REPORTED SPEECH

When we talk about things that other people have said, when we want to refer to previous meetings, when we want to report what we’ve heard, we need to use the reported speech.

‘Many times a day I realize how much my own life is built on the labors of my fellowmen,

and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.’ Albert Einstein

(This is direct speech)

Albert Einstein said that

many times a day he realized how much his own life was built on the labors of his fellowmen,

and how earnestly he had to exert himself in order to give in return as much as he had received.

(This is reported speech.)

Notice

. the reporting verb: Albert Einstein said….

. the change in personal pronouns and adjectives: he realized…. his own life…. exert himself…

. the change in verb tenses: he realized….. was built…. he had to… he had received

Take a look at all the details below.

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The Reporting Verbs

The reporting verbs describe the communication between people (say, tell, instruct, persuade, remind, etc), ways of thinking (think, understand, hope, suppose, etc.), ways of questioning (ask, wonder, doubt, etc.)

Here are the most common ones classified according to what follows them:

·       * Notice the difference in construction between say and tell.

I say something (to someone)   but   I tell someone something.

        More on this difference here.

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The changes in Personal Pronouns and Adjectives

Pronouns (I, me, myself, etc.) and possessive adjectives (my, your, etc.) often change in reported speech.

Compare:

When we talk about Sue, we say she, not I, and when we talk about Sue’s friend, we say her friend, not my friend.

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The changes in Time and Place Expression

People use words like here, now, today to talk about the place where they are speaking and the time they are speaking. If we report these words in a different place or at a different time, they often change.

 Compare:

The way these words change depends on the situation.

For example, if someone was speaking yesterday and they said ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’, we could now say He said he would see me today.

The most common changes are the following:

here                    there

this                     that / the

now                    then

today                  that day

tonight                that night

tomorrow            the next day / the following day / the day after

yesterday            the day before / the previous day

next Monday       the following Monday

last Monday        the previous Monday

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The changes in Verb Tenses

When we use a past reporting verb (e.g. Annie said), the tense in reported speech normally changes (e.g. I am changes to the past: she was). But when we use a present reporting verb (e.g. Annie says), the tense does not change (e.g. I am stays in the present: she is).

The newspaper said that the plane had had a soft landing, but a landing with gear up is never soft.

When a small plane is lost, the news always says that the pilot didn’t file a flight plan but they never say that pilots of light planes often don’t file a flight plan.

When the reporting verb is in the past, the tense in reported speech normally ‘moves back’. (for the tenses, see the frame here).

When there is no past form (e.g. could has no past), or when reporting something that is still true, the shift in tenses doesn’t happen.

In other words:

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The changes in Orders and Questions

When reporting orders and instructions that were given in the imperative, the shift is to the infinitive.

When reporting a question, the same rules apply for the change in tenses but we must also consider a change in pattern. We’re not asking a direct question, so we don’t want the interrogative form. Eventually, we need to insert if or whether to report yes/no questions.

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For more stuff on Reported Speech, go to Reported Speech Plus.