REPORTED SPEECH

- Reported Speech Theory


When do we use reported speech? 
Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first person said.

• 1st We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. 
• 2nd We change pronouns
• 3rd We change the verb tense to the past.
• 4th We change time expressions...

reported speech

Estilo directo (Direct Speech)

Estilo indirecto (Reported speech)

Presente simple I enjoy reading comics. Presente continuo She´s washing the dishes. Pasado simple I worked for an art gallery. Pasado continuo He was making dinner. Presente perfecto We have watched all those films. Futuro I´ll post those letters. Can I can´t wait any longer. Must I must take that train. May She may lend me some money.

Pasado simple He said he enjoyed reading comics Pasado continuo He said she was washing the dishes. Pasado perfecto He said he had worked for an art gallery. Pasado perfecto continuo He said he had been making dinner. Pasado perfecto He said they had watched all those films. Condicional simple (would) He said he would post those letters. Could He said he couldn´t wait any longer. Had to He said he had to take that train. Might He said she might lend him some money.

Estilo directo (Direct Speech)	Estilo indirecto (Reported speech)
Pronombres personales y objeto “I don´t know you” “We are late”	She said she didn´t know me. He said they were late.
Posesivos “That´s not my book”	He said that wasn´t his book.
Adverbios y expresiones de tiempo Tomorrow Today Yesterday Next week Last week Now Here This week	the next day / the following day that day the day before / the previous day the following week the week before, the previous week then / at that moment there that week

- exercise 1: statements

Reporting questions

Preguntas en estilo indirecto: al pasar de estilo directo a indirecto las preguntas tienen el orden sujeto + verbo. Hay que diferenciar entre dos tipos de preguntas:

- Wh- questions Preguntas con palabra interrogativa (what, who, where, etc.):

He asked: “Where are you?” - He asked me where I was.

- exercise 2: Wh- questions (easy)

- exercise 4: Wh- questions (intermediate)

- Yes/ No questions Preguntas cuya respuesta es sí o no (sin palabra interrogativa, Yes/No questions).

She asked: “are you ok?” - She asked me if / whether I was ok.

- exercise 3: yes / no questions (easy)

- exercise 5: yes / no questions (intermediate)

- mixed questions