MODULE – 5 GRAMMAR / REPORTED SPEECH

Tense changes

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

Present simple
She said, "It's cold."
Present continuous
She said, "I'm teaching English online."
Present perfect simple
She said, "I've been on the web since
1999."
Present perfect continuous
She said, "I've been teaching English for
seven years."
Past simple
She said, "I taught online yesterday."
Past continuous
She said, "I was teaching earlier."
Past perfect
She said, "The lesson had already started
when he arrived."
Past perfect continuous
She said, "I'd been teaching for five
minutes."
Future - will
He said, ‘he will attend the meeting’.
Future – be going to
He said, ‘he is going to attend the
meeting’
________________________________
She said it ……………. cold
________________________________
She said she ……………. English online.
________________________________
She said she ……………. on the web since
1999.
________________________________
She said she ……………. English for seven
years.
________________________________
She said she ……………. online yesterday
________________________________
She said she ……………. earlier.
________________________________
She said the lesson ……………. when he
arrived.
________________________________
She said ……………. for five minutes
________________________________
He said he ……………. the meeting.
________________________________
He said he ……………. the meeting.

Modal changes

1
 Direct speech Indirect speech
will ____________________
"I'll teach English online tomorrow."
She said she ……………………… English
online tomorrow.
can ____________________
"I can teach English online." She said she ………………….. English
online.
must ____________________
"I must have a computer to teach She said she …………………….. a
English online." computer to teach English online.

shall ____________________
"What shall we learn today?" She asked what we ……………………
today.
may ____________________
"May I open a new browser?" She asked if she …………………… a new
browser.

Note: There is no change to; could, would, should, might and ought to

Time change

Direct speech Indirect speech

this (evening) ________________________________

________________________________
today
________________________________
these (days)
________________________________
now
________________________________
(a week) ago
________________________________
last weekend
________________________________
here
________________________________
next (week)
________________________________
tomorrow

IMPORTANT RULES:

2
**If the reporting verb (i.e. said) is in the past, the reported clause will be
in a past form. This form is usually one step back into the past from the
original.

He said the test was difficult.

**If simple present, present perfect or the future is used in the reporting
verb (i.e. says) the tense is retained.

He says the test is difficult.

She has said that she watches TV every day.

**If reporting a general truth the present tense will be retained.

The teacher said that the world goes around the sun.

**Conditional sentences types 2 and 3 remain unchanged

'If my children were older I would emigrate,’ he said = He said that if his children
were older he would emigrate.

**used to doesn't change

I know the place well because I used to live here,' he explained.
He explained that he knew the place well because he used to live there.

Reporting Verbs

**Said, told the most common verbs used in indirect speech.

1. We use told with an object. - Lynne told me she felt tired.

2. We usually use said without an object. - Lynne said she was going to teach
online.

3. when used with an object we must include to ; - Lynne said to me that she'd
never been to China.

OUESTION FORMS

1. When reporting YES / NO questions, it is especially important to pay attention to

sentence order. There are no question words so just use
……………………………………

3
Direct: “Do you like basketball?”
Reported: Jill asked Nick ……………………………………………………………........

Direct: Have you ever been to a basketball game?

Reported: Nick asked Jill …………………………………………………………………

2. When reporting questions using question words (why, where, when, etc.) use
the question word and change the word order.

Direct: “Where did you go last weekend?”

Reported: Dave asked me ………………………………………………………………...

Direct: “Why are you studying English?”

Reported: She asked me …………………………………………………………………..

REPORTING IMPERATIVES

Reporting verbs used imperatives

Ask – beg – command – forbid – instruct – order – remind – request – tell – urge –
warn – want

Mother: Put away your toys, Johnny.

Johnny's mother told him ……………………………………………………………..

Teacher: Don’t talk during the exam.

The teacher asked the class …………………………………………………………

REPORTING SUGGESTIONS
We can report suggestions in two different ways:
“Let’s go to the cinema”

1.- Using a gerund to introduce the indirect sentence , after the introductory verb.
She suggested going to the cinema.

2.- With THAT+ subject+ Verb in the base form .

She suggested that we go to the cinema.