Reported speech

1. REPORTED STATEMENTS
Simple present
Simple past
"I always drink coffee",
she said
She said that she always
drank coffee.
Present continuous
Past continuous
"I am reading a book", he
explained.
He explained that he was
reading a book
Simple past
Past perfect
“I broke the glass", he
admitted
He admitted (that) he had
broken the glass.
Present perfect
Past perfect
"I have been to Spain", he
told me.
He told me that he had
been to Spain

2. Past perfect
Past perfect
"I had just turned out the
light," he explained.
He explained that he had
just turned out the light.
Present perfect
continuous
Past perfect continuous
They complained, "We
have been waiting for
hours".
They complained that they
had been waiting for
hours.
Past continuous
Past perfect continuous
"We were living in Paris",
they told me.
They told me that they
had been living in Paris.

3. Future
Present conditional
"I will always love you",
he promised
He promised that he would
always love her.
Future continuous
Conditional continuous
She said, "I'll be using the
car next Friday".
She said that she would be
using the car next Friday.
Can
Could
“We can solve the
problem", they insisted
They insisted (that) they
could solve the problem.
May
Might
"I may be late” He
warned us.
He warned us (that) he
might be late.

4. Must
Had to
“We must leave now" he
explained.
He explained that he had to
leave then .
We don’t need to change the verb form :
•if the reporting verb is in the present, or if the original statement
was about something that is still true, e.g.
“ The currency in Argentina is the peso”
The teacher tols us that the currency in Argentina is the peso
When the sentences we are reporting contains the modals:
Would, could, might, ought to, should or must when it used for
deduction:
I could come tomorrow” she said
He said that he could come the next day

5. TIME EXPRESIONS
Direct Speech
Indirect Speech
Here
Now
This /that
Today
This morning
There
Then
These/those
That day
That morning
Ago
Yesterday
Last week
Next week
Next month
Before
The day before /the previous day
The week before/ the previous week
The following week /The week after
The following month/ the month
after

6. QUESTIONS
Use the same word order as in statements
Change the tenses as in statements
There is no questions mark unless the introductory phrase is a question:
Use the Wh-word in Wh-questions
Present
Past
When does the film start?
He asked me When the film started.
He wanted to know when the film
started
Use if / whether for Yes/ no questions
Present perfect
Past perfect
Have you done your
homework or not?
The teacher asked if /whether we had
done our homework or not.

7. Must use whether (not if) when we are asking someone to make a
choice:
Present
Past
“Do you want tea or coffee?” He asked me whether I wanted tea
or coffee.
May use polite introductory phrases like:
I wonder if you, could you tell me…
Don’t change the tense
Present
“What’s the time?”
I wonder if you could tell me What the
time is?.

8. REQUESTS AND ORDERS
We often use verbs like: ask, tell+object+to-infinitive:
We don’t chance tenses
“Will you be quiet,
please?”
The teacher asked me to be quiet.
The teacher told me to be quiet.
We use not before the to-infinitive to report negative requests or
orders:
“Please don’t interrupt
the meeting"
The manager asked /told me not to
interrupt the meeting

9. Verb+gerund
deny
recommend
suggest
Verb+object
preposition+
gerund
accuse
blame
congratulate
verb
+preposition+
gerund
apologize
insist
Examples: He
Examples: They
Examples: He
denied having
accused the boys of apologized for being
anything to do with
cheating on the
late.
her.
exam.
She insisted on
Ken suggested
She blamed her
doing the washing
studying early in the husband for missing
up.
morning.
the train.

10. verb +object
+infinitive
advise
encourage
invite
remind
warn
Verb+infinitive
verb (that)
agree
decide
offer
promise
refuse
threaten
Examples: Jack
encouraged me to
look for a new job.
Examples: She
offered to give him a
lift to work.
admit
agree
decide
deny
explain
insist
promise
recommend
suggest
Examples: Tom
admitted (that) he
had tried to leave
early.
They invited all their My brother refused to
friends to attend the
take no for an
She agreed (that) we
presentation.
answer.
needed to reconsider
our plans.

11. HOPES INTENTIONS
ANDPROMISES
Promise, hope, propose
threaten, guarantee
swear.
ORDERS OR COMMANDS,
REQUESTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Tell, command, order, warn, ask,
advise, invite, beg, teach, forbid,
remind, urge, warn
Ask, advise, beg, encourage, invite,
persuade, recommend, request ,
remind
SUGGESTIONS
insist, recommend,
demand, request, propose.
QUESTIONS
want to know, wonder , ask
STATEMENTS
add, admit, agree, announce,
answer, claim, complain, declare,
explain, insist, imply, mention, point
out, promise, recognise, state,

12. SUMMARY OF REPORTING VERBS
1. Verbs followed by 'if' or 'whether' + clause:
ask
know
remember
say
see

13. 2. Verbs followed by a that-clause:
add
admit
agree
announce
answer
argue
boast
claim
comment
complain
confirm
consider
deny
doubt
estimate
explain
fear
feel
insist
mention
observe
persuade
propose
remark
remember
repeat
reply
report
reveal
say
state
suggest
suppose
tell
think
understand
warn

14. 3. Verbs followed by either a that-clause or a toinfinitive:
decide
expect
guarantee
hope
promise
swear
threaten
4. Verbs followed by a that-clause containing should
(but note that it may be omitted, leaving a subject + zeroinfinitive):
advise
beg
demand
insist
prefer
propose
recommend
request
suggest

15. 5. Verbs followed by a clause starting with a question
word:
decide
imagine
see
describe
know
suggest
discover
learn
teach
discuss
realise
tell
explain
remember
think
forget
reveal
understand
guess
say
wonder
6. Verbs followed by object + to-infinitive
advise
ask
beg
command
forbid
instruct
invite
teach
tell
warn