indirect speech x passive voice

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Reported speech: indirect speech

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. In indirect speech , the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command.

Indirect speech: reporting statements

Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations:

The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane came in to land.’ )

I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. ( that -clause without that ) (or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday .)

Indirect speech: reporting questions

Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions.

Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a reported clause introduced by if or whether . If is more common than whether . The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She asked if [S] [V] I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’ )

The waiter asked whether [S] we [V] wanted a table near the window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window? )

He asked me if [S] [V] I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’ )

Questions: yes-no questions ( Are you feeling cold? )

Reporting wh -questions

Indirect reports of wh -questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a wh -word ( who, what, when, where, why, how ). We don’t use a question mark:

He asked me what I wanted.

Not: He asked me what I wanted?

The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She wanted to know who [S] we [V] had invited to the party.

Not: … who had we invited …

Who , whom and what

In indirect questions with who, whom and what , the wh- word may be the subject or the object of the reported clause:

I asked them who came to meet them at the airport. ( who is the subject of came ; original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’ )

He wondered what the repairs would cost. ( what is the object of cost ; original question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’ )

She asked us what [S] we [V] were doing . (original question: ‘What are you doing?’ )

Not: She asked us what were we doing?

When , where , why and how

We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when , where, why and how :

I asked her when [S] it [V] had happened (original question: ‘When did it happen?’ ).

Not: I asked her when had it happened?

I asked her where [S] the bus station [V] was . (original question: ‘Where is the bus station?’ )

Not: I asked her where was the bus station?

The teacher asked them how [S] they [V] wanted to do the activity . (original question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’ )

Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?

Questions: wh- questions

Indirect speech: reporting commands

Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a to -infinitive:

The General ordered the troops to advance . (original command: ‘Advance!’ )

The chairperson told him to sit down and to stop interrupting . (original command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’ )

We also use a to -infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn :

They advised me to wait till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should wait till the following day.’ )

The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not enter the area.’ )

Verbs followed by a to -infinitive

Indirect speech: present simple reporting verb

We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says or repeats:

Sheila says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.

Henry tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.

Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often repeats this statement.)

Newspaper headlines

We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more dramatic:

JUDGE TELLS REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM

PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM

Present simple ( I work )

Reported speech

Reported speech: direct speech

Indirect speech: past continuous reporting verb

In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell ). This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new topic in the conversation:

Rory was telling me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is that true?

Alex was saying that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the Internet.

‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the moment of speaking and the time of the report.

In these examples, the present ( am ) has become the past ( was ), the future ( will ) has become the future-in-the-past ( would ) and the past ( happened ) has become the past perfect ( had happened ). The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.

The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:

Modal verbs

Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.

We can use a perfect form with have + - ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:

He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ )

He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’ )

Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:

She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in Oxford.’ )

The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’ )

No backshift

We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:

He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)

She said she ’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)

He said he ’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)

She promised she ’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)

Indirect speech: changes to pronouns

Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.

Indirect speech: changes to adverbs and demonstratives

We often change demonstratives ( this, that ) and adverbs of time and place ( now, here, today , etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a different place.

Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

Indirect speech: typical errors.

The word order in indirect reports of wh- questions is the same as statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order:

She always asks me where [S] [V] I am going .

Not: She always asks me where am I going .

We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh- questions:

I asked him what he was doing.

Not: I asked him what he was doing?

Word of the Day

the nuts and bolts

the practical facts about a particular thing, rather than theories or ideas about it

Sitting on the fence (Newspaper idioms)

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Passive Voice and Reported Speech

Observe the following sentences:

• The boy flies the kite.
• The kite is flown by the boy
• King punished the man cruelly.
• The man was punished by king cruelly.
• Police caught the thief.
• The thief was caught by the police.

In all the above pair of sentences, the first sentence are in Reported Speech and second sentences are in Passive Voice.

Reported Speech

When the subject is active in the sentence and is the doer of the action.

Example: She does not drink milk

She – Subject does not - Verb milk – Object

Passive Voice

When the action is attributed to the subject, that is, the subject receives the action, it is said to be in the passive voice.

Milk is not drunk by her

(subject) (verb) (object).

There are certain rules that need to be followed when we are changing the voice of a sentence.

Rules for change of reported speech into passive voice:

• The subject in active voice becomes the object in passive voice.
• The object in active voice becomes the subject in passive voice
• ‘ by’ is placed before the new object.
• The verbs are changed according to the tense.

Note: the sentences in the following tenses cannot be changed into passive:

• Future continuous tense
• Present perfect continuous tense
• Past perfect continuous tense
• Future perfect continuous tense.

You must know when to use the reported speech and when to use the passive voice. Knowing how to convert the two into each other is not sufficient.

We use reported speech when the agent (doer of the action) is to be made prominent and we use passive voice when we the person or object on which the action is done is to be made prominent.

In such cases the agent with ‘by’ is usually avoided .

Rewrite the following sentences from reported speech into passive voice:

• I did not beat her.
• I will never forget this experience
• The boy teased the girl
• She has written a novel.
• The police have caught the thief.
• Nurses look after patients.

Change the following passive voice into reported speech:

• Why did your brother write such a letter?
• He will finish the work in a fortnight.
• Some boys were helping the wounded man.
• The peon opened the gate.
• The mason is building the wall
• Who did this?
• She was not beaten by me.
• This experience will never be forgotten by me
• The girl was teased by the boy
• A novel has been written by her.
• The thief has been caught by the police
• Patients are looked after by the nurses
• Why was such a letter written by your brother?
• The work will be finished by him in a fortnight.
• The wounded man was being helped by some boys
• The gate was opened by the peon.
• The wall is being built by the mason.
• By whom was this done?

You will notice that when verb in the reported speech is changed to the passive voice, the object of the transitive verb in the active voice becomes the subject of the verb in the passive voice.

(i) Reported Speech: When the subject is active in the sentence and is the doer of the action.

(ii) Passive Voice: When the action is attributed to the subject, that is, the subject receives the action, it is said to be in the passive voice.

(iii) The different tenses that cannot follow the process of conversion includes: Future continuous tense, Present perfect continuous tense, Past perfect continuous tense, Future perfect continuous tense.

(iv) Reported Speech is used when the doer of the action is made prominent.

Quiz for Passive Voice and Reported Speech

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