Direct Speech and Reported Speech
There are two fundamental speeches which are the direct
speech and indirect speech. The direct speech is the exact words said by the
speaker and the indirect speech is the words that are reported by another
person from the speaker. Direct speech is marked by quotation mark “….”
Direct speech
Theara said, “I am very tired.”
> Dara said, “I am doing my assignment.”
Teacher asked, “What have you eaten for breakfast?”
> Sovath replied, “I have had rice and fried fish for
breakfast.”
Indirect and reported speech
Theara said that she was very tired.
> Dara said that he was doing his assignment.
Teacher asked me what I had eaten for breakfast.
> Sovath said that he had had rice and fried fish for
breakfast.
Note: "That" in the reported speech is optional which means
that we can keep or remove it from the sentence.
- Theara said she was very tired.
- Dara said he was doing his assignment.
- Sovath said he had had rice and fried fish for breakfast.
Tense Shifting
Please remember that when we report someone’s speech, verb
tense must be shifted too. As a rule of thumb, the verb is shifted one tense
back.
Present Tenses
- Present simple – past simple
- Present perfect – past perfect
- Present perfect continue – past perfect continue
- Present continue – past continue
Past Tenses
- Past simple – past perfect
- Past perfect – past perfect (no more shifting)
Reporting statements
To report a statement there are three frequently used verbs
which are said, stated and told.
Direct speech: Jenny said, “I want to buy a new house.”
> Indirect speech: Jenny said (that) she wanted to buy a new
house.
Direct speech: Thida said, “I am having a meeting.”
> Indirect speech: Thida said (that) she was having a meeting.”
Direct speech: He said, “I have done all the chores.”
> Indirect speech: He said (that) he had done all the chores.
Direct speech: The police stated, “We arrested all the
criminals last night.”
> Indirect speech: The police stated that they had arrested all
the criminal the day before yesterday.
Direct speech: Teacher told the students, “You have an
assignment today.”
Indirect speech: Teacher told the students that they had an
assignment that day.
Reporting orders or commands
- Police to criminals, “lie down.”
- Teacher to students, “Stand up and keep silent.”
- Mother to son, “Take off your shoes before entering the house.”
- Sister to brother, “Don’t keep your stuff on my desk.”
Form: told + someone + (not) to + base verb.
- Police told the criminals to lie down
- Teacher told the students to stand up and keep silent.
- Mother told her son to take off the shoe before entering the house.
- Sister told her brother not to keep stuff on her desk.
Reporting requests
Generally to make a request, we need to use a modal verb and
there 3 frequently used modal verbs such as will, could, can. To report a
request, we use the verb “asked”.
In the classroom
Direct speech
- Could you turn off the fan please?
- Can you pass me the eraser?
- Will you keep silent please?
Indirect or reported speech
- Teacher asked me to turn off the fan.
- Teacher asked me to pass him the eraser.
- Teacher asked me to keep silent.
Reporting questions
When reporting questions, we have change the words orders from a
question to a positive form and the verb tense need to be shifted one tense back
as we report the statement. There are two types of questions which are the
yes/no question and wh-question or information question. For the yes/no
question, we use “if” or “whether.”
Yes/No question
Form: sub + asked sb + if/whether +…………………….
Mr. David asked me the following questions and I am reporting
his speech.
Direct speech: “Do you update your posts on your website
every week?”
> Indirect speech: He asked me if I updated my posts on my website every week.
Direct speech: “Does she attend class regularly?”
> Indirect speech: He asked me whether she attended class
regularly.
Direct speech: “Did you play soccer last week?”
> Indirect speech: “He asked me if I had played soccer the previous week.”
Information question
Form: sub + asked sb + wh-word + sub + Verb……….
Mr. David asked me the following questions and I am reporting
his speech.
Direct speech: “What do you like to eat?”
> Indirect speech: He asked me what I liked to eat.
Direct speech: “What time did you go to bed last night?”
> Indirect speech: He asked me what time I had gone to bed the
previous night.
Direct speech: “Where will they meet?”
> Indirect speech: He asked me where they would meet.
Direct speech: “What have you done?”
> Indirect speech: He asked me what I had done.
Time shifting
- Tonight > that night, last night, on Sunday night
- Tomorrow > the next day/ the following day, on Sunday, today
- Now > then, at that time
- Today > that day, on Sunday, yesterday
- Yesterday > the day before/ the previous day, on Sunday
- last night > the night before/ the previous night, on Sunday night
- this week > that week, last week
- next year > the following year, in 2014
- two minutes ago > two minutes before
- last month > the month before/ the previous month, in May
- in one hour > one hour later
- here > there, or name of a place ( At Amazon Cafe)
- this > that
- this book > the book, that book, War and Peace
- in this room > in the room, in that room, in the kitchen
