REPORTED SPEECH



A       TENSE CHANGES


Actual words                ->           Report (indirect speech)


„I work for IBM.“      ->       She said she worked for IBM.

„I‘m working for IBM.“->She said she was working for IBM.

„I‘ve worked for IBM.“->She said she had worked for IBM.


„I’ve been working for IBM.“      ->

She said she had been working for IBM.


„I worked for IBM.“

                    ->    She said she had worked for IBM.

                                                      or

                    ->    She said she worked for IBM.


„I had worked for IBM.“->She said she had worked for IBM.

„I’m going to work for IBM.“

                           ->  She said she was going to work for IBM.


„I can / will / may work for IBM.“

            -> She said she could / would / might work for IBM.




·       There is no change for might, could, should, would.







B       PEOPLE, PLACES, TIMES AND THINGS


PEOPLE

I                          ->         HE / SHE

YOU                     ->         ME

MY                       ->       HIS / HER

YOUR                   ->         MY


PLACES

HERE                          ->         THERE, AT THE OFFICE


TIMES

NOW                           ->         THEN, AT THE TIME

TODAY                         ->          THAT DAY, ON MONDAY

YESTERDAY                  ->          THE DAY BEFORE,

                                                 THE PREVISOUS DAY

TOMORROW                 ->          THE NEXT DAY,

                                                 THE FOLLOWING DAY

THIS AFTERNOON         ->          THAT AFTERNOON

LAST WEEK                  ->          THE WEEK BEFORE,

                                                 THE PREVIOUS WEEK

NEXT WEEK                  ->          THE WEEK AFTER,

                                                 THE FOLLOWING WEEK

A FEW DAYS AGO         ->          A FEW DAYS BEFORE,

A FEW DAYS EARLIER


THINGS

THIS PROJECT       ->          THE PROJECT


I’ll see you here tomorrow, said Sue.

Sue said she’d see me there the next day.



I’ve read your report about this project, he said.

He said he’d read my report about the project.


C        NO TENSE CHANGE



·       We do not need to change tense if the information is still true.


The sales team are doing very well at the moment.

He says / said the team are doing very well.


·       We do not need to change tense if we report something which is always true.


There is always a period of uncertainty after a merger.

He says / said there is always a period of uncertainty after a merger.



D      REPORTING QUESTIONS


Where is it?                 ->He asked me where it was.


Do you speak French?

                       -> She asked me if/whether I spoke French.


·        The word order in reported questions is like a normal statement.



E      REPORTING COMMANDS


Take us to the airport.

->She told the driver to take us to the airport.


Don’t worry. I’ll deal with it.

              ->She told me not to worry.