Reported speech

​Reporting

​Direct and Reported Speech

There are two types of speech, the direct (when someone is speaking) and the reported (when you tell to another person what someone said before).

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Examples: I need holidays! => He said ​he needed holidays/The rain caught us today on the street => They told me that the rain had caught them today on the street

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Which is direct speech and which is reported speech?​

Intensivo 4 | 2022

Reported Speech

​Reporting verbs and tenses

​Reporting verbs

We use three verbs when we report what someone else said.

Say - Tell - Ask

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We use Say when we want to focus on what the person said. Also, we don't mention to who was the person speaking. Example: Barbara said she was ill

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We use Tell when we want to focus on to who the person was speaking. That's why we have to add to whom the message was said. Example: Rafa told us he had enjoyed working with us.​

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We use Ask when we report questions or requests that someone made.

Example: ​Yanina asked us to send our works by e-mail.

Intensivo 4 | 2022

Reported Speech

​Time tenses

When we use Reported Speech we usually have to change the verb tenses. We "go back" one tense to the past from the direct speech.

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Examples: I want a coffee ​(Present Simple) => He said he wanted a coffee (Past Simple)/They have arrived in the morning (Present Perfect) => She said that they had arrived in the morning (Past Perfect)

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Can you think of a​nother examples?

Intensivo 4 | 2022

Reported Speech

​Pronouns and Possessive adjectives

We change the pronouns and possessive adjectives when we use Reported Speech.

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Example: I need my ​umbrella today (First person singular/Possessive adjective) => He said he needed his umbrella (Thirs person singular/Possessive adjective)

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Can you think of any other example?​

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Intensivo 4 | 2022

Reported Speech