Reported speech | examples and exercises

Reported speech | examples and exercises

When direct speech is changed into reported speech, with a reporting verb in the past, the verb tense, the pronouns and the time-phrase may all have to be changed to indicate the time shift to the past:

• 'We'll be getting married this year,' he said, (direct speech)

• He says (that) they'll be getting married this year. (reported speech with a present reporting verb)

• He said (that) they would be getting married that year. (reported speech with a past reporting verb)

It is usually better style to use more precise reporting verbs than say or tell when turning (usually informal) direct statements into (usually more formal) reported ones.

Examples are: advise, apologise, congratulate, promise, remind.

The modals should, would, could, ought and might do not change tense in reported speech, and neither do the second and third conditionals. With a reported second or third conditional, that is needed, and a comma is necessary to separate the two clauses if the if clause comes first:

• He pointed out that if she had bought him a ticket, he could have seen the

play too.

Notice how reported questions are formed from the two types of direct question in English.

A- questions starting with a question-word:

• 'When will you next be in Paris?'

He asked when she would next be in Paris. (NOT ... *when would she

next be in Paris)

• 'When does your plane take off?'

She asked when his plane took off.

Notice that no do/did auxiliaries are needed in reported speech, and that the word order is the same as in a statement.

B- questions starting with a verb:

• 'Can you come tomorrow?'

She asked if/whether I could go the next day/the day after/the following day.

If/whether connect the reporting verb and this type of question.

If has no connection here with conditional if. Whether must be used before an infinitive:

• He was not sure whether to believe them.

• I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Reported requests or commands usually involve the use of the infinitive with to:

• 'Take that away!' He told me to take it away.

• 'Please don’t talk.' She asked us not to talk.

Use ask for a polite request, beg for an earnest request, instruct or tell for a command, and order for an authoritative command:

• She ordered the children to sit down and be quiet.

Exercise 1:

Turn the sentences into reported speech.

1- ‘If I had known, I’d have come earlier,’ she said.

2- He said, ‘Unless John tells the truth, somebody’ll get hurt.’

3- ‘I really think you should join the tennis club this summer,’ she said.

4- ‘If you practised more, you might be able to make a career out of music,’ her teacher said.

5- ‘I wouldn’t have had the accident if the brakes had been repaired properly,’ he said.

6- ‘He’ll be sent to prison if he commits a further offence,’ said the magistrate.

7- Tou can stay here as long as you like,’ he said.

8- ‘I wish Bob would buy himself a new suit,’ said Maggie.

Exercise 2:

Correct the reported questions if necessary.

Tick any which are already correct:

1- I asked how far was it to the station.

2- They wondered how many people lived in Tokyo.

3- She asked me unless I could do the shopping for her.

4- Her father asked her was what she had told him true.

5- The committee enquired whether she might accept the job.

6- The traffic warden asked why had I parked there.

7- I asked the old man what was his recipe for long life.

8- We wondered how did our neighbours manage to keep their garden so neat.

9- The officials asked him what did he want.

10- I only wanted to know where he had been for so long.