REPORTED SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH
STATEMENT 

QUOTED SPEECH                          REPORTED SPEECH WITH THAT CLAUSES,                    IF/WHETHER CLAUSES,WH- CLAUSE AND INFINITIVE. 

"The report is on my desk"               She says (that) the report is on her desk. 

"Are you saying"                              He asked if I was staying.

"Where did you go"                          I asked where she had gone.

"Press the green button"                   He told me to press the green button.
"Don't press the red button"             He said not to press the red button.

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) has a reporting verb in the main idea clause (for example say or ask) followed by a noun clause or an infinitive.

TELL: is used to report statement. It is followed by a noun or pronoun and that clause. This noun or pronoun refers to the original listener.

He told me that he was late.

SAY: is also used to reported statement. Unlike tell, it is followed by a noun or pronoun.  

She said that he was late.

ASK: is used to report questions. It can be followed by a noun or pronoun. Say and tell are not used to reported questions.

She asked if it was time to leave.
She asked him if it was time to leave.

Reported speech often differs form quoted speech (also called direct speech) in tense, pronouns, and adverb.


PRESENT TENSE REPORTING

If the reporting verb (for example, say) is in the present tense, the tense in the that clause does not change from the tense of the original quotation.

QUOTED SPEECH                                   REPORTED SPEECH WITH THAT

"It is raining"                                              Joe says (that) it's raining.          

"It's going to rain"                                      Joe say (that) it's going to rain.

"It rained"                                                  Joe say (that) it rained.

PAST TENSE REPORTING

If the reporting verb (for example, said), the tense in the that clause often changes to a past for.

The modals should, ought to, and could do not change form in reported speech.

QUOTED SPEECH                                  REPORTED SPEECH WITH THAT

"I need a vacation"                                   I said (that) I needed vacation

"I'm working"                                          I said (that) I was working

"I left early"                                             I said (that) I'd left early

"I've finished"                                          I said (that)  I'd finished

"I'll see you later"                                    I said (that) I would see you later

"I'm going to win"                                   I said (that) I was going to win

"I can win"                                              I said (that) I could win

"I may leave"                                          I said (that) I might leave

"I have to try"                                         I said (that) I had to try

"I must take a vacation"                         I said (that) I had to take a vacation.

"I should stay"                                        I said (that) I should stay

"I ought to stay"                                     I said (that) I ought to stay

"I could stay"                                         I said (that) I could stay







PRACTICE

https://elt.oup.com/student/solutions/int/?cc=global&selLanguage=en
http://perso.wanadoo.es/autoenglish/gr.report.p.htm
http://www.e-grammar.org/reported-speech/test1-exercise1/