19.4.2004 REPORTED SPEECH . Reported speech (or indirect speech) is used to report what someone has said without quoting them. Direct Speech Reported Speech Sally said: "I want to go home." Sally said that she wanted to go home. Changing direct speech to reported speech . If the reporting verb is in the past tense (which it most commonly is!!!) the tense of the reported speech changes (BACK SHIFT): simple present simple past "I walk the dog every day." Sally said (that) she walked the dog every day. present progressive past progressive "I am walking the dog." Sally told me that she was walking the dog. future Conditional "I will walk the dog every day." Sally mentioned that she would walk the dog every day. simple past past perfect "I walked the dog last night." Sally answered that she had walked the dog the night before. past progressive past perfect progressive or past progressive "I was walking the dog." Sally said she had been walking / was walking the dog. present perfect past perfect "I have walked the dog today." Sally said that she had walked the dog that day. present perfect progressive past perfect progressive "I have been walking the dog." Sally replied that she had been walking the dog. past perfect past perfect "I had walked the dog." Sally said that she had walked the dog. . Questions follow the same tense changes as statements. Note the word order in reported speech: "Where did you park the car?" The policeman asked the man where he had parked the car. "Is this your car?" The policeman asked the man whether it was his car. . For requests use ask + object + infinitive "Could you take me to the movies?" Billy asked his brother to take him to the movies. . Imperatives become infinitives (with 'to') in reported speech: "Hurry up!" Jenny told Michael to hurry up "Don't shout like that!" Jenny told Michael not to shout that way. . For proposals use 'suggest + verb + -ing' or ' suggest that + pronoun + infinitive'. "Let's go to the cinema.' Alex suggested going to the cinema. Alex suggested that we go to the cinema. . Some adverbs of time and place also change in reported speech, for example: now then here there today that day yesterday the day before / the previous day last year the year before / the previous year tomorrow the next day 21.4.2004 Reported Speech ÜBUNGEN Exercises: I) Statements: Put into reported speech. Please mind the change of tenses and the changes in time and place! 1) The announcer said, "Many houses were destroyed by the thunderstorm, so that the inhabitants were taken to a school building in the next village." -The announcer said, that many houses had were destroyed by the thunderstorm, so that the inhabitans were taken to a school building in the next village. 2) My friend told me, "I'll join the school orchestra as soon as possible. -My friend told me that he would join the school orchestra as soon as possible. 3) Our teacher told us, "Next Monday we'll have a meeting for the parents. The headmaster wants to know how many of the parents will come." -Our teacher told us, that next Monday we would had a meeting for the parents. The headmaster wanted to know how many of the parents would come. 4) They have been living in this town for many years and I think they will stay here for the next few years", my brother said. -My brother said, that they have been living in this town for many years and he thought that they would stay there for the next few years. 5) Grandmother told me, "When I was young, we used to walk to school. -Grandmother told me, that when she was young, they had used to walk to school. Exercise II) Questions: Put into reported speech and mind the necessary changes. 1) The stranger asked, "Can you tell me the way to the station? " The stranger asked me, whether I could tell him the way to the station. 2) The boss asked his employee, "Will you be able to finish these papers till the end of the month? " The boss asked his employer, whether he was able to finish those papers till the end of the month. 3) The teacher asked, "Who can tell me where we stopped last lesson? " The teacher asked, who could tell him where we stopped before lesson. 4) "For how long have you been a member of the boy scouts? " the new boy wanted to know. The new boy wanted to know, how long I had been a member of the boy scouts. 5) Mother asked, "How did you do your maths homework before Dad bought you the laptop?" Mother asked, how I had done my maths homework before Dad bought me the laptop.
