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Reported Speech - Commands, Requests, and Statements

This document discusses reported speech, which is paraphrasing or reporting someone else's words while making changes to verb tenses, pronouns, and time expressions. It covers reported statements, requests, and commands. For reported statements, verb tenses are shifted back in time through backshifting. Requests are usually reported using "ask" followed by an infinitive verb, while commands are reported using "tell" or "order" followed by an infinitive verb. The document provides examples of reporting different types of statements, requests, and commands.

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Suphaluck Yeamsai
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1K views

Reported Speech - Commands, Requests, and Statements

This document discusses reported speech, which is paraphrasing or reporting someone else's words while making changes to verb tenses, pronouns, and time expressions. It covers reported statements, requests, and commands. For reported statements, verb tenses are shifted back in time through backshifting. Requests are usually reported using "ask" followed by an infinitive verb, while commands are reported using "tell" or "order" followed by an infinitive verb. The document provides examples of reporting different types of statements, requests, and commands.

Uploaded by

Suphaluck Yeamsai
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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REPORTED SPEECH

STATEMENTS, QUESTIONS, COMMANDS & SPEECH ACTS

He said... They told ...

She asked...
CONTENTS
1 Defining Reported Speech 3 Reported Requests & Commands

2 Reported Statements 4 Reported Verb


Defining Reported Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect


speech, is the process of paraphrasing or
reporting someone else's words.
It allows us to relay information from one
person to another while making appropriate
changes in tenses, pronouns, and time
expressions.
Reported Requests & Commands

Commands, also known as imperatives, can


be reported using reporting verbs like "tell"
or "order" followed by an infinitive verb.
Requests, on the other hand, are usually
reported using verbs like "ask" and an
infinitive verb.
Commands and requests are speech acts.
We will learn more about reporting Speech
Acts on the following slides.
Please call me when you get home.
Don't stay out late.

Request:
She asked me to call her when I
get home.*
Command:
Please call me when you get home.
Don't stay out late.

Request:
She asked me to call her when I
get home.*
Command:
She told me not to stay out late.
*Only the main verb changes in complex sentences (NOT: when I got home).
Sit on the bed, please.

Indirected
Sit on the bed, please.

Indirected
He asked me to sit on the bed.
Give Cooper a house

Reported Speech:
Give Cooper a house

Reported Speech:

He told me to give him a house.


Reported Statements

When reporting statements, we need to shift


the tense back in time (Backshifting). For
example, present simple changes to past
simple, present continuous to past
continuous, etc.

Pronouns and place and time references


may also need to change.

If the message of the reported statement is


still valid at the moment of reporting it, then
there is no backshifting.
I'm travelling to Italy tomorrow.

On the same day:


She says she is travelling to Italy
tomorrow.
I'm travelling to Italy tomorrow.

After the day:


She said she was travelling to
Italy the following/next day.
I will go to Disneyland with my boy friend today.

On the same day

After the day:


I will go to Disneyland with my boy friend today.

On the same day


She says she will go to Disneyland
with her boy friend today.
After the day:
I will go to Disneyland with my boy friend today.

On the same day


She says she will go to Disneyland
with her boy friend today.
After the day:
She says she would go to
Disneyland with her boy friend
that day.
REPORTING VERBS PATTERNS

STATEMENT REQUEST COMMAND

said that ... asked ... to + verb told ... to + verb


REPORTED TENSE

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