Lexis

Claude Explains Reported Speech: From Direct to Indirect

1. Basic Tense Changes in Reported Speech

✓ When we report what someone said, we typically move the tense one step back

Present Simple → Past Simple
Direct: “I work here.”
Reported: He said (that) he worked there.

Present Continuous → Past Continuous
Direct: “I am studying.”
Reported: She said (that) she was studying.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect
Direct: “I have finished.”
Reported: He said (that) he had finished.

Past Simple → Past Perfect
Direct: “I went there.”
Reported: She said (that) she had gone there.

✓ Note: The word ‘that’ is optional in reported speech

Key Terms

reportto tell others what someone saidtensethe form of a verb that shows the time of an action

2. Reporting Questions

✓ When reporting questions, we:
– Remove question marks
– Change word order to subject + verb
– Use if or whether for yes/no questions

Yes/No Questions:
Direct: “Do you speak English?”
Reported: He asked me if I spoke English.

Wh- Questions:
Direct: “Where do you live?”
Reported: She asked me where I lived.

✓ Remember: Don’t use auxiliary verbs (do/does/did) in reported questions

Key Terms

auxiliary verbhelping verb used to form questionswh- questionquestion beginning with who, what, where, when, why, or how

3. Reporting Verbs

Different verbs can be used to report speech, each with specific meaning:

✓ Say (general reporting): He said he was tired
✓ Tell (must have object): She told me she was busy
✓ Ask (for questions): They asked where I lived
✓ Explain (giving details): He explained how the system worked
✓ Add (additional information): She added that she would be late

Key Terms

reporting verbverb used to describe how something was saidobjectperson being told something in the sentence

💬 Typical Conversations

Claude Teaches Sara

Claude is explaining reported speech to Sara using examples

Claude: “Let’s look at what John said this morning. He said ‘I will help you tomorrow.'”Sara: “So in reported speech, that would be…”Claude: “Exactly! We would say ‘John said he would help me the next day.'”Sara: “And if someone asks ‘Where are you going?'”Claude: “In reported speech: ‘They asked where I was going.'”

Practice with Claudia

Claudia is practicing converting direct to reported speech

Claudia: “My friend said ‘I have never been to Paris.'”Claude: “How would we report that?”Claudia: “She said she had never been to Paris?”Claude: “Perfect! Now try this one: ‘Are you coming to the party?'”Claudia: “She asked if I was coming to the party.”Claude: “Excellent! You’ve got it!”

📝 Key Vocabulary Recap

report→to tell others what someone saidtense shift→changing verb tense when converting to reported speechsay→to speak or tell something (general use)tell→to communicate information to someone specificask→to pose a question or make a requestexplain→to make something clear by giving detailsadd→to give additional information