Reported Speech (2)

Dragana Filipović
 Commands…
• When we report requests, orders or commands,
or other kinds of persuasion, we often use the
pattern:

ask / tell somebody to do something

IMPERATIVE  to + INFINITIVE
 Commands…
“Wake me up early, Dad!” Michael said.
becomes:
Michael told his dad to wake him up early.

“Please let me watch the match, Mum,” Anne

said.
becomes:
Anne begged her mum to let her watch the
match.
 Commands…
• Here are common verbs which use this
pattern (ask / tell somebody to do
something):
advise – ask – beg – command – forbid –
instruct – invite – order – persuade – remind
- teach – tell – urge - warn
 Negative orders, requests etc.
NOT goes before to + infinitive
“Please, don’t do it,” she said to him.
becomes:
She begged him not to do it.

“Don’t tell lies,” he said.

becomes:
He taught us not to tell lies.
 Reporting offers, refusals, etc.
• We often use a verb which describes the
speaker’s intention.

• (Offer) “Can I help you?”  She offered to

help me.
• (Refusal) “I won’t do it.”  He refused to
do it.
• Verbs in this group: agree – promise –
swear – threaten
 Suggestions
When we report suggestions, we can use
suggest + noun clause with or without that.

“Why not postpone the meeting?”

 He suggested (that) we postpone the
meeting.
 He suggested (that) we should
postpone the meeting.
Complete the sentences in reported
speech
Example:
• “Let me help you.”
• My friend offered ________.
• My friend offered to help me.
• “Why don’t we go for a walk?”
• She suggested ___________
• She suggested (that) we (should) go for
a walk.

• “I wasn’t anywhere near the scene of the

crime.”
• The accused claimed _________
• The accused claimed (that) he hadn’t
been anywhere near the scene of the
crime.
• “This spot is the best place for a picnic.”
• My father said ______________
• My father said (that) that spot was the best
place for a picnic.

• “Can you answer the phone? I’m having a

shower.”
• He asked his son ______________
• He asked his son if he could answer (OR:
to answer) the phone because he was
having a shower.
• “I gave you my homework last week.”
• The boy insisted _____________
• The boy insisted (that) he had given me
his homework the week before.

• “If I were you, I wouldn’t drink so much.”

• He advised his friend _____________
• He advised his friend not to drink so much.
• “I won’t help you because you didn’t help
me.”
• A) Joan said ____________
• B) Joan refused ___________

• A) Joan said (that) she wouldn’t help me

because I hadn’t helped her.
• B) Joan refused to help me because I
hadn’t helped her.
• “I’ll bring it back tomorrow.”
• (A) He said _____________
• (B) He promised ____________

• (A) He said (that) he would bring it back

the next day.
• (B) He promised to bring it back the next
day.
 Reported Speech: Questions
• When we report questions, we do not
follow the normal question order. Instead,
we use the word order of a statement.
“Can I leave the room?” becomes:
I asked if I could leave the room.
“Where are you from?” becomes:
She asked where I was from.
 Yes/No Questions
• We use if or whether + noun clause
“Are you happy here?” she asked. – becomes:
She asked me if / whether I was happy there.
“Does he live in a large flat?” she wondered. –
becomes:
She wondered if / whether he lived in a large
flat.
• We must use whether (not if) when we are
asking someone to make a choice:
• “Do you want coffee or tea?” they asked.
• They asked me whether I wanted coffee
or tea.
• We must use whether with the phrase or
not. (whether … or not)
• “Are you going to tell me the answer or
not?” she said.
• She asked him whether he was going to
tell her the answer or not.
 Wh-Questions
• When we report these questions we use
the wh-word: who, where, why, what,
when, which or how, how far, how long,
how much, how many…
• “Who built that castle?” she wanted to
know.
 She wanted to know who had built that
castle.
 Wh-Questions
• “Where did you go this summer?”
He inquired where we had gone that
summer.
• “How is Johnny getting on at school?” she
asked.
 She asked how Johnny was getting on at
school.
 Change into indirect questions
• “Can I have some more pocket money?”
• The boy asked ______
• The boy asked if /whether/ he could have
some more pocket money.

• “Where were you born?”

• She asked him _________
• She asked him where he had been born.
• “How far is the stadium?”
• He wanted to know __________
• He wanted to know how far the stadium
was / how far it was to the stadium.

• “Are you still living in London?”

• She asked ________
• She asked (me) if /whether/ I was still
living in London.
• “Do you work in the central branch or in
the provinces?”
• She asked him __________
• She asked him whether he worked in the
central branch or in the provinces.

• “Are you going to give me the money or

not?”
• She wanted to know ______________
• She wanted to know whether I was going
to give her the money or not.
• “Who bought the Picasso painting?”
• He wondered _________
• He wondered who had bought the Picasso
painting.

• “Did he bring the book back or not?”

• I didn’t know __________
• I didn’t know whether he had brought the
book back or not.
 What did he ask you?
He asked me …
1.Has Bob gone out?
2.Where did you park the car?
3.Why didn’t you come to the party last
night?
4.What does this word mean?
5.Are you having dinner with Peter?
6.Can you wait a few minutes?
 He asked me …
1. … if Bob had gone out.
2. … where I had parked the car.
3. … why I hadn’t come to the party the
night before.
4. … what that word meant.
5. … if I was having dinner with Peter.
6. … if I could wait a few minutes.
  or 
The End