It is an easy presentation to understand the main changes we need to know when we change from direct to reported speech

1. REPORTED SPEECH
Mª Mercedes Sánchez
Year 2013-14

2. What is Reported Speech?
There are two ways of relating what a person has said: direct and
indirect. In direct speech we repeat the original speaker’s exact
words.
He said,” I have missed my bus”
These thoughts, believes or remarks are written between the
inverted commas, and a comma or colon is placed immediately
before the remark.
In indirect speech we give the exact meaning of a remark, or a
speech, without necessarily using the speaker’s exact words. We
make somebody’s words or thoughts part of our own sentence.
He said that he had missed his bus.

3. When reporting a
statement we may find
many different
changes:

4. Verb changes
DIRECT SPEECH
Simple Present
I train every day
Present Continuous
I’m having a shower
Simple Past
I met her at 3 p.m.
Present Perfect
We haven’t seen it yet.
Present Perfect Continuous
I’ve been waiting for ages.
Imperative
Be quiet
REPORTED SPEECH
Simple Past
He said (that) he trained every day.
Past Continuous
He said (that) he was having a shower.
Past Perfect
He said he had met her at 3 p.m.
Past Perfect
They said (that) they hadn’t seen it yet.
Past Perfect Continuous
He said (that) he had been waiting for ages.
Infinitive
He told us to be quiet.

5. Modal verbs in Reported Speech
DIRECT SPEECH
Can
I can’t swim.
Will
I’ll send you a postcard.
Must/ have to
You must study more
May
It may be true.
REPORTED SPEECH
Could
He said (that) he couldn’t swim
Would
He said (that) he would send us a postcard.
Had to
He said (that) we had to study more.
Might
He said (that) it might be true.
The other modal verbs don’t change: would, should, ought to, had better,
might, used to, could …

6. Pronouns and possessive adjectives normally change from first or second
person to third person, except when the speaker is reporting his own words
PERSONAL PRONOUNS SUBJECT
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
I He / she
We They
PERSONAL PRONOUNS OBJECT
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
Me Him/ her
Us Them
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
My His/ her
Our Their
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
Mine His/ hers
Ours Theirs

7. Adverbs and adverbial phrases of
time
DIRECT SPEECH
Now
Today
Yesterday
Tomorrow
Next week, year …
Last week, year…
INDIRECT SPEECH
Then
That day
The day before
The next day, the following
day
The following week, year
The week / year before or
the previous week, year

8. Other changes
Adverb of place
here there
Direct Speech
(nearness)
Reported Speech
(remoteness)
This That
These those