Compact PET Training Part 2: 7.4.- Reported speech

Reported speech introductory video

Reported speech forms:

1.- Reported speech statements

2.- Reported questions

3.- Reported requests and orders

4.- The use of alternative reporting verbs

Reported Statements

Introductory video about the reported statements

Chart of the Reported Statements

Source http://i0.wp.com/coraldelrio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/reported.speech-1024x641.png

Collaborative online exercise about reported statements

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1/reported-speech-indirect-speech/

Reported statements online exercise

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-1.html

Reported questions

Introductory video about reported questions

Reported Questions

1.- Reported Wh- questions

2.- Reported Yes/no questions

1.- Reported Wh- questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

Direct speech: Where do you live?

How can we make the reported speech here?

In fact, it's not so different from reported statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. The very important thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a question any more. So we need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence. A bit confusing? Maybe this example will help:

Direct speech: Where do you live?
Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.

Do you see how I made it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I need to change the verb to the past simple.

Another example:

Direct speech: Where is Julie?
Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb. So, we need to change them back before putting the verb into the past simple.

Here are some more examples:

Direct Question	Reported Question
Where is the Post Office, please?	She asked me where the Post Office was.
What are you doing?	She asked me what I was doing.
Who was that fantastic man?	She asked me who that fantastic man had been.

2.- Reported Yes/No questions.

To report a 'yes / no' question, we use 'if' or 'whether'.

Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
Reported speech: She asked me if/whether I liked chocolate.

No problem? Here are a few more examples:

Direct Question	Reported Question
Do you love me?	He asked me if/whether I loved him.
Have you ever been to Mexico?	She asked me if/whether I had ever been to Mexico.
Are you living here?	She asked me if/whether I was living there.

Source: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech.html

Collaborative online exercise about the reported questions

https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/reported_speech/questions.htm

Individual online exercise about the Reported wh- questions

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-6.html

Individual online exercise about the Reported Yes/No questions

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-7.html

Reported requests or orders

Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

Direct speech: Close the window, please
Or: Could you close the window, please?
Or: Would you mind closing the window, please?

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when we tell another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

Here are a few more examples:

Direct Request	Reported Request
Please help me.	She asked me to help her.
Please don't smoke.	She asked me not to smoke.
Could you bring my book tonight?	She asked me to bring her book that night.
Could you pass the milk, please?	She asked me to pass the milk.
Would you mind coming early tomorrow?	She asked me to come early the next day.

To report a negative request, use 'not':

Direct speech: Please don't be late.
Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:

Direct speech: Sit down!

In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask':

Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

Direct Order	Reported Order
Go to bed!	He told the child to go to bed.
Don't worry!	He told her not to worry.
Be on time!	He told me to be on time.
Don't smoke!	He told us not to smoke.

Other reporting verbs used in past simple for requests are orders are

advise
beg
invite
persuade
remind
warn

Source: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech.html

Collaborative online exercise about Reported requests, or orders online exercise

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-3.html

Individual online exercise about reported requests and orders

https://www.e-grammar.org/reported-commands-requests-exercise-8/

Reporting verbs

Introductory video about the reporting verbs

Reporting Verbs

1: SAY

Let's look first at the verbs we've already talked about. The basic verb pattern for using 'say' for reported speech is:

say + (that) + clause

She said (that) she had already eaten.

(The direct speech for this is "I've already eaten".)

2: TELL

On the other hand, with 'tell' we need to use an object, a person who we tell the information to.

tell + someone + (that) + clause

I told John (that) I had seen the new film.

(The direct speech for this is "I've seen the new film".)

When we are reporting orders, we can also use another pattern with 'tell':

tell + someone + to + infinitive

She told the children to go to bed.

3: ASK

We use 'ask' to report questions or requests. For questions we use the pattern:

ask + someone + if / question word + clause

I asked my boss if I could leave early.
She asked them where the station was.

For requests we use the pattern:

ask + someone + to + infinitive

I asked Lucy to pass me the salt.

(Remember, my first two examples with 'ask' are no longer real questions, so we use the normal sentence word order. We don't use inversion. We say 'she asked them where the station was',

Other reporting verbs follow a variety of patterns. I'm afraid there aren't any rules about which verbs follow which patterns. You need to learn each one.

4: ADVISE*

(= Give someone advice. Notice the different spelling for the verb and the noun.)

Advise + someone + to + infinitive

She advised him to see a doctor.

Advise + (that) + clause

The staff advise that you carry water at all times.

Advise + against + verb-ing

I'd advise against leaving early.

5: AGREE

Agree + to + infinitive

We agreed to meet the following day.

Agree + (that) + clause

I agreed that the children could do their homework later.

6: APOLOGISE

Apologise + (to + someone) + for + verb-ing

They apologised to us for being late.
She apologised for forgetting the book.

Apologise (+ to + someone) + for + noun

She apologised for the delay.

7: DECIDE

Decide + to + infinitive

They decided to go to the cinema.

Decide + (that) + clause

They decided that they would go to the cinema.

8: ENCOURAGE

Encourage + someone + to + infinitive

She encouraged him to take the exam again.
The teacher encouraged the students to ask questions.

9: EXPLAIN

Explain + (that) + clause

The teacher explained that the course was finished.

Explain + noun + to + someone

She explained the grammar to the students.

Explain + question word + to + infinitive

They explained how to buy a train ticket on the internet.
John explained where to find the restaurant.

Explain + question word + clause

We explained what the exams would cover.

10: INSIST*

Insist + on + verb-ing

He insisted on paying.

Insist + (that) + clause

He insisted that we sit down.

11: PROMISE

Promise + to + infinitive

He promised to arrive early.

Promise + (someone) + (that) + clause

I promised him that I wouldn't do it again.

12: RECOMMEND*

Recommend + verb-ing

I recommend visiting the British Museum while you're in London.

Recommend + (that) + clause

I recommend that you visit the British Museum

13: REMIND

Remind + someone + to + infinitive

She reminded him to take his keys.

Remind + someone + (that) + clause

They reminded me that there is a party tonight.

14: SUGGEST*

Suggest + verb-ing

I suggest leaving soon

Suggest + (that) + clause

I suggest that you come as soon as you can.

15: WARN

Warn + someone + (not) + to + infinitive

I warned them not to go in the water.

Warn + someone + about + something

She warned us about the dangerous roads.

Negatives
To make the verbs that we have reported negative, we need to look at the verb pattern:

When there's a clause, we make the negative in the usual way: She said that she didn't like ice cream.
When there's 'to + infinitive', we generally put 'not' before 'to': He promised not to do it again.
When there's 'verb-ing', we generally put 'not' in front of it: I advise not taking the bus.

* Advanced Point
In formal English, some verbs that are followed by '(that) + clause' use the infinitive instead of a present tense verb. Some people suggest that this is a kind of subjunctive in English. You only need to worry about this in very formal writing.

Mostly, this doesn't make a difference, because the present simple form in English is often the same as the infinitive form. But when the subject is 'he', 'she' or 'it' or when the verb is 'be', we can see it clearly.

I advise that he go to bed early. (Normally we'd expect: I advise that he goes to bed early.)
I insist that she come now. (Normally we'd expect: I insist that she comes now.)
They suggested that the cats be put in the garden for the night. (Normally we'd expect: They suggested that the cats are put in the garden for the night.)

Source: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reporting-verbs.html