, promise, threaten Gary refused to walk. 6.3. Verb + object + to-infinitive: You really ought to get some help. Mark advised us to get some help. Would you like to stay at our house? They invited me to stay at their house. Also: recommend, remind, warn 6.4. Verb + gerund: Why don t we watch a film? I m afraid I ve lost the photo. He suggested watching a film. He admitted losing the photo.
6.5. Verb + preposition + gerund: I m sorry I messed up the arrangements. He apologized for messing up the arrangements. Also: complain about, confess to, insist on, object to 6.6. Verb + object + preposition + gerund: It was your fault. You didn t tell us. They blamed James for not telling them. 6.7. Verb + that-clause: Jeff insisted (that) we had a break. He admitted (that) he had lost the photo. Also: agree, complain, confess, object, promise, suggest, threaten, warn 6.8. Verb + object + that-clause: He warned us that the path was slippery. Also: advise, promise, remind Statements (Afirmaciones) Reporting verbs (verbos que introducen el estilo indirecto) Questions Suggestions Commands (Preguntas) (Sugerencias) (Ordenes) warn advertir, avisar wonder- preguntarse offer ofrecer order ordenar explain explicar complain-quejarse admit admitir inform- informar ask- preguntar want to know- querer saber request- solicitar, rogar, pedir recommend-recomendar suggest-sugerir advise- aconsejar urge instar, incitar, recomendar tell decir insist - insistir apologise- disculparse announce- anunciar enquire/inquireinformarse de, preguntar, pedir información invite invitar tell decir, contar insist insistir REPORTED SPEECH - EXERCISES A) Use the correct form of say or tell in these sentences. 1. She. me she didn t agree. 11. He. He wasn t interested in politics. 2. I think I ve met you before, he. 12. Could you.. me your name? 3. I them I wasn t happy with their work. 13. Do you think he s.. the truth? 4. She. me a story about her parents. 14. Will you.. them to come earlier? 5. He., Are you feeling OK? 15. If he.. that, there ll be trouble. 6. I didn t hear; what did she.? 16. I. them it wasn t safe to swim there. 7. Could you. me the time, please? 17.. me what happened. 8. They. me they were going to a meeting. 18. I think he s. lies. 9. I the policeman by address. 19. I. I wanted to buy a magazine. 10. Did you. anything to him? B) Write the following sentences in reported speech. 1. I haven t got any money, Peter told me. 2. I work in a hospital, the man said.
3. We ve never been to Berlin, They said. 4. We can t come next Tuesday, they told Mary. 5. I m going to visit Canada this year, the President announced. 6. I can t stand classical music, Sara told me. 7. The plane will take off in half an hour, the pilot announced. 8. I m meeting the students for lunch next week, The teacher said. 9. We haven t had anything to eat, the children said. 10. I ve already seen that play, He told her. 11. I ll come again next year, I told them. 12. You will never eat a better meal, the chef claimed. 13. There are no tickets left for tonight s performance, she said. C) Write the sentences in indirect speech. 1. I saw her at the cinema yesterday, he said. 2. She said, We have been swimming today. 3. I ll see Mary on Sunday, he told me. 4. I met her three months ago, he said. 5. Pete and Sue are getting married tomorrow, she said. 6. David is going to bring some CDs to the party tonight, she said. 7. My parents are arriving tomorrow, he said. 8. We will go to the museum next week, they said. D) Write these sentences in reported speech. 1. What is your name? he asked the girl. 2. How old are you? she asked me. 3. When does the train leave? the woman asked. 4. How did you take my wallet? he asked. 5. Are you enjoying yourself? she asked me. 6. Does your father work here? Mary asked me. 7. Have you met Danny before? he asked them. 8. What s the time? he asked. 9. Why wasn t Judy at the party? he asked. 10. Why are you so late? the teacher asked the students. 11. Who did you see at the meeting last Monday? she asked me. 12. Do you live near your family? Tom asked Mary. 13. Did you borrow my dictionary? she asked Jim. E) Write these sentences in indirect speech. 1. Sit down Mary, he told. 2. Don t go near the sea, the mother told the children. 3. Don t be late, Tom, Tom s father said. 4. Be quiet, children, the librarian told. 5. Have your tickets ready, please, the inspector told us. 6. Leave your keys on the desk, the receptionist told them. 7. Open the door, please, my mother told me. 8. Would you pass my suitcase, please? he asked me. 9. Could you sit down, please? the teacher told me. 10. Would you take the children to school for me? Peter asked me. F) Write these sentences in indirect speech. 1. Run, the general ordered the soldiers. 2. Don t use the phone after eleven o clock, she told the boy. 3. Don t be frightened, he told the little boy. 4. Will you be quiet, please? he asked. 5. Would you like a lift into town? she asked me. 6. Would you like to go out at the weekend? he asked the boys. 7. Would you open your books at page 27, please? the teacher said. 8. Why don t we take a taxi instead? he said. 9. Would you like to eat in the hotel or in the restaurant? she asked me. 10. I will give a lift to your place he told her.
11. Will you close the door, please? he told the boy. 12. Let s finish it tomorrow, I said. G) Write the following sentences in direct speech. 1. She said to me that she didn t know where her bag could be. 2. The doctor told me not to take more than two glasses of water that day. 3. I asked him if he had liked the film. 4. She asked if I was going to travel to Scotland the following summer. 5. He said to me that his new computer didn t use Guadalinex. 6. They explained that they had sold the flat the year before. 7. She asked me why I had left my job, and she added that I was crazy for doing something like that. 8. The told me that they had been living in their new flat since the previous year. 9. I asked him what his name was and he answered his name was Mike. 10. He told me that his sister made him do her homework. 11. They told her that they would be waiting for her at home that night. 12. She told me that she didn t expect me to phone her. H) Complete the sentences. Report what was said. Ex.: Peter to Nick: Would you like to stay for lunch? Peter invited Nick to stay for lunch. Sharon: Yes, all right. I won t tell anyone. Sharon agreed not to tell anyone. 1. Tim to Bob: You ought to see a doctor. Tim advised 2. Louise: I m sorry I caused so much trouble. Louise apologized for 3. Andy: Why don t we go out for the day? Andy suggested 4. Tracy: I ll do the washing-up. Tracy offered 5. Pat to Jane: You re going to post the letter, don t forget. Pat reminded Jane 6. Travel agent: Yes, we made a mistake. The travel agent admitted 7. Steve to Mike: Don t touch the electric wires. Steve warned I) Combine each pair of sentences using that. Ex.: The roads were dangerous. The police warned us. The police warned us that the roads were dangerous 1. Everything would be ready on time. The builders promised. 2. We had to check everything carefully. The boss insisted. 3. Jill s story wasn t completely true. She admitted it. 4. My train was about to leave. Ted reminded me.