III grammmar

Indirect speech (1)

Reporting statements

I. 1. We can report what someone says in two ways: using direct speech and indirect speech. When we use direct speech, we use the exact words that someone says. When we use indirect speech we give the meaning of the words, but not the exact words:

Ruby said 'I love you, Ben.' (direct)

Ruby said (that) she loved Ben. (indirect)

Ruby told Ben that she loved him. (indirect)

2. In indirect speech, we usually use a past reporting verb (e.g. said) and we often change the tense of the original verb:

Toby said, 'We are meeting at my flat.'

Toby said (that) they were meeting at his flat.

Here are examples of some typical tense changes:

present ---- past

am/is/are --was/were take ---took

is taking --was taking

present perfect --past perfect

have taken ---had taken

past simple ---past perfect

took--- had taken or sometimes no change

future simple ---- future simple-in-the-past

will do --- would do

Tense changes in indirect speech

Original words	Reported statements
Present simple: “We work for the town council.”	Past simple: They said they worked for the town council.
Present continuous: “I’m doing the washing.”	Past continuous: She said she was doing the washing.
Past simple: “We decided to leave earlier today.”	Past perfect: He said they had decided to leave earlier that day.
Past continuous : “I wasn’t telling the truth.”	Past perfect continuous: She admitted she hadn’t been telling the truth.
Present perfect: “My guests haven’t arrived yet.”	Past perfect: She said her guests hadn’t arrived yet.
Present perfect continuous : “We’ve been waiting for ages!”	Past perfect continuous : They complained(that)they had been waiting for ages.
be going to: “They’re going to stay at home tonight.”	was/were going to: They said they were going to stay at home that night.

3. In indirect speech, we often change pronouns an possessives to keep the same meaning:

Sara said: “We are meeting at my flat” (direct)

Sara told me that they were meeting at her flat. (indirect)

direct	indirect
I me my mine you your yours we us our ours	he/she him/her his/her his/hers I /we my/our mine/ours they them their theirs

4. We often have to change expressions of time and place:

Sara said: “We’re leaving tomorrow.”

Sara told me that they ere leaving the next day.

Here are some typical changes of this sort:

direct	indirect
here this today yesterday tomorrow next month, ect. last month, etc. three days ago come	there that that day the previous day/the day before the next/following day/the day after the following month/the month after, etc. the previous month/the month before, etc. three days before/earlier go

5. In indirect speech, say does not have an indirect object but tell must have one:

Ruby said that she loved him.

Ruby told Ben/him that she loved him.

We sometimes use to after say like this:

What did Ruby say to him?

Ruby wanted to say something to Ben.

II. 1. Indirect speech is often used by reporters in the media:

Yesterday evening, film stars Nelson Faulkes and Amy Skelp told our reporter that they were going to get married next week.

We often use indirect speech to tell someone else what we have heard in a talk or speech:

The lecturer said that global warming would be the main issue in mid-century politics.

2. We often use indirect speech to tell someone else what we have heard in a talk or speech:

The lecturer said that global warming would be the main issue in mid-century politics.

3. We also use indirect speech to tell someone about something we have read. We can use verbs such as said even though we are talking about writing:

In his Times column, Wilson said that At Gloaming

was the best film he had seen for a long time.

4. We often use indirect speech when we gossip with friends, family and colleagues:

That guy in HR said he didn't like the new manager at all, but I think she's OK.

Exercise 55. Choose the correct verb from the words in brackets.

1. I said that I didn't (understand, understood) this sentence.

2. The porter knew that the train (would, will, had) be late.

3. The waiter said that there(was, is, had, are) no more bacon.

4. Mr. Priestley told me that I was (speak, speaking, spoken) very well.

5. He added that it was hard to tell I (was, has, am) not an Englishman.

6. I said that he had (teach, taught, leaned) me very well.

7. Pedro said that a man who (dressed, clothed, dresses) well, always got on well in business.

8. Mr. Pristley said that it always rained when he (forgets, forgot, forgotten) his umbrella.

9. Hob said he (knows, knew, had known) a funny story about that.

Exercise 56. Read the newspaper report and choose the correct words in italics.