1. What is it? How do you use it?
Reported Speech
What is it? How do you use it?
Yesterday, I saw my friend Pamela!
She told me that she got a promotion!
...today
...yesterday

2. We often use reported speech to . . .
Reported Speech is the grammar we use when we want to tell another person about a conversation that took place in the past.
We often use reported speech to . . .
1. Give someone a telephone message:
Example: Ellen said she couldn’t come today because…
2. Tell someone news that we heard from someone else:
Example: Tom told me that he and Karen got engaged!
3. To report something that happened:
Example: Sam said that the other driver wasn’t paying attention and hit his car.

3. How to use reported speech:
When we use reported speech, we are usually talking about the past.
Therefore, verbs usually change to the past tense in reported speech.
for example:

4. am / is was are were have / has had could couldn’t can / can’t
become
was
are
becomes
were
have / has
become
had
could couldn’t
can / can’t
become
would wouldn’t
become
will / won’t

5. TENSE DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
PRESENT SIMPLE
We eat healthy food
She said that they ate healthy food
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
We are eating healthy food
She said that they were eating healthy food
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
We have eaten healthy food
She said that they had eaten healthy food
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
We have been eating healthy food
She said that they had been eating healthy food
PAST SIMPLE
We ate healthy food
PAST CONTINUOUS
We were eating healthy food
She said that they had been eating healthy food
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE
We had eaten healthy food
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
We had been eating healthy food
FUTURE SIMPLE
We will eat healthy food
She said that they would eat healthy food

6. MODAL VERBS CAN COULD MAY MIGHT MUST / HAVE TO MUST / HAD TO WILL
DIRECT SPEECH
REPORTED SPEECH
CAN
COULD
MAY
MIGHT
MUST / HAVE TO
MUST / HAD TO
WILL
WOULD

7. TIME AND PLACE Now Then Today That day Tonight That night Yesterday
DIRECT SPEECH
REPORTED SPEECH
Now
Then
Today
That day
Tonight
That night
Yesterday
The previous day / the day before
Last week
The previous week / the week before
A __________ ago
The previous ______ / the _____ before
Tomorrow
The following day / the day after / the next day
Next ___________
The following ________ / the _______ after
Here
There
This
These
That
Those

8. PRONOUNS He said:"I am late" - He said he was late.
he/she
He said:"I am late" - He said he was late.
you
he/she/
they
"Will you help me?" - She asked if he would help her.
he/she/it it
She said: "He hit me" - She said he had hit her. we
I said: "We are lost" - He said they were lost.
They said:"We are hungry" - They said they were hungry. us
them
John said: "She gave us presents" - John said she had given them presents.
our
their
He said: "Our jobs are at risk" - He said their jobs were at risk.
his/hers/its
She said: "It's hers" - She said that it was hers.

9. Reported speech typically uses the following structure:
Someone said (that) … Sentence, past OR
Someone told me (that) … Sentence,past
However, in English, you can NEVER say
Someone said me . . .

10. Examples of reporting what someone said . . .
I talked to Sandra yesterday. She was telling me about her job. Her job is quite stressful. Sandra said:
“I’m not happy at my job anymore. I think I’ll quit.”

11. Sandra said, “I’m not happy at my job anymore. I think I’ll quit.
Now you want to tell someone else what Sandra said. In this situation, it’s natural to use reported speech: You can say:
Sandra told me that she happy at her job anymore and she she quit.
wasn't
thought
would

12. Tim said that he had worked really hard today.
When a person told you something in the past tense, you can use either the past tense or the past perfect after the “said” phrase.
Example:
Tim said:
“I worked really hard today.”
Tim said that he worked
really hard today.
past tense
Tim said that he had worked really hard today.
past perfect tense

13. Examples for practice:
1. Shawn said:
“I don’t feel like going to the movies tonight.”
Reported speech:
Shawn said that he didn’t feel like going to the movies tonight.
2. Tina said:
“My sister is coming to visit me soon.”
Tina told me that her sister was coming to visit her soon.
be careful with pronouns!

14. “I’ll always be available for your students.”
. . . And more examples:
3. The counselor said:
“I’ll always be available for your students.”
Reported speech:
The counselor said that she would always be available for my students.
4. The students said:
“We want to do oral presentations in class so we can practice speaking more.
The students told me that they wanted
to do oral presentations so they could practice speaking more.

15. Do you understand reported speech better NOW than you did BEFORE?
Congratulations!
Keep practicing!!!
And please ask if you need assistance!