ENGLISH GRAMMAR - REPORTED SPEECH

 

REPORTED SPEECH

There are two ways of reporting the words uttered by someone: Direct speech and Indirect Speech. Reported speech is called as indirect speech. It is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken.

 

(i) Reporting the exact words of a speaker (this is known as the Direct speech):

She said, “I will see you later”

He said, “I can speak perfect English”

 

(ii) Reporting the speaker’s words by someone else in h own words (this is known as the indirect speech):

She said that she would see me later.

He said that he could speak perfect English.

 

When a person reports what somebody said or says, he has to change the original speech. Such changes are mainly of three kin:

 

CHANGE OF PRONOUNS (PERSONAL):

(i) The pronouns of the first person (I/me/my/we/us/our) change into the person and gender or the subject of the reporting verb.

(ii) The pronouns of the second person (you/your) change into the person and gender of the object of the reporting verb.

(iii) The pronouns of the third person (he/him/h; she/her; they/them/their; I/its) do not change.

 

EXAMPLES:

He said, “I like ice cream.”

He said that he likes ice cream.

 

Suresh and Ramesh said me, “We play cricket.”

Suresh and Ramesh told me that they played cricket.

 

Tony said me, “Can you see me?”
Tony asked me if I could see him.

 

She said, “She works in a firm.”

She said that she worked in a firm.

 

They said, “She does not have the necessary documents.”

They said that she did not have the necessary documents.

 

They said, “It is showering.”

They said that it was showering.

 

CHANGE IN THE TENSES

Tense of the Reporting Verb Change

1. Present No change

2. Future No change

3. Past

(i) Present Indefinite Tense into Past Indefinite Tense

(ii) Present continuous Tense into Past Continuous Tense

(iii) Present Perfect Tense into Past Perfect Tense

(iv) Present Perfect Continuous Tense into Past Perfect Continuous Tense

(v) Past Indefinite Tense into Past Perfect Tense

(vi) Past Continuous Tense into Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

 

The reporting verb changes as following:

DIRECT SPEECH                 INDIRECT SPEECH

Say                                                    Say

Says                                                   Says

Say to                                                Tell

Says to                                               Tells

Will say                                             Will say

Will say to                                         Will tell

Said                                                   Said

Said to                                              Told/ asked

Will                                                   Would

Will be                                              Would be

Will have                                           Would have

Will have been                                   Would have been

Can                                                   Could

Could                                                Could

Have to                                              Had to

Must                                                  Must / Had to

May                                                   Might

Might                                                Might

Should                                              Should

 

DIRECT NARRATION        INDIRECT NARRATION

This                                                   That

These                                                 Those

Here                                                  There

Hence                                                Thence

Hither                                                Thither

Now                                                  Then

Ago                                                   Before

Thus                                                  So

Today                                                That day

Tomorrow                                         The next day/ the following day

Yesterday                                           The previous day

Last week/ month/ year                      The previous week/month/year

The last fortnight                               The previous fortnight

The day before yesterday                    The day before the previous day

 

EXAMPLES:

He said, “Students are playing outside now.”

He said that children were playing outside then.

 

She said, “I’ve got a flute lesson today.”

She said that she had got a flute lesson that day.

 

He said to us “Put the camera here.”
He told us to put the camera there.

 

She said, “I shall be very busy this Sunday.”

She said that she would be very busy that Sunday.

 

He said, “I will leave for Canada tomorrow.”

He said that he would leave for Canada tomorrow.

 

She said, “I have an interview next week.”

She said that she had an interview the following week.

 

He said, “Our English teacher scolded us yesterday.”

He said that their English teach had scolded them the previous day.

 

They said us, “We had an awesome trip last week.”

They told us they had an awesome trip the previous week.

 

He said, “The parcel came a few days ago.”

He said that the parcel came a few days before.

 

She said, “I’m going for a fair with King tonight.”

She said that she was going for a fair with King that night.

 

PRESENT INDEFINITE

He said to me, “I never eat sweets”.

He told me that he never ate sweets. .

 

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Ram said to Shyam, “I am watching TV”

Ram told to Shyam that he was watching TV.

 

PRESENT PERFECT

Sita said, “I have already cooked”.

Sita said that she had already cooked.

 

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Sonu said to me, “I have been reading for an hour”.

Sonu told me that he had been reading for an hour.

 

PAST INDEFINITE

She said to Praful, “I went to Jaipur last week”.

She told Ram that she had gone to Jaipur the previous week.

 

PAST CONTINUOUS

She said to me, “I was waiting for you”.

She told me that she had been waiting for me.

 

PAST PERFECT

He said to me, “I had completed my project”.

He told me that he had completed h project.

 

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

He said, “I had been Playing chess for two hours”.

He said that he had been playing chess for two hours.

 

FUTURE INDEFINITE

Sheema said to Meena, “I shall write a letter”.

Sheema told Meena that she would write a letter.

 

FUTURE CONTINUOUS

Rahim said to Ram, “Sita will be waiting for you”.

Rahim told Ram that Sita would be waiting for him.

 

FUTURE PERFECT

Rohan said to Roshan, “I will have completed my work”.

Rohan told Roshan that he would have completed her work.

 

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Nisha said to me, “I shall have been reading the book”.

Nisha told me that she would have been reading the book.

 

EXCEPTIONS:

The tense of the verb of the reported speech is not changed in the following cases:

 

He says, “I will go.”

He says that he will go.

 

Rose says, “The Earth revolves around the sun.”

Rose says that the Earth revolves around the sun.

 

He said, “Her parents died while he was still at college.”

He said that her parents died while he was still at college.

 

She said, “If I win the lottery, I would travel around the world.”

She said that she would travel around the world if he won the lottery.

 

The students said, “We wish we didn’t have to take tests.”

The students said that they didn’t have to take tests.

 

(a) UNIVERSAL TRUTH

He said, “Two and two make four”.

He said that two and two make four

.

He said, “Man is mortal”.

He said that man is mortal.

 

(B) HABITUAL ACTION

He said, “I go to temple every Tuesday”.

He said that he goes to temple every Tuesday.

 

He said, “I am an early riser”.

He said that he is an early riser.

 

(C) HISTORICAL FACTS

The teacher said, “India became independent in 1947”.

The teacher said that India became independent in 1947.

 

(D) IMAGINARY OR UNLIKELY CONDITIONS

The boy said, “If only I were visible at will”.

The boy said that if only he were invisible at will.

 

(E) TWO ACTIONS TAKING PLACE SIMULTANEOUSLY (HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME)

The monitor said, “Sir, some students were dancing while others were singing”.

The monitor told the teacher respectfully that some students were dancing while others were singing.

 

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES

In reporting a question in the indirect speech:

1. The Reporting Verb ‘said’ is changed into ‘asked, inquired, demanded’, etc.

2. If the question begins with an interrogative Pronoun or an Interrogative adverb such as “what, which, when, whose, who, where, how, and why”, the same word is used in the indirect speech to introduce the words spoken by the speaker. The interrogative sign replaced by a full stop.

3. If or whether is used to introduce the question part in the indirect speech, when the question begins with a helping verb, Eg:  are, do, has, have shall, will and can. Such a question has ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as an answer.

4. The interrogative form is changed into the assertive form.

5. The rules for the change of the tenses of the verbs and the person of pronouns must be observed.

 

EXAMPLES:

 

He said to me, “What are you doing?”

He asked me that what I was doing.

 

She said to him, “Do you recognize me?”

She asked him whether he recognized her.

 

He said to me, “Do you know the sun?”

He enquired of me if I knew the sun.

 

She said to me, “Shall I bring you something to eat?”

She offered to bring me something to eat.

 

“Shall we meet again tomorrow?”, he said.

He suggested to meet again the next day.

 

He said, “Would you like to have a drink?”

He invited me for a drink. He offered me a drink.

 

He said to her, “Why are you happy?”

He asked her why I was happy.

 

IMPERATIVE SENTENCES

1. In reporting an imperative sentence, the reporting verb say or tell is changed into a verb expressing a command, advice or request.

Command: command, order, bid, tell

Prohibition: forbid

Advice: advise, urge

Request: request, desire, ask

Proposal: propose, suggest

Entreaty: entreat, implore, pray, beg

2. The imperative mood is changed into the infinitive.

3. ‘That’ is commonly not used. If it is used, then instead of ‘to’ should is placed before the imperative.

4. The rules for the change of Pronoun must be observed.

 

EXAMPLES:

He said to me, “Open the window!”

He ordered me to open the window.

 

She said to me, “Don’t answer the call.”

She told me not to answer the call.

 

He said to me, “Don’t be late”

He ordered me not to be late.

 

She said to me, “Come with me.”

She told me to go with her.

 

He said to me, “Don’t lie to me.”

He told me not to lie to him.

 

She said to me, “Lend me your book for a few days”.

She requested me to lend her my book for a few days.

 

David said to h servant, “Do this work”.

David ordered h servant to do that work.

 

The teacher said to Gannet, “work regularly”.

The teacher advised Gannet to work regularly.

 

The beggar said to us, “Give me some money”.

The beggar entreated us to give him some money.

 

The servant said to the master, “Pardon my fault, sir”.

The servant begged h master to pardon h fault.

 

Note: When ‘let’ in the direct speech express a proposal or a suggestion, we may use should and change the reporting verb to propose or suggest.

He said to me, “Let us have some tea”.

He proposed to me that we should have some tea.

 

When ‘let’ does not express a proposal, it should be changed into ‘might’ or ‘might be allowed’ or into some other verb, according to the sense.

He said, “Let me have some water”.

He wished that he might have some water.

 

EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES

In reporting a Wish or an Exclamation in the indirect speech:

1. The reporting verb say or tell changed into wish, bless, pray, cry, exclaim, declare, confess, cry out, etc, with such phrases as with regret, with delight or joy, with sorrow, where necessary.

2. The interjections and exclamations such as Oh, well, Hurrah, Alas, Bravo, Curse it, are omitted and their sense is expressed by means of phrases.

3. The exclamatory form is changed into a statement and the note of exclamation replaced by a full stop.

 

EXAMPLES:

 

He said, “God save my son!”

He prayed that God might save h son.

 

He said, “What a beautiful girl Kate!”

He exclaimed with praise that Kate was a beautiful girl.

 

She said, “If I were a bird!”

She wished that she would be a bird.

 

He said, “If I were young again!”

He wished that he would be young again.