Direct speech Reported speech

Present simple past simple

“I like peaches” He said he liked peaches

Present progressive past progressive

“It is raining” He asked if itwas raining

Past simple past perfect

“ I didn’t recognize you” She explained that shehadn’t recognized me.

Present perfect past perfect

“You’ve annoyedthe dog” I told her she’d annoyed the dog.

Past progressive past progressive or past perfect progressive

“I was joking about the price” He said hewas joking (had been joking)

about the price

Past perfect past perfect

“I hadn’t seen her before You said you hadn’t seen her before that day.

that day”

shall/will should/would

“We’ll be late” I was afraid we’d be late.

Can, may could, might

“ I canswim” She thought she could swim.

“It mayrain” They said itmight rain.

Would, could, might, ought, would, could, might, ought, should

Should

“Shecouldbe right” I felt shecould be right.

“That should be interesting” She said itshould be interesting.

Must must ( or had to)

“Imust go” He said hemust go (he had to go).

Note that we may have shall orshould in direct speech, and would in reported speech ( because of the difference of person).

“I should be delighted to come”. He said he would be delighted to come.

When the “reporting verb” is present, future, or present perfect the tenses used are usually the same as those in the speaker’s original words. Compare:

“Will I be in time?”

She wants to know if she’ll be in time.

“Was your operation successful?”

He’ll certainly ask you if your operationwas successful.

“I don’t want to go”

I’ve already told you that Idon’t want to go.

Sometimes , even after past reporting verbs, the tenses are the same as the original speaker’s. This happens when we are reporting people saying things that are still true when we report them. Compare:

“The earth goes round the sun”

Galileo proved that the earthgoes round the sun.

“I’monly 28”.

She told me the other day thatshe’s only 28.

However, past tenses are also possible in these cases. British or American people find the following conversation quite natural:

“How old are you?” – “I beg your pardon?” – “ I asked how old youwere.”

In sentences like these, we often use present tenses if we feel that we are reporting facts; we prefer past tenses if we are not sure of the truth of what we report. Compare:

She told me she’s getting married next June .( And I believe her)

She told me she was getting married next June. (It may be true, it may not.)

It is important to realize that the tenses in reported speech are not “special”. They are (almost always) just the normal tenses for the situation we are talking about. Compare:

Shewas tired so shewent home.

She said she wastired and shewent home.

In the second sentence , the past tense inwas tired is not used because the structure is “reported speech”. It is used ( as in the first sentence) because we are talking about the past. It is quite unnecessary to learn complicated rules about reported speech, or to practice changing direct speech to reported speech. Simply use the tenses that are natural for the situation.

Reported questions

Reported questions do not have the same word-order as direct questions often have. “Do” is not used. Question-marks are not used.

The nurse askedhow I felt.

I wondered why my mother was driving so fast.

Rosemary couldn’t understandwhere all the people were living.

Before a question which do not have a question-word ( like “who, where, why”) “if” or “whether” is used in reported speech.

I’m not surewhether/if I’ll have time.

I wonder whether/if you’ve got letters for me.

When both sides of the alternative are given ,whether is more common, especially in a formal style.

Let me know whether/if you can come or not.

The directors have not decidedwhether they will recommend a dividend or hold the profits.

Certain verbs (for instance: to discuss) can be followed bywhether not by if.

We discussed whether we should close the shop.

And whether not if can be used after prepositions, and beforeto-infinitive.

I haven’t settled the question ofwhether I’ll go back home.

She doesn’t know whetherto get married now or wait.

“Say” can be used to introduce direct questions, but not reported questions. Compare:

She said,”Do you want me to help you?”

She asked ifI wanted her to help me.

Note that the reported question constructions can be used in a special way, to report the answers to questions. In this case “say” can be used.

I told him how many people we were expecting.

She explained what the problem was.

Marysaidwhy she didn’t want to come.

There is a difference in the usage of sayandtell. Tell is used only in direct speech when what is quoted is either an instruction or a piece of information.

I said “Hello” to the boss and sat down at my desk.

Marysaid, ”What a nice idea”.

I told Martha, “Look in the black box in my bedroom”.

I told them, “I have never seen this man before”.

In reported speech bothsayandtell can be used to talk about giving information but not about asking questions.

I saidthat I was tired.

The landlady told me that she would have to put up the rent.

Saywhat you want.

She refused to tell me where she lived.

But: They asked what I wanted.

They askedif I wanted to see a film.

Words likehere, there, this, that, today, tomorrow, yesterday, next, last , now, then are called “here-and-now-words”. Their exact meaning depends on where and when they are used, and they may have to be changed in reported speech (unless the words are reported immediately, and in the same place where they were spoken). There are no exact rules for changing these words: we use whatever expressions will make the meaning clear in the situation.

Tell +object + infinitive is used to talk about orders, commands, advice, etc.

Say cannot be used like this.

I told them to shut up.

My mother alwaystold me not to talk to strange men.

Tell Charles to stop worrying and have a drink.

“Shall I...?” can have two meanings. It can be used for information (e.g. Shall I be in London in time for supper if I catch the 10.30 train?”), or to ask for orders, instructions, etc. ( e.g. Shall I carry your bag for you?). Information-questions are reported with “will/would” in the third person; offers and requests for instructions are generally reported with “should”(present or past).

Hewants to know if he will be in London in time for supper.

He asked if hewould be in London....

He wants to know /he asked if he should carry my bag.

Reported speech: orders, requests, advice,.....

Orders, requests, advice and suggestions are often reported by using an infinitive.

I told Andrew to be carefulcrossing the glacier.

The old lady downstairs has askedus to be quite after midnight.

The accountants advise us to raise prices by 8%.

Note that “ask” can be used in this way, but “say” is not usually possible. “Suggest” cannot be followed by the infinitive.

Negative questions, etc. are reported with negative infinitive.

Margaret told me not to worry.

A that-constructionis also possible.

The policeman told me that Iought to fill in a form .

Should (British English) or a subjunctive (American English) is often used in that constructions.

I suggested that he (should) meet us again a month later.

Conditionals

After a past reporting verb we can sometimes use “a conditional perfect structure” (past perfect in the main clause, conditional perfect in the other). It depends on the meaning. Compare:

1.He said ,”If you called on me tomorrow, I could see you for half an hour”

He said that if I called on him the next day he could see me....

2. He said,” If I had any money, I’ll buy you a drink.

He said if he’d had any money he’d have bought me a drink.

In the first example the speaker was talking about something that might happen, and the past conditional is not possible because it is only used for “imaginary” situations. In the second example, the past conditional is possible, because the speaker was talking about something that could not happen.

That

After the commonest verbs of saying and thinking , that can be left out, particularly in a conversational style.

I said I wanted to get home early.

Jane thought it was time to buy some new clothes.

Isuppose we ought to go.

Deborah tells me you’re leaving.

Thatis not so often left out in a more formal style, and there are also many verbs (reply, telegraph....) after which thatis necessary.

He replied thatwe ought to invest half the profits.

How to, where to,etc.

In reported speech , it is possible to use a question-word (how, where, who, etc) with an infinitive.

.

I told her where to go.