|
Past
Perfect Simple .. 1/
|
|
Time
Expression
|
Usage
|
Form
|
|
Already ,
Ever , Never , Just , When , By the time , After , By , Before . etc .
|
1- To describe an action which was
completed before a specific point of time in the past .
|
S + Had + V2
|
|
Past
Perfect Progressive .. 2/
|
|
Time
Expression
|
Usage
|
Form
|
|
Already , For
, Since , When , By the time ,
After , Before , How long . etc .
|
1- To emphasize the
duration of an action that took place before another action in the past
|
S + Had +
Been + V + Ing
|
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
What is reported speech?
Reported
speech is when you tell somebody else what you or a person said before.
Distinction
must be made between direct speech and reported speech.
Direct speech vs Reported speech:
|
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
She says: "I like
tuna fish."
|
She says that she likes
tuna fish.
|
|
She said: "I'm
visiting Paris next weekend"
|
She said that she was
visiting Paris the following weekend.
|
Different types of sentences
When
you use reported speech, you either report:
·
statements
·
questions
·
requests / commands
·
other types
A. Reporting Statements
When
transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
·
pronouns
·
tense
·
place and time expression
1- Pronouns
In
reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says
what.
Example:
She
says, “My dad likes roast chicken.” – She says that her dad
likes roast chicken.
2- Tenses
·
If the sentence starts in the
present, there is no backshift of tenses in reported
speech.
·
If the sentence starts in the past,
there is often backshift of tenses in reported speech.
|
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
(no backshift)
|
“I write poems.”
|
He says that
he writes poems.
|
|
(backshift)
|
“I write poems.”
|
He said that
he wrote poems.
|
No
backshift
Do
not change the tense if the introductory clause is in a present tense
(e. g. He says). Note, however, that you might have to change
the form of the present tense verb (3rd person singular).
Example:
He says, “I write poems.” – He says that he writes English.
Backshift
You
must change the tense if the introductory clause is in a past tense
(e. g. He said).
Example:
He said, “I am happy.” – He said that he was happy.
Examples
of the main changes in tense:
|
Direct Speech
|
Reported Speech
|
|
Simple Present
He said: "I am happy"
|
Simple Past
He said that he was happy
|
|
Present Progressive
He said: "I'm looking for my keys"
|
Past Progressive
He said that he was looking for his keys
|
|
Simple Past
He said: "I visited New York last year"
|
Past Perfect Simple
He said that he had visited New York the previous year.
|
|
Present Perfect
He said: " I've lived here for a long time "
|
Past Perfect
He said that he had lived there for a long time
|
|
Past Perfect
He said: "They had finished the work when I arrived"
|
Past Perfect
He said that they had finished the work when he had
arrived"
|
|
Past Progressive
He said: "I was playing football when the
accident occurred"
|
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football when the
accident had occurred
|
|
Present Perfect Progressive
He said:"I have been playing football for two
hours."
|
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football for two hours
|
|
Past Perfect Progressive
He said: "I had been reading a newspaper when the
light went off"
|
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been reading a newspaper when the
light had gone off
|
|
Future Simple (will+verb)
He said: "I will open the door."
|
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would open the door.
|
|
Conditional (would+verb)
He said: "I would buy Mercedes if I were rich"
|
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would buy Mercedes if he had been rich"
|
The
modal verbs could, should, would, might, needn't, ought to, used to do
not normally change.
Example:
He said, "She might be right." – He said that she might be right.
Other
modal verbs may change:
|
Modal
|
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
Can
|
"I can do
it."
|
He said he could do
it.
|
|
May
|
"May I go
out?"
|
He wanted to know if he might go
out.
|
|
must
|
"She must apply
for the job."
|
He said that she must/had
to apply for the job.
|
|
Will
|
"They will call
you."
|
He told her that they would call
her.
|
3- Place, demonstratives and time expressions
Place,
demonstratives and time expressions change if the context of the reported
statement (i.e. the location and/or the period of time) is different from that
of the direct speech.
In
the following table, you will find the different changes of place;
demonstratives and time expressions.
|
Direct Speech
|
Reported Speech
|
|
Time Expressions
|
|
today
|
that day
|
|
now
|
then
|
|
yesterday
|
the day before
|
|
… days ago
|
… days before
|
|
last week
|
the week before
|
|
next year
|
the following year
|
|
tomorrow
|
the next day /
the following day
|
|
Place
|
|
here
|
there
|
|
Demonstratives
|
|
this
|
that
|
|
these
|
those
|
B. Reporting Questions
When
transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
·
pronouns
·
place and time expressions
·
tenses (backshift)
Also
note that you have to:
·
transform the question into an
indirect question
·
use the question word (where,
when, what, how) or if / whether
|
Types of questions
|
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
With question word
(what, why, where, how...)
|
"Why" don’t you speak
English?”
|
He asked me why I didn’t speak
English.
|
|
Without question
word (yes or no questions)
|
“Do you speak English?”
|
He asked me whether / if I spoke
English.
|
C. Reporting requests / commands
When
transforming requests and commands, check whether you have to change:
·
pronouns
·
place and time expressions
|
Direct speech
|
Reported speech
|
|
“Nancy,do the
exercise.“
|
He told Nancy to do
the exercise.
|
|
"Nancy, give me
your pen, please."
|
He asked Nancy to give
him her pen.
|
