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Reported Speech

12/4/2018

 
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Reported Statements
[From Perfect English Grammar.com]

When do we use reported speech? Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first person said.

We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:
  • Direct speech: I like ice cream.
  • Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.

(As I'm sure you know, often, we can choose if we want to use 'that' or not in English. I've put it in brackets () to show that it's optional. It's exactly the same if you use 'that' or if you don't use 'that'.)
But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:
  • Direct speech: I like ice cream.
  • Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

To read more about reported speech from Perfect English Grammar.com, click here. 

To practice using reported speech, click on here. 

 



best dissertations link
10/14/2019 01:20:59 am

Making a speech is not as easy as most people think. I know that there are people who think that it is easy, but I just do not think that it is. I have been writing speeches for as long as I am alive, and I just do not see it as an easy thing to do. People who think that it is easy, they are the same people who are too full of themselves. Writing an entire speech is hard.


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    My name is Craig, and  I've been teaching English for many years. I initially created this site for my students, but all English learners are welcome. I hope you find something helpful to you. Feel free to leave suggestions or ideas in the Comments section under any entry. 

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