Mastering Reported Speech: Rules, Changes & Examples
Reported Speech: A Comprehensive Breakdown
Reported Speech (also known as indirect speech) involves conveying what someone else said, but without using their exact words. This requires certain grammatical adjustments.
Key Changes in Reported Speech
The basic structure is often: subject + verb + that + subject…
Verb Tense Changes:
- Present Simple → Past Simple
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect
- Past Simple → Past Perfect
- Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
- Past Perfect → Past Perfect (no change)
- Past Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous (no change)
- Will → Would
- Future Continuous → Conditional Continuous
- Can → Could
- May → Might
- Must/Have to → Had to
Time and Place Expression Changes:
- Now/At the moment → Then
- Today → That day
- Yesterday → The day before/The previous day
- Tomorrow → The next day/The following day
- This week → That week
- Next week → The following week
- Last month/week → The previous month/week
- Tomorrow morning → The following morning
- Yesterday evening → The previous evening
- This → That
- These → Those
- Here → There
- I/We → He/She/It/They
- My/Our → His/Her/Its/Their
- Me/Us → Him/Her/It/Them
- Mine/Ours → His/Hers/Its/Theirs
Reporting Questions
Wh- Questions:
Example: ”Where do you live?” → She asked where I lived.
Yes/No Questions:
Example: ”Is this your bag?” → She asked if that was my bag.
Reporting Commands
Commands are often changed into infinitives, using verbs like tell, ask, warn, order, command, instruct.
Example: ”Don’t smoke in my office” → He told me not to smoke in his office.
Reporting Requests and Suggestions
Requests:
Use verbs like ask, demand, beg, and request. The word “please” is usually omitted.
Example: ”Mary, close the window, please” → I asked Mary to close the window.
Suggestions:
Use suggest followed by a gerund.
Example: I suggested going to the park.
Reporting Verbs
- Verb + that: add, admit, agree, claim, complain, deny, explain, insist, promise, propose, recommend, regret, reply, declare, say, reveal.
- Verb + to + infinitive: agree, claim, decide, offer, promise, refuse, threaten, advise, ask, encourage, invite, order, remind, tell, persuade, warn.
- Verb + object + ing: admit, deny, propose, recommend, regret.
- Verb + preposition + ing: apologise for, object to, complain about, insist on.
- Verb + object + that: advise, assure, convince, inform, persuade, remind, tell, warn.
- Verb + object + to + infinitive: advise, ask, beg, convince, encourage, invite, order, persuade, recommend, remind, tell, warn, urge.
- Verb + object + preposition + ing: accuse of, blame for, criticise for, congratulate on, praise for, suspect of, thank for.
Vocabulary
- Accountant
- Beautician
- Civil servant
- Detective
- Requirements
- Terms and conditions
- Qualification
- Training
- Experience
- Salary
- Working hours
- Place of work
- Keep on
- Pick up
- Draw up
- Take on
- Take up
- Step down from
- Fill
- Expire
- Express
- Sense
- Market
- Expenses
- Applicant
- Campaign
- Employ
- Interview
- Recruit
- Unsettling
- Tartly
- Commendably
- Capacity
- Paisley
- Selection
- Life
- Vacancies
- Achievements
- Refuse
- Give
- Suggest
- Thanks
- Offer
- Deny
- Persuade
- Agree
- Courage
- Determination
- Resilience
- Patience
- Curiosity
- Tolerance
- Creativity
- A sense of adventure
- Living expenses
- Adventure
- Selection process
- Contract expires
- Target
- Primary responsibilities
- Expressed interest