Direct and reported speech for Monday 11th April

Good moring everyone,

As Gabby has told you by now, I am away today and possibly tomorrow as I am seriously sick.

For today, I want you to read the text below and do the activity task at the end of the page and post it to me. Those who finish it earlier than 1:15, log in to www.english-grammar-lessons.com and catch up with the grammar lesson than you are not good at.

So have a nice day and good luck with the activities.

Changing from direct to reported speech

When changing from direct to reported speech, you need to change the grammar in certain ways. Verb tense forms usually need to change. In most cases, you change the present tense into the past tense.

She said, “I am staying at the Chelsea Hotel.”

She said that she was staying at the Chelsea Hotel.

If the direct speech is already in the past tense, you need to put the verb even further back in time, using had. This applies to both past tense and present perfect forms of the verb.

He said, “I came by bus.”

He said that he had come by bus.

She said, “I’ve definitely seen John recently”.

She said that she had definitely seen John recently.

However, you do not use this rule if the verb in the direct speech already uses had.

She said, “I had given up hope of seeing him again.”

She said that she had given up hope of seeing him again.

If you report something that someone said, which is still true now, you do not need to change the tense of the verb.

“I want to get married.”

She said she wants to get married.

If the direct speech contains will, shall, or may, these also need to change.

will →would shall → should may →might

She said, “I will see you soon.”

She said that she would see us soon.

Would, should, could, might, and must do not change.

She said, “I could visit him on Thursday.”

She said she could visit him on Thursday.

You also need to change times and places which depend on the speaker’s point of view.

He said, “I saw the car here yesterday.”

He said that he’d seen the car there the day before.

In this case here becomes there because you are in a different place, and yesterday becomes the day before because you are now speaking at a later time.

Also, now becomes then, last week becomes the week before, two months ago becomes two months before, tomorrow becomes the next day, and so on. Of course, if the time phrase does not depend on the speaker’s point of view, it can be used without change.

He said, “I bought the car in November 1996.”

He said he had bought the car in November 1996.

REPORTING QUESTIONS

When you are changing a question from direct speech into reported speech, you follow the same kinds of rules as for statements. The only differences are that you need to use a different word to introduce the reported speech, and the word order of the question becomes like that of a statement. You end the sentence with a full stop, not a question mark.

You use if or whether to introduce a ‘yes‑no question’.

I asked, “Does he eat meat?”

I asked whether he ate meat. OR I asked if he ate meat.

You introduce questions that begin with who, why, what, how etc by using the word which begins the question in direct speech.

She asked, “When will you go back to Iran?”

She asked when he would go back to Iran.

You often mention the person who is being asked the question, by using a pronoun (him, her, them etc) or by mentioning their name.

I asked him if he ate meat.

She asked Michael when he would go back to Iran.

When saying what someone has told or asked another person to do, you usually use an infinitive.

“Go home!”

She told him to go home.

“Can you shut the window?”

She asked him to shut the window.

Now change the following direct speech sentences into reported sentences and post it to me.

1. Alex said, "I am going to meet a friend."
2. Ken asked, "What are you going to do tonight?"
3. I said, "I've been to Mexico."
4. Steve said, "I want to go to South Africa."
5. Allen said, "I'd like to come and visit you."