Reported speech Entry test 1 In the following extract from a composition, circle

the underlined verbs that are not in a correct form.

In a recent report on hygiene in shops and restaurants, it is claimed (1) that over forty per cent of the establishments involved in the survey fell (2) below acceptable standards. One butcher quoted in the report even boasted that several of his customers have become (3) ill after eating chicken bought at his shop. When ene of the customers complained, she was told that it can't have been (4) the chicken but anyway she should have washed (5) it thoroughiy under the tap before she cooked it. The butcher conceded he had acted (6) somewhat irresponsibly but seemed happy to admit that he will sell (7) the same chicken in the future if it was ever necessary. All this is rather worrying. Of particular cause for concern is the attitude expressed by a chef at an expensive restaurant who related how he had once served (8) food reheated from three-day-oid leftovers and soid it at a vastiy inflated price. The author of the report, interviewed on televisión, said that as a result of his studies he came (9) to the conclusión that the more you gay (10) for a meai, the more likely you are to get ill.

FOR TENSES IN REPORTED SPEECH, SEE SECTION 1.

Fill the gap in each of the following sentences so that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the first sentence.

EXAMPLE; 'That's right. The flight leaves at 16.25, ' she said. She confirmed t\\at the f]¡c¡í\t Ic/t at 16.25.

T'm sorry I shouted at you, ' Ruth said to Rita. Ruth apologised her. 'Look Dominic, you really shouldn't get so angry with people,' said Marión, Marión advised so angry with people. 'Thanks for everything you've done for me over the last week,' he said to his parents. He told his parents for him over the past week. My previous boss said, Tf you will agree to help me, l'll see what I can do about your working hours.' My previous boss promised help him. 'Do you think you'll be able to get here tomorrow?' asked my mother. My mother wondered it the following day. 'Do you think you might be able to get the money by this evening?' she enquired. She asked me of the money by that evening. 'I'd rather you didn't tell anyone about it yet,' my wife said. My wife asked me yet. 'Don't worry, l'm not really going to take all youi money' he said. The man reassured me he had money 'l'm afraid I am not in a position to lend you any money at the moment,' he said, 'though I wouid if I could.' He said that able to. 'But you really must come and stay with us for the weekend,' said Philip. Philip insisted for the weekend.

FOR TENSES IN REPORTED SPEECH, SEE SECTION 1. FOR REPORT STRUCTURES, SEE SECTION 2.

mem 212

REPORTED S P E E C H

T H E BASICS

1 G R A M M A R A N D V O C A B U L A R Y C H A N C E S

W h e n we report what somebody says or thinks, we commonly make changes i n vocabulary and grammar: Reason Changes

We are chaage personal reporting what pronouns, or somebody use other clse said. nouns to make

the reference clear

We are reporting the original saying or thought in a difíerent place.

We are reporting the statement at a dil lereni t ime.

change words refc ir ing to place or other things that are no longer there

cliange tenses and words referring to t ime

Exaniples 'I love you.' becomes: He said he loved me. 'Yüu're being lidiculous.' becomes: ¡le tohi Roula she was being lidiculous.

7 love a here.' becomes: Slie told me she loved il by the sea. 'Hey! Look at this!' becomes: She drew n\y ailenlion to the headline in the paper.

7 only got Iwre yesterday.' becomes: Slie satd she had only got here on Wednesday. 'l'm coming tomorrow.' becomes: He said he's coming today.

2 R E P O R T I N G O R D E R S A N D Q U E S T I O N S

• We usuaily report orders iising verbs such as ask, tell, j'orbid, etc. w i t h a lü-iníinitive: He told me to he there at nine o'clock sharp.

• We report quesiions using verbs such as ask, want to know, etc. w i t h vv'/i-clauses or (/-clauses (see Section ¿): He asked me where I'd been. She enquired whether I wanted to wait for a reply.

3 F L E X I B L E C H A N G E S

The changes we make to tenses and vocabulary when report ing are not fixed transformations. The possible variations in w h o we are ta lking to, and where and when we are speaking, mean we must be flexible. A l l references to place and person and t ime, including tense, m u s t « i a k e sense to the speaker and listener at the t ime and place in which they are speaking. Here are some examples to show h o w report words and structures can change according to the si iuation: S i t i i a t ion Report O r i g i n a l

Person joins a group o f people chatting at a party

Shouting to somebody in another r o o m

Impatiently wai t ing for somebody

Sitting in a café, tell ing a friend about a long discussion you had a couple of days ago w i t h a coUeague

'Helio. 1 was just saying to George here that they've given the go-aliead for that new airport.'

'What ditl you say^ l can't hear you.' 'l said your dinner's ready!'

'He said he would be here at eighi o'clock.'

'Anyway, then she said she was thinking ofleaving work and going abroad for a year.'

'They've given the go-uhead for that new airport.'

'Your dinner's ready!'

7 promise TU be ihere al eight o'clock.'

'Tm thinking of leaving this place. [ may spend a year abroad.'

I ftaid ^our dinner's in iht oven - l'm leaving -jQUy/

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GRAMMAR

SECTION I Tenses in reported speech

1 T E N S E S O F T H E R E P O R T V E R B

Decausc we usuaily report what was said iti the past, wc normal ly use a Past tense for the report verb:

Last night in a televisión address, the Presidcnt claimed he'd done nothing wrong.

• We often use Past Continuous to report gossip, or to repeat what somebody else has just said: Nikos was saying you've thinking ofleaving.

• We may use a report verb in a Present tense i f we fcel the original statement is still relevant:

John says he's on his way and will he here in tvvciiíy minutes. ( = report ing a phone message)

• Wc use a future forni to report words not spoken: / bct he'll say he's bu.'iy.

2 R E P O R T I N G P A S T T E N S E S

W h e n report ing a statement or question that refcrred to the past, wc commonly use Past Perfcct:

fie told me hc'd hatcd sciencc al school. ( = original : 7 hated .sciencc at school.')

• Where the t ime rclationship is obvious, wc can report past events w i t h Past Simple rather than Past Perfcct: The palacontologist claimed the world had bcgun/ began earlier ihan originally thought.

• We can report Present Perfcct w i t h Past Perfect, or we can Icave it as Present Perfect i f the t ime pcriod is still continuing: He told me he'd heen working all day. (He's probably finishcd, or it's n o l the same day.) He told me lic's bcen working all day. (It's the same day and maybe he's still working . )

3 R E P O R T I N G P R E S E N T T E N S E S

We may use Past tenses to report Present tenses i f thcy refer to things that are no longer rdevant :

Jo said she felt sick. ( = she isn't any longer) • But, we can use Present tenses i f the statement is

still thought to be relevant: Jo said she is feeling sick. ( = she sdll is)

• There can sometimos be a conflict between logical t r u t h and grammaticai habit when report ing situations that are still true at the t ime of reporting. I f somebody asks your age, it is logical to report it (a short time later) as:

Ile a.<:kcd inc how oíd I am. Howcver, there is a strong grammaticai tendcncy to keep the tenses in a sentence in agreement: He rt.^feaí me how oíd I was. (and you are still the same age) Both are acceptable and there's no difference in meaning: Thcy a.skcd me where you live/Uved. She lold me .'¡he hadn't /hasn't got much money.

• If we don't belicve the speaker, we use a Past tense: He claimed the Earth was fíat. He told me he was broke but ¡ know he was lying.

4 R E P O R T I N G M O D A L V E R B S

For many modal verbs (see Units 3 and 4) there is no difference between direct and reported speech:

7 might go but I don't want to.' becomes: Lie said ¡te might go but he didn't want ta. 'Yon .shouldn't have caten so much.' becomes: My wife said I shouldn't have caten so mucíi.

• Those that can change (if necessary) are: M o d a l Changes Examples

can becomes: could (or would he able to)

must becomes: had to or was / wcre lo (to cxprcss obligation)

will becomes: would

may becomes: might

nccdn't becomes: didn't nccd to or (íííífi't have to / wouldn't have to

'Can I borrow your balli'' becomes: He asked ifhc could borrow our ball. 'You must go back again latcr' becomes: They told me I had to go back again latcr. 'TU come latcr.' becomes: She told me she would come later. 7 iiiflv come.' becomes: Lie said he might come. 'You necdn'tgo Lonight.' becomes: He said I didn't necd to go lajt night.

What are the likcly original statements which these report?

1 Thcy said they w o u l d be at the station by ten. 2 She said she had to wash her hair this evening. 3 He tried to convincc me that Goa was in Africa. 4 She claimed she spent her childhood in Australia. 5 She said she'd given up studying English and was

going to get marricd instcad.

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TENSES IN REPORTED S P E E C H

Piractice

Pul a cross (X) by any of the options be low that cannot complete the sentence. Put a question m a r k (?) besitle any that are possible but very unlikely.

1 Toni just told me he is I was going honie because he doesn't fee! wel l .

2 According to Shakespeare, life is I was nothing but a walk ing shadow.

3 It's reported that there ]\as been/ had been a massive earthquake in hidonesia.

4 Shakespeare wrote that all the wor ld is / was a stage. 5 Would you believe it, he's told the others he has I

had passed Proficiency. 6 Al i says he'd/he'il see you later 7 He told me just now he is I was definitely going

to resign. 8 My mother was always saying that you can I coxdd

take a horse to water but you can't I co\ddn \e il drink.

0 VVriie the appropriate form of the verbs in brackets. More than one form is possible in one sentence.

Exanxple: He asked me i f I (be) going to the party tonight. nrn, t f i i i

1 WiUiam says he (want) to be a policeman when he grows up

2 Jenny called after me to ask i f 1 (be) going to the party the fo l lowing evening

3 At lunch t ime my wife called to ask me where I (be) all m o r n i n g

4 She called me on my mobile and asked me where 1 (be)

5 She demanded to know why 1 (not come) home last night

6 She demanded to know why 1 (not come) home the night before

7 Nikos asked i f i (ever visit) Thessaloniki before.

8 l 'he teacher wanted to know i f 1 (can take) his class for h i m that evening

© Report what the assistant said to you in each shop when you were hunting for a particular piece of conipiicer software.

iÍAVuii;W¿: John Brown's Software Store; 'l've ne\cr heard o f that parlictilar product, l ' m not sure it exists.' Ill John li/ou'n'i Sü/tiunrc Sfurt (he nuiti idii/ ht-'il t i f i c r

hfniií u/ thf (Jroiltict, addn\í) thíit \\( wasn't sutí lí

Softly Softly: 'We don't actually stock what you want but there is a shop d o w n the road that does.' Disk Jockey: 'We normal ly keep them but we've had a r u n on them and l ' m aft-aid we've sold out. We're expecting some in sometime next week.' Apple Core: 'We only dea! w i t h Apple Mac, so we won ' t be able to help you. ' Surf 'n Byte: 'We've got something very similar but 1 can't guarantee that it w i l l do what you want it to do.' Graphics Unl imi ted : ' I think there's a place not far f rom here where they may be able to help you. A friend o f mine bought something similar f rom them last week.' Softly Softly: You were here a few hours ago. We still don't stock them. '

O F i l l t a c h o f the nunibered gaps w i t h ^^S^ one suitable w o r d .

j It was quite an emotional day, 1 must admit. A few of J the younger clerks just (1) me good luck and i (2) 1 would be happy in my new Job. Some of I the farewells from eider colleagues were quite touchlng; j one said I (3) been a kind of modei for him,

which 1 (4) rather nice. The managlng director made a speech at lunch tline, tlie usual gushing stuff about all 1 (5) done for the firm, how much 1 had (ó) to its etilos and how the place (7) hardly be the same without me. Fortunately he omitted to tecali a conversation in which he had (8) me an incompetent idiot who didn't deserve to be working in a company as good as his. When it was my turn to respond, 1 couldn't believe the clichés I (9) out with: about what a pleasure it had been to work in a firm that (10) such high standards and (11) stand comparison with any company in the country; about how 1 (12) miss everybody and how 1 really (13) their kindness in presenting me with a pen. The cleaning lady was the last person to say goodbye to me. She just said she'd always (14) me as a genüeman. I thought that (15) sweet.

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GRAMMAR

SECTION 2 Report structures

1 T H / H r - C L A U S E S A N D I V H - C L A U S E S

We use í/wt-clauscs to report statements: ./" siiggcslcd that I should go to see the fdm.

• We can also use í/wí-clauses to report statements which include w/i-clauscs: She icmemhercd that what was strange was that the caller refuscd to Icave his ñame. She claimed that whether we stayed or not made no difference lo her.

2 W ^ H - C L A U S E S

Wc use wh-clauses to report questions w i t h wh-words (why, when, etc.): The department manager asked me when I was thinking ofleaving. Our neigldwurs wanted to know where we were going on holiday.

The w o r d order is normal ly subject-verb, not vcrb-subject as in direct questions. There is no question mark: X -¡Tc-asked-mí-k0w^i4-4-ma-nage'ití y He a.<;ked me liow I managed it.

3 / F - C L A U S E S

We use if-clauses to report yes/no questions: My mother just rang lo check ifl was coming.

• We can also use if in t/idt-clauses to report conditionals, and if / whether in statements which talk about alternativcs: She said that if we were staying, she'd have to make up ihe sparc bed.

4 I N F I N I T I V E A N D -ING F O R M S IN R E P O R T I N G

We can report statements, orders and questions w i t h verbs fol lowed by a to-infinitive, w i t h and w i t h o u t an object:

She promised / ojfered to come with us. She advised me/ warncd us nol to go with them.

• V/c can also use report verbs followed by -ing. Somctimcs wc nccd a prcposition: He admiitcd/ recalled her taking the money We apologised for/accuscd her of taking ihe money.

• Note that after some verbs we can use a nurnbcr of structures: He agrced lo marry her/ to her marrying him / that it was a good idea / with me. I advise you to go home / that your rent is duc. I advise taking the pills /agninst going there.

5 I M P E R S O N A L R E P O R T S

We can report what people generally say or think using passive report verbs. There are two structures -/( + t/mt-clause, or subject + to-infinitive:

It's reputed that he's worlh £100 million. He's repuled to be worlh £10 million.

• Here are report verbs we use in the same way: know rumour report say believe feel

• Some verbs, e.g. suspect and liiiií, can't be used w i t h a to-infinitivc structure: He is suspectcd of being guilty of cheating. It's been hinted thal he's wovth even more.

• Mere are examples o f report verbs we can use only in the structure It + t/irtt-clause: suggcst Icarn accept announce argüe hope

6 S U M M A R I S I N G IN R E P O R T E D S P E E C H

W h e n wc report what people generally say or think, wc cotnmonly summarise the original statement. The aim is to report the meaning, not the exact words: O r i g i n a l Report

7 don't know. Maybe TU give up Anyway, she said work for a whde. Tm fed up wilh she was thinking of this Job anyway. What I really leaving her Job and vvrtiit to do is lo travel overseas goi'^g abroad, possibly a bit. A year, mayhe.' for a year.

7 A D D I N G P E R S O N A L C O M M E N T S

W h e n reporting. we may add dctails and give our reaction. c.g. by using a particular report verb. In this example, these interpretations are in bold:

She was going on about leaving, which I thought was strange. She ewn said something about travclling, which in my opinión would he a complete waste of lime.

Add the missing w o r d in each o f these examples

1 Sylvia said she hadn't got cnough time. 2 We enquired or not they were staying. 3 She asked I w o u l d stay long. 4 The f ircmcn told us leavc the bui lding. 5 M y fathcr asked me I intcnded to do.

216

REPORT STRUCTURES

Practice

0 Match the comments, (a-e) with the openings 1 (1-5). Make a report combining the two.

Example: 1 didn't k n o w . . . 'Are you really going to Siberia?' 1 didn't know you were going to Siberia.

1 The president wanted it to be a ' W h y haven't you got a k n o w n ... road tax disc?'

2 Fortunately Jane let me b ' I don't care whether you know ... come or not. '

3 The pólice wanted to c 'Do you know when we're k n o w . . . meeiing next?'

4 My angry boyfi'iend wanted d '1 won't be able to pick you me to know ... up.'

5 A client just wanted to check ... e '1 am definitely not resigning.'

0 Underline all the options that can complete each sentence.

1 My lawyer me to be on time. a wanted b offered c asked d to ld

2 Many people to help. a offered b agreed c didn't m i n d d proinised

3 'l 'heir teacher against talking to strangers. a advised b recommended c suggested d warned

4 My girl fr iend suggested alone. a 1 go b going c 1 went d to go

5 Many people on Rita's i iew hairstylc. a complimented b talked c cominented d remarked

6 In the end they agreed to our two teams for the tournament. a entered b enter c entry d entering

7 I tried to Tara f r o m having her nose pierced. a persuade b discourage c encourage d dissuade

8 The actress to having had first-night nerves. a admitted b agreed c accepted d confessed

© Rewrite each sentence in two ways, a and b. You will need to use t/irtt-clauses, vv/i-clauses, ínfinitive chnises or -ing clauses.

Example: Tve done nothing to be ashamed of,' she sobbed.

a She denied havinij done ainjthirxg lo be asiuuned o f b She refused to admit that she had been in ainj way responsible.

1 T U be there w i t h you lot before you can blink, ' the sergeant told them. a The sergeant said next to no time. b The sergeant promised a matter of minutes.

2 '1 don't th ink eiTiployees should be forced to w o r k overtime, ' he said. a 1 le disapproved made to w o r k overtime. b He was opposed obligatory

3 'Either you hai^ti over those photos, or l ' l l tell the Tax OIHce everything, ' BJ said to her. a BJ threatened photographs. b B J saiil that he have the photos.

4 'Do 1 really need lo stay?' she said. a She enquired stay b She asked to be leave.

5 '1 have been unfairly treated,' the number nine complained. a The number nine felt

treated. b The number nine claimed to

treaiment.

0 Complete the second sentence so that i t has a s imi lar meaning to the f i r s t sentence, using the w o r d given. Do not change the w o r d given. You must use between three and eight w o r d s , i n c l u d i n g the w o r d given.

Example: The governntent has been suggesting that taxes w i l l be cut. hints The government luí) been droppincj hints ttuit taxes w i l l be cut.

1 They think a man called Jorge is the ringleader. suspectcd A man called Jorge the ringleader.

2 People say the epideinic is likely to be brought under control by the end of the month . hoped It under control by the end of the m o n t h .

3 People say that the total amount collected is nearing £100,000. reckoned The total amount £100,000.

4 It is often said that science has damaged more than benefited the environment. h a r m Science is often good to the e iwironment .

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