INDIRECT SPEECH

Daniel Miklošovič

What is indirect speech?

It is a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.

I’m going to have a rest now.

I’m going to have a rest now.

She said she was going to have a rest then.

She said she was going to have a rest then.

Pre-test

Are the sentences correct or incorrect?

1 Bill said he is tired.

2 I said I was happy now.

3 Maria told she liked John.

4 Joe said Peter he hated him.

5 Bill asked where was the post office.

6 I didn’t know where did Jane live.

Tenses and pronouns

Tenses and pronouns change in indirect speech if the time and speaker are different.

I’m very tired.I’m very tired.

Bill said he was very tired.

Bill said he was very tired.

Tenses, modals and auxiliaries normally change as follows:

Present → Past

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

Past → Past Perfect

will → would

do/does → did

have/has → had

can → could

Exercise: Rewrite the sentences in indirect speech.

1 Anna: ‘My sister needs a car.’

2 Bill: ‘I have to phone Andy.’

3 Mary and Kate: ‘We can’t swim.’

4 Mike: ‘My parents are travelling.’

5 Alice: ‘My radio doesn’t work.’

6 Jack: ‘I’ve bought a new computer.’

Check the sentences.

1 Anna: ‘My sister needs a car.’

2 Bill: ‘I have to phone Andy.’

3 Mary and Kate: ‘We can’t swim.’

4 Mike: ‘My parents are travelling.’

5 Alice: ‘My radio doesn’t work.’

6 Jack: ‘I’ve bought a new computer.’

1 Anna said her sister needed a car.

2 Bill said he had to phone Andy.

3 Mary and Kate said they couldn’t swim.

4 Mike said his parents were travelling.

5 Alice said her radio didn’t work.

6 Jack said he’d bought a new computer.

Here-and-now words

When we use indirect speech, we may have to change words like here, this, today… This is because the place and time have changed since the words were spoken.

Exercise: Match the direct and indirect speech expressions in the table.

Direct speech Indirect speech

here

now

this

tomorrow

yesterday

today

tonight

last week

next week

that day

that night

that

the day before

the next week

the next day

there

the week before

then

Here-and-now words

Direct speech Indirect speech

here

now

this

tomorrow

yesterday

today

tonight

last week

next week

there

then

that

the next day

the day before

that day

that night

the week before

the next week

Tell / Say

Tell must have a personal object. We tell somebody something.

John told Peter he was late.

Say doesn’t need a personal object. We say something (to somebody).

Jane said she was late.

Indirect questions

Indirect questions have a different word order from direct questions and no questions marks.

What do you want?What do you want?

Bill askedwhat I wanted.

Bill askedwhat I wanted.

Test yourself: Correct the sentences.

1. Bill said he is tired.

2. I said I was happy now.

3. Maria told she liked John.

4. Joe said Peter he hated him.

5. Bill asked where was the post office.

6. I didn’t know where did Jane live.

Check the sentences.

1. Bill said he is tired.

2. I said I was happy now.

3. Maria told she liked John.

4. Joe said Peter he hated him.

5. Bill asked where was the post office.

6. I didn’t know where did Jane live.

1. Bill said he was tired.

2. I said I was happy then.

3. Maria said she liked John.

4. Joe told Peter he hated him.

5. Bill asked where the post office was.

6. I didn’t know where Jane lived.

For further practice see:

John and Liz Soars: ‘New Headway Pre-Intermediate’

John Eastwood: ‘Oxford Practice Grammar’ Michael Swan: ‘The Good Grammar Book’ Michael Swan: ‘How English Works’ www.oup.com/elt/headway

Thanks for your attention.

Goodbye!

Daniel Miklošovič