Reported speech

Reported speech or Indirect Speech refers to a sentence expressing what someone said. However, in reported speech the tenses must be changed that is bacause if we want to tell what someone said, it is always to talk about a time in the past. We use a reporting verb such as tell, ask and say. While, Direct speech we do not need to change the tenses.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Miss Wang said “The Wheater is cold”	Miss Wang said that the wheater was cold.
Mino said “He bought a new car”	Mino said that he had bought a new car.
I am living in London	She said that she was living in London

How to change direct speech into reported speech?

Tenses

We have to take a look to the tenses that is used in the sentence and then we change it the tenses. Here is the formulate of the tenses :

Present Simple Past	Past Tense
Present Continous	Past Continous
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
Past Continous	Past Perfect Continous
Past Tense	Past Perfect
Will	Would
Must/Have to	Had to
May	Might
Shall	Should
Can	Could

Note : we do not need to change the preset tense into past if the information in direct speech is a fact (general fact).

Direct Speech : The water freezes at 0 Celcius.

Reported Speech : She said that the water freezes at 0 Celcius.

Time

If we are reporting what someone said we also need to change the time references.

Here's a table of some possible conversions: 

               

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
now	then / at that time
today	yesterday / that day
yesterday	the day before yesterday / the day before /
last night	the night before, Thursday night
last week	the week before / the previous week
Tomorrow	today / the next day / the following day
This	That

Now	Then
Here	There

Note :

“Whether” and “if” should be put before an indirect speech if we change a direct speech question sentence into an indirect speech sentence.

Positive Reported speech statements

1.      I buy a lot of books : She said that she bought a lot of books

2.      I brought you a cake : She said that she had brought you a cake

Negative Reported speech statements :

1.      “I don’t know Fred.” Sue said (that) she didn't know Fred.

2.      “I don´t feel very happy about it.” Jake said (that) he didn't feel very happy about it.

Question Reported Speech :

. Indirect questions are formed of two parts: a polite expression, and a question which has no subject/verb inversion like a normal question. Indirect questions are formed of two parts: a polite expression, and a question which has no subject/verb inversion like a normal question.

1.      Direct : Do you like Pop Music?

Indirect : I am wondering if you like Pop Music ?

2.      Direct: Did you go to the concert?

Note :  “Asked” and “wanted to know” are equal.

3.      “Where does he lives?” She wanted to know where he lives.

Perubahan :

In questions with the verb “to be,” the word order changes in the reported question:

4.      “Where were you born?” (Question word + [to be] + subject)
He asked where I was born (Question word + subject + [to be])

reported imperative 

A reported imperative usually includes say or tell in the main clause followed by the content of the quote expressed as (1) a subordinate clause (that followed by a clause) or (2) an infinitive (to follwed by a plain form verb).  

The verb in the main clause is usually say or tell followed by an infinitive clause with not and an infinitival form: to + plain form verb.

“Doctor said : “Don’t smoke”            : The doctor said to me not to smoke

The verb in the main clause is usually say or tell followed by an infinitive clause with an infinitival form: to + plain form verb.

“Please open the book”. She said to open the book.

(Verb berubah menjadi Infinite to)

References : Grammar PPT and Ebook Direct and Inderecr Speech

http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/clause3.html

https://www.espressoenglish.net/reported-speech-part-2-requests-orders-and-questions/