Reported Speech 1 Tense changes in reported speech (backshift of tenses) present simple “I study at Masaryk University.” past simple She said (that) she studied at Masaryk University. present continuous “The sun is shining.” past continuous She said (that) the sun was shining. past simple “There was a terrible storm.“ past perfect She said (that) there had been a terrible storm. present perfect “I haven’t seen him.” past perfect She said (that) she hadn’t seen him. am going to “I’m going to move to Prague.” was going to She said she was going to move to Prague. will “I’ll call him later.“ would She said (that) she’d (= she would) call him later. can “I can see many problems in that.” could She said (that) she could see many problems in that. may “I may win.” might She said (that) she might win. might “I might win.“ might She said (that) she might win. must “I must read that book!” had to She said she had to read that book. mustn’t “You mustn’t tell Sally the secret!” mustn’t She said we mustn’t tell Sally the secret! could, would, should, might, used to DON’T CHANGE when they are reported at a later time!!! 2 Verbs used for reporting He said (that) … He said to me (that) … He told me (that) … He answered (that) …/He replied (that)… He reminded me (that) …, He persuaded me (that) …., He informed me (that) … He agreed (with me) that …, he explained (to me) that…, He mentioned (to me) that … 3 Reporting offers, advice and promises “I’ll be a good leader.” – He promised to be a good leader. “You should do it.” – She advised me to do it. “We could help you.” – They offered to help me. 4 Reporting questions When reporting questions we must keep the word order of a statement!!! “What’s the weather like?” – Rachel asked what the weather was like. (NOT [DEL: what was the weather like. :DEL] ) “How do you feel?” – Rachel asked James how he felt. (NOT [DEL: how did he feel :DEL] .) Yes/no questions – reported with if/whether: “Can you hear me?” – Rachel asked if James could hear her. 5 References to time, place etc. Unless we are speaking on the same day, we have to change references to time we report what someone said: * yesterday =>the day before * today=> that day * tomorrow=> the next day * next week=> the following week * now=> then Other changes * here=> there * this=> that E.g. “I saw him here yesterday”. She explained that she had seen him there the day before. Practice 1 Report the sentences: 1 I’ve given up my job. He said he had given up his job. 2 I can easily find another one. He said ……………………………………………………………. 3 I’m going to travel around Africa. He said ……………………………………………………………. 4 I lived there as a child. He said ……………………………………………………………. 5 I might get a part time job there. He said ……………………………………………………………. 6 I’m packing my bag. He said ……………………………………………………………. 7 I’m really excited. He said ……………………………………………………………. 8 I’ll be away for a year. He said ……………………………………………………………. 9 I may stay longer. He said ……………………………………………………………. 10 You could come to. He said ……………………………………………………………. 2 Match the beginnings and endings of the sentences. 1 She told … A I could help my neighbour mend his car. 2 My sister asked… B whether my sister could give me a lift. 3 I said… C me she couldn’t afford to come to the theatre. 4 My parents said… D to me, “You shouldn’t watch so much TV.” 5 I wanted to know… E if I wanted to go on holiday with her. 6 I told… F the dentist that Thursday was the only day I was free. to tell sb. st. X to say st. to sb. Reported questions 3 You apply for a job at a children’s holiday camp. When you meet the organiser he asks the following questions: 1 Are you married? 2 How old are you? 3 Which university do you study at? 4 Where do you come from? 5 Have you worked with children before? 6 What sports do you do? 7 Will you work for at least two months? 8 Can you start immediately? 9 Do you need accommodation? 10 Would you like any more information? A friend of yours called Miguel is also going to apply for a job at the same camp. Complete the letter, telling him what questions you were asked. Dear Miguel Good luck with the job application! These are the things the organizer asked me about – he’ll probably ask you the same sorts of questions. He asked me if I was married (1). He wanted to know ………………………………… (2), which university ………………………. (3) at and where ………………………………. (4). Then he asked ……………………………………. (5) with children before and what sports ……………………………… (6). He wanted to know ………………………………. (7) for at least two months and ………………………………….. (8) immediately. He asked ………………………………… (9) accommodation and wondered …………………………….(10) any more information. (Adapted from: Grammar for FCE, CUP, 2006) Optional practice If you’d like to do some extra practice, report the sentences below. 1) John: "Mandy is at home." John said that __________________________ 2) Mike: "Do you still have that book of mine?" Mike asked me if __________________________ 3) Susan: "I'm watching TV." Susan said to me that __________________________ 4) Simon: "David was ill." Simon said that __________________________ 5) Samantha: "The TAs helped in the gym." Samantha told me that __________________________ 6) Richard: "I am going to ride a skateboard." Richard said to me that __________________________ 7) Stephen and Claire: "We have replied to all the emails." Stephen and Claire told me that __________________________ 8) Charles: "I didn't have time to do my homework." Charles remarked that __________________________ 9) Mrs Jones: "My mother will be 50 years old." Mrs Jones told me that __________________________ 10) Jean: "The head must sign the letter." Jean said that __________________________ 11) Lionel: “Is the magazine free of charge?” Lionel wanted to know __________________________ 12) Dr. West: “I’m attending a seminar next week.” Dr. West pointed out __________________________