Reported Speech. by Guiovani Pérez https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj Hecho por: Domingo Guiovani Pérez Cruz, Gerardo Uriel Hernández Ramírez en-us 2020-11-23 18:38:49 UTC 2023-03-29 02:28:23 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f604.png When do we use reported speech? yobaperez12 https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953574978 Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first person said.]]> 2020-11-23 18:41:59 UTC https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953574978 Here's how it works: yobaperez12 https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953577135 We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:


  • Direct speech: I like ice cream.
  • Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.

But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:


  • Direct speech: I like ice cream.
  • Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.
Occasionally, we don't need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense):

  • Direct speech: The sky is blue.
  • Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.
]]> 2020-11-23 18:42:27 UTC https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953577135 Reported Questions yobaperez12 https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953611690 So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?


  • Direct speech: Where do you live?
How can we make the reported speech here?

In fact, it's not so different from reported statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. 
We need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence. 
  • Direct speech: Where do you live?
  • Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.
The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I need to change the verb to the past simple.

Another example:
  • Direct speech: Where is Julie?
  • Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.
The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb. So, we need to change them back before putting the verb into the past simple.
]]> 2020-11-23 18:50:48 UTC https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953611690 Reported Requests yobaperez12 https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953620618 There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:


  • Direct speech: Close the window, please
  • Or: Could you close the window please?
  • Or: Would you mind closing the window please?

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when we tell another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

  • Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.
]]> 2020-11-23 18:52:57 UTC https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953620618 Reported Orders yobaperez12 https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953637040 And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:

  • Direct speech: Sit down!

In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask':

  • Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
]]> 2020-11-23 18:57:01 UTC https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953637040 Time Expressions with Reported Speech yobaperez12 https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953644308 Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we heard the direct speech and when we say the reported speech.

For example:

It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today".

If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was leaving today".
If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving yesterday".
If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving on Monday".
If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was leaving that day".]]> 2020-11-23 18:58:45 UTC https://padlet.com/yobaperez12/5hf9848awvhhrwdj/wish/953644308