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    Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English - Summary

    Uploaded by

    Elia Muñoz
    The document provides instructions for converting direct speech to reported speech by following 5 steps: determining the sentence type, tense of the introductory sentence, changes to pronouns, backshifting of tenses, and changes to time/place expressions.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English - Summary

    Uploaded by

    Elia Muñoz
    130 views5 pages
    The document provides instructions for converting direct speech to reported speech by following 5 steps: determining the sentence type, tense of the introductory sentence, changes to pronouns, backshifting of tenses, and changes to time/place expressions.

    Original Description:

    Ejercicios y gramática Reporter Speech

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    The document provides instructions for converting direct speech to reported speech by following 5 steps: determining the sentence type, tense of the introductory sentence, changes to pronouns, backshifting of tenses, and changes to time/place expressions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    130 views5 pages

    Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English - Summary

    Uploaded by

    Elia Muñoz
    The document provides instructions for converting direct speech to reported speech by following 5 steps: determining the sentence type, tense of the introductory sentence, changes to pronouns, backshifting of tenses, and changes to time/place expressions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 5

    26/8/2015

    Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English - Summary

    How to use Reported Speech


    If you have a sentence in Direct Speech, try to follow our 5 steps to put the sentence into Reported Speech..
    1.
    2.
    3.
    4.
    5.

    Define the type of the sentence (statement, questions, command)


    What tense is used in the introductory sentence?
    Do you have to change the person (pronoun)?
    Do you have to backshift the tenses?
    Do you have to change expressions of time and place?

    1. Statements, Questions, Commands


    Mind the type of sentences when you use Reported Speech. There is more detailed information on the following pages.
    Statements
    Questions
    Commands, Requests

    2. The introductory sentence


    If you use Reported Speech there are mostly two main differences.
    The introductory sentence in Reported Speech can be in the Present or in the Past.
    If the introductory sentences is in the Simple Present, there is no backshift of tenses.

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    26/8/2015

    Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English - Summary

    Direct Speech:
    Susan: Mary works in an office.

    Reported Speech:
    Introductory sentence in the Simple Present Susan says (that)* Mary works in an office.
    Introductory sentence in the Simple Past Susan said (that)* Mary worked in an office.

    3. Change of persons/pronouns
    If there is a pronoun in Direct Speech, it has possibly to be changed in Reported Speech, depending on the siutation.
    Direct Speech Susan: I work in an office.
    Reported Speech Susan said (that)* she worked in an office.
    Here I is changed to she.

    4. Backshift of tenses
    If there is backshift of tenses in Reported Speech, the tenses are shifted the following way.
    Direct Speech Peter: I work in the garden.
    Reported Speech Peter said (that)* he worked in the garden.
    Direct Speech

    Reported Speech

    Simple forms
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    26/8/2015

    Simple Present

    Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English - Summary

    Simple Past

    Simple Past
    Present Perfect

    Past Perfect

    Past Perfect
    will

    would

    Progressive forms
    am/are/is

    was/were

    was/were
    has been

    had been

    had been

    5. Conversion of expressions of time and place


    If there is an expression of time/place in the sentence, it may be changed, depending on the situation.
    Direct Speech Peter: I worked in the garden yesterday.
    Reported Speech Peter said (that) he had worked in the garden the day before.
    Direct Speech

    Reported Speech

    this evening

    that evening

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    Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English - Summary

    today/this day

    that day

    these days

    those days

    now

    then

    a week ago

    a week before

    last weekend

    the weekend before / the previous weekend

    next week

    the following week

    tomorrow

    the next/following day

    here

    there

    6. Additional information
    In some cases backshift of tenses is not necessary, e.g. when statements are still true. Backshift of tenses is never wrong.
    John: My brother is at Leipzig university.
    John said (that) his brother was at Leipzig university. or
    John said (that) his brother is at Leipzig university.
    or
    when you use general statements.
    Mandy: The sun rises in the east.
    Mandy said (that) the sun rose in the east. or
    Mandy said (that) the sun rises in the east.

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    Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English - Summary

    * The word that is optional, that is he reason why we put it in brackets.

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