In English we use reported speech to tell someone what another person said. In reported speech, we usually report what was said at a different time, and so we change the tense to reflect the time which we are reporting. The verb forms generally move one tense into the past.
Example Sentences :
DIRECT SPEECH : "I'm not playing football."
REPORTED LATER : He said that he wasn't playing football.
Look at the change in tense from direct speech to reported speech in these examples:
Present Simple ---> Past Simple
"I want to work abroad." ---> He said he wanted to work abroad.
Present Continuous ---> Past Continuous
"I'm teaching English in London." ---> She said she was teaching English in London.
Past Simple ---> Past Perfect
"I met a girl." ---> He said that he had met a girl.
Present Perfect ---> Past Perfect
"I've been to Australia." ---> She said she had been to Australia.
Will ---> Would
"I'll be back in May." ---> She said she would be back in May.
Can ---> Could
"I can help you." ---> He said that he could help me.
Be going to ---> Was/Were going to
"I'm going to start a business." ---> He told me he was going to start a business.
In English we use 'said' or 'told' in reported speech but they are used differently.
You can't use 'said' with an object or pronoun. eg. He said that he loved her. NOT He said her that he loved her.
You must use 'told' with an object. eg. He told her that he loved her. NOT He told that he loved her.
Notes for use of reported speech statements :
'That' is optional after say and tell.
Sometimes we need to change the pronoun:
DIRECT SPEECH : Jim: "I don't like living here." (Jim is referring to himself)
REPORTED SPEECH : Jim said (that) he didn't like living here. (the pronoun 'he' refers to Jim)
We may also need to change other words about place and time.
DIRECT SPEECH : "I went to Tokyo last week."
REPORTED SPEECH : She said (that) she'd been to Tokyo the week before.
If we report something which is still true, it is not necessary to change the verb.
DIRECT SPEECH : "My car is bigger than yours."
REPORTED SPEECH : He said his car is / was bigger than mine.
When we are reporting past tenses, and we see the events from the same viewpoint as the original speaker, it is not necessary to change the tense.
DIRECT SPEECH : "The earthquake happened at half past seven."
REPORTED SPEECH : The radio said that the earthquake happened at half past seven.
Modal verbs could, might, would, should, ought to and had better usually do not change in reported speech.
DIRECT SPEECH : "I should go to the dentist."
REPORTED SPEECH : He said that he should go to the dentist.
In English we don't have to report all the words people say. It's more important to report the main idea.
DIRECT SPEECH : "Don't forget to lock the door."
REPORTED SPEECH : She reminded them to lock the door.
The past simple and the past continuous don't have to change tense in reported speech, but they can.
If the reporting verb is in the present tense, then there is no change in tense.
eg. Dad says I can go to the party tonight if I finish my homework first.
Reporting verbs :
In English we use a variety of verbs to report what people say. The grammar structure we use after them changes.
Examples sentences :
invite / remind / warn + object + infinitive with to
offer / refuse / promise / agree / threaten + infinitive with to
admit / suggest + verb + ing
Some reporting verbs have more than one verb pattern.
After promise, agree, admit and suggest we can use that + clause.
eg. James admitted being in love with her. / James admitted that he was in love with her.
Verbs that summarize what people say:
verb + (that) : agree, complain, explain, insist, recommend, say, suggest
verb + object + (that) : warn, assure, persuade, tell
verb + gerund : deny, admit, recommend, suggest
verb + preposition + gerund : apologise, insist, object
verb + object + preposition + gerund : accuse, blame, congratulate, suspect
verb + infinitive : refuse, agree, decide, demand, offer, promise, threaten
verb + object + infinitive : tell, ask, invite, order, remind, warn
Reported speech statement example sentences | |
---|---|
She said she didn't think talking to me would solve the problem! | 她说她觉得和我谈解决不了问题! |
I told you I can't go anywhere tonight. | 我告诉你我今晚哪都不能去。 |
You told me it was empty before. | 你之前说它是空的。 |
She said the IT manager wasn't able to come to the office today. | 她说IT经理今天无法来办公室。 |
I was expecting you to say how nice I was! | 我原以为你会说我太棒了! |
Hm, but I told you I was going to prepare some breakfast for us. | 嗯,但是我告诉过你我会给大家准备早饭的。 |
The girl told me it was the only time she could show me the house. | 那个女孩告诉我这是可以让我看房的唯一时间点。 |
The girls say they will meet their boyfriends in Soho. | 女孩们说她们会去苏豪区见她们的男朋友。 |
She said they needed to cancel the meeting today! | 她说她需要取消今天的会议! |
I said say hi to your IT manager! | 我刚在问候你的IT经理! |
Ha-ha-ha I can't believe you said my husband and I really appreciate it. | 哈哈哈,我不敢相信你刚才说我老公和我对此真的很感激。 |
No, I said I was in a hurry so I didn't have time to find a better house. | 不,我是说我很匆忙所以没有时间去找更好的房子。 |
I didn't say I wanted to or not... | 我还没说我想或不想... |
Don't make fun of me, I told you that I'm a bit clumsy! | 不要取笑我,我告诉过你我有点笨拙! |
She said she decided to stay in London for another month! | 她说她决定再在伦敦住一个月! |
And the vet said he just needs to rest... | 兽医说他只是需要休息... |
Possibly, I can see why you said you weren't good at lying! | 可能吧,我是明白你为啥说你不擅长说谎了! |
He says he is having breakfast at a cafe. | 他说他正在咖啡馆吃早餐。 |
They say the early bird catches the worm! | 人们常说早起的鸟儿有虫吃! |
When his right hand caught on fire! | 当他的右手着火了! |