Indirect / Reported Speech

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Reported speech

At the end of this lesson you will: 

- know the difference between direct and reported (indirect) Speech. 

- know which types of words you need to change when rewriting from direct to indirect speech

- have practised rewriting from direct to indirect speech.

Reported Speech

• Direct Speech: ​  Something is said directly, sentence is between inverted commas "..."
• Reported speach = Indirect Speech​

      Direct: June said, "It is my car."

      Indirect: June said that it was her car.

Reported speech   

Reported

to report something

= about someone/

something else

Speech

something that is spoken

REPORTED SPEECH

Changes!!

This => that                                                                  Today =>On that day 

These =>those                                                            Now =>Then 

Here => there                                                              Tomorrow=> the day after / the following day

Yesterday = > the day before / the preceding day 

Two days ago => Two days before / the preceding days 

Four months ago=> Four months before / the preceding 4 months 

Last Monday morning => The Monday morning before/ the preceding Monday in the morning

Next week=> the week after / the following week

Two days/ a month later => In two days / a month                             

How to change direct questions into reported ones:

Three sorts of questions: 

1. Yes/No answers: Do you want tea?
2. Question word questions: Where? When? How? 
3. Choice questions: Do you prefer tea or coffee? 

1. Questions with Yes/No answers

Asked + if     (Or: asked + whether (= more formal))

active: Do you want tea?

reported: She asked if I wanted more tea

! change in pronoun (you --> I) 

! No auxiliary do in reported speech  

! Leave out the question tags

! tense changes to past

! change in pronoun you --> I

! No auxiliary do in reported speech

! Leave out the question tags

! tense changes to past

2. Questions with question words: Where? When? How? 

Active: How are you doing?

Reported: She asked how I was doing. 

 ! pronoun changes (you -> I)

! tense changes (are doing -> was doing)

! asked + question word + (no auxiliary do)  

 ! pronoun changes: you --> I

! tense changes: are doing --> was doing

! asked + question word + (no auxiliary do)  

3. Choice questions 

Active: Do you prefer coffee of tea?

Reported: She asked if I prefered coffee or tea. 

 ! pronoun changes (you -> I)

! tense changes (prefer -> prefered)

! asked + if   

 ! pronoun changes: you --> I

! tense changes: are doing --> was doing

! asked + question word + (no auxiliary do)  

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Jim said, "I work here every day."

1. Jim said that he works here every day."
2. Jim said that he works there every day."
3. Jim said that he worked here everyday."
4. Jim said that he worked there everyday."

"He will come tomorrow".
She told me that he ________ tomorrow.

1. is coming
2. will come
3. would come

"I can see the clouds.".
He told me that she ________ the clouds.

1. can see
2. could see
3. can saw
4. could saw

"My mother is taking the bus to work tomorrow".
He told me that his mother ________ the bus to work tomorrow.

1. is taking
2. was taking
3. will take

Julie: I want to go out.
INDIRECT SPEECH

1. Julie said that I want to go out
2. Julie said that she want to go out.
3. Julie said that she wanted to go out.
4. Julie said that she had wanted to go out.

My cousins: We worked all night.
INDIRECT SPEECH

1. My cousins said that we worked all night.
2. My cousins said they had worked all night.
3. My cousins said they worked all night.

Turn into indirect speech:
Peter said to John: "Why are you so late?"

1. Peter asked to John why he so late was
2. Peter asked John how late he was
3. Peter asked John when he was late
4. Peter asked John why he was so late

had to

the next day

they

in two days' time

this week

last night

'must' changes to _____ in reported speech.

'tomorrow' changes to ______ in reported speech.

The personal pronoun 'we' changes to _______ in reported speech.

'the day after tomorrow' changes to ______ in reported speech.

the night before, Thursday night

that week, last week

Turn the sentence to indirect speech:
''Where is your sister?'' she asked me.

Turn the sentence to indirect speech:
''Have you seen enough?'', they asked me.

Turn the sentence to indirect speech:
''I never make mistakes'', he said.

Change to reported speech
Fien: "I am watching Netflix now."

"I have been watching you", the man whispered.

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