Course:

Reported speech, questions and commands.

Reporting statements with the introductory verb in the present and/or

future tenses.

Direct speech
Tom says, I am fine.
The sun is shining, Jerry is saying.
I will see you after the party. She tells me.
He will probably say/is going to say/ has
said, We have left it at home

The past

(simple cont. perf)

The present

Tenses

Indirect (reported) speech

Tom says that he is fine.
Jerry is saying that the sun is shining
She tells me that she will see me/us after
the party.
He will probably say /is going to say/ has
said that we/they have left it at home.

Reporting statements with the introductory verb in the past tense.

Direct speech

Indirect (reported) speech

I am busy now, I said.

I said that I was busy then/at that time.
Cathy said I never work on Sundays Cathy said that She never worked on
Sundays
Ann is doing her homework, Mother Mother said that Ann was doing her
said.
homework..
We have seen your car in the garage The policemen told me that they had
yesterday. The policemen told me.
seen my/our car in the garage the day
before.

Condolesa said, I wrote a letter to the Condolesa said that She had written a
president after my visit.
letter to the president after her visit.
You were driving too fast, they
said.

They said that we/I had been driving

too fast.

Modals

conditionalThe (simple. cont. perfect)The future

perfect)

(simple cont.

I told them, He had left since the year

I told them that he had left since the
2000.
year 2000.

I shall fly to Paris next July, Ahmed

promised.

Ahmed promised that he should fly to

Paris the following July.

The boss announced, John will be

working here this summer holidays.

The boss announced that John would be

working there that summer holidays.

I will have finished the correction by Kaddour declared that by two oclock,
two oclock. Kaddour declared.
he would have finished.

She said, I would be very happy if

you..

She said that she would be very happy

if I / we .

If pupils .., they would have

succeeded. Many teachers thought.

Many teachers thought that if pupils

.., they would have succeeded.

Can
May , might
Must , has/have to
should

Could
Might
Had to
should

Some changes (backshifts) concerning pronouns, demonstratives

and time expressions should be taken into consideration.
Direct speech
.Indirect (reported) speech

Pronouns

I
We
My
Our
Me
Us

Demonstratives

Here
This
These

I / She / He
We / They
My / His / Her
Our / Their
Me / Him / Her
Us / Them
There
That
Those

II

Time
expressions

Now
Today
Tonight
Yesterday
Tomorrow
Hour-day-month-week-year
ago
.. Ago
. Next
.. Last

Reporting questions, commands and requests.

Auxiliary questions WH questions

Direct speech

commandsImperatives and

Then
That day
That night
The day before/ the previous
The following day/ the day after
Hour-day-month-week-year before
before.
The following /The .after
The previous./ .before

-What have you done? He asked her.

-The tourist wanted to know, Where is the
bank?
- What was it? The mother asked her niece.
-Who colonized Algeria? The history
teacher asked us.
-She asked me, Do you really love me?
-Did it rain heavily last summer? I asked.
-Jane wanted to know Will you send me
your photo in your next letter?
-Have you finished? The teacher asked.
-Present your essays on Monday! The
teacher ordered us.
-Do not talk to your mate! He added.
-Go out! The boss shouted at me angrily.
-He ordered her Stop smoking!

Reported (Indirect)speech
-He asked her what she had done.
-The tourist wanted to know where
the bank was.
-The mother asked her niece what it
had been.
-The history teacher asked us about/
who had colonized Algeria
-She asked me if I really loved her.
-I asked whether it had rained
heavily the previous summer.
-Jane wanted to know if I/we would
send her my/our photo(s) in
my /our following letter(s).
-The teacher wanted to know if
we/they had finished.
-The teacher ordered us to present
our essays on Monday.
-He added not to talk to my/our
mates.
-The boss ordered me angrily to go
out .
-He ordered her to stop smoking.

III

Polite requests

-Be quiet please, the baby is taking a nap

My mother said.
-Can you help me, please? An old man
asked me.
-Would you please help me do this activity
tonight? Suzies friend asked her.

-My mother asked me to be quiet, the

baby was taking a nap.
- An old man asked me (politely) to
help him.
- Suzies friend asked her to help
him/her do that activity.

Reporting questions with the introductory verb in the present and/or future tenses .
questionsYes / no WH

Direct speech
-Are you tired? They want to know.
-They will ask you Will you be here
tomorrow?
-What have you done with the money? The
father asks his son.
-They have been asking each other Where
are we? Are we lost?

Indirect (reported) speech

-They want to know if I / we am/are
tired.
-They will ask me /us whether I/we
will be there the following day.
-The father asks his son (about) what
he has done with the money.
-They have been asking each other
where they are, and if they are lost.

IV

Sometimes the whole statement is shortened in a newer form regardless of its

tense and/or introductive verb. Those instances are usually common with situations
to express thanks, apologies, advice, confessions suggestions. Look at the following
examples:
Functions
Direct (quoted) speech
Indirect (reported) speech
Expressing thanks.
Expressing apologies
Making suggestions.
Giving advice.
Rejecting/denying.
Admitting/
confessing.

-Ali told me," Thank you for

your help".
-" I'm very sorry. I'm late", She
said.
-"Hi friends! Let's go to the
zoo.", Condoliza told us.
-My doctor said," Why don't you
eat less and practise sport?"
-"We did not cheat in the exam.",
pupils told their Maths teacher.
- "Yes we did. We robbed the
bank", the five thieves said.

-Ali thanked me for my

help/helping him.
-She apologized for being late.
-Condoliza suggested going to
the zoo.
My doctor advised me to eat less
and(to) practise sport.
- Pupils denied / rejected
cheating in the exam
- The five thieves admitted that
they robbing the bank.

A reminder: Remember that the tenses must be changed so often. Here is the
tenses shift.
The tense in
The tense in
Remarks
quoted speech
reported speech
- Simple present
- Present continuous
- Present perfect simple
- Present perfect continuous
- Simple past
- Past continuous
- Past perfect simple
- Past perfect continuous
- Simple future
- Future continuous
- Future perfect simple
- Conditional

- Simple past
- Past continuous
- Past perfect simple
- Past perfect continuous
- Past perfect simple
- Past perfect continuous
- Past perfect simple
- Past perfect continuous
- Conditional
- Conditional continuous
- Conditional perfect
- Conditional

No change
No change

Rarely used
No change

Well, it is time for practice. Ready?

Go fore it, then!
5

Activity One: Re-write the following statements into indirect speech.

1) The reporter said The police arrested two dangerous criminals.

1-a)- The reporter said ..
2) Who died in the plane crash last weekend? A curious reporter asked me.
2-a)- A curious reporter wanted to know
3) He says, I will visit Algeria next year.
3-a)- He says ..
4) I have been watching TV for three hours yesterday night. Amina told me.
4-a)- Amina told me
5) Do you live in a large house? They asked her.
5-a)- They asked her ..
6) Morice informed me I take driving lessons every Friday.
6-a)- Morice informed me .
7) Keep silent, or go out. The teacher warned a pupil.
7-a)- The teacher warned a pupil ,or..
8) Dont forget to take your medicines every day. My doctor advised me.
8-a)- My Doctor advised me
9) Show me these photos, please. Suzy was asked by her nephew.
9-a)- Suzy was asked by her nephew
10) The boss is asking his new secretary Can you read and write?
10-a)- The boss is asking his new secretary ...

Activity Two: Re-write the following statements into direct speech.

1) He said, ..
1-a)-He said that he was repairing the car that day.
2) Charlie told his neighbors , ...
2-a)-Charlie told his neighbors that he would fly to Alexandria the following day.
3) Charlie promised, ..
3-a)-Charlie promised that he would phone them if he arrived on time at the airport.
4-a)-That little orphan told me, .. Or;
4-b)-That little orphan told me, ..
4) That little orphan told me that he had never gone to the zoo.
5) I said to him, ,andOtherwise..
5-a)-I advised him to respect the law, and not to drive quickly. Otherwise he might make an accident.

6) She asks her sister, ...?

6-a)-She asks her sister if she knows how to make pies.
7-a)-The teacher asked his pupils, ?
7) The teacher asked his pupils whether they had questions about reporting short questions.
8) Jill said, ..
8-a)-Jill said that she wanted to go on holidays but she did not have enough money.
9) I said, .

9-a)-I suggested going either swimming or fishing.

10) Susies nephew said,
10-a)-Suzies nephew asked her politely to show him her photos of that summer vacation.
11-a)-my sister wanted to know, ..? Or;
11-b)-My sister wanted to know, ...?
11)My sister wanted to know if I had been watching that movie the previous night.

Activity Three: Transform the following dialogue into a small paragraph by

transforming the statements into indirect speech. Use the pronoun {He}for both
characters.
Tom ( the famous ,funny and blue cat)met Jerry (the small and troublesome mouse) at
home last night, and they had a talk. This is their dialogue:
Tom: Good evening little pal! It is very nice to see you getting fatter everyday. (1)
Jerry: evening pussycat! And I am so glad to discover that you are getting foolish,
stupid and lazier every minute. (2)
Tom: I have a good news to tell you. (3)
Jerry: All right! Let me hear what is turning in your empty computer! (meaning his mind).
Tom: I shall eat you tonight. (5)
Jerry: Uhuhhuha! If you can catch me, why do not you do so now? (6)
Tom: Do you think I am unable to trap you? (7)
Jerry: Of course, I do. Come on! Let the fighting start now! (8)

*** Begin your paragraph as follows:

Last night, Tom met Jerry at the small garden in front of a house. The cat greeted the
mouse and said that .(1) The mouse greeted back the cat in an informal way
and said (2).. . Next, Tom told jerry that ..(3).. All right,
replied the small and disturbing little animal. He added .(4).
(meaning the cats empty head).The truly foolish cat did not get angry. Instead, he promised
the mouse that (5) Jerry laughed at the threatening promise and said,
using a conditional sentence, that (6)..The surprised cat asked his little
fellow (7) Of course, I do, replied Jerry very confidently and ..
..(8)..The fighting really began, I was watching them, but Tom was never able
to catch the mouse who kept jeering and laughing throughout the battle.