Reported Speech_ Nguyễn Trọng Long

09/18/13 Nguyễn Trọng Long:
tronglongnguyen@yah
oo.com
Reported Speech
What is it? How do you use it?
Yesterday, I saw
my friend Pamela!
She told me that
she got a
promotion!
09/18/13 Nguyễn Trọng Long:
tronglongnguyen@yah
oo.com
Reported Speech
is the grammar we use when we want to tell another
person about a conversation that took place in the past.
We often use reported speech to . . .
1. Give someone a telephone message:
Example :
Example : Elle n s aid s he c o uldn’t co me to day be caus e …
2. Tell someone news that we heard from
someone else:
Exam ple :
Exam ple : To m to ld me that he and Kare n g o t e ngage d!
3. To report something that happened:
Exam p le :
Exam p le : S am s aid that the o the r drive r was n’t
paying atte ntio n and hit his car.
09/18/13 Nguyễn Trọng Long:
tronglongnguyen@yah
oo.com

How to use reported speech:
When we use reported speech, we are
usually
talking about the past.
Therefore, verbs
usually
change to the
past tense in reported speech.
09/18/13 Nguyễn Trọng Long:
tronglongnguyen@yah
oo.com
am / is
become
was
are
becomes
were
have / has
become
had
can / can’t
become
could
couldn’t
will / won’t
become
would
wouldn’t
09/18/13 Nguyễn Trọng Long:
tronglongnguyen@yah

oo.com
Reported speech
typically
uses the following
structure:
Someone said (that) … Sentence, past
OR
Someone told me (that) … Sentence,past
However, in English, you can NEVER say
Someone said me . . .