Reported speech

We use reported speech when we are saying what other people say, think or believe.

He says he wants it. We think you are right. I believe he loves her. Yesterday you said you didn't like it but now you do! She told me he had asked her to marry him. I told you she was ill. We thought he was in Australia.

When we are reporting things in the present, future or present perfect we don't change the tense.

He thinks he loves her. I'll tell her you are coming. He has said he'll do it.

When we tell people what someone has said in the past, we generally make the tense 'more in the past'.

You look very nice. = I told him he looked very nice. He's working in Siberia now. = She told me he was working in Siberia now. Polly has bought a new car. = She said Polly had bought a new car. Jo can't come for the weekend. = She said Jo couldn't come for the weekend. Paul called and left a message. = He told me Paul had called and had left me a message. I'll give you a hand. = He said he would give me a hand.

However, when we are reporting something that was said in the past but is still true, it is not obligatory to make the tense 'more in the past'. The choice is up to the speaker. For example:
"The train doesn't stop here."

He said the train doesn't stop here. He said the train didn't stop here.

"I like Sarah."

She said she likes Sarah. She said she liked Sarah.

When we are reporting what was said, we sometimes have to change other words in the sentence.

We have to change the pronoun if we are reporting what someone else said. Compare these two sentences. In each case the person actually said "I don't want to go."

I said I didn't want to go.

Bill said he didn't want to go.

We have to change words referring to 'here and now' if we are reporting what was said in a different place or time. Compare these two sentences. In each case the person actually said "I'll be there at ten tomorrow."

(If it is later the same day) He said he would be there at ten tomorrow. (If it is the next day) He said he would be there at ten today.

Now compare these two sentences.

(If we are in a different place) He said he would be there tomorrow at ten. (If we are in the place he is coming to) He said he would be here at ten tomorrow.

Toggle example

1) Christopher: "Do you want to dance?"

Christopher asked me 2) Betty: "When did you come?"

Betty wanted to know 3) Mark: "Has John arrived?"

Mark asked me

4) Ronald: "Where does Maria park her car?"

Ronald asked me

5) Elisabeth: "Did you watch the latest film?"

Elisabeth asked me 6) Mandy: "Can I help you?"

Mandy wanted to know

7) Andrew: "Will Mandy have lunch with Sue?"

Andrew asked me

8) Justin: "What are you doing?"

Justin asked me

9) Frank: "How much pocket money does Lisa get?"

Frank wanted to know 10) Anne: "Must I do the shopping?"

Anne asked

Toggle example

1) Mandy: "Are the boys reading the book?"

Yesterday Mandy asked me 2) Jason: "Who gave you the laptop?"

Yesterday Jason wanted to know 3) Robert: "Is Tim leaving on Friday?"

Yesterday Robert asked me 4) Daniel: "Will it rain tomorrow?"

Yesterday Daniel asked me

5) Jennifer: "Where do you play football today?"

Yesterday Jennifer wanted to know

6) Nancy: "Why didn't Nick go to New York last summer?"

Yesterday Nancy wanted to know

7) Barbara: "Must I do my homework this afternoon?"

Yesterday Barbara asked me

8) Linda: "Did Max fly to London two weeks ago?"

Yesterday Linda wanted to know 9) Grandmother: "Where are my glasses?"

Yesterday Grandmother asked me

10) A man: "When does the train to Liverpool leave?"

Yesterday a man asked me

Use of Passive
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive
Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Example: A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:
the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle) the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

Examples of Passive
Tense Subject Verb Object
a letter.

Simple Present

Active:
Passive:

Rita
A letter Rita A letter Rita A letter

writes

is written wrote was written has written has been written

by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita.

Simple Past

Active: Passive:

Present Perfect

Active: Passive:

Future I

Active:
Passive:

Rita
A letter Rita A letter

will write
will be written can write can be written

a letter.
by Rita. a letter. by Rita.

Hilfsverben

Active: Passive:

Examples of Passive
Tense Subject Verb Object
a letter.

Present Progressive

Active:

Rita

is writing

Passive: Past Progressive Active: Passive: Past Perfect Active: Passive: Future II Active: Passive:

A letter Rita A letter Rita A letter Rita A letter

is being written was writing was being written had written had been written will have written will have been written would write would be written would have written

by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita.

Conditional I

Active:
Passive:

Rita
A letter Rita

a letter.
by Rita. a letter.

Conditional II

Active: Passive:

A letter would have been written by Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the

subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to
put the focus on.

Subject

Verb

Object 1

Object 2
to me.

Active: Passive:

Rita A letter

wrote

a letter

was written

to me

by Rita.

Passive:

was written

a letter

by Rita.

.
As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. Thats why it is usually dropped.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.

Example: They build houses. Houses are built.

Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

Example: he says it is said

Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).

Example: They say that women live longer than men. It is said that women live longer than men.
Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.

Example: They say that women live longer than men. Women are said to live longer than men.
The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is
put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped). Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.

Active and passive voice exercises with answers Active voice | passive Form Present simple: The car is repaired. Present continuous: The car is being repaired. Past simple: The car was repaired. Past continuous: The car was being repaired. Present perfect: The car has just been repaired. Past perfect: The car had been repaired. Future simple: The car will be repaired. Present conditional: The car would be repaired.

Perfect conditional: The car would have been repaired.

The passive voice in English is formed with the verb to be and the past participle, which is different for regular verbs (translated, mended) and irregular verbs (taken, thrown). Statement: The letter is written. This shop has been opened. It will be done in time. Question: Is the letter written? Has the shop been opened? Will it be done in time? Negative: The letter is not written. The shop has not been opened. It will not be done in time.

The continuous is as follows. (Other continuous tenses are normally used in the active voice, not in the passive.) Present: A new house is being built in our street. Past: A new house was being built in our street.

In all the examples above the agent is not mentioned. We do not know who has written the letter or opened the shop. Similarly: Flowers were planted in the garden. (We do not know who did it). If we want to say who planted the flowers we mention the agent at the end of the sentence and use the preposition

by.
The flowers were planted by my mother. But: The window was smashed with a stone. (The stone is not the agent. We do not know who smashed the window. We only know how he or she did it).

Direct and indirect objects

If there are both direct and indirect objects in the active voice (My friend sent me a letter), the indirect object (my friend), not the direct object (a letter), becomes the subject in the passive voice.

Active: My friend sent me a letter. Passive: I was sent a letter by my friend. (Not: A letter was sent to me by my friend. This sentence does not sound natural in English.) Similarly: They offer Trevor a place. - Trevor is offered a place.

The infinitive without to

In the active voice some verbs are followed by the infinitive without to. In the passive form we use most such verbs
with the infinitive with to. Active: We saw them come. She made him do it. Passive: They were seen to come. He was made to do it. But: They let us go. - We were let go.

Use The passive is used: 1. If the action is more important then the agent. A demonstration has been held. This theatre was built in 1868. The important thing is what happened, not who did it.

2. If the agent is not known. He was offered a job. (Someone offered him the job.) They are supposed to be good students. (Some teachers suppose that.)

The difference in meaning between the simple and continuous

A new house is built in our street. (The house is finished.) A new house is being built in our street. (They are building it these days, it is not finished.)

I was being introduced to Mrs. Jones when her husband arrived. (Her husband arrived in the middle of the introduction.) When her husband arrived I was introduced to Mrs. Jones. (Her husband arrived first and then she introduced me.)

Notes

This form is typical of an impersonal and formal style, that is why you can often find it in public notices, announcements, instructions or scientific articles. English is spoken in this shop. Visitors are not allowed to smoke. The seal must be removed.

In a less formal style the active voice is more usual. English is spoken in this shop. - We speak English in this shop. He was seen in Dover. - They saw him in Dover. The seal must be removed. - You must remove the seal.

In the English language this form is more frequent than in many other languages. Moreover, you can find some stuctures in English which are not possible in some languages. I am told that you are going to have a baby. It is thought that the crises will end soon. Our tip

Try some passive voice exercises to practise the difference between the active and passive voice in English tenses. If you want to download pdf grammar rules with more examples have a look at E-grammar rules. A marked printable test with answers is available at Mixed exercises.

We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without starting another sentence. By combining sentences with a relative clause, your text becomes more fluent and you can avoid repeating certain words.

How to Form Relative Clauses

Imagine, a girl is talking to Tom. You want to know who she is and ask a friend whether he knows her. You could say:

A girl is talking to Tom. Do you know the girl?

That sounds rather complicated, doesn't it? It would be easier with a relative clause: you put both pieces of information into one sentence. Start with the most important thing you want to know who the girl is.

Do you know the girl

As your friend cannot know which girl you are talking about, you need to put in the additional information the girl is talking to Tom. Use the girl only in the first part of the sentence, in the second part replace it with the relative pronou n (for people, use the relative pronoun who). So the final sentence is:

Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

Relative Pronouns
relative pronoun use example

who

subject or object pronoun for people

I told you about the woman who lives next door.

which

subject or object pronoun for animals and things

Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof?

which

referring to a whole sentence

He couldnt read which surprised me.

whose

possession for people animals and things

Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse?

whom

object pronoun for people, especially in non-defining relative clauses (in defining relative clauses we colloquially prefer who)

I was invited by the professor whom I met at the conference.

that

subject or object pronoun for people, animals and things in

I dont like the table that stands in the

defining relative clauses (who or whichare also possible)

kitchen.

Subject Pronoun or Object Pronoun?

Subject and object pronouns cannot be distinguished by their forms - who, which, that are used for subject and object pronouns. You can, however, distinguish them as follows: If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun. Subject pronouns must always be used.

the apple which is lying on the table

If the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb (but by a noun or pronoun), the relative pronoun is an object pronoun. Object pronouns can be dropped in defining relative clauses, which are then called Contact Clauses.

the apple (which) George lay on the table

Relative Adverbs
A relative adverb can be used instead of a relative pronoun plus preposition. This often makes the sentence easier to understand.

This is the shop in which I bought my bike. This is the shop where I bought my bike.
relative adverb

meaning

use

example

when

in/on which

refers to a time expression

the day when we met him

where

in/at which

refers to a place

the place where we met him

why

for which

refers to a reason

the reason why we met him

Defining Relative Clauses

Defining relative clauses (also called identifying relative clauses or restrictive relative clauses) give detailed information defining a general term or expression. Defining relative clauses are not put incommas. Imagine, Tom is in a room with five girls. One girl is talking to Tom and you ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative clause defines which of the five girls you mean.

Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?

Defining relative clauses are often used in definitions.

A seaman is someone who works on a ship.

Object pronouns in defining relative clauses can be dropped. (Sentences with a relative clause without the relative pronoun are called Contact Clauses.)

The boy (who/whom) we met yesterday is very nice.

Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Non-defining relative clauses (also called non-identifying relative clauses or non-restrictive relative clauses) give additional information on something, but do not define it. Non-defining relative clauses are put in commas. Imagine, Tom is in a room with only one girl. The two are talking to each other and you ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative clause is non-defining because in this situation it is obvious which girl you mean.

Do you know the girl, who is talking to Tom?

Note: In non-defining relative clauses, who/which may not be replaced with that. Object pronouns in non-defining relative clauses must be used.

Jim, who/whom we met yesterday, is very nice.

How to Shorten Relative Clauses?

Relative clauses with who, which, that as subject pronoun can be replaced with a participle. This makes the sentence shorter and easier to understand.

I told you about the woman who lives next door. I told you about the woman living next door. Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof? Do you see the cat lying on the roof?

A non-defining relative clause gives extra information about a noun or noun phrase and has commas at both ends: My sister, who lives in France, is coming to stay with me next week. ('who lives in France' is not essential, which means that I only have one sister and she does not need to be defined by the relative clause) 'Who' and 'whose' are used for people. 'Which' and 'whose' are used for things. 'That' cannot be used in a non-defining relative clause.
See Also: Defining Relative Clause; Relative Pronoun Related Article: Relative Clauses - Learn about Relative Pronouns in NonRestrictive Clauses (Non-Defining clauses) and Restrictive Clauses (Defining clauses).
Read more at http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/non-defining-relative-clause.html#GGU4RZeLCiOfMpit.99

Phrasal Verb Dictionary

To look up a phrasal verb, click a letter in the menu on the left. separable verbs (talk * into) inseparable verbs (run into +) object can be in both positions (look * up +)

What are phrasal verbs?

1. A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb. Example: I ran into my teacher at the movies last night. RUN + INTO = MEET He ran away when he was 15. RUN + AWAY = LEAVE HOME 2. Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. An intransitive verb cannot be followed by an object. Example: He suddenly showed up. "SHOW UP" CANNOT TAKE AN OBJECT 3. Some phrasal verbs are transitive. A transitive verb can be followed by an object. Example: I made up the story. "STORY" IS THE OBJECT OF "MAKE UP" 4. Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable. The object is placed between the verb and the preposition. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, separable phrasal verbs are marked by placing a * between the verb and the preposition / adverb. Example: I talked my mother into letting me borrow the car. She looked the phone number up. 5. Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object is placed after the preposition. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, inseparable phrasal verbs are marked by placing a + after the preposition / adverb. Example:

I ran into an old friend yesterday. They are looking into the problem. 6. Some transitive phrasal verbs can take an object in both places. In this Phrasal Verb Dictionary, such phrasal verbs are marked with both * and + . Example: I looked the number up in the phone book. I looked up the number in the phone book. 7. WARNING! Although many phrasal verbs can take an object in both places, you must put the object between the verb and the preposition if the object is a pronoun. Example: I looked the number up in the phone book. I looked up the number in the phone book. I looked it up in the phone book. CORRECT I looked up it in the phone book. INCORRECT

Shopping Vocabulary
Useful Vocabulary
Shop(s) Customer(s) Cashier(s)

Wallet(s) (m) Purse(s) (f) Shelf

Scales

Till(s)

Shelves

Barcode(s)

Trolley(s)

Lift(s)

Bag(s)

Basket(s)

Changing Room(s)

Escalator(s)

Ways to pay

Cheque(s)

Cash

Note(s)

Coin(s)

Credit card(s) Debit card(s)

Build Up
Where to buy what
Chemist's

Ladies Clothing Shop or Boutique

Mens Clothing Shop or Tailor's

Shoe Shop or Cobbler's Jeweller's

Electrical Store

Toy Shop or Toy Store

Record Shop

Book Shop

Newsagent's

Ironmonger's

Optician's

Haberdasher's

All or most of the above

Department Store Butcher's

Fishmonger's

Greengrocer's Baker's

Delicatessen

Grocer's

Off Licence

Florist's

Post Office All or most of the above Supermarket

Naturally Speaking
Useful Shopping Phrases
Finding a Shop Questions

Opening Hours Questions What time do you open, please? What time do you close, please? What are your opening hours? Are you open all day? Are you open on Sundays?

Can you recommend a good toy/clothes shop? Is there a chemists/supermarket in the area? Where can I get toothpaste/pet food? Where's the nearest shopping centre?

Answers/Comments

Answers/Comments There's a really good bookshop just around the corner. You can buy that here in the hotel. The best toy shop is in the shopping centre. The nearest one is a few miles away.

We're open 24/7. (24 hours a day / 7 days a week) We're closed at lunchtime, between 12 and 2pm. We're open from 9am till 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Shopping for Clothes

Paying

Questions

Questions

Could you help me, please? Could you tell me where the ................ department is? Excuse me, I'm looking for a .......... . Is there somewhere I can try this on, please? Does it suit me? Do you have this in a (larger/smaller size) (different colour), please? Do you do alterations? Do you have a refund policy? Is this in the sale?

Do you take credit cards? Do you give credit? Do you have a loyalty card? Does it have a warranty? Can I pay by cheque? Do you offer a cash discount? Could I have a VAT receipt, please? Could I leave my bags here and pick them up later?

Answers/Comments

Answers/Comments

We take all the major credit cards. We only accept cheques with a cheque card. We are offering 6 months free credit with no deposit. Sorry, no. Yes, certainly.

It's too long / short. It's too tight / loose. The ladies / gents changing rooms are over there. You can bring it back and exchange it or get a refund within 2 weeks if you keep the receipt.

Dialogue
Here we have two conversations. The first is between Mrs Smith and her younger son John at the shops. The second is between Mrs Smith and a shop assistant.
It's Saturday morning and Mrs. Smith is going shopping. Mrs S: John: Mrs S: John: Mrs S: John: John, I'm going to the shops. Is there anything you want? Yes please! Can you pick up my magazine from the newsagents? Of course. Do you want to come with me? No way, I'm going round to Mike's house, sorry. No problem. I'll be about an hour, be home by 5 o'clock at the latest. O.K. I'll see you later.

A bit later......

Mrs S: John Mrs S: John

John are you home? Yes mum, I'm up stairs. Come down here, I bought you a new Nike T-shirt, I want you to try it on. Nike? Great I'm coming!

A few minutes later..... Mrs S: John Mrs S: John Mrs S: John Mrs S: Well, does it fit? I think it's a bit too small. Let's have a look. Hmmm, I think you've grown again! I can't wear it though. Do you like it? Yeah, it's a nice colour. I'll take it back to the supermarket and see if I can change it.

Mrs Smith had bought a nice new T-shirt for John, but when he tried it on it didn't fit. It's Saturday evening and Mrs Smith has to return the T-shirt. Mrs S: Shop Assistant Mrs S: Shop Assistant Mrs S: Shop Assistant Mrs S: Shop Assistant Mrs S: Excuse me, can you help me?

Yes of course, what can I do for you?

I bought this T-shirt for my son this afternoon, but it doesn't fit him, it's too small.

Do you want to change it or get a refund.

I'd like to change it for a larger size. Do you have these in large?

I'll just check. Let's see, yes we have large or extra large, which would you prefer?

I think large will be fine, it's for my son. That's fine, if it doesn't fit just bring it back again. If you take it to the customer service desk, they'll sort it all out for you. Thank you. Just as a matter of interest do you give refunds?

Shop Assistant Mrs S: Shop Assistant:

Yes, of course. You can bring any clothing items back up to three weeks after purchase, but you must keep the reciept. I see, thanks again.

You're welcome.