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It is one way of relating what a person has said. In direct speech we repeat the original speakers exact words I am going to Oxford with my parents tomorrow, Ben said. The remark is placed between inverted commas and a comma appears immediately before the remark.

We give the exact meaning of a remark or a speech, but without necessarily using the speakers exact words. Ben said (that) he was going to Oxford with his parents the following day. Quotation marks disappear. There is no comma after the introductory verb (say/ask/tell).

When we turn direct speech into indirect, some changes are usually necessary.

When we report a statement, a question or any other type of sentence, the following changes take Place: 1. VERB TENSES 2. TIME EXPRESSIONS 3. PRONOUNS AND POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES 4. OTHER CHANGES

1. VERB TENSES When the introductory verb is in the past, the verb in direct speech changes into the corresponding past tense in reported speech.
DIREC T SPEECH
Present Simple Present Continuous Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Continuous Past Simple Past Continuous

REPORTED SPEECH
Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect Cont. /No change

Past Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Continuous Future Simple

No change
No change Conditional Simple
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MODALS IN REPORTED SPEECH

DIRECT SPEECH
WILL SHALL MAY MUST CAN

REPORTED SPEECH
WOULD SHOULD MIGHT MUST/HAD TO COULD

NOTE: COULD, MIGHT, WOULD, SHOULD remain unchanged in reported speech MUST remains the same when it expresses possibility or deduction. When it expresses obligation, we can change it into MUST or HAD TO.

2. TIME EXPRESSIONS
DIRECT SPEECH
NOW TODAY, TONIGHT YESTERDAY LAST NIGHT/WEEK TOMORROW

REPORTED SPEECH
THEN THAT DAY, THAT NIGHT THE DAY BEFORE THE PREVIOUS NIGHT/WEEK THE FOLLOWING DAY

THIS WEEK/MONTH/YEAR THAT WEEK/MONTH/..

NEXT WEEK/MONTH
TWO DAYS/MONTHS

THE FOLLOWING WEEK/

TWO DAYS/MONTHS.. BEFORE

AGO
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3. PRONOUNS AND POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

They change according to the context I will lend you our car, Bill said. Bill said (that) he would lend me their car. He has just arrived, I said. I told them he had just arrived. 4. OTHER CHANGES THIS/THESE THAT /THOSE HERE THERE COME GO

A. STATEMENTS INTRODUCTORY VERBS

SAY
SAY + THAT

TELL
TELL + OBJECT

I have been working since this morning, she said. She said (that) she had been working since that morning SAY + TO + OBJECT She said to me that she had been working since that morning

I have been working since this morning, she said. She told me that she had been working since that morning.

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STRUCTURE
SUBJECT + SAID + (TO+OBJ) + (THAT) + SUBJ. + VERB SUBJECT + TOLD + OBJECT + (THAT) + SUBJ+ VERB I know her, Richard said. Richard said (that) he knew her. They will never speak to you again, Rachel said to her husband. Rachel said to her husband that they would never speak to him again.

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B. QUESTIONS
1)INTRODUCTORY VERBS ASK, WANT TO KNOW, WONDER, INQUIRE 2) The question mark is omitted 3) The word order is the same as the one in a statement Where do you live? she said. She asked me where I lived. Did she buy a coat at the sales? Bruce said. Bruce asked them if she had bought a coat at the sales.

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B.1. WH- QUESTIONS

STRUCTURE: SUBJECT + ASKED + OBJECT + WH WORD + SUBJ + VERB + How old is he? he asked me. He asked me how old he was. Where did he go last night? Milly said. Milly asked them where he had gone the previous night/ the night before.

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B. 2. YES/NO QUESTIONS
STRUCTURE: SUBJECT+ ASKED + OBJECT+ IF/WHETHER + SUBJECT + VERB Do you know what time it is? his mother said. His mother wanted to know if he knew what time it was Do you want to go by air or sea? the travel agent asked. The travel agent asked me whether I wanted to go by air or sea Note: We use WHETHER when a choice has to be made or when there is a conditional sentence in the question.

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C. ORDERS AND COMMANDS

INTRODUCTORY VERBS: TELL, ORDER, WARN STRUCTURE: (+) SUBJECT + TOLD/ORDERED + OBJECT + TO INFINITIVE + . Be quiet! the teacher said. The teacher ordered the students to be quiet. (-) SUBJECT + TOLD/ORDERED + OBJECT + NOT TO + INFINITIVE Dont open the door, his mother said. His mother told him not to open the door.
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D. SUGGESTIONS
DIRECT SPEECH A) Lets have lunch together tomorrow, she said. B) Why dont we have lunch together tomorrow,? she said. C) How/What about having lunch together tomorrow? she said. D) Shall we have lunch together tomorrow? she said.

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REPORTED SPEECH
STRUCTURE: SUBJECT + SUGGESTED + VERB-ING She suggested having lunch together the following day. SUBJECT + SUGGESTED + SUBJECT 2 + SHOULD + BARE INFINITIVE She suggested that they should have lunch together the following day.

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E. ADVICE
DIRECT SPEECH If I were you, I would give up smoking, she said to them. You had better give up smoking, she said to them. Why dont you give up smoking? she said to them. You should /ought to give up smoking, she said to them.

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REPORTED SPEECH
STRUCTURE: SUBJECT + ADVISED + OBJECT + TO INFINITIVE + She advised them to give up smoking.

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F. OFFERS AND REQUESTS

DIRECT SPEECH Will /Can/Could/Would you help me carry these bags, please? she said. Shall I help you carry these bags? he said. Would you like to go to the cinema? they said. REPORTED SPEECH STRUCTURE: SUBJ+ OFFERED/ASKED+ OBJECT + TO-INFINITIVE She asked me to help her carry the bags. She offered to carry the bags for me. They invited me to go to the cinema.
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REPORTING A DIALOGUE OR A CONVERSATION

In conversations we use a mixture of sentences (statements, questions, orders, suggestions.). When we turn into reported speech, we use AND, AS, ADDING THAT, AND HE /SHE ADDED THAT, EXPLAINING THAT, BECAUSE, BUT, SINCE, AND THEN HE/SHE WENT ON TO SAY, WHILE, THEN Words or expressions such as Oh, Oh dear, Well , etc are omitted in reported speech. We can also use the corresponding introductory verb in the present participle (-ing)

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EXAMPLE
DIRECT SPEECH
Oh, this is a very nice dress, she said. How much does it cost? I cant buy it, she said. I cant afford it. Shall I help you? he said. We can work on it together.

REPORTED SPEECH
She remarked/exclaimed that that was a very nice dress and she asked how much it cost. she said she couldnt buy it, explaining that she couldnt afford it. He offered to help me, suggesting that we could work on it together.
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