Reported Speech

Max: Hello guys!

You know, I’m keen on searching for some interesting historical facts. I’ve recently come across an article about the Eiffel Tower – a famous landmark in Paris, that is also a technological masterpiece in building-construction history.

Let’s read the article.

What did Andre Poisson get for his money?

a) Secret documents       b) The Eiffel Tower       c) Nothing

One day in 1925, a Czech man called Victor Lustig invited six French businessmen to a meeting in Paris. Lustig told the men that the Eiffel Tower was becoming too expensive to maintain.

He said that the government had decided to sell it, and he showed them secret official documents to prove it. He told them they couldn’t tell anyone else about it.

One of the businessmen, Andre Poisson, agreed to buy the tower, but his wife was suspicious. She said Lustig wasn’t telling them the truth.  Lustig met Poisson again in private – and told him he was acting strangely because he expected a bribe. So Poisson said to Lustig that he would give him a large bribe – as well as the money for the Tower.

In fact, Lustig was a conman and disappeared with all of Poisson’s money. The “official documents” were forgeries and the whole story was a lie. Poisson never told anybody except his wife that Lustig had tricked him – he was too embarrassed!

Well … What did Andre Poisson get for his money?

He got …. Nothing!!!

Read the quotations. Find the parts of the article that match them.

“The Eiffel Tower is becoming too expensive to maintain.”

“The Government has decided to sell it.”

“You can’t tell anyone else about it.”

“Lustig isn’t telling us the truth.”

“I’m acting strangely because I expect a bribe.”

“I’ll give you a bribe.”

“Lustig tricked me.”

Now compare these quotations with the parts of the article. Can you see the difference?

They are Direct and Indirect Speech.

In today’s video we’ll revise these grammar notions.

Direct Speech (sometimes called quoted speech) states the exact words that a speaker used.

“The Government has decided to sell it,” he said.

Here what a person says appears within quotation marks ("...") and should be word for word.

“You can’t tell anyone else about it,” he told her.

The quotation can go at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.

He said, “He tricked me.” or “He tricked me,” he said.

Indirect Speech (also called Reported Speech) reports what the speaker said but without using the exact words.

He said the Government had decided to sell it.

He told her she couldn’t tell anyone else about it.

We don’t use quotation marks in Reported Speech.

She said she had to work.

NOT She said “she had to work.”

The word that can introduce indirect speech.

In spoken English you can use that or leave it out, as you prefer.

He said that the Government had decided to sell it.

He told her that she couldn’t tell anyone else about it.

Said and told are the most common reporting verbs used in reported speech.

We normally use told when we mention the listener.

E.g. He told her that it was a great haircut. (Here her is the object.)

We usually use said when we don’t mention the listener.

E.g. He said that it was a great haircut.

If we mention the listener after said we must add to;

E.g. He said to Ann that it was a great haircut.

There are many other verbs we can use apart from said and told.

These include: -

accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologized, boasted, complained, denied, explained, invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested etc.

Using them properly makes your speech much more interesting and informative.

He told me to keep to a diet.

He begged me to keep to a diet.

He ordered me to keep to a diet.

He advised me to keep to a diet.

When you report a statement (tell it in your own words), there are some necessary changes.

Pronoun Change

Personal and possessive pronouns change according to their meaning.

For example:

Time Change

In many cases, when you report someone's speech you are almost always in a different place. So we need to change the place and time expressions accordingly.

Changes to common time words.

Changes to demonstrative pronouns.

For example:

Tense Change

When reporting what somebody said in the past, the tenses of the verbs in the reported statement go one step backwards.

Here is how the tense backshift works:

You do not have to change the tense when you are reporting:

·                   something that was just said:

·                   a general truth or scientific law:

Mrs. Smith told her students that water freezes at 0 Celsius.

OR

Mrs. Smith told her students that water froze at 0 Celsius.

·                   when a reporting verb is in the Simple Present:

Certain modal verbs also take changes:

can changes to could

will changes to would

may changes to might

must changes to had to

could, would, should, might do not change in the Reported Speech.

George Parker was an American conman who sold the Brooklyn Bridge several times to tourists. Read the reported conversation between Parker and a tourist and write the direct speech.

Parker told the tourist that the Brooklyn Bridge was his. He told him that the people crossing the bridge paid him a fee. He said that he had made a lot of money that year. He told the tourist that he needed to build some new bridges. He said that he could sell him the bridge. He said that visitors would continue to pay to cross. He told him that he was offering him an incredible bargain. He told him that he would reduce the price, if necessary.

1.                 The Brooklyn Bridge is mine.

2.                 The people crossing the bridge pay me a fee.

3.                 I have made a lot of money this year.

4.                 I need to build some new bridges.

5.                 I can sell you the bridge.

6.                 Visitors will continue to pay to cross.

7.                 I am offering you an incredible bargain.

8.                 I will reduce the price, if necessary.