REPORTED SPEECH She said that…

USE We use reported speech to tell somebody what another person said. Mary: I need to buy a car. Mary said she needed to buy a car. We use SAID or TOLD (+ person). John: You look very happy. John said I looked very happy OR John told me I looked very happy. Pronouns often change. Charles: I don’t like your shirt. Charles said he didn’t like my shirt.

VERB CHANGES Sometimes it is not necessary to change de verb when reporting something that is still true or was said very recently. It’s going to rain.  Sara’s just said it’s going to rain.

OTHER CHANGES Today changes to that day/the same day Tomorrow changes to the next day/the following day  Yesterday changes to the day before/the previous day  Next week/month/year changes to the following week/month/year  Last week/month/year changes to the previous week/month/year  Now/just changes to then Ago changes to before  Here changes to there This changes to that

SAY or TELL? ! say or tell? You can use said or told in reported speech but they are used differently. You can’t use said with an object or pronoun. He said (that) he loved me. NOT He said me (that) he loved me. You must use told with an object. He told me (that) he loved me. NOT He told (that) he loved me.

Reported Questions Use normal statement word order without do/does/did or a question mark. What does she do? He asked me what she did. What did she do yesterday? He asked me what she had done the day before. With YES or NO questions, use if or whether. Is she having a party? He asked if she was having a party. Are they having a party or not? He asked whether they were having a party or not. You can also use other verbs: wanted to know, enquired, wondered. I wondered what time it was.

Reported Requests Use verb + object + infinitive with to Could you sing for me? He asked me to sing for him.

Reporting Verbs In reported speech we talked about how to change direct speech ("I love coffee") into reported speech (Mary said that she loved coffee), using the verbs 'say', 'tell' and 'ask'. However, we can also use many other verbs to report what someone said, like 'promise', 'warn', 'advise' and 'recommend'. Some of these verbs look a bit more complicated to use than 'say' and 'tell', but it's just a question of getting to know the verb patterns (or verb structures).

ADVISE AGREE APOLOGISE Advise + someone + to + infinitive  She advised him to see a doctor. Advise + (that) + clause  The staff advise that you carry water at all times. Advise + against + verb-ing  I'd advise against leaving early. AGREE Agree + to + infinitive  We agreed to meet the following day. Agree + (that) + clause  I agreed that the children could do their homework later. APOLOGISE Apologise + (to + someone) + for + verb-ing  They apologised (to us) for being late. Apologise (+ to + someone) + for + noun  She apologised for the delay.

DECIDE Decide + to + infinitive They decided to go to the cinema. Decide + (that) + clause  They decided that they would go to the cinema. EXPLAIN Explain + (that) + clause  The teacher explained that the course was finished. Explain + noun + to + someone  She explained the grammar to the students. Explain + question word + to + infinitive  They explained how to buy a train ticket on the internet. Explain + question word + clause  We explained what the exams would cover.

PROMISE RECOMMEND SUGGEST WARN Promise + to + infinitive  He promised to arrive early. Promise + (someone) + (that) + clause  I promised him that I wouldn't do it again. RECOMMEND Recommend + verb-ing I recommend visiting the British Museum while you're in London. Recommend + (that) + clause  I recommend that you visit the British Museum. SUGGEST Suggest + verb-ing I suggest leaving soon Suggest + (that) + clause  I suggest that you come as soon as you can. WARN Warn + someone + (not) + to + infinitive  I warned them not to go in the water. Warn + someone + about + something  She warned us about the dangerous roads.