Using Reported Speech

The use of reported speech is especially important at higher English levels. Students, at this point, are fine tuning their communication skills to include expressing the ideas of others, as well as their own opinions. Students usually need to focus not only on the grammar involved, but also on production skills. Reported speech includes some rather tricky transformations that need to be practiced a number of times before students feel comfortable using them in every day conversations.

Aim:
Developing reported speech grammar and productions skills

Activity:
Introduction and written reporting activity, followed by spoken practice in the form of a questionnaire

Level:
Upper-intermediate

Outline:

• Introduce/review reported speech by making simple statements and asking students to report what you have said. Make sure to emphasize reporting in the past (i.e., "the teacher said", NOT "the teacher says")
• Provide review sheet of principle reported speech transitions (included in lesson printout pages)
• ·Have students get into pairs and convert the reported speech paragraph into the direct speech form.
• ·Correct worksheet as a class.
• Ask students to divide up into new pairs and ask each other questions from the questionnaire. Remind them to take notes on what their partners say.
• Have students divide into new pairs and ask them to report what they have learned about the other students to their new partner (i.e., John said he had lived in Breubach for two years).
• Follow-up with class conversation focusing on problematic tense transformations.
  

Reported Speech
Study the following chart carefully. Notice how reported speech is one step back into the past from direct speech.

Quoted Speech/Reported Speech

He said, "I live in Paris."
He said he lived in Paris.
He said, "I am cooking dinner."
He said he was cooking dinner.

Reported Speech - Indirect Speech

Indirect Speech (also referred to as 'reported speech') refers to a sentence reporting what someone has said. It is almost always used in spoken English.

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.
For example:
· He said the test was difficult.
· She said she watched TV every day.
· Jack said he came to school every day.

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

• He says the test is difficult.
• She has said that she watches TV every day.
• Jack will say that he comes to school every day.

If reporting a general truth the present tense will be retained.
For example:

• The teacher said that phrasal verbs are very important.
  Changing Pronouns and Time Signifiers
  When changing from direct speech to indirect speech, it is often necessary to change the pronouns to match the subject of the sentence.

For example:

• She said, "I want to bring my children." BECOMES She said she wanted to bring her children.
• Jack said, "My wife went with me to the show." BECOMES Jack said his wife had gone with him to the show.
  

It is also important to change time words (signifiers) when referring to present, past or future time to match the moment of speaking.
For example:

• She said, "I want to bring my children tomorrow." BECOMES She said she wanted to bring her children the next day.
• Jack said, "My wife went with me to the show yesterday." BECOMES Jack said his wife had gone with him to the show the day before.
• Indirect Questions
  When reporting questions, it is especially important to pay attention to sentence order. When reporting yes/ no questions connect the reported question using 'if'. When reporting questions using question words (why, where, when, etc.) use the question word.

For more examples:

1. She asked, "Do you want to come with me?" BECOMES She asked me if I wanted to come with her.
2. Dave asked, "Where did you go last weekend?" BECOMES Dave asked me where I had gone the previous weekend.

Advanced Reporting Verbs >>>> read next