Transcript INDIRECT SPEECH Daniel Miklošovič

INDIRECT SPEECH
Daniel Miklošovič
What is indirect speech?
It is a report of what somebody has said that does not
use their exact words.
I’m going
to have a
rest now.
She said she was
going to have a
rest then.
Pre-test
Are the sentences correct or incorrect?
1
2
3
4
5
6
Bill said he is tired.
I said I was happy now.
Maria told she liked John.
Joe said Peter he hated him.
Bill asked where was the post office.
I didn’t know where did Jane live.
Tenses and pronouns
Tenses and pronouns change in indirect speech if the time
and speaker are different.
I’m very
tired.
Bill said he
was very
tired.
Tenses, modals and auxiliaries normally
change as follows:
Present
Present Perfect
Past
will
do/does
have/has
can
→
→
→
→
→
→
→
Past
Past Perfect
Past Perfect
would
did
had
could
Exercise: Rewrite the sentences in indirect speech.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Anna: ‘My sister needs a car.’
Bill: ‘I have to phone Andy.’
Mary and Kate: ‘We can’t swim.’
Mike: ‘My parents are travelling.’
Alice: ‘My radio doesn’t work.’
Jack: ‘I’ve bought a new computer.’
Check the sentences.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Anna: ‘My sister needs
a car.’
Bill: ‘I have to phone
Andy.’
Mary and Kate: ‘We
can’t swim.’
Mike: ‘My parents are
travelling.’
Alice: ‘My radio doesn’t
work.’
Jack: ‘I’ve bought a
new computer.’
1
2
3
4
5
6
Anna said her sister
needed a car.
Bill said he had to
phone Andy.
Mary and Kate said they
couldn’t swim.
Mike said his parents
were travelling.
Alice said her radio
didn’t work.
Jack said he’d bought a
new computer.
Here-and-now words
 When we use indirect speech, we may have to change words like here, this,
today… This is because the place and time have changed since the words were
spoken.
 Exercise: Match the direct and indirect speech expressions in the table.
Direct speech
Indirect speech
here
now
this
tomorrow
yesterday
today
tonight
last week
next week
that day
that night
that
the day before
the next week
the next day
there
the week before
then
Here-and-now words
Direct speech
Indirect speech
here
now
this
tomorrow
yesterday
today
tonight
last week
next week
there
then
that
the next day
the day before
that day
that night
the week before
the next week
Tell / Say
Tell must have a
personal object. We tell
somebody something.
John told Peter he was late.
Say doesn’t need a
personal object. We say
something (to
somebody).
Jane said she was late.
Indirect questions
Indirect questions have a different word order from
direct questions and no questions marks.
What do
you want?
Bill asked
what I wanted.
Test yourself: Correct the sentences.
1. Bill said he is tired.
2. I said I was happy now.
3. Maria told she liked John.
4. Joe said Peter he hated him.
5. Bill asked where was the post office.
6. I didn’t know where did Jane live.
Check the sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Bill said he is tired.
I said I was happy
now.
Maria told she liked
John.
Joe said Peter he
hated him.
Bill asked where was
the post office.
I didn’t know where
did Jane live.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Bill said he was tired.
I said I was happy
then.
Maria said she liked
John.
Joe told Peter he
hated him.
Bill asked where the
post office was.
I didn’t know where
Jane lived.
For further practice see:
 John and Liz Soars: ‘New Headway Pre-
Intermediate’
 John Eastwood: ‘Oxford Practice Grammar’
 Michael Swan: ‘The Good Grammar Book’
 Michael Swan: ‘How English Works’
 www.oup.com/elt/headway
Thanks for your attention.
 Goodbye! 
Daniel Miklošovič