REPORTED SPEACH
Reported Statements
When do we use reported speech? : :
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.
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:
EXAMPLES
- 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
- Direct speech: The sky is blue.
- Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.
Reported Questions
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?
Reported Requests
There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)?
For example:
click to edit
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 Orders
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:
click to edit
Direct Order Reported Order
Go to bed! He told the child to go to bed.
Don't worry! He told her not to worry.
Be on time! He told me to be on time.
Don't smoke! He told us not to smoke.
