the original verb form often goes back further into the past. Reported Speech IN REPORTED SPEECH the original verb form often goes back further into the past. Direct : ‘I want to have a baby.’ Reported : Sheila said she wanted to have a baby or Sheila told us she wanted to have a baby.

Reported Speech Note well! The verb to say does not always requires a personal pronoun (object). Sheila often says to her husband: ‘I want to have a baby.’ Sheila often says she wants to have a baby. The verb to tell always requires a personal pronoun (object). Sheila often tells her husband she wants to have a baby But not Sheila often tells she wants to have a baby.

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. More examples Taken from Murphy’s English Grammar in Use

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. When we use reported speech, the main verb of the sentence is usually past (Tom said that... / Sheila told her husband that... etc.), The rest of the sentence is usually past too: • Tom said that he was feeling ill. • She told her husband that she wanted to have a baby. You can leave out that: • Tom said (that) he was feeling ill. • She told her husband (that) she wanted to have a baby.

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. Compare direct and reported speech

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. In general, the present form in direct speech changes to the past form in reported speech: am/is was do/does did will —> would are —> were have/has —> had can could want/like/know/go etc. wanted/liked/knew/went etc.

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. NOTE WELL The past simple (did/saw/knew etc.) can usually stay the same in reported speech, or you can change it to the past perfect (had done / had seen / had known etc.): Direct Tom said: ‘I woke up feeling ill, so I didn’t go to work.’ Reported Tom said (that) he woke up feeling ill, so he didn’t go to work. OR Tom said (that) he had woken up feeling ill, so he hadn’t gone to work.

Variations of personal pronouns, possessive adjectives and pronouns, Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. Variations of personal pronouns, possessive adjectives and pronouns, reflexive pronouns and demonstrative adjectives Taken from English Grammar Files I, you, will Me My, yours Our Mine Myself This, these He/ she / they Him / her His /her Their His, hers Himself/ herself That / those

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. Variations of expressions of time and place Taken from English Grammar Files

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. Variations of personal pronouns, possessive adjectives and pronouns, reflexive pronouns and demonstrative adjectives Examples Direct : Sheila said: ‘ I want to have a baby’ Reported: Sheila said she wanted to have a baby Direct: Tom said: ‘I’ll see you tomorrow’ Reported : Tom said he would see him the following day. Direct: He said : ‘I met them yesterday’. Reported : He said he had met them the day before

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. It is not always necessary to change the verb when you use reported speech. If you report something and it is still true, you do not need to change the verb: Direct Tom said ‘New York is more lively than London’. Reported Tom said that New York is more lively than London. (New York is still more lively. The situation hasn’t changed.)

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. Note that it is also correct to change the verb into the past: • Tom said that New York was more lively than London. • Ann said that she wanted to go to New York next year.

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. But you must use a past form when there is a difference between what was said and what is really true. Study this example situation: You met Sonia a few days ago. She said; ‘Jim is ill.’ (direct speech)

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. Later that day you see Jim. He is looking well and carrying a tennis racket. You say: ‘I didn’t expect to see you, Jim. Sonia said you were ill.’ (not ‘ Sonia said you are ill’, because clearly he is not ill.)

Reported Speech Dott.ssa Loi A. Note Well: FUTURE IN THE PAST In Italian to express the future we use the past conditional. In English we use the present conditional with the meaning of Future In The Past. We use the Perfect Conditional only when the action did not take place. Compare these two sentences : He said he would come ( and he did) He said he would have come (but he didn’t)