Updated document
Dear rajsans09.2015,
The reference you requested is attached.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Best regards
Glenna Ford
Executive Director Sales Account Management Training Performance Support
on Friday, 24 June 2016
|
A comment?
Reporting verbs
Some reporting verbs may appear in more than one of the following groups because they can be used in several ways.
Verbs followed by "if" or "whether"
| ask know remember | say see |
Verbs followed by a "that"
| add admit agree announce answer argue boast claim comment complain confirm consider deny | doubt estimate explain fear feel insist mention observe persuade propose remark remember repeat | reply report reveal say state suggest suppose tell think understand warn |
Verbs followed by either "that" or an infinitive with "to"
| decide expect guarantee hope | promise swear threaten |
Verbs followed by a "that" clause containing should, which may be omitted, leaving a subject + zero-infinitive
| advise beg demand | insist prefer propose | recommend request suggest |
Verbs followed by a clause starting with a question word
| decide describe discover discuss explain forget guess | imagine know learn realise remember reveal say | see suggest teach tell think understand wonder |
Verbs followed by object + infinitive with "to"
| advise ask beg command | forbid instruct invite | teach tell warn |
Question Forms and Reported Speech
Word order
Normal word order is used in reported questions, that is, the subject comes before the verb, and it is not necessary to use 'do' or 'did':Examples
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
| "Where does Peter live?" | She asked him where Peter lived. |
| "Where are you going?" | She asked where I was going. |
| "Why is she crying?" | He asked why she was crying. |
Yes / no questions
This type of question is reported by using 'ask' + 'if / whether' + clause:Examples
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
| "Do you speak English?" | He asked me if I spoke English. |
| "Are you British or American?" | He asked me whether I was British or American. |
| "Is it raining?" | She asked if it was raining. |
| "Have you got a computer?" | He wanted to know whether I had a computer. |
| "Can you type?" | She asked if I could type. |
| "Did you come by train?" | He enquired whether I had come by train. |
| "Have you been to Bristol before?" | She asked if I had been to Bristol before. |
Question words
This type of question is reported by using 'ask' (or another verb like 'ask') + question word + clause. The clause contains the question, in normal word order and with the necessary tense change.Examples
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
| "What is your name?" he asked me. | He asked me what my name was. |
| "How old is your mother?", he asked. | He asked how old her mother was. |
| The policman said to the boy, "Where do you live?" | The policeman asked the boy where he lived. |
| "What time does the train arrive?" she asked. | She asked what time the train arrived. |
| "When can we have dinner?" she asked. | She asked when they could have dinner. |
| Peter said to John, "Why are you so late?" | Peter asked John why he was so late. |
Changing time and place references
Time and place must often change when going from direct to reported speech.
In general, personal pronouns change to the third person singular or plural, except when the speaker reports his own words:
I/me/my/mine, you/your/yours = him/his/her/hers
we/us/our/ours, you/your/yours = they/their/theirs
He said: "I like your new car." = He told her that he liked her new car.
I said: "I'm going to my friend's house." = I said that I was going to my friend's house.
| Phrase in direct speech | Equivalent in reported speech |
|---|---|
| today | that day |
| "I saw him today", she said. | She said that she had seen him that day. |
| yesterday | the day before |
| "I saw him yesterday", she said. | She said that she had seen him the day before. |
| The day before yesterday | two days before |
| "I met her the day before yesterday", he said. | He said that he had met her two days before. |
| Tomorrow | the next/following day |
| "I'll see you tomorrow", he said | He said that he would see me the next day. |
| The day after tomorrow | in two days time/ two days later |
| "We'll come the day after tomorrow", they said. | They said that they would come in two days time/ two days later. |
| Next week/month/year | the following week/month/year |
| "I have an appointment next week", she said. | She said that she had an appointment the following week. |
| Last week/month/year | the previous/week/month/year |
| "I was on holiday last week", he told us. | He told us that he had been on holiday the previous week. |
| ago | before |
| "I saw her a week ago," he said. | He said he had seen her a week before. |
| this (for time) | that |
| "I'm getting a new car this week", she said. | She said she was getting a new car that week. |
| this/that (adjectives) | the |
| "Do you like this shirt?" he asked | He asked if I liked the shirt. |
| here | there |
| He said, "I live here". | He told me he lived there. |
I/me/my/mine, you/your/yours = him/his/her/hers
we/us/our/ours, you/your/yours = they/their/theirs
He said: "I like your new car." = He told her that he liked her new car.
I said: "I'm going to my friend's house." = I said that I was going to my friend's house.