Report Speech (1)

UNIT  45  Reported speech (1)

A.   Study this example situation:

You want to tell someone else what Tom said. There are two ways of doing this:

You can repeat Tom words (direct speech)
Tom said. ''I'm feeling sick.''

or you can use reported speech:

Tom said (that) he was feeling sick.

Compare the two sentences:

direct                       Tom said, ''I am feeling sick."
reported           Tom said (that) he was feeling sick.


B.   When we use reported speech, we are usually talking about the past. So verbs usually change to the past in reported speech. For example:

am/is----was                    have/has-----had                        can---------could
are-----were                      will-----would           do/wantl/know------did/wanted/knew, etc.


Study these examples. You met Tom. Here are some things he said to you:

I want to go on vacation, but, I don't know where to go.

I'm going away for a few days. . I'll can you when I get back.

Ann has bought a new car.

I'm going to quit my job.

I can't come to the party on Friday.

My parents are very well.


Now you tell someone else what Tom said (in reported speech):

• Tom Said (that) his parents were very well.

• Tom said (that) he was going to quit his job.

• Tom said (that) Ann had bought a new car.

• Tom said (that) he couldn't come to the party on Friday

• Tom said (that) he wanted to go on vacation, but he didn't know where to go.

• Tom said (that) he was going away for a few days and would call me when he got back.

C.   The simple past (I did) can usually stay the same in reported speech, or you can change it
to the past perfect (I had done): did--did or had done.

direct        Tom said "I woke up feeling sick and so I stayed in bed."

reported    Tom said (that) he woke (or had woken) up feeling sick and so he stayed (or had stayed in bed.