indirect speech

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Direct speech

Direct speech = directe spraak

Use: Repeat the direct words that someone has said. Sometimes quotation marks ("") are used.

'I use my bike every day,' he said.

Indirect speech / reported speech

Indirect speech = indirecte spraak

Use: Retell what someone else has said. Reported speech is often in the past tense, because the sentences have already been spoken.

He said (that) he used a bike every day.

Step by step guide

Follow these steps for indirect speech

1. Identify the tense
2. Change pronouns to fit the context of the sentence
3. Remove quotation marks
4. Changes in time and place references

Example

Step 1:

'I am tired,' she said. --> PRESENT SIMPLE --> PAST SIMPLE

AM --> WAS

Example

Step 2 & 3:

'I am tired,' she said. --> She said she was tired. 

Step 4 isn't necessary in this sentence. 

Another example

Step 1:

"I will visit you tomorrow." --> will (future) --> would (past)

Another example

Step 2 & 3:

"I will visit you tomorrow." 

No clear subject, so let's assume a gender.

He said (that) he would visit me tomorrow.

Another example

Step 4:

"I will visit you tomorrow." 

We don't know when he said this. Tomorrow could have been two weeks ago, so we change tomorrow into the next day to keep the context of the sentence clear.

                               He said he would visit me the next day.

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.

Indirect Speech:
He: "It is snowing."

1. He said that it was snowing.
2. He said that it is snowing.

Ben: "I don't like shopping."
in indirect speech is:

1. Ben said that he don't like shopping.
2. Ben said that I didn't like shopping.
3. Ben said that I don't like shopping.
4. Ben said that he didn't like shopping.

Gebruik: Indirect speech
Jay: “I like sandwiches!”

1. Jay said that he like sandwiches
2. Jay said that he likes sandwiches
3. Jay said that he liked sandwiches
4. Jay said that he did not like sandwiches.

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.

Zet deze zin in Reported speech:
"I can speak English."

Zet deze zin in Reported speech:
'We have seen the new house,' they said.