Unit 7 - Women
Reported Speech
Shift from direct to indirect speech accurately across tenses and contexts.
1. Quick Reminder
Direct: “I visited Rome last year,” she said.
Reported: She said that she had visited Rome the year before.
We reuse the B1 Past Simple sentence (I visited Rome last year) and adjust it for reporting.
2. Backshift Overview
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Present Simple | Past Simple |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
| Past Simple | Past Perfect |
| Will | Would |
| Can | Could |
No backshift is needed if the statement is still true (She says that she lives in Izmir).
3. Pronouns & Time Expressions
- Pronouns change according to perspective: “We will stay.” → They said they would stay.
- Time/place words shift: today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there, now → then.
Keep -ing forms consistent
Direct: “I’m working on it.” → Reported: She said she was working on it.
4. Reporting Questions & Commands
- Yes/No questions → use if/whether: “Will you stay?” → He asked if I would stay.
- Wh- questions → keep the question word, no inversion: “Where are you?” → She wondered where I was.
- Commands → use tell/ask + object + to + verb: “Finish the report.” → He told me to finish the report.
5. Practice
- Report five direct statements covering different tenses.
- Rewrite three questions (yes/no and wh-) in reported speech.
- Convert three commands or requests using tell/ask + object + to-infinitive.
Quick Review
- Shift tenses back one step when necessary.
- Adjust pronouns and time expressions.
- Use if/whether for yes/no questions and to-infinitive for commands.