Reported Speech

Function : telling / reporting something you know from someone else to someone else .

Reported speech is divided into 4 parts :

u Statement  u Yes / no question

u Imperative u WH question

Statement J

Formula : S + tobe/aux/modal + V + O

© Simple Present                                            ÆSimple Past

    ;He said,”I am sick”.                                  þHe said that he was sick.

©Present Continuous                                      ÆPast Continuous

   ;He said,”My brother is singing a song”.  þHe said that his brother was singing a song.

©Present Perfect                                           ÆPast Perfect

   ;He said,”I have passed the exam”.                      þHe said that he had passed the exam.

©Past Simple                                     ÆPresent Perfect

   ;He said,”I sang that song”.                       þ He said that he has sung that song.

©Past Continuous                               ÆPast Perfect Continuous

   ;He said,”I was studying”.                        þHe said that he had been studying.

©Future Simple                                             ÆPast Future

   ;He said,”I will go to Bandung”.                þHe said that he would go to Bandung.

•The tenses will not change if the statement is still relevant or if it is a universal truth .We can choose to keep the original tenses or change them . If the tenses changed , maybe the meaning will change too .

(“I know his name is Budi”,said her"she said that she knew his name was Budi) from the example , maybe some people think that Budi already changed his name because the indirect use “was” which is use to tell something in the past .

•If the reporting verb in the present tense , the tenses of indirect speech do not change . We may rewrite the verb and put the reporting verb in the present tense mode.(she says,”he is so handsome”."she says that he is so handsome)

•The pronouns , place and the time of the direct speech changed to fit the new condition.(she said,”I am waiting for you here yesterday”to him "  she said to him that she was waiting for him there the day before)

Time and Place Siguals

Now                 û    then

Today              û    that day

Yesterday        û    the day before

This….                         û    That….

Last….             û    The previous…/the….before

Next….                        û    The following ….

Here                û    there

WH Question J

Formula : WH + tobe/aux/modal + S + V ?

In reporting question , the indirect speech is introduced by such verbs as asked .

;He asked me,”Where do you live ?”ÆHe asked me where I lived .

Imperative J

Formula : V + O

In reporting requests/order , the indirect speech in introduced by some verb that expressing the order .

;I said to him,”Let me go!” ÆI said to him to let me go.

;He said,”Don’t look at me!”Æ He said not to look at him .

Yes/No Question J

Formula : tobe/aux/modal + S + V + O

We need to add if / whether when yes / no question is being asked .

;He asked me,”Do you love me ?”ÆHe asked me if I loved him

                                        ÆHe asked me whether I loved him

Exercise J

Change into indirect !                                                Change into direct !

1 . He said,” Ricci School is in Kemenangan street”.         6 . She said they went away that day to us .

2 .She says,”I like it”.                                               7 . He told us to shut up .

3 . She asked us,”Do you like English lesson?”                  8 . Our teacher told us not to forget to do the task

4 . Our teacher warned us,”Don’t fall asleep!”                   9 . He asked me what my favorite food was .

5 . What is your name?,he asked me .                                  10 . He asked me whether I was ready .