Reported speech Reported speech is the grammar

Reported speech

Reported speech is the grammar we use when we want to tell another person about a conversation that took place in the past. We often use reported speech to: 1. Give someone a telephone message. Example: She said she couldn’t come today because… 2. Tell someone news that we heard from someone else. Example: Jordan told me that he and Karen got engaged! 3. To report something that happened. Example: Sam said that the other driver wasn’t paying attention and hit his car.

Reported speech typically uses the following structure: Someone said (that) … sentence. OR Someone told me (that) … sentence. BUT you can NEVER say Someone said me…

How to use reported speech: When we use reported speech, we are usually talking about the past. Therefore, verbs usually change to the past tense in reported speech. For example: am/is become was are becomes were have/has become had can/can’t become could/couldn’t will/won’t become would/wouldn’t

Changes in verb tenses do (Present Simple) becomes did (Past Simple) am/is doing (Present Continuous) becomes was doing (Past Continuous) are doing (Present Continuous) becomes were doing (Past Continuous) has/have done (Present Perfect) becomes had done (Past Perfect)

Questions in Reported speech Types of questions Direct speech Reported speech With question word (what, "Why" don’t you speak why, where, how. . . ) English? ” He asked me why I didn’t speak English. Without question word (yes or no questions) He asked me if I spoke English. “Do you speak English? ”

Reported speech of imperative sentence A sentence which expresses command, request, advice or suggestion is called imperative sentence. For example: • Open the door. • Please help me. • Learn your lesson. To change such sentences into indirect speech, the word “ordered” or “requested” or “advised” or “suggested” or “forbade” or “not to do” is added to reporting verb depending upon nature of imperative sentence in reported speech. Examples. Direct speech: He said to me, “please help me” Reported Speech: He requested me to help him. Direct speech: She said to him, “you should work hard for exam” Reported Speech: He suggested him to work hard for exam.