Reported Speech
Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is used to report what someone said without quoting their exact words. When we report speech, we usually change the tense, pronouns, and time expressions.
Direct vs Reported Speech
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| “I am tired,” she said. | She said (that) she was tired. |
| “We will come,” they said. | They said (that) they would come. |
| “I have finished,” he said. | He said (that) he had finished. |
Tense Changes in Reported Speech
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| Present Simple | Past Simple |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| Past Simple | Past Perfect |
| Will | Would |
| Can | Could |
| Must | Had to |
Time and Place Changes
- now → then
- today → that day
- tomorrow → the next day / the following day
- yesterday → the day before / the previous day
- here → there
- this → that
Questions in Reported Speech
Wh-questions: “Where do you live?” → She asked me where I lived.
Yes/No questions: “Do you like coffee?” → He asked me if/whether I liked coffee.
Exercises
- Report: “I am studying English,” she said.
- Report: “We will visit Paris next summer,” they said.
- Report the question: “Did you finish your homework?” the teacher asked.
مدونة التربية و التعليم في الجزائر – دروس، فروض، نتائج امتحانات مدونة التربية والتعليم في الجزائر | تحضير الدروس، فروض واختبارات، نتائج البكالوريا وBEM، مسابقات التوظيف، والتوجيه المدرسي للطلاب وأولياء الأمور.