JUANA MORAL'S ENGLISH SITE: REPORTED SPEECH I for 4th ESO and Bachillerato

Reported speech is a transformation in which we reproduce someone’s words.

Peter says: “I am fed up”

Peter said that he was fed up

Reported speech implies remoteness, we always go backwards in time when we reproduce someone’s words.

Verbal tenses move back into the past.

Pronouns change in the form to imply less proximity) and

Adverbs of place are also replace by others that imply that something is further.

VERBThere is a bakcshift, ie., the verbs take a more REMOTE FORM.
There is a backshift to the past when we want to write a statement in reported speech. It is as if we go upstairs. If we transform reported speech into direct speech we go downstairs.

- SIMPLE TENSES

present simple- simple past- past perfect

-CONTINUOUS TENSES

present continuous-` past continuous

-PERFECT TENSES

present perfect- past perfect

-PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSES:

present perfect continuous--------------past perfect continuous

-MODAL VERBS:

Modal verbs are backshifted as well:
can------ could
will------ would
must------ had to
have to-- have to

ADVERBS AND ADVERBIALS. (including demonstratives)

Here- there
Now- then
Yesterday- the day before
This, these- that, those
Today- that day
Tonight- that night
Tomorrow- the following day/ the next day
Last week/ month/year- the following week…
A week ago- the week before/ the previous week.

REPORTING VERBS:
There are some typical verbs used to introuced reported speech in English. THey have some peculiarities which are worth studying:

-Say* to / that: he said Mary that she had to go out
-Tell+ object+ that/ to= I told Mary to be a good girl. I told Mary that she was a good girl

-Ask, tell, insist, want + someone to do something (CI+ infinitive)
-Refurse/offer/ agree*to
-Complain/ promise/ explain/ admit+ that
-Claim, suggest, answer, respond

iN THE FOLLOWING LINKS, YOU CAN FIND MORE PRACTICE AS WELL AS EXPLANATIONS: