1. Reported Speech or Indirect Speech

2. INDIRECT SPEECH/REPORTED SPEECH:
“ I have no time for going
to lunch.”
WHAT`S WHAT ?
Ben says, “ I have no time for going to lunch.”
reporting sentence
direct sentence
INDIRECT SPEECH/REPORTED SPEECH:
Ben says that he has no time for going to lunch.
main clause
subordinate clause
conjunction

3. EXAMPLES: conjunction subordinate clause
main clause
subordinate clause
Vinern asks me if I can go to have lunch with him.
Father tells us that he has so much work to do.
3. Granny wants to know where we went on our holiday.

4. When changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech,
it is important to follow:
SENTENCE TYPE
VERB IN
MAIN CLAUSE
CONJUNCTION
STATEMENTS
SAY, SAYS, SAID
B) TELL, TELLS, TOLD
THAT
QUESTIONS
 ASK, ASKS, ASKED IF
ORDERS
REQUESTS
PROHIBITIONS 
TELL, TELLS, TOLD
ASK, ASKS, ASKED
TO + INFINITIVE
NOT TO + INFINITIVE

5. Examples – Try changing the following DIRECT SPEECH into INDIRECT SPEECH:
A. STATEMENTS
1. Peter says, “ I like English.”
2. She says to me, “ I`m a student.”
3. Bob says to us, “ I like your car.”
4. They say, “ We have lost the key.”
5. Ann says, “ I don`t like to cook.”
6. He says to us, “I will help you.”
7. Jack says, “ My friend is sick.”
Peter says that he likes English.
She tells me that she is a student.
Bob tells us that he likes our car.
They say that they have lost the key.
Ann says that she doesn`t like to cook.
He tells us that he will help us.
Jack says that his friend is sick.

6. EXAMPLES... A. STATEMENTS 1. Peter said, “ I like English.”
2. She said to me, “ I`m a student.”
3. Bob said to us, “ I like your car.”
4. They said, “ We have lost the key.”
5. Ann said, “ I don`t like to cook.”
6. He said to us, “I will help you.”
7. Jack said, “ My friend is sick.”
like am
have lost
don`t like
will help is
Peter said that he liked English.
She told me that she was a student.
Bob told us that he liked our car.
They said that they had lost the key.
Ann said that she didn`t like to cook.
He told us that he would help us.
Jack said that his friend was sick.
liked
was
had lost
didn`t like
would help

7. NB! CHANGES ! With the main clause in the Past
we must use the rules of
SEQUENCE OF TENSES OR BACKSHIFT in
Subordinate clause
Present Simple Past Simple
Past Simple Past Perfect
Pres. Progressive Past Progressive
Pres. Perfect Past Perfect
Future Simple Future in the Past
But only in statements & questions!!!

8. MORE CHANGES in pronouns in place and time I HE/SHE MY HIS/HER WE THEY
OUR THEIR
depends on persons
having a talk
in place and time
here there
now then
today that day
yesterday the day before
tomorrow the next day
this week that week
last week the week before
a year ago the year before
with the main clause in the Past

9. Additional verbs for reporting (communicative function)
STATEMENTS
QUESTIONS
ORDERS & REQUESTS
Next to
say(s), said
tell(s), told
we can also use:
admit remind
advise think
agree guess
insist confirm
promise warn
Next to ask(s)
asked
want to know
wonder
Next to tell, told
ask, asked
agree offer
promise refuse
advise invite
remind threaten
warn suggest

10. EXAMPLES... A. STATEMENTS 1. Peter said, “Yes, I like English.”
2. She said to me, “ I`m a student.”
3. They said, “ We have lost the key.”
5. Ann said, “ I don`t like to cook.”
6. He said to us, “I will help you.”
7. Jack said, “ My friend is sick.”
Instead of traditional said
told
said
Peter admitted that he liked English.
She confirmed me that she was a student.
They confessed that they had lost the key.
Ann agreed that she didn`t like to cook.
Jack was sorry that his friend was sick.
He promised that he would help us.
admitted
confirmed
confessed
agreed
promised
was sorry