French and English literature

Reported speech:
There are two ways to report what someone says or thinks.
1) Direct speech which is saying exactly what someone has said. Quotation marks
() are a sign that words are the same words that a person used.
Direct speech
Maria: where are you going?
going?

Maria asked, Where are you

John: Im going home

John replied, Im going home.

2) Indirect speech/reported speech doesnt use quotation marks to enclose what

the person said and it doesnt have to be word for word. (we paraphrase)
Reported speech
Maria: where are you going?
John: Im going home.

Maria asked john where he was going

John said that he was going home

That is optional in reported speech. Both of the following sentences are

correct.
The boy said that he was lost
The boy said he was lost
Verb tense change
When reporting speech the tense usually changes. This is because when we use
reported speech, we are usually talking about a time I the past (because
obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past.) the verbs
therefore usually have to be in the past too.
Direct speech
Present simple
She said, It is cold.
Present continuous
She said, Im teaching English
earlier
Present perfect simple
She said, Ive been on the web since 1999
1999
Present perfect continuous
She said, Ive been leaning Korean for
learning Korean for four

Reported speech
past simple
She said it was cold.
past continuous
she said she was teaching

past perfect simple

she said she had on the web since

past perfect continuous

She said she had been

French and English literature

four years

Past simple
She said, I taught online yesterday.
day
Past continuous
She said, I was teaching earlier
earlier
Past perfect
She said, The lesson had already
already started
Started when he arrived.
Past perfect continuous
She said, Id already been teaching
been teaching
For five minutes.

years

past perfect
She said she had taught online last
past perfect continuous
she said she had been teaching

past perfect
NO CHANGE she said the lesson had
when he arrived.
past perfect continuous
NO CHANGE she said shed already
For five minutes.

Modals:
direct speech
can
must
shall
May
Will

Indirect speech
could
Have to
should
might
would

There is no change to: could, would, should, might and ought to.
We can use the present tense in reported speech if you want to say that something
is still true.
My Name is Laura
she said her name is/was Laura

We can also use the present tense to report a future events

She said, next weeks lesson is on reported speech

She said that next weeks lesson is on reported speech
Time change:
This ( evening)
today
These (days)
now
( a week)
Last week
here
Next (week)
Tomorrow

That (evening)
yesterday
Those ( days)
then
(a week) before
The weekend before/ the previous week
there
The following (week)
The next / the following day

French and English literature

Verbs of command, offer, advice + object+ to infinitive. Like advice,

command, instruct, invite, order, persuade, recommend, remind, urge, warn,
forbid, request, expect, encourage.

Questions in reported speech:

a. Are you ready?
b. She wanted to know if I was ready.

Yes/no question:
a. Did you turn off the coffee pot?
b. I asked Amy if she had turned off the coffee pot.

a. Is supper ready?
b. Eli wanted to know whether supper was ready.