UNIT 5

REPORTED SPEECH
We used Reported Speech or Indirect speech, to tell people what someone said or
thought in the past, without using the words that the speaker used.
TENSES REPORTED SPEECH

DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH

Present Simple Past Simple

Present continuous Past continuous

Past Simple Past perfect

Present perfect Past perfect

Past perfect Past perfect

Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

Past continuous Past perfect continuous

Will Would
MODALS REPORTED SPEECH

DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH

Must Had to
Can Could
May Might
Could Could
Might Might
Should Should

TIME EXPRESSIONS REPORTED SPEECH

DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH

now then

at this moment / at the moment at that moment / at the moment

today that day

tonight that night

yesterday the previous day / the day before

yesterday morning / evening... the previous morning / the morning before

last night the previous night / the night before

last week / last month / last year /... the previous week / the week before /...

the day before yesterday two days before

ten minutes ago ten minutes earlier / ten minutes before

three days ago three days before

tomorrow the following day / the day after / the next day

tomorrow morning the following morning / the next morning

next Tuesday the following Tuesday / the next Tuesday ¹

next week / next month /... the following week / the next week /...

the day after tomorrow two days later

in two weeks' time two weeks later

PLACE EXPRESSIONS REPORTED SPEECH

DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH

here there

this that

these those

Ex. I work in Paris-----------------She said she worked in Paris

REPORTED SPEECH STRUCTURES
We use different structures according to different verbs:

A) REPORTING VERBS
 SUBJECT+ REPORTING VERB + (NOT) + TO+ INFINITIVE
(agree, offer, promise, refuse, threaten)
 SUBJECT + REPORTING VERB + OBJECT + (NOT) + TO +
INFINITIVE
(advise, ask, encourage, invite, order, persuade, remind, tell, warn)
 SUBJECT+ REPORTING VERB + (NOT) + VERB + -ING
(admit, apologize, deny, recommend, suggest)
 SUBJECT+ REPORTING VERB+ (THAT)+ SUBJECT+VERB
(add, admit, agree, announce, claim, complain, declare, deny, explain, insist,
mention, predict, promise, reply, reveal, say, state)
 SUBJECT+REPORTING VERB+OBJECT+ (THAT)+ SUBJECT+VERB
(persuade, remind, tell, warn)
 SUBJECT+REPORTING VERB+IF/WHETHER/WH-
WORD+SUBJECT+VERB
(ask, enquire, question, wonder, want to know)

1: ADVISE*

(= Give someone advice. Notice the different spelling for the verb and the noun.)

Advise + someone + to + infinitive

 She advised him to see a doctor.

Advise + (that) + clause

  The staff advise that you carry water at all times.

Advise + against + verb-ing

 I'd advise against leaving early.

2: AGREE

Agree + to + infinitive

 We agreed to meet the following day.

Agree + (that) + clause

 I agreed that the children could do their homework later.

3: APOLOGISE

Apologise + (to + someone) + for + verb-ing

 They apologised to us for being late.

 She apologised for forgetting the book.

Apologise (+ to + someone) + for + noun

 She apologised for the delay.

4: DECIDE

Decide + to + infinitive

 They decided to go to the cinema.

Decide + (that) + clause

 They decided that they would go to the cinema.

5: ENCOURAGE

Encourage + someone + to + infinitive

 She encouraged him to take the exam again.

  The teacher encouraged the students to ask questions.

6: EXPLAIN

Explain + (that) + clause

 The teacher explained that the course was finished.

Explain + noun + to + someone

 She explained the grammar to the students.

NOT: She explained me the grammar.

Explain + question word + to + infinitive

 They explained how to buy a train ticket on the internet.

 John explained where to find the restaurant.

Explain + question word + clause

 We explained what the exams would cover.

7: INSIST*

Insist + on + verb-ing

 He insisted on paying.

Insist + (that) + clause

 He insisted that we sit down.

8: PROMISE

Promise + to + infinitive

 He promised to arrive early.

Promise + (someone) + (that) + clause

 I promised him that I wouldn't do it again.

9: RECOMMEND*

Recommend + verb-ing

 I recommend visiting the British Museum while you're in London.

Recommend + (that) + clause

 I recommend that you visit the British Museum

10: REMIND

Remind + someone + to + infinitive

 She reminded him to take his keys.

Remind + someone + (that) + clause

 They reminded me that there is a party tonight.

11: SUGGEST*

Suggest + verb-ing

 I suggest leaving soon

Suggest + (that) + clause

 I suggest that you come as soon as you can.

NOT: I suggest him to come.

12: WARN

Warn + someone + (not) + to + infinitive

 I warned them not to go in the water.

Warn + someone + about + something

 She warned us about the dangerous roads.

NOTE: To make the verbs that we have reported negative, we need to look at the verb
pattern:

 When there's a clause, we make the negative in the usual way: She said that

she didn't like ice cream.

 When there's 'to + infinitive', we generally put 'not' before 'to': He promised not

to do it again.

 When there's 'verb-ing', we generally put 'not' in front of it: I advise not

taking the bus.

B) REPORTED STATEMENTS
Reported statements have the following structure
Subject+ reporting verb+ (that) + subject+ verb
Ex.’ I’m cooking a recipe about pizza dough’ she said—She said that
she was cooking a recipe about pizza dough.
C) REPORTED QUESTIONS
When we are doing a question in reported speech the word order is the
same as in affirmative statements. We don’t use question marks or the
auxiliary verb do.
- Reported yes/no questions
Subject+ reporting verb+ if/whether+ subject+ verb
Ex. Do you like pop music? asked my new friend
My new friend asked me if I liked the pop music
- Reported WH-questions
Subject+reporting verb+ wh-word+subject+verb

Ex. Where did you go yesterday evening? Asked Sara

Sara asked me where I had gone yesterday evening
D) REPORTED COMMANDS, REQUESTS AND SUGGESTIONS
- Commands and requests
Affirmative:
Subject+ reporting verb+ object+ to+ infinitive
Ex. “Buy me a newspaper” said Peter
 Peter told me to buy him a newspaper
Negative:
Subject+ reporting verb+ object+ not+ to+ infinitive
Ex. ‘Don’t forget to take your umbrella’ said my mum
My mum told me not to forget to take my umbrella
- Suggestions
We report suggestions using the following structures:
a) Subject+ suggest+ (not) + verb+ -ing
Ex. ‘Let’s go to the beach’ suggested Ashley
Ashley suggested going to the beach
b) Subject + suggest + (that) + subject + infinitive without to
Ex. ‘What about taking a sunbath here?’ said Sarah
Sarah suggested that we take a sunbath there
c) Subject+ suggest + (that) + subject + should + infinitive
without to
Ex. ‘Why don’t you study Physics instead of Biology?’ said
dad
Dad said that I should study Physics instead of Biology