Lesson 75: Unit 129 - Reporting Grammar

About this lesson

In this lesson you will learn how to pass on other people's words and statements using reported speech. You will master transforming direct questions and statements into reported ones, including the changes in tenses and personal forms. You will see how time expressions such as "today" and "next week" change when speech is reported. This grammar skill is essential for natural communication in English and for conveying information accurately in conversation.

40 minutes

What you'll learn

• Understand what reported speech is and why it is used
• Transform simple statements from direct into reported speech with the correct tense shift
• Report questions (with a question word and yes/no questions) in reported speech
• Transform commands and prohibitions into reported speech with the to-infinitive
• Replace time expressions correctly (today → that day, next week → the following week, etc.)
• Recognise the difference between direct and reported speech in real sentences

Lesson vocabulary

• reported speech Mary said she wanted to come the following day.
• the following day He insisted to come with me the next day.
• the week before Robby said he had gone to New York the week before.
• that day She said she was sorry she was late that day.
• that month He had been very busy that month.
• the following week Mr. Fox said he would inform us about the exam dates the following week.
• the previous day He asked me if I had been there the previous day.
• would be Mike promised that he would be at home at 8.
• had been The student said the exam had been difficult.
• had been living William asked me if I had been living there for a long time.
• not to tell Henry told me not to tell anybody about that.
• to take The doctor said to me to take a deep breath.
• if Mary asked if I took many photographs.
• had written They asked me who had written that paper.
• was going to Carol said she was going to change her school.

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In other languages: Български