B2.1 - Reported Speech (Unit 9A)

This grammar point is really useful as it's a way of reviewing tenses, verbs followed by -ing or infinitive or the use o pronouns. Let's work on this topic.

General grammar
Reported speech is when we retell what other speaker(s) said. The tendency is to do it in past as you start saying Peter said he had a problem - My mother asked me where I was - Susan told  ...the teacher she was ill, or even sentences such as My doctor warned me not to go to work.

If you search on the internet you'll find plenty of links or web pages about this topic. I've chosen some for you:

• Perfect English Grammar: a long explanation but pretty clear and with exercises at the end
• LearnEnglishTeen (British Council): for teenagers but it's really useful
• This video is a good summary: click here

As a general rule remember to change in this way:

• Any kind of PRESENT turns into that kind of PAST: present simple into past simple; present continuous into past continuous; present perfect into past perfect

Just remember the difference of using TELL and SAY: 

• to tell SOMEBODY something (it's important who you said that) Paul told ME you were ill
• to say SOMETHING (to somebody, but it's not necessary to say who said that)  Paul said you were ill

There are more reporting verbs like to ask, to answer, to suggest, to advice, to warn, etc.  To work with them, have a look at the following point.

Reporting verbs

Although you've already seen that there are verbs followed by gerund and/or infinitive, when you work with reporting verbs you'll find many examples of this kind, as you could see on your textbook.

If you want to practise a bit more, go to these exercises but remember that a that-clause He suggested that...) is possible as well:

• exercise 1     exercise 2     exercise 3    exercise 4  

For further practice of the grammar point of this lesson, here are there some exercises to practise with reporting verbs:   

• a bit more difficult: exercise 5  exercise 6   exercise 7