Unit 5: Reported Speech - Subjective Questions

Direct speech reproduces a speaker's exact words and places them within quotation marks.

• Example: Rina said, "I am tired."

Reported speech, also called indirect speech, communicates the meaning of what someone said without necessarily using the exact words. Quotation marks are not used, and grammatical changes may be required.

• Example: Rina said that she was tired.

The reported version changes the pronoun I to she and the present-tense verb am to the past-tense verb was.

Direct and reported speech differ in the following ways:

• Punctuation: Direct speech uses quotation marks, while reported speech does not.
• Pronouns: Pronouns in reported speech usually change according to the speaker, listener, and context.
• Verb tense: If the reporting verb is in the past, the original tense commonly shifts backwards.
• Point of view: Direct speech presents the original speaker's viewpoint; reported speech presents the statement from the reporter's viewpoint.

Example:

• Direct: Maya said, "I will help you tomorrow."
• Reported: Maya said that she would help me the next day.

Here, I becomes she, you becomes me, will becomes would, and tomorrow becomes the next day.

Backshift is the movement of a verb tense one step into the past when speech is reported using a past-tense reporting verb such as said, told, or asked.

Common changes include:

• Present simple → past simple: "I work" → He said that he worked.
• Present continuous → past continuous: "I am working" → He said that he was working.
• Present perfect → past perfect: "I have worked" → He said that he had worked.
• Past simple → past perfect: "I worked" → He said that he had worked.
• Will → would: "I will work" → He said that he would work.
• Can → could: "I can work" → He said that he could work.

Backshift is most common when the reporting verb is in the past and the reported information is viewed from a later time.

Backshift may be unnecessary in the following circumstances:

• The reporting verb is in the present: She says, "I enjoy music." → She says that she enjoys music.
• The statement expresses a universal truth: The teacher said, "Water boils at 100°C." → The teacher said that water boils at 100°C.
• The situation is still true: Amir said, "I live in Delhi." → Amir said that he lives in Delhi, if he still lives there.
• A modal verb does not normally change: She said, "I should study." → She said that she should study.

In some cases, both shifted and unshifted forms are possible. The reporter's choice indicates whether the information is still considered true or relevant.

Pronouns and possessive adjectives change according to the identities of the original speaker, the listener, and the person reporting the speech. The changes are determined by meaning rather than by a fixed mechanical rule.

Example:

• Direct: Sara said to Tom, "I will return your book to you."
• Reported: Sara told Tom that she would return his book to him.

The changes are:

• I → she, because Sara is the speaker.
• your → his, because the book belongs to Tom.
• you → him, because Tom is the listener.

A reporter must first identify who each pronoun refers to and then select the appropriate person, number, and case.

Expressions of time and place often change because the report is made at a different time or from a different location.

Common changes include:

• now → then / at that time
• today → that day
• yesterday → the previous day / the day before
• tomorrow → the next day / the following day
• last week → the previous week / the week before
• next month → the following month
• ago → before
• here → there
• this → that
• these → those

Example: "I will meet you here tomorrow," Lina said. → Lina said that she would meet me there the next day.

These expressions do not have to change if the time and place of reporting remain the same.

Say and tell have similar meanings but different grammatical patterns.

• Say does not normally take an indirect object immediately after it.

  • Correct: He said that he was busy.
  • Correct: He said to me, "I am busy."
  • Incorrect: He said me that he was busy.

• Tell normally requires a person as its indirect object.

  • Correct: He told me that he was busy.
  • Incorrect: He told that he was busy.

The usual patterns are:

• say + (that) clause
• say + something + to + person
• tell + person + (that) clause

The conjunction that is often optional in informal reported statements.

(a) Leena said that she was preparing her presentation then.

• I → she
• am preparing → was preparing
• my → her
• now → then

(b) David said that they had visited that museum the previous day.

• we → they
• visited → had visited
• this → that
• yesterday → the previous day

(c) Kim said that she would call me the following week.

• I → she
• will → would
• you → me, assuming the reporter was the original listener
• next week → the following week

The exact pronoun choices can vary if the reporting context is different.

A reported yes/no question is usually introduced by asked, wanted to know, or wondered, followed by if or whether.

Key rules are:

• Use if or whether to introduce the reported question.
• Change question word order to statement word order.
• Do not use the auxiliary do, does, or did merely to form the question.
• Apply suitable changes to tense, pronouns, and time expressions.
• Do not use a question mark when the complete sentence is a statement.

Example:

• Direct: She asked, "Do you know the answer?"
• Reported: She asked me if I knew the answer.

The incorrect form She asked me if did I know the answer retains direct-question word order and is therefore ungrammatical.

In reported wh-questions, the original question word is retained, but the clause uses statement word order.

Important rules include:

• Keep the wh-word, such as what, where, when, why, who, or how.
• Place the subject before the verb.
• Remove question-form auxiliaries such as do, does, and did.
• Apply appropriate tense and pronoun changes.

Examples:

• "What do you need?" → She asked me what I needed.
• "Where are they staying?" → He asked where they were staying.
• "Why did Maya leave?" → They asked why Maya had left.

No additional if or whether is used because the wh-word already introduces the reported question.

(a) The teacher asked Ravi whether he had completed the assignment.

• A yes/no question requires whether or if.
• Have completed backshifts to had completed.
• Statement word order is used.

(b) The officer asked me where I had found those documents.

• Where is retained.
• did find becomes had found.
• these changes to those.
• The order is I had found, not had I found.

(c) She asked whether they would attend the meeting the next day.

• Will changes to would.
• Tomorrow changes to the next day.
• Whether introduces the yes/no question.

Both if and whether can introduce many reported yes/no questions.

• Direct: "Are you ready?"
• Reported: She asked if I was ready.
• Reported: She asked whether I was ready.

Whether is generally preferred:

• In more formal writing.
• Before or not: She asked whether or not I was ready.
• When alternatives are stated: He asked whether I wanted tea or coffee.
• Before an infinitive: I was unsure whether to leave.
• After a preposition: It depends on whether they agree.

In ordinary reported yes/no questions, if and whether are often interchangeable, but whether is more suitable when a clear choice or alternative is emphasized.

(a) Correct: She asked me where I was going.

• Reported questions use statement word order: I was, not was I.

(b) Correct: He asked whether I understood. / He asked me if I understood.

• A yes/no question requires if or whether.
• The question-form auxiliary did is removed.

(c) Correct: They wanted to know whether we were ready.

• That is not used before whether in this construction.
• Only whether is needed to introduce the reported yes/no question.

These corrections demonstrate that reported questions are subordinate clauses rather than independent interrogative sentences.

Commands and requests are commonly reported with the pattern reporting verb + object + to-infinitive.

Suitable reporting verbs include tell, ask, order, instruct, advise, and remind.

Affirmative form:

• Direct: The manager said to Ravi, "Send the email."
• Reported: The manager told Ravi to send the email.

Polite request:

• Direct: She said, "Please help me."
• Reported: She asked me to help her.

Negative form:

• Direct: The doctor said, "Do not skip the medicine."
• Reported: The doctor advised me not to skip the medicine.

The negative infinitive is formed with not to + base verb, not to not in most standard instructional contexts.

The reporting verb should reflect the speaker's purpose and level of authority.

• Ask reports a polite request: She asked me to wait.
• Tell reports a neutral instruction or command: She told me to wait.
• Order reports a strong or official command: The officer ordered us to wait.
• Advise reports a recommendation: The doctor advised me to rest.
• Remind reports an instruction intended to prevent someone from forgetting: He reminded me to submit the form.

These verbs commonly follow the pattern verb + object + to-infinitive. Choosing the correct verb preserves the force and intention of the original utterance rather than merely repeating its content.

(a) Ana asked Mark to close the window.

• Asked expresses the polite force of please.
• The request is reported with object + to-infinitive.

(b) The guard warned us not to enter that room.

• Warned appropriately communicates a strong prohibition.
• A negative command uses not to enter.
• This changes to that if the reporting location is different.

(c) The administrator reminded the applicants to bring their ID.

• Reminded communicates that the applicants should not forget.
• The imperative remember to bring is naturally reported as reminded + object + to-infinitive.

Offers can be reported using two main structures.

1. Offer + to-infinitive

This structure is used when the speaker volunteers to perform an action.

• Direct: Nina said, "I will carry your bag."
• Reported: Nina offered to carry my bag.

2. Offer + person + noun

This structure is used when the speaker makes an item or service available to someone.

• Direct: Nina said, "Would you like some tea?"
• Reported: Nina offered me some tea.

The first construction emphasizes the action the speaker is willing to perform. The second emphasizes the thing being made available.

The form of the original offer may vary, but reported speech normally focuses on its communicative purpose.

• Will: "I will help you." → He offered to help me.
• Shall: "Shall I open the door?" → She offered to open the door.
• Can: "Can I carry that for you?" → He offered to carry it for me.
• Would you like + noun: "Would you like some coffee?" → She offered me some coffee.
• Would you like me to + verb: "Would you like me to explain it?" → She offered to explain it.

Using offered is often more natural than reporting these sentences as literal questions because it clearly expresses the speaker's intention.

Maya told Leo that she had finished the report the previous day. Leo asked her if she could email it to him then. Maya replied that she would send it that evening. Leo then offered to check the references.

Important changes:

• I finished → she had finished
• Yesterday → the previous day
• Can you → if she could
• Me → him
• Now → then
• Will → would
• This evening → that evening
• The final question is interpreted by function as an offer, so offered to check is more natural than a literal question structure.

Effective reported speech communicates both the original content and the speaker's purpose. Mechanical tense changes alone may not accurately represent the utterance.

• Statement: "I am busy," she said. → She said that she was busy. The report conveys information.
• Question: "Are you busy?" she asked. → She asked whether I was busy. The report seeks information and therefore uses whether.
• Request: "Please wait," she said. → She asked me to wait. The verb asked preserves the polite requesting function.
• Offer: "Shall I help you?" she said. → She offered to help me. Although the original has question form, its function is an offer.

A good report therefore requires the speaker to:

• Identify the communicative intention.
• Select an appropriate reporting verb.
• Adjust tense, pronouns, time, and place references.
• Use the correct clause or infinitive structure.

This combination makes the report grammatically accurate and faithful to the original meaning.