Questions tagged [reported-speech]
For questions about the report of one speaker or writer on the words spoken, written, or thought by someone else.
305
questions
0
votes
1answer
12 views
The usage of past perfect
Can you please tell me whether or not it is pertinent to use pluperfect tense here:
I thought that more time than that had passed.
Is the sentence grammatically correct?
To give you a context: I ...
0
votes
1answer
13 views
Direct and indirect narration
How to change the following direct sentence into indirect?
He said, "I can not help you."
The problem I face is that there is no object in the reporting sentence.
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Which tense is correct for a subordinate clause in indirect (reported) speech?
Here are a couple of examples with which I'm struggling.
He said that they had been living separately for 2 months before they
got divorced (or had got divorced) in June.
Should it be either of ...
1
vote
1answer
63 views
How to change reported speech referring to the quality of a person to indirect speech
Direct speech - He said to me, "You are honest."
I've read from many sources where this narration is written in indirect speech as...
Indirect speech - He told me that I was honest.
So as a ...
0
votes
0answers
23 views
“…tell he is coming” vs "…tell he was coming
Didn't Max tell he is coming to class today?
or
Didn't Max tell he was coming to class today?
What's the correct way to ask this and what is the difference of these two?
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Direct speech and indirect speech
Mahesh: What are you doing here?
Krishna: I am searching for my rank on the notice book.
Change into reported speech
0
votes
2answers
23 views
if the situation has remained the same as the beginning when I report it, is backshift mandatory?
Please do not send them until the other records from the series have come out.
if I want to put this sentence in reported speech
I told you not send them until the other records from the series ...
0
votes
1answer
26 views
Is it possible in this case not to backshift
I wrote this request to a supplier:
Please don't send the order before all records from the series have been out
I now want to write:
After I ordered both records, I wrote you not to send the ...
0
votes
1answer
35 views
Grammar narration
What is the perfect answer of this question ?
Direct: He said to me "what is your name"?
Indirect: He asked me what my name is.
This indirect speech is correct or wrong. Please help me providing ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
“ago” used with a past tense
Alice: "I moved to Rome four years ago."
Last year, Alice said she had moved to Rome [...]
Alice: "I moved to Rome long ago."
Last year, Alice said she had moved to Rome [...]
Would ...
1
vote
2answers
49 views
future in reported speech when reporting verb is in the past
I have read the following sentence:
He said he will follow me to the end.
AFAIK in reported speech, the future tense is replaced with the conditional tense when the reporting verb is in the past. ...
1
vote
1answer
12 views
Past tense phrase with indirect speech
I am struggling to construct correctly a sentence with an indirect speech describing an event that occured in past and more in past.
The manager said he was skeptical initially and he had not ...
2
votes
1answer
12 views
Past simple in specific reported speech
I'm writing a short story for a C2 Creative Writing course, and I couldn't help but come across this question regarding reported speech.
My main question is this: consider someone says, "I ate the ...
0
votes
0answers
79 views
“Thank someone for doing something” or “will thank someone to do something”
Mary, "John won't like your interfering his business."
=Mary said that John wouldn't thank me for interfering his business (Indirect speech) (1)
= Mary said that John wouldn't thank me to interfere ...
2
votes
2answers
34 views
Is the comma in this context grammatical
Russian military officers hacked Democratic servers to steal thousands of emails in 2016, the intelligence community and the special counsel found.
Is the comma above grammatical?
I think it isn't ...
0
votes
2answers
110 views
We asked him what was his name - reported speech
Is the following sentence incorrect?
We asked him what was his name.
Should I put the verb after the subject because I'm using reported speech (ie We asked him what his name was) ?
0
votes
1answer
31 views
What is the correct way to refer to future that is spoken about in the past?
I want to talk about a moment in the future that I though about in the past. Is any of these sentences correct and why?
I thought we might become more than just friends in the far future, when our ...
0
votes
1answer
256 views
They asked me where I live. Is that question correct?
I know in reported speech we have to change the present simple to the past simple but this question really makes me wonder if I can write it like
They asked me where I live.
Since it's something ...
1
vote
1answer
39 views
Meaning of had better
I have to convert the following sentence into its imquoted indirect form for narration.
"You'd better leave the dog alone," the man said.
Which one of the following two is correct?
The man ...
0
votes
1answer
56 views
“This” vs. “That” in reported speech
1- Let's suppose that Mary is saying this on September 2019, and I'm reporting her words in November of the same year; can I keep (this winter) in the reported speech, or should I stick to the rule ...
0
votes
0answers
89 views
What do they vs What they
I wonder ____________. ---Pandas.
A. what do they call these animals.
B. what they call these animals.
C. what they do call these animals.
I guess if it is a personal conversation, it would be "...
0
votes
1answer
56 views
“If he were” or “if he would be”?
Direct:
He said, "If I were a bird!"
Indirect:
***** He wished that he would be a bird.
OR
***** He wished that he were a bird.
I'm confused whether the former or the latter is correct.
...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
How a sequence of sentences is reported?
For example this.
Jack: Federer will play against Nadal today. That will be their 4th
meeting on grass. Federer will probably win.
How that is reported?
Jack said that Federer would play ...
0
votes
0answers
24 views
Correct tense with reported speech?
From a multiple choice question in my English assignment:
He will probably want to know if you
A. will have been drinking
B. didn't drink
C. had drunk
D. have been drinking
I heard ...
0
votes
0answers
24 views
Is this sentence rewritten correctly?
"What do you usually do on Fridays?" she asked.
I have to rewrite this sentence using did.
She wanted to know what I usually did on Fridays.
Is this sentence correct?
0
votes
0answers
19 views
Reported Speech for thinking about past
We use would have past participal for hypothetical/imagination sentences. Do we need to use them in a reported speech?
Direct:(Talking to myself) Probably this would be the last time I am here.
...
1
vote
2answers
33 views
Converting “Give my best to Alex” into indirect speech
Suppose somebody told me: "Give my best to Alex".
How do I convey this to Alex (i.e., transform into indirect speech)? I think something like "Sue gave her best to you" would be okay, but when I ...
0
votes
1answer
37 views
How do I write this sentence in reported speech?
Jason doesn't like reading so he won't study literature .
How will it go ?
Will it be :
He said Jason didn't like reading so he won't study literature .
Thank you in advance
0
votes
2answers
27 views
Past simple in reported speech
In the following sentence, both “spoke” and “was” are in past simple.
The first language I spoke was Japanese”
The solution I came up with is:
She said that the first language she had spoken was ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
Should I use 'Told' instead of 'Said' in the following Indirect Narration Speech?
My classmate said to me,"Good morning,You have finished your homework".
My classmate wished me good morning and told me/said that I had finished my homework.
which is appropriate to be used?
-1
votes
1answer
27 views
What should be the tense in this reported speech? [closed]
How to make this sentence better:
I said to him that if he wanted to say something,now would be the good
time
0
votes
1answer
47 views
Reported speech structure
Direct speech: 'I am your English teacher' said Mr. James
Reported speech: Mr. James said that he was our English teacher.
My understanding of the reported sentences is that Mr. James was a ...
0
votes
1answer
41 views
Reported speech sentence
The sentence goes: If you do not do it by Friday, you will be punished.
What is the reported speech of the above sentence please? Is it:
She said if I did not do it by Friday I would be punished
She ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
Reported speech long sentence
I'm having trouble transforming this sentence into reported speech.
She asked : " What was the last place you went to four days ago with
this girl ? "
Following the basic rules, I would say it ...
0
votes
1answer
4k views
'tell me what I should do' vs 'tell me what should I do' [duplicate]
These are questions and with questions you put the verb first and then the pronoun.
For example:
Affirmative : You can.
Question: Can you?
But sometimes when speaking I hear people not applying ...
2
votes
1answer
218 views
Direct speech to Indirect speech
A man says, " May I drop you there in my car?"
Convert the above sentence to reported speech.
Is the following a correct attempt?
A man asked if he might drop somebody there in his car.
Not a ...
0
votes
1answer
81 views
About Reported Speech
we were doing direct indirect speech and there was a sentence :
Stop what u were doing and listen to me
I choosed this variant but my teacher said it has to be
Stop what u were doing and ...
1
vote
1answer
28 views
How to change a reported speech into a direct speech, in Magic's song 'Rude'
In the words of Magic's song "Rude" there is a following sentench.
You say I'll never get your blessing 'til the day I die.
Which will be correct, if this sentence is put into direct speech?
(a) You ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
How to use 'I learned that if I faced' in its reported-speech kind of context
It is said that in reported speech, verbs tense will change. Also, when using 'if', verb tenses change. So what is the correct form of the below sentence?
I learned that if I faced another question ...
0
votes
1answer
24 views
How to report your status? [closed]
I'm working in IT company and here we have daily standup meetings where people report theirs statuses to the customer. I'm trying to improve my team's reports quality by collecting good sentence ...
1
vote
1answer
45 views
is this example a reported speech and why no backshifting
When my mum asked me, why I "was getting" bad marks at school last year.
direct speech "Why were you getting bad marks last year" so reported speech should be "why had you been getting bad marks ...
-1
votes
1answer
28 views
sentences in reported speech [closed]
How to rewrite each of the sentences in reported speech?
"what time does the post office open on a Saturday?" [asked bob / bob asked]
"what did you say to the policeman when he stopped you?" [asked ...
4
votes
1answer
825 views
Is “let” a modal?
Must the verb that follow let always be an infinitive regardless of the context, even in a reported speech? For example,
He told us to let him saw her one last time.
Is that correct?
0
votes
1answer
77 views
How to tell someone that the boss told me to tell them to call the boss?
The situation is my boss said to me to inform Person1 to call the boss.
He said to me that he wants you to call him.
Is this correct? Or can say like
He wants you to call me.
I prefer to ...
0
votes
2answers
281 views
You may leave the room,how can we report it
How could we report
"You may leave the room"Teacher said
Can we report it as
Teacher gave me the permission to leave the room
OR
Teacher said to me that I might/could/may leave the room.
May,...
0
votes
0answers
104 views
“Where my sister was” vs. “Where was my sister”
He asked me: Where my sister was.
or
He asked me: Where was my sister.
Are both correct? If one of them is not correct, what is the reason for that?
0
votes
1answer
95 views
The relation between direct and indirect speech
‘Mary, I want to take you out to dinner,’ he had lied, to break the
frost.
I would like to know what is the syntactic relation between the direct and indirect speech - whether there is any kind of ...
2
votes
4answers
421 views
Difference Had been Twins and Were Twins
What is the meaning of below sentence ?
a) I asked if he and my father had been twins.
Does it mean
b) I asked if he and my father were twins.
If Yes , then when to use a) and when b) ?
0
votes
1answer
55 views
Tense in imperative sentence
My question is :The officer said to the peon ,"Let the boy come in".
Its indirect speech: Option 1-The officer ordered the peon to let the boy come in.
or
...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
Which one is the correct form of reported speech for the following sentence?
Which one is the correct form of reported speech for the following sentence? why?
"When were you born?", he asked him.
=>
1- He asked him when he had been born.
2- He asked him when he was born....
