Learn everything about reported speech (indirect speech) using these 3 simple grammar rules. Free pdf: free.englishwithgreg.com
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► CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro - Reported Speech in English
00:21 What is Reported Speech or Indirect Speech?
02:08 Using Reporting Verbs
02:57 Common Mistake! Say v Tell
04:03 What is Backshifting?
04:47 Change pronouns
06:56 Backshifting examples and tenses
10:45 Reported commands
12:22 Reported questions
15:01 Reported modal verbs
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► TRANSCRIPTION
You asked for this video, so here it is, reported speech. And there are just three simple rules to follow if you want to change direct speech into reported speech. So when people tell you that reported speech is difficult, don't listen to them.
Now, before we look at these three simple rules, what is reported speech? Well, there are two types of speech that I will be talking in this video, direct speech and indirect speech or reported speech. Let me explain. I had a conversation with John yesterday.
John said, "I'm going to London. I can't wait!"
Here, I'm using the exact words that John used. Easy. That's direct speech. But unfortunately, we don't normally speak like this when we're talking about what someone said. Instead, we use reported speech or indirect speech, which looks like this.
John said that he was going to London and he couldn't wait. You see, I'm not quoting John. I'm not using his exact words. I'm just reporting what he said in a sentence of my own. So that is what reported speech is. And that is the most common and natural way way of telling someone what John said. Now, let's have a look at these three rules that you need to know to use it.
If you're new here, I'm Greg, and I teach upper intermediate and advanced English, so you can speak English clearly and understand easily. I have a free PDF for you to help you with today's lesson. You'll get all the rules and examples and a test to make sure you have learned reported speech perfectly. The link is up there and down there.
Rule one, when we're using reported speech, we need a reporting verb. The most common reporting verbs are say, tell, ask. They are the common ones, but there are also many others you can use to add a more advanced flavour to your English, like inform, mention, state, explain, suggest, confirm, agree, disagree, point out.
They are all reporting verbs that we can use in reported speech. But to make the rules simpler, I'll just be using say, tell, and ask in this video. That's easy enough, though there is one really common mistake that students make with the verbs say and tell. Have a look at these sentences and tell me, what's the mistake here?
He said me I could go. Say your parents hello from me.
Any idea? Well, the verb should be tell, not say here.
How do we know? Well, learn this rule and you'll be fine. You say something and you tell someone. In other words, we follow the verb tell with a person. I tell you. I told him. I will tell her. But we cannot do this with the verb say. We do not say, I say you. I said him. I will say you. All those are wrong. Okay, so once you avoid that very common mistake, rule number one, starting reported speech with a reporting verb, is quite simple, right?
Okay, rule number two. Rule number two is probably the most challenging thing we have to do in reported speech, and that is we have to change the tense of the main verb. And this is what grammar people call backshifting. I don't normally like grammar words, but I think backshifting is quite a nice word. Okay? Shift is like, oi, move, shift. And back is in the past. So it's like, oi, verb, move. Move one tense back in the past. Backshifting.
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