【English Communication II】Mastering Reported Speech!
Hello, everyone! Today, let's study "Reported Speech" in English together. "Reported speech" might sound like a difficult term, but it’s actually just the rule for how we express things like "so-and-so said that...", which we use all the time in everyday conversation.
It’s an essential skill for relaying messages from friends or reporting what you heard on the news. It might feel like a puzzle at first, but once you understand the rules, you'll be fine! Let’s take it one step at a time.
Key Point: There are two main types of speech: "Direct Speech" and "Indirect (Reported) Speech"!
1. What are "Direct Speech" and "Indirect Speech"?
First, let’s get a clear mental picture of the difference between these two.
(1) Direct Speech
This is a way of reporting someone's words by putting them exactly as they were spoken inside quotation marks (" ").
Example: Tom said, "I am happy."
Think of this like taking a "screenshot" of someone's exact words.
(2) Indirect Speech
This is a way of relaying what someone said by explaining it in your own words.
Example: Tom said that he was happy.
Think of this as "reporting" the content using your own phrasing.
【Key Point】
In English Communication II, the most important thing is learning the rules for transforming "Direct Speech" into "Indirect Speech"!
2. Rewriting into Indirect Speech: The 4-Step Process
When changing direct speech to indirect, there are four key points you need to check. This is the part that takes a bit of extra effort!
① Change the reporting verb
Choose your verb based on who the person was speaking to.
・say to (someone) → tell (someone)
・say → say (remains the same)
Example: Tom said to me, "..." → Tom told me that ...
② Change the pronouns (Think about who is talking)
Think about who "I" refers to. If Tom said, "I am busy," then when we report it, we have to say "He (Tom) is busy."
Be sure to change I → he / she, my → his / her, etc., to match the situation.
③ Tense shift (This is where most mistakes happen!)
This is crucial! When the reporting verb is in the past tense ("said"), the verb inside the quotation marks must "shift back" one step into the past.
・Present tense → Past tense
・Present perfect / Past tense → Past perfect (had + past participle)
・will / can → would / could
Common mistake:
Tom said, "I am busy."
× Tom said that he is busy. (← You forgot to shift it to match "said"!)
○ Tom said that he was busy.
④ Change words referring to time and place
Since the time and place of the report are different from the original statement, you need to adjust these words:
・here → there
・now → then
・tomorrow → the next day
・yesterday → the day before
💡 Pro-tip:
We change "tomorrow" to "the next day" because, by the time you are reporting it, that "tomorrow" might have already happened! That makes sense, right?
3. Rules for Different Sentence Types
Let’s look at cases other than standard statements (declarative sentences).
(1) Questions (When someone asks, "Is...?")
When reporting a question, use "ask", and change the word order back to a standard "subject + verb" statement format.
【Yes/No Questions】
Use if or whether.
He said to me, "Are you hungry?"
→ He asked me if I was hungry.
【Questions with question words (Who, What, Where, etc.)】
Keep the question word as is, followed by "subject + verb".
He said, "Where do you live?"
→ He asked where I lived.
(2) Commands (When someone says, "Do...!")
For commands, it is standard to use the structure 〈tell + someone + to do〉. It makes the sentence much cleaner!
My mother said to me, "Clean your room."
→ My mother told me to clean my room.
*For a negative command (don't do something), use not to do.
Point:
If it’s a request ("Please..."), use ask + someone + to do, and if it’s advice, use advise + someone + to do to better convey the tone!
Summary: Highlights of this lesson!
1. Direct speech is "the exact quote," while indirect speech is "reporting the content."
2. When converting to indirect speech, check four things: "verbs," "pronouns," "tenses," and "time/place words."
3. When talking about the past, shift the tense one step back (tense agreement).
4. For questions, use "ask + if/whether," and for commands, use "tell + someone + to do."
At first, you might feel overwhelmed by all the things you need to change, but after practicing a few times, you’ll naturally start noticing, "Oh, I need to change this to 'he'" or "'Tomorrow' becomes 'the next day'."
The best shortcut is to take the examples from your English Communication II textbook and try rewriting them from direct to indirect speech yourself! I'm rooting for you!