Reported speech
(also called indirect speech) is used to report what someone said to another
person, but without using the exact words. Look at the example:
A friend, Bopha,
says to you:
Ø I went
to the stadium last night.
You say to someone
else:
Ø Bopha
said (that) she had been to the stadium the night before.
The verb 'said' is
called a reporting verb. Other reporting verbs are: accuse, admit, advise,
allege, agree, apologize, beg, boast, complain, deny, explain, imply, invite,
offer, order, promise, reply, suggest and think. Using them properly can make
what you say much more interesting and informative.
To report direct
speech, a few changes are necessary; often a pronoun, tense, and adverb.
CHANGES WHEN
REPORTING
1. Change
in Tenses
Move one tense
backwards, see the list below:
Ø Simple
Present → Simple Past
Ø Present
Progressive → Past Progressive
Ø Simple
Past → Past Perfect Simple
Ø Present
Perfect Simple → Past Perfect Simple
Ø Past
Progressive → Past Perfect Progressive
Ø Present
Perfect Progressive → Past Perfect Progressive
Ø Future:
Be going to → was / were going to
Ø Future:
Will → Would
Ø Conditional
I (will) → Would
Note: could,
should, would, might, needn’t, ought to, and used to do not change.
2. Change
in Adverbs
Time and place
references often have to change. For examples
Ø today
→ that day
Ø now →
then
Ø yesterday
→ the day before/ the previous day
Ø … days
ago → … days before
Ø last
week → the week before/ the previous week
Ø next
year → the following year/ the year after
Ø tomorrow
→ the next day / the following day
Ø here/there
→ there
Ø this/that
→ that
Ø these/those
→ those
3. Change
in pronouns
Pronouns have to be
changed depending on who says what and in which situation. For examples,
Ø She
said, "I teach English online."
→ She said that she
taught English online.
OPTIONAL CHANGES IN
TENSE
In some cases, it
is not necessary to change the tense. But if you are not sure, YOU ARE ADVISED
TO CHANGE ALL THE TIME. Let see each case and examples below.
1. The
reporting verb (or introductory clause) is in Simple Present (e. g. He says
that...), Present Continuous (e.g. She is saying that…), Present Perfect (She
has said that...), and Future (She will says...). For examples,
Quoted :My
friend says, "I'll meet you in Siem Reap.”
Reported
:My friend says that he will meet me in Paris.
Quoted :Maly
will say, “She will quit her present job.”
Reported
:Maly will say that she will quit her present job.
2. Reporting
something immediate after speaking, or which has just said. For example,
Quoted: “I never
forget anything.”
Reported: You have
just said you never forget anything.
3. Reporting
facts or general truth. For examples,
Quoted: My friend
said, "The sky is blue?"
Reported: My friend
said the sky is/was blue.
4. Reporting
something that is still true. For examples,
Quoted: "The
National Museum is painted Red."
Reported: He said
that the National Museum is painted red.
Quoted: “Ban
Ki-moon is the UN Secretary General.”
Reported: He told
me that Ban Ki-moon is the UN Secretary General.
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