REPORTED SPEECH

I. Statements in reported speech (câu trần thuật)

- Reporting verbs:
1. say (that) + S + V
say to sb (that) + S + V
2. tell sb (that) + S + V
e.g. “He is the tallest person I have ever met”, Huong said.
→ Huong said (that) he was the tallest person she had ever met.
e.g. “He is the tallest person I have ever met”, Huong told John.
→ Huong told John (that) he was the tallest person she had ever met.
- Changes
1. Personal pronouns (đại từ nhân xưng)
2. Possessive adjectives (tính từ sở hữu)
e.g. “I like your bike, Tam”, said John.
→ John told Tam that he liked Tam’s bike.

3. Tenses
Direct speech Reported speech
Present simple Past simple
e.g. She said, “It’s cold”. e.g. She said it was cold.
Present continuous Past continuous
e.g. She said, “I’m teaching English online.” e.g. She said she was teaching English online.
Present perfect Past perfect
e.g. She said, "I've been on the web since e.g. She said she had been on the web since
1999." 1999.
Past simple Past perfect
e.g. She said, "I taught online yesterday." e.g. She said she had taught online yesterday.
Past continuous Past perfect continuous
e.g. She said, "I was teaching earlier." e.g. She said she had been teaching earlier.
Past perfect Past perfect
e.g. She said, "The lesson had already started NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had
when he arrived." already started when he arrived.
will would
e.g. She said, “I'll teach online tomorrow.” e.g. She said she would teach online
tomorrow.
can could
e.g. She said, "I can teach English online." e.g. She said she could teach English online.
must had to / must
e.g. She said, "I must study abroad." e.g. She said she had to study abroad.
mustn’t mustn’t
e.g. "You mustn't go out," she said to her son. e.g. She told her son that he mustn't go out.
shall should
e.g. She said, "What shall we learn today?" e.g. She asked what we should learn today.
may might
e.g. She said, "May I open a new browser?" e.g. She asked if she might open a new
browser.
needn’t didn't have/need to
e.g. The girls said, "You needn't come with us e.g. The girls said that I didn't have to come
if you don’t want to.” with them if I didn't want to.

4. Time words
Direct speech Reported speech
this (evening/ week) that (evening/ week)
these (days) those (days)
tonight that night
today that day
 yesterday the day before
the previous day

2 days ago 2 days before

the day before yesterday 2 days before
now then
tomorrow the following day
the day after
next week the following week
the week after
last week the previous week
the week before
the day after tomorrow 2 days after
here there

Exercise 1: Rewrite the following sentences

a. “I work hard to support my family,” she said.
→ She said she worked hard to support her family.
b. “I am working hard,” she said.
→ She said she was working hard.
c. “I have worked hard,” she said.
→ She said she had worked hard.
d. “I've been teaching at this school for 7 years,” she said.
→ She said she had been teaching at that school for 7 years.
e. “I ran into my old friend yesterday morning,” she said.
→ She said she had run into her old friends the previous morning/ the
morning before.
f. “I was sleeping at 11 pm last night,” she said.
→ She said she had been sleeping at 11 pm the previous night/ the night before.
g. “I had left by 2 p.m.,” he said.
 → He said he had left by 2 p.m.
h. “I had been waiting for 2 hours,” he said.
→ He said he had been waiting for 2 hours.
i. “I will always love you, Marie,” he said.
→ He told Marie he would always love her.
j. “I will be working at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning,” he said.
→ He said he would be working at 8 a.m. the following morning.
k. “I can't help you now,” he said.
→ He said he couldn’t help me then.
l. “It may snow tonight,” he said.
→ He said it might snow that night.
m. “I must tell my parents the truth,” he said.
→ He said he must/ had to tell his parents the truth.
n. “I needn't hurry,” he said.
→ He said he didn’t need to hurry.
o. “I'd better book the ticket today,” he said.
→ He said he’d better book the ticket that day.
II. Questions in reported speech
a. Yes/No questions
- Reporting verbs:
1. ask (sb) if/whether + S + V
2. want to know if/whether + S + V
3. wonder if/whether + S + V
- Change the question structure into a statement
- Change the personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, tenses, place,
and time words
e.g. He said, “Can you speak any foreign languages?”
→ He asked me whether I could speak any foreign languages.
e.g. “Did you buy that red scarf, mom?” he asked.
 → He asked mom if she had bought that red scarf.
e.g. “She's still at work, isn't she?” he wondered.
→ He wondered if she was still at work.
b. Wh- questions
- Reporting verbs:
1. ask (sb) wh- + S + V
2. want to know wh- + S + V
3. wonder + wh- + S + V
- Change the question structure into a statement
- Change the personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, tenses, place,
and time words
e.g. “Where have you been?” his mother asked.
→ His mother asked where he had been.
e.g. “What time did they leave last night?” he asked.
→ He asked what time they had left the previous night.
e.g. He said, “What time does the film begin?”
→ He wanted to know/ wondered what time the film began.
e.g. The police officer said to us, “Where are you going?”
→ The police officer asked us where we were going.
III. Commands and requests in reported speech
- Reporting verbs:

to do sth
-
ask/ tell/ order sb not to do sth
-
never to do sth -
-
Change the personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, tenses, place, and
time words
 - Remove the word “please”
e.g. “Lock the window when you go out,” her mother told her.
→ Her mother told her to lock the window when she went out.
e.g. “Put out your cigarettes please,” he said to us.
→ He asked us to put out our cigarettes.
e.g. The policeman said, “Please show me your driving license.”
→ The policeman ordered me to show him my driving license.
e.g. “Don't leave your room, Tom,” she said.
→ She told Tom not to leave his room.
e.g. He said, “Can you meet me after class?”
→ He asked me to meet him after class.

Notes:
- Tenses do not change in the following cases:
1. Reporting verbs in present tenses (present simple, present continuous,
present perfect) or in future simple tense.
e.g. “I will be busy tomorrow,” he says
→ He says he will be busy the following day.
e.g. “Has the taxi arrived yet?” he is wondering.
→ He is wondering if the taxi has arrived yet.

2. Truths
e.g. “The sun rises in the east,” the teacher said.
→ The teacher said the sun rises in the east.

3. Conditional sentences Type 2, 3, Unreal Wishes

e.g. “If I were taller, I would work as a model,” he said.
→ He said if he were taller, he would work as a model.
 4. Logical assumptions
e.g. “You must be tired, Dan,” said Nam.
→ Nam said that Dan must be tired.

5. Would, could, used to, ought to, should, might, had better, mustn't →
DO NOT change
e.g. Tom said, “You shouldn't contact her.”
→ Tom said I shouldn't contact her.

IV. Special reporting verbs

Special reporting verbs Direct speech Reported speech

He said to me,

Agree + to V “Yes, I’ll come with you” He agreed to come with me.

“Would you like me to carry He offered to carry my

Offer to do sth
your suitcase?” suitcase.

Offer sb sth “Would you like a drink?” He offered me a drink.

He demanded to be told
Demand + to V “Tell me everything”
everything.

Promise + to V “I’ll study harder” He promised to study harder.

“No, I won’t lend you any He refused to lend me some

Refuse + to V
money” money.

“Behave yourself or I’ll punish He threatened to punish me if

Threaten + to V
you” I didn’t behave myself.

He claimed to have heard her

Claim + to V “I heard her say that”
say that.
 He said to me,

“You should take a coat” He advised me to take a coat

Advise + sb + (not) + to V He advised me against eating

“If I were you, I would not eat sweets.

Advise sb against doing sth sweets” He advised me not to eat
sweets.

He warned me not to touch

Warn + sb + (not) + to V “Don’t touch that switch”
that switch.

He encouraged me to phone
Encourage + sb + to V “Go ahead, phone her”
her.

Beg + sb + to V “Please, please help me” He begged me to help him

He allowed me to use his

Allow + sb + to V “You can use my phone”
phone.

“Would you like to come to my He invited me to come to his

Invite + sb + to V
house?” house.

He reminded me to pay the

Remind + sb + to V “Don’t forget to pay the bill”
bill.

He urged me to finish my
Urge + sb + to V “Finish your work”
work.

“Abandon the ship He ordered me to abandon the

Order + sb + to V
immediately” ship immediately.

Command + sb + to V “Fire!” He commanded me to fire.

Forbid + sb + to V “You mustn’t eat sweets” He forbade me to eat sweets.

 He instructed me to insert my
“Insert your card and wait for
Instruct + sb + to V card and wait for the machine
the machine to open”
to open.

He said to me,

He accused me of breaking the

Accuse sb OF + V-ing “You broke the vase”
vase.

“Congrats. You’ve passed the He congratulated me on

Congratulate sb ON + V-ing
exam” passing the exam.

“That’s a lovely new dress, He complimented Nancy on

Compliment sb ON + V-ing
Nancy!” her lovely dress.

He thanked me for helping

Thank sb FOR + V-ing “Thanks for your help!” him.
He thanked me for my help.

“You should have finished the He criticized me for not

Criticize sb FOR + V-ing
report” finishing the report.

He blamed me for causing the

Blame sb FOR + V-ing/ Sth “You caused the accident”
accident.

He said to me,

He agreed that it was a

Agree + THAT + S + V “Yes, it is a beautiful hat”
beautiful hat.

He exclaimed that it was an

Exclaim “What an unusual design!”
unusual design.

Promise “I won’t lie to you again” He promised that he wouldn’t

 lie to me again.

He complained that I never

Complain “You never listen to me”
listened to him.

He claimed that he knew the

Claim “I know the answer”
answer.

He boasted that his son was a

Boast “My son is a genius”
genius.

He insisted that I had to join

Insist “You must join us”
them.

“Why don’t you take the He suggested that I should

Suggest
shortcut?” take the shortcut.

He proposed that we should

Propose “Shall we go to the beach?”
go to the beach.

He said to me,

He insisted on my/me wearing

Insist ON sth/ V-ing “You must wear warm clothes”
warm clothes.

Plead WITH sb (not) to do He pleaded with me not to

“Please don’t drive too fast”
sth drive too fast.

Apologize TO sb FOR V- He apologized to me for

“I’m sorry I upset you”
ing upsetting me.

He complained to me about
Complain TO sb ABOUT “The working conditions here
the poor working conditions
sth are poor”
there.

Boast ABOUT sth “I’m exceptionally good at He boasted about being

 exceptionally good at
languages”
languages.

Explain TO sb HOW to do “This is how you operate the He explained to me how to

sth photocopier” operate the photocopier.

“I can’t stand being treated in He objected to being treated in

Object TO V-ing
this way” that way.

He confessed to murdering/
Confess TO V-ing “I murdered my wife”
having murdered his wife.

He said to me,

Admit (TO) + V-ing “Yes, I lied to her” He admitted (to) lying to her.

He denied being there the

previous day/ the day before.

Deny + V-ing “I wasn’t here yesterday”

He denied having been there
the previous day/ the day
before.

“How about going to the He suggested going to the

Suggest + V-ing
theatre” theater.

“Why not ban cars from the He proposed banning cars

Propose + V-ing
city center?” from the city centre.

Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer

1. The women asked ________ lunch at school.

a. can the children get b. whether the children could get

c. if the children can get d. to get

2. He asked me __________ I had been waiting for him.

a. when b. since when c. how long d. how often

3. Did they say they _________ me again?

a. will phone b. have phoned c. would phone d. had phoned

4. Peter said that if he ______ rich, he ____ a lot.

a.is - travel b. were - would travel

c. had been - would travel d. were - would have traveled

5. I am wondering ______ a moment please.

a. if you have got b. whether you had got

c. that you have got d. how you have got

6. They asked me ______ in New York then.

a. whether had my father worked b. if my father is working

c. whether my father has worked d. if my father was working

7. The man ______ his son whether he had tidied his room.

a. told b. asked c. wondered d. said

8. Maria _____ me her English teacher was friendly.

a. said b. told c. asked d. showed

9. She said she _____ trying to phone you all day.

a. was b. had been c. has been d. is

10.The judge asked the witness _______ give her more information.

a. that he b. that he could

c. if he could d. whether he

11.She told the children _______

a. be quiet b. never be quiet c. to be quiet d. quiet please

12.He asked me _______ I had a nice trip.

 a. when b. whether c. how d. which

13.Penny said that she _______ her cousins the following day.

a. was visiting b. visited c. had visited d. would have visited

14.He told me I could stay at his place _______.

a. whether I was ever in London b. if I was ever in London

c. if I would be in London d. if I had been in London

15.He says that he _______

a. will visit us next week. b. visited us the previous week.

c. would visit us the following week. d. would visit us tomorrow.

16.They said that they had come back _______.

a. the day after b. the following day

c. the previous day d. the day after tomorrow

17.Bill wanted to know _______.

a. if the bank is closed b. when did the bank close

c. when the bank closed d. that the bank would close

18. He asked me _______.

a. what the answer was b. what was the answer

c. what the answer is d. what is the answer

19.Do you remember _______?

a. when is her birthday b. when her birthday is

c. when was her birthday d. when her birthday was

20.He asked _______.

a. me that I knew why she was so unhappy

b. if I know why she is so unhappy

c. me if I knew why she was so unhappy

 d. me if I knew why was she so unhappy

Exercise 3: Fill the blank to complete the verb

21.The detective accused him of lying.

22.The old lady thanked me for helping her.

23.I offered to carry the old lady's suitcase.

24.Mary suggested going for a walk.

25.He confessed to having robbed the bank.

26.The kids denied breaking the vase.

27.Peter congratulated Mary on her new dress.

28.John reminded me to buy some bread on my way home.

29.Mark invited us over for dinner.

30.The teacher advised me against writing about such a sensitive topic.

31.He threatened to sack me if my work didn't improve.

32.Peter admitted to making a serious mistake.

33.Dad promised to take us to the park on Sunday.

34.He urged me to think about it very seriously.

35.He warned me not to believe a word of his.

36.He begged me not to punish him.

37.The teacher forbade us to talk during the test.

38.He wondered why she was unhappy.

39.The firefighter ordered everyone to evacuate the building at once.

40.She exclaimed that it was a wonderful surprise.

41.My little daughter insisted on seeing her favorite cartoon before going to bed.

42.George complained about the food.

43.A student inquired where Mount Everest was.

 44.She pleaded with him to bring her along.

45.The boss criticized her for writing such an inaccurate report.

Exercise 4: Complete the sentences with the correct form and tense of SAY, TELL
or ASK

sth + (to sb)

say +
that + S + V

sth
tell sb +
about sth

sth
tell +
sb to do sth

1. Linh said goodbye to him and left.

2. Tell us about your vacation. Did you have a good time?
3. Don't just stand there! Say something!
4. I wonder where Son is. He said he would be here at 7:00.
5. Henry told me that he was fed up with his job.
6. The doctor said that she should rest for a few days.
7. "Did he tell you what happened?" "No, he didn't say anything to me."
8. Michael couldn't help me. He told me to ask Bush.
9. Mark told us all about his holiday in Jamaica.
10.I was told to avoid talking about politics there.
11.The teacher told the class a funny story yesterday.
12."Don't tell lies!", said James angrily.
13.How old were you when you learnt to tell the time?
14.I can't understand what they're saying to each other.
15.I hate speaking in public. I never know what to say.
16.He asked if I smoked.
 17.Ben says that the lift is out of order.
18.The clock said five so I went back to sleep.
19.Finding a perfect husband is easier said than done.
easier said than done (idiom): nói thì dễ làm mới khó

20.She and her mother sound so alike on the phone that I can't tell the difference.
21.I can't say for sure, but I think she's divorced.
22.My neighbor always says ‘hello’ when he sees me.
23.I didn't remember being told anything about this.
24.'Of course, I'll help you,' she said to me.
25.Don't say I didn't tell you he was coming.
26.She stopped to ask a passer-by the time.
27.The twins look alike. I can't tell one from another.
Tell A from B: phân biệt

28.And now I'd like to say a few words about this year's competition.
29.To tell you the truth, this is the first time I've tasted blackberries.
30.She did tell me her name but I can't remember it now.

Exercise 5: Rewrite the following sentences using REPORTED SPEECH and the
suggested REPORTING VERBS
1. 'Would you like to go to the show with me?' he said to her. (INVITE)
→ He invited her to go to the show with him.
2. 'Please, please don't tell my father what happened this morning,' the boy said to
his teacher. (BEGGED)
→ The boy begged his teacher not to tell his father what had happened that
morning.
3. 'Don't sit on this chair, Mary. It's broken, I said. (WARNED)
→ I warned Mary not to sit on that broken chair.
4. Well done, Kerry. You've passed your exam!' said Mum. (CONGRATULATED)
 → Mum congratulated Kerry on passing his exam.
5. 'Cigarettes?' Andrew asked. 'No, thanks,' I said. (OFFERED)
→ Andrew offered me cigarettes but I refused.
6. 'Don't forget to buy some bread on the way home, Jake,' he said. (REMINDED)
→ He reminded Jake to buy some bread on the way home.
7. 'I'll give you a parking ticket if you don't move the car,' said the policeman.
(THREATENED)
→ The policeman threatened to give me a parking ticket if I didn’t move the car.
8. 'You should go to the fish restaurant on the High street,' said she.
(RECOMMENDED)
→ She recommended me to go to the fish restaurant on the High street.
9. 'Would you like a cup of coffee?' she asked me. (OFFERED)
→ She offered me a cup of coffee.
10.'I wasn't anywhere near the bank yesterday,' he said. (DENIED)
→ He denied having been anywhere near the bank the previous day.
11.'I'm not going to let you in, she told him. (REFUSED)
→ She refused to let him in.
12.‘You told me a lie,’ Rob told me. (ACCUSED)
→ Rob accused me of having told him a lie.
13.'Why don't you talk things over with your parents?' my best friend told me.
(SUGGESTED)
→ My best friend suggested that I should talk things over with my parents.
14.'I don't think you should buy a motorbike,' my aunt told me. (ADVISED)
→ My aunt advised me not to buy a motorbike.
15.'Put your hands on your head, the policeman said to the thief. (ORDERED)
→ The policeman ordered the thief to put his hands on his head.
16.'Would you like me to do the shopping?' she said. (OFFERED)
→ She offered to do the shopping.
17.'I saw him steal the car,' said Mary. (CLAIMED)
→ Many claimed that she had seen him steal the car.

→ Many claimed to have seen him steal the car.

18.'You must not litter here,' said the woman. (FORBADE)

→ The woman forbade me to litter there.

→ The woman forbade me from littering there.

19.'Yes, I broke your vase,' she said to me. (ADMITTED)

→ She admitted to having broken my vase.
20.‘You must stay the night with us,’ they said to her. (INSISTED)
→ They insisted that she had to stay the night with them.

→ They insisted on her staying the night with them.

21.He asked himself, ‘Where have they gone?’ (WONDERED)

→ He wondered where they had gone.
22.'I'll bring my homework tomorrow morning,' she said.
→ She promised to bring her homework the next morning.
23.'You may call me by my first name,' he said. (ALLOWED)
→ He allowed me to call him by his first name.
24.'Go on, tell us what's on your mind,’ he told me. (ENCOURAGED)
→ He encouraged me to tell them what was on my mind.
25.'I'm sorry. I've spoilt the surprise party, I said.
→ I apologized for spoiling the surprise party.
26.'Sure. I'd be glad to give you a hand,' she said. (AGREED)
→ She agreed to give me a hand.
27.‘It was nice of you to visit me. Thank you,’ Miss White said to Jack.
→ Miss white thanked Jack tor visiting her.
28.‘Don't forget to submit your assignments by Thursday,’ said the teacher to the
students.
→ The teacher reminded the students to submit their assignments by Thursday.
29.‘You shouldn't have leaked our confidential report to the press, Frank,’ said Jane.
(BLAMED)
→ Jane blamed Frank for having leaked their confidential report to the press.
30.'Yuk!' she said when she saw the mouldy cake.
→ She gave an exclamation of disgust when she saw the mouldy cake.
31.'Good luck with the test, Joanna,' he said. (WISHED)
→ He wished Joanna good luck with the test.
Wish sb sth
32.'Alright, I made a terrible mistake but I really didn't do it on purpose,’ she said.
→ She admitted making a terrible mistake but denied doing it on purpose
33.'Please, please, don't drive too fast,' she told him. (PLEADED)
→ She pleaded with him not to drive too fast.
34.'We lost the game because of the referee,' said the team captain. (BLAMED)
→ The team captain blamed the referee for their loss in the game.
35.'May I see your passport, Mrs. Scott?' said the customs officer. (ASKED)
→ The customs officer asked to see Mrs. Scott's passport.
36.'May I use your computer?' the student asked the teacher.
→ The student asked the teacher for permission to use his computer.
37.‘If I were you, I would take this chance for further study,’ he told me.
→ He advised me to take that chance for further study.
38.‘I will not leave until I see the manager,’ said the customer. (REFUSED)
→ The customer refused to leave until he saw the manager.
39.‘I'd be grateful if you could send me further details of the job,’ he said to me.
→ He politely asked me to send him further details of the job.
40.‘You should take better care of your health,’ said Tim's mother.
→ Tim's mother advised him to take better care of his health.