The Reported Speech.

1.   Reported speech is used to report something that somebody said earlier. The most common reporting verbs are  ‘say’, ‘tell’, ‘ask’, etc.

The Present simple                              changes into                              Past simple
“I’m a pilot.” He said.                                                                                       He said (that) he was a pilot
The Present continuous                     chanches into                           Past continuous
“I’m coming.” She said.                                                                                   She told me she was coming.
The Present perfect                              changes into                            Past Perfect
“I haven’t seen the film yet.”                                                                        He said that he hadn’t seen the film yet.
The Past continuous                            changes into                             Past perfect continuous
“She was trying to be humorous.”                                                             He told me that she had been trying to be                                                                                                                                  humorous.
The  future      "will "                             changess in   to                      ‘Would’ conditional
“I’ll win that race.” He told me.                                                                 He told me that he would win that race.
Can                                                               changes into                            Could
May                                                              changes into                             Might

 2. When you report questions, you bring the same changes to verb tenses. The most common reporting verbs are ‘ask’, ‘want to know’, wonder’, ‘enquire’, etc.

e.g.   “How long did you stay at that hotel?” He asked me
          He wanted to know how long I had stayed at that hotel.
“Will it take you long to come back?” He asked her.

 3. When reporting apologies, advice, warnings, suggestions, etc., it is preferable to use the verbs: apologized, advised, warned, suggested, etc.

e.g.   “You ought to give up smoking.” He said.          He advised me to give up smoking.
         “Don’t tell anyone; otherwise…”She said.         She warned me not to tell anyone; otherwise…

 4.  Time and place words changes when reporting statements or questions: Here are some changes that may have to be made:
this                that               today          that day                    tomorrow       the next day

 A - Rewrite the following sentences as suggested:
 1. “Keep the environment clean!” He said.
      The city councillor ordered the residents ………………………………………………...................………
2. “Don’t leave your luggage unattended!” They wrote on the notice.
    The notice on the wall reminded the passengers …………………………………………...................……..
3. “I can’t put up with the noise you are making.” She said.
She told the children ……………………………………………………………….…………..................……
4. “We want peace and harmony in the world.” They shouted.

The crowd shouted.......................................................………………………………….…

5. “We’ve done very little to improve the working conditions of immigrants in our country.”
    A Spanish government official declared ………………………………………….................………………...
6. “You must unload your luggage so that I can check it.” The customs officer said.
    The customs officer told me …………………………………………………….................…………………..
7. “I’ll phone you back later in the evening.” He told me.
    He let me know …………………………………………………………………..................……………
8. “We haven’t been able to find the missing little girl yet.” The police officer said.
    The police officer confessed ………………………………………………….................……………………..
9. “When I retire from my job, I’ll set up my own business.” The man said.

B - Report the following statements as suggested and make any necessary changes:
 1. “We must have the courage to say that we have almost done nothing to help the poor countries.”
    The Heads of States admitted ………………………………………………………….....................…………
2. “We think it was your fault. You shouldn’t have allowed your daughter to go out alone at night.”
    They blamed him ……………………………………………………………………...................…………
3. “I’ve done a lot of wrong in my life.” The woman said to herself.
    The woman regretted …………………………………………………………………................…………….
4. “The anti-war campaign was a total failure.” One of the organisers said.
    One of the organisers confessed …………………………………………………………................…………
5. “You’d better cut down on fatty food!” The doctor told the patient.
    The patient was advised ………………………………………………………………................…………….
6. “He’s honest, hard-working, and open-minded.” The villagers said.
    The villagers described their deputy ………………..…………………………………...................…………
 7. “I managed to get through the customs without a visa and a passport.” He said.
    The illegal immigrant revealed ………………………………………………………................……………..
8. “Elguerrouj runs like a deer.” Journalists used to write.
    Journalists used to compare ………………………………………………………................………………...
9. “Would you like me to help you prepare your speech?” Linda said to Kim.
    Linda offered …………………………………………………………………………………...............
10. “No, no. I didn’t rob that bank. It wasn’t me.” The accused man said to the judge.
    The accused man denied …………………………………………………………………………....................
11. “Please, please, come and stay with us for the weekend!” The girl said on the phone.
    The girl begged her grandmother ……………………………………………………………................……..
12. “How about building a charity centre for the homeless?” The City Mayor said.
    The City Mayor suggested ……………………………………………………………………..........................
13. “I’m having a birthday party tomorrow. I’d be glad if you could attend.” 
Halima said to Linda. 
    Halima invite……………………………………………………………………..................
14. “”You’re here because you’ve been caught throwing garbage in the street,” 
said the police.
    The police officer accused the man ………………………………………………………................………...
15. “I can’t attend the opening ceremony. I’m so sorry!” The guest speaker said on the phone.
    The guest speaker apologized …………………………………………………………................……………
16. “Don’t be late for work or I’ll get angry.” The boss said to his secretary.
    The boss warned ………………………………………………………………………….........................
17. “No, I won’t let you in. It’s against the regulations.” 
The security guard said to the boy.
 The security guard refused …………………………………………………………………................………
18. “Take a long holiday. It’ll do you a lot of good.” The manger said 
to his assistant.
The manager recommended ……………………………………………………………................…………..
19. “I want you all to work as a team.” The teacher kept repeating to the class.
    The teacher insisted ……………………………………………………………………….................………..
20. “I won’t tell your father about the damage you caused to my car; 
I promise.” He said to me.
             

 DIRECT SPEECH                                                                                       REPORTED SPEECH