reported speech for primary 5

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Reported Speech (Questions) Primary 5 (Basic 5) – English Studies

English studies.

SECOND TERM WEEK 3 PRIMARY 5 THEME: SPEECH WORK 

TOPIC: REPORTED SPEECH (QUESTIONS)

Performance objectives.

By the end of the lesson, most of the pupils should have attained the following objectives –

1. Ask questions. 2. Turn questions to reported speech. 3. Make correct sentences reporting questions asked by other people.

ENTRY BEHAVIOR

The pupils are required to already have learned reported speech – commands.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The teacher will teach the lesson with the aid of course book and passage on court scene from a play.

METHOD OF TEACHING –  Choose a suitable and appropriate methods for the lessons.

Note – Irrespective of choosing methods of teaching, always introduce an activities that will arouse pupil’s interest or lead them to the lessons. 

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Scheme of Work 9 – Years Basic Education Curriculum Course Book All Relevant Material Online Information

CONTENT OF THE LESSON 

REPORTED SPEECH – QUESTIONS 

A reported is sometimes called an indirect question.

• Direct questions – Is your book new?

Reported speech – The teacher asked if my book was new.  

• “What is the time?” she asked.

She wanted to know what the time was.  

• “Did you see that house?” she asked me.

She asked me if I had seen that house.  

• “Who knows the answer?” the teacher asked.

The teacher wanted to know who knew the answer.  

• “Are you crazy?” he asked him.

She asked him if he was crazy.  

Pupil’s Exercises

1. “What is your name?” she asked me. Reported Speech –   2. “How old is your mother?” she asked. Reported Speech –   3. “Where do you live?” The teacher asked. Reported Speech –   4. “What time does the bus arrive?” he asked. Reported Speech –   5. “When can we have dinner?” he asked. Reported Speech –   6. Peter said to Paul, “Why are you so late?” Reported Speech –

PRESENTATION

To deliver the lesson, the teacher adopts the following steps: To introduce the lesson, the teacher revises the previous lesson. Based on this, he/she asks the pupils some questions; Asks questions from pupils and lets them answers. Pupil’s Activities – Answer questions asked by the teacher. Lets pupils turn both the questions and answers into reported speech. Pupil’s Activities – Turn the questions and answers into reported speech. Pupil’s Activities – Practice using correct sequence of tense. Pupil’s Activities – Use such phrase as: he asked, wanted to know if, he wondered, whether.

• To conclude the lesson for the week, the teacher revises the entire lesson and links it to the following week’s lesson.

LESSON EVALUATION

Pupils to: 

1. Turn questions to reported speech. 2. Make correct sentences while reported questions asked by other people.

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The Reported Speech

Table of contents, what is reported speech.

Reported speech is also referred to as indirect speech or indirect discourse .

Before explaining how to report a discourse, let us first distinguish between direct speech and reported speech .

Direct speech vs reported speech

More examples:

Different types of reported speech

A. reporting statements, 1- pronouns.

3. Modal verbs

4- Place, demonstratives, and time expressions

B. Reporting Questions

C. Reporting requests/commands

D. Other transformations

Main clauses connected with and/but, punctuation rules of the reported speech, can we omit that in the reported speech, list of reporting verbs.

Eng Exercise: Reported Speech & Direct Speech (P5 P6)

by Full time Mom | May 7, 2018 | English , Grammar (online exercises) , P. 5 - P.6 | 0 comments

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**  reported speech – time phase  (conversion of time phase, multiple choice)

**  reported speech – pronouns  (multiple choice)

** reported speech – questions  (complete sentences)

**  reported speech  (statement with expressions of time, complete sentences)

**  reported-speech  (10+ exercises, categorized by statements, questions and requests)

**  reported-speech  (10+ exercises, categorized by tenses)

**  reported & direct speech  (notes about tenses to be used, time / space expressions & how to use for questions)

**  reported-speech  (very detailed notes on reporting statements, reporting questions, reporting requests / commands and other transformations)

worksheets-for-primary-eng-worksheet-reported-speech-direct-speech-p5-p6/

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Reported Speech – Rules, Examples

| Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

They say gossip is a natural part of human life. That’s why language has evolved to develop grammatical rules about the “he said” and “she said” statements. We call them reported speech.

Every time we use reported speech in English, we are talking about something said by someone else in the past. Thinking about it brings me back to high school, when reported speech was the main form of language!

Learn all about the definition, rules, and examples of reported speech as I go over everything. I also included a worksheet at the end of the article so you can test your knowledge of the topic.

What Does Reported Speech Mean?

Reported speech is a term we use when telling someone what another person said. You can do this while speaking or writing.

There are two kinds of reported speech you can use: direct speech and indirect speech. I’ll break each down for you.

A direct speech sentence mentions the exact words the other person said. For example:

• Kryz said, “These are all my necklaces.”

Indirect speech changes the original speaker’s words. For example:

• Kryz said those were all her necklaces.

When we tell someone what another individual said, we use reporting verbs like told, asked, convinced, persuaded, and said. We also change the first-person figure in the quotation into the third-person speaker.

Reported Speech Examples

We usually talk about the past every time we use reported speech. That’s because the time of speaking is already done. For example:

• Direct speech: The employer asked me, “Do you have experience with people in the corporate setting?”

Indirect speech: The employer asked me if I had experience with people in the corporate setting.

• Direct speech: “I’m working on my thesis,” I told James.

Indirect speech: I told James that I was working on my thesis.

Reported Speech Structure

A speech report has two parts: the reporting clause and the reported clause. Read the example below:

• Harry said, “You need to help me.”

The reporting clause here is William said. Meanwhile, the reported clause is the 2nd clause, which is I need your help.

What are the 4 Types of Reported Speech?

Aside from direct and indirect, reported speech can also be divided into four. The four types of reported speech are similar to the kinds of sentences: imperative, interrogative, exclamatory, and declarative.

Reported Speech Rules

The rules for reported speech can be complex. But with enough practice, you’ll be able to master them all.

Choose Whether to Use That or If

The most common conjunction in reported speech is that. You can say, “My aunt says she’s outside,” or “My aunt says that she’s outside.”

Use if when you’re reporting a yes-no question. For example:

• Direct speech: “Are you coming with us?”

Indirect speech: She asked if she was coming with them.

Verb Tense Changes

Change the reporting verb into its past form if the statement is irrelevant now. Remember that some of these words are irregular verbs, meaning they don’t follow the typical -d or -ed pattern. For example:

• Direct speech: I dislike fried chicken.

Reported speech: She said she disliked fried chicken.

Note how the main verb in the reported statement is also in the past tense verb form.

Use the simple present tense in your indirect speech if the initial words remain relevant at the time of reporting. This verb tense also works if the report is something someone would repeat. For example:

• Slater says they’re opening a restaurant soon.
• Maya says she likes dogs.

This rule proves that the choice of verb tense is not a black-and-white question. The reporter needs to analyze the context of the action.

Move the tense backward when the reporting verb is in the past tense. That means:

• Present simple becomes past simple.
• Present perfect becomes past perfect.
• Present continuous becomes past continuous.
• Past simple becomes past perfect.
• Past continuous becomes past perfect continuous.

Here are some examples:

• The singer has left the building. (present perfect)

He said that the singers had left the building. (past perfect)

• Her sister gave her new shows. (past simple)
• She said that her sister had given her new shoes. (past perfect)

If the original speaker is discussing the future, change the tense of the reporting verb into the past form. There’ll also be a change in the auxiliary verbs.

• Will or shall becomes would.
• Will be becomes would be.
• Will have been becomes would have been.
• Will have becomes would have.

For example:

• Direct speech: “I will be there in a moment.”

Indirect speech: She said that she would be there in a moment.

Do not change the verb tenses in indirect speech when the sentence has a time clause. This rule applies when the introductory verb is in the future, present, and present perfect. Here are other conditions where you must not change the tense:

• If the sentence is a fact or generally true.
• If the sentence’s verb is in the unreal past (using second or third conditional).
• If the original speaker reports something right away.
• Do not change had better, would, used to, could, might, etc.

Changes in Place and Time Reference

Changing the place and time adverb when using indirect speech is essential. For example, now becomes then and today becomes that day. Here are more transformations in adverbs of time and places.

• This – that.
• These – those.
• Now – then.
• Here – there.
• Tomorrow – the next/following day.
• Two weeks ago – two weeks before.
• Yesterday – the day before.

Here are some examples.

• Direct speech: “I am baking cookies now.”

Indirect speech: He said he was baking cookies then.

• Direct speech: “Myra went here yesterday.”

Indirect speech: She said Myra went there the day before.

• Direct speech: “I will go to the market tomorrow.”

Indirect speech: She said she would go to the market the next day.

Using Modals

If the direct speech contains a modal verb, make sure to change them accordingly.

• Will becomes would
• Can becomes could
• Shall becomes should or would.
• Direct speech: “Will you come to the ball with me?”

Indirect speech: He asked if he would come to the ball with me.

• Direct speech: “Gina can inspect the room tomorrow because she’s free.”

Indirect speech: He said Gina could inspect the room the next day because she’s free.

However, sometimes, the modal verb should does not change grammatically. For example:

• Direct speech: “He should go to the park.”

Indirect speech: She said that he should go to the park.

Imperative Sentences

To change an imperative sentence into a reported indirect sentence, use to for imperative and not to for negative sentences. Never use the word that in your indirect speech. Another rule is to remove the word please . Instead, say request or say. For example:

• “Please don’t interrupt the event,” said the host.

The host requested them not to interrupt the event.

• Jonah told her, “Be careful.”
• Jonah ordered her to be careful.

Reported Questions

When reporting a direct question, I would use verbs like inquire, wonder, ask, etc. Remember that we don’t use a question mark or exclamation mark for reports of questions. Below is an example I made of how to change question forms.

• Incorrect: He asked me where I live?

Correct: He asked me where I live.

Here’s another example. The first sentence uses direct speech in a present simple question form, while the second is the reported speech.

• Where do you live?

She asked me where I live.

Wrapping Up Reported Speech

My guide has shown you an explanation of reported statements in English. Do you have a better grasp on how to use it now?

Reported speech refers to something that someone else said. It contains a subject, reporting verb, and a reported cause.

Don’t forget my rules for using reported speech. Practice the correct verb tense, modal verbs, time expressions, and place references.

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Reported speech - 1

Reported speech - 2

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Worksheets - handouts

Reported speech

Worksheets - pdf exercises.

• Reported statements - worksheet
• Worksheet - reported questions
• Reported yes/no questions
• Worksheet - reported speech
• Reported speech - exercises pdf
• Indirect speech - exercises
• Reported speech - exercises
• Mixed reported speech 1
• Mixed reported speech 2
• Reported speech 1 
• Reported speech 2  
• Reported speech 3 
• Reported speech 4
• Reported speech 5
• Reported wh- questions
• Reported speech - worksheet 
• Reported commands
• Reported questions
• Reported speech 1
• Reported speech 2
• Reported requests and orders
• Reported speech exercise
• Reported questions - worksheet
• Indirect speech - worksheet
• Worksheets pdf - print
• Grammar worksheets - handouts

Grammar - lessons

• Reported speech - grammar notes
• How to use reported speech - lesson
• Tense changes - grammar

Reported Speech Exercise 3

Perfect english grammar.

• Review reported orders and requests here
• Download this quiz in PDF here
• More reported speech exercises here

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Verbs and tenses

• 1 Verbs and tenses
• 2 Lesson Share: Reported speech 1 – article
• 3 Past perfect aspect – article
• 4 Past perfect aspect – tips and activities
• 5 Present perfect aspect – article
• 6 Present perfect aspect – tips and activities
• 7 Reported speech – tips and activities
• 8 Reported speech 2 – article
• 9 The passive in English – article
• 10 The passive in English – tips and activities
• 11 Modal verbs 1 – article
• 12 Modal verbs 1 – tips and activities
• 13 Modal verbs 2 – article
• 14 Modal verbs 2 – tips and activities

Reported speech – tips and activities

By Kerry G. Maxwell and Lindsay Clandfield

• No comments

Tips and ideas from Kerry Maxwell and Lindsay Clandfield on teaching reported speech.

Introduction

Reported speech is a very rich grammar area to teach because:

• It can involve considerable manipulation of form.
• It’s a very easy piece of grammar to locate and exploit with texts.

The activities here are divided into different kinds of drill, ways of exploiting texts and analysis.

Activity: Basic substitution

At it’s most basic, you can simply read out a sentence and ask the students to rephrase it beginning with He said …/She said…  For example:

• T: I don’t like it.
• Ss: He said he didn’t like it.
• T: I hate it.
• Ss: He said he hated it.

This can be made a little more interesting in the following ways:

Activity: Chain reports

Version 1 The following activity is a variation of the well-known 'broken telephone'. Whisper a sentence in English to a student. That student then whispers it to another and so on until the last student has to say aloud what was said originally.

Version 2 If the above seems too easy, ask students to alternate reported speech/direct speech. If they hear it in reported speech they put it back to direct speech and vice versa. For example:

• T: I like it.
• S1: He said he liked it.
• S2: I like it.

Activity: I didn't get that. What did she say?

This is a quick question drill. Ask a student a question. After they answer, ask another student what was said. For example:

• T: Tomas, how did you get to class today?
• S1: I came by car.
• T: Sorry, I didn’t get that. Yvonne, what did Tomas say?
• S2: He said he had come by car.

Activity: Mingle

Prepare a series of cards/slips of paper, each with a different sentence. Here are some examples:

Remember me? We met at last year’s party.

Create enough cards so that each student has one. You can repeat the same sentences on other cards.

Explain that you want the students to role-play the following situation. They are all at a very formal cocktail party. Everybody must circulate and talk to each other. The trick is they must say what is on their card and as little else as possible. If you have a CD player or cassette player in the classroom, you could play some quiet music in the background during the mingle.

After five minutes (or however long it takes for most students to have spoken to each other) tell everyone to sit down again. Ask people to report back on what other people told them, using reported speech.

Activity: Text clarifications

This is another teacher-led activity that also focuses on listening skills. It uses an oral text generated by the teacher. For this activity you need to prepare the following:

• a short anecdote (2 minutes long) related to the topic that you are already doing in class (e.g. if you are doing holidays, make it about holidays);
• four or five sentences that contradict things in your anecdote.

Write the sentences on the board. Read them out to the students. Now explain that you are going to tell a story, but that some of the facts in the story are different. The students must listen carefully. When they hear a fact that is different from those on the board, someone must interrupt you and seek clarification, using the following structure:

Excuse me, but didn’t you say that …? (include what you had said earlier, the facts that are on the board).

Here is an example: T writes on the board:

• I live in a big house.
• I’m married.
• I don’t have any children.

The teacher reads out the sentences and then she gives the instructions for the activity. She begins the story:

• T: Well, the other day I was in my flat. It’s a small flat in the city centre …
• S: Excuse me, didn’t you say you lived in a big house?
• T: Ah yes, I did say that. So, it was in my big house. My boyfriend was at work …
• S: Excuse me, didn’t you say you were married?
• T: Of course. I’m married, I meant to say my husband was at work and the baby was crying …
• S: Excuse me, didn’t you say you didn’t have any children?
• T: That’s right. It isn’t my baby, it’s my sister’s baby.

Activity: Reported interviews

For this activity, search around the internet for an interview. This kind of activity works best if the interviewee is someone that your class is interested in, or at least someone they have heard about.

• Select some of the interview from the webpage and paste into a word document. Make copies for every two students in the class. In class, divide the students into pairs.
• Distribute the interview and ask them to work together and make a reported version it.
• Give them a word limit (150 words). When they have finished their draft report, have them swap reports with another pair. Ask them to reduce the report now to 100 words. Circulate and help.

Activity: Reporting back – famous interviews

In this activity, students create the interview themselves. Divide students into groups. Tell the groups that they must do the following:

• Decide on a famous person (living or dead) who they would like to interview.
• Nominate ONE person in that group to be the famous person.
• Once groups have nominated their famous people ask those people to come up to the front and form a new group.
• Explain that the famous people are all on a panel to be interviewed by the class, who are journalists.
• Give the journalists some time to think of questions. During this time the famous people can talk about what they are going to say.
• When the journalists are ready, begin moderating the interview by asking for questions.
• Once all the famous people have answered the questions send them back to their original seats.
• Now ask everybody to write a report with at least two things they remember from the interview. They should include examples of reported speech in their report. Ask students to compare their reports in pairs.
• Circulate and help. At the end, ask different pairs to read out their reports.

Activity: The news

Prepare for this activity by going to a news website and looking around for short news stories with examples of reported speech. Don’t worry about not finding any, there are usually lots.

• Select examples of these texts and create a small worksheet. First, ask students to read the excerpts and tick the stories they already know about.
• Then ask them to speculate as what the direct speech was. Tell them to write in direct speech the reported speech. They can add more detail if they like.
• At the end, have different students read their quotes and ask the others if they can see what story it came from.

Activity: Shades of meaning 1

The choice of whether or not to 'backshift' the tenses in reported speech often has to do with the reporter’s interpretation. You can ask students to compare the meanings between two examples of reported speech (minimal pair sentences).

For example:

See the section on tense choices in reported and reporting clauses for further examples that you could use and explanation of the differences in meaning.

Activity: Shades of meaning 2

You can also do the above exercise with examples from the news stories. Give the example and ask students to speculate why the tense was chosen. For example:

Why not … that Madonna owed them …?

Activity: What I think and don't think

This activity is a dictation activity. Prepare some sentences that are opinions on a certain topic that you’ve covered recently in class. There should be a mixture of affirmative and negative sentences. Here are some examples on the topic of ART for an intermediate class (some of these are stronger opinions – you may want to change them to reflect your own opinion).

• A lot of modern art isn’t very good.
• Art galleries are great places for conversation.
• There aren’t many famous painters from my country.
• Graffiti isn’t art.
• Art shouldn’t be only for rich people.
• Some art is worth far too much money.

Explain that you are going to dictate these sentences, but that the students must write down a report of each one beginning with The teacher thinks  … or The teacher doesn’t think … (see grammar explanation on negatives in reporting for when to use which stem). The above sentences would give the following:

The teacher thinks art galleries are great places for conversation.

Ask students to compare their answers in pairs, and then decide if they agree or disagree with you. Ask different groups to report back and have a short open class discussion.

Activity: Reacting to the news

Prepare a series of slips of paper each with a sentence beginning You’ve been asked to… or You’ve been told to… Prepare a mixture of good and bad things. For example:

• You’ve been asked to work next Saturday morning.
• You’ve been told to not drink any more wine.
• You’ve been asked to present an award at a film festival.
• You’ve been told to go the principal’s office.
• You’ve been asked to participate in a television show.
• You’ve been told to stay in bed for three weeks.

Pre-teach common social expressions for reacting to good or bad news, for example:

• That’s great!
• Congratulations!
• That’s good news
• That’s too bad.
• Oh dear. Oh no.
• That’s terrible!

Distribute the slips of paper to the students and ask them to read them silently. Then tell them to move around the class and 1) tell other students what they’ve been asked or told to do. 2) react to what other students tell them.

As a follow-up, you could ask them to work in groups and transcribe what they think was probably originally said.

Activity: Conspiracy theories

Prepare a small handout with the following 'claims' on it.

Elvis lives? It’s claimed that the singer Elvis is still alive today.

Think of four or five other conspiracy claims that you could add (you can add local ones too). Include one or two which are more 'believable' than the others (maybe even true ones). Write them in a similar style (i.e. headline, then the sentence stem It is claimed/said/believed that … ). Make one copy of this handout for every three or four students in the class.

Divide students into groups and give each group a card. They must read the card and then assign a score (0 to 5) to each theory 0 = we don’t believe this at all to 5 = we believe this is true . Do some feedback at the end, then collect the handouts. Ask students to try and rewrite from memory what the theories were, paying attention to the reporting structure.

Activity: Drill sergeant

This is another simple drill for reporting orders. Explain that you are going to be a drill sergeant: you are going to give four different students orders and then ask someone to report back what was said. Give short simple orders to different students in a brisk, sergeant-like voice. For example:

• Put down your pen!
• Listen to me!
• Pick up your bag!
• Answer your mobile phone!

The students must carry out the orders. Once you’ve given orders to four students, ask a fifth: What did I just say? The fifth student must report the orders (e.g. You told Maria to put down her pen, you told Giovanni to listen to you. ). If they can do it correctly, they become the drill sergeant.

This is a drill but with a role play element (that of being the sergeant) – to make the role even more effective you could use a prop, like a ruler or some kind of stick to wave around. You then give the prop to the next drill sergeant. Make sure nobody gets hit with the prop though!

Activity: things I was asked/told to do

To provide more practice in reporting structures with ask/tell, ask students to make a list of things they were asked or told to do in different situations. For example:

• when they were a child
• when they first started learning English
• in their first job
• on their first day at school/university

Tell students to compare with each other once they have written their lists. Then ask different students to report back.

Activity: Survivors mingle

This is a group role play, where students imagine that they have survived a plane accident and are stranded on a desert island. Prepare a series of cards/slips of paper, each with a different suggestion for the situation. Here are some examples:

• We should just wait for someone to come and find us.
• Why don’t we explore the island?
• Let’s get wood for a fire.
• We should all stay together. There are dangerous animals around here.
• I think you and I should try to escape together.
• Let’s build a boat.
• We should try and fix the plane.

(you can make your own. Begin with Why don’t we… Let’s …. We should…) Create enough cards so that each student has one. You can repeat the same sentences on other cards.

Explain that you want the students to role play the situation described above (to make it more 'real' you could elaborate on the story of how they got there). Everybody must circulate and talk to each other. They must say what is on their card and as little else as possible.

After five minutes (or however long it takes for most students to have spoken to each other) tell everyone to sit down again. Ask people to report back on what other people told them, using one of the following reporting verbs: suggest, advise or recommend .

Here is a variation which lets the students choose more of the language. Set up the scene, then give the students the sentence stems: Why don’t we … Let’s …. We should … and ask them to write a suggestion. Give them one of the above as an example. Then continue the activity.

Activity: Election pledges

To practise the structures following verbs like promise and offer , you can ask students to imagine they are speechwriters for a candidate for President or Prime Minister of their country. They must prepare a very short speech. You could give them the following outline to help:

• I know that …
• So I promise to … and to …
• If we are elected, my government pledges* to …
• My opponent has promised to …
• But we all know that …
• Together we can …

* pre-teach pledge – it has the same reporting structure as promise, or offer

Students can write this in groups. Then have different students read out their election speeches. Who is the most convincing?

• British English
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Reported Speech (Direct and Indirect Speech)

We may report the words of a speaker in two ways:

a. We may quote his actual words. This is called Direct Speech.

b. We may report what he said without quoting his exact words. This is called Reported or Indirect Speech.

John said, “I am very busy now.” (Direct) John said that he was very busy then. (Indirect/Reported)

It will be noticed that in Direct Speech, we use inverted commas to signify the exact words of the speaker. In Indirect Speech we do not.

Also, in changing the above Direct Speech into Indirect certain changes have been made. Thus:

• We have used the conjunction that before the Indirect statement. (The that is often omitted especially in spoken English.)
• The Pronoun I is changed to he. (The Pronoun is changed in Person)
• The Verb am is changed to was. (Present Tense is changed to Past.)
• The Adverb now is changed to then.

Therefore, it is clear that there are changes that happen when Direct Speech is changed to Indirect Speech.

Basic Verb Shifts for Indirect Speech (statements):

However, if reporting about general truths, we do not need to shift the verb tense back.

For example,

John said, “The sky is blue.” John said that the sky is blue.

Other common changes

You may need to adjust other words. Common changes can be: I to he/she this to that here to there yesterday to the day before today to that day now to then tomorrow to the following day

Reporting questions

When reporting questions, there are certain rules to follow, as is clear from the following examples.

Exclamations and wishes

In reporting exclamations and wishes, the Indirect Speech is introduced by some verb expressing exclamation or wish.

Alice said, “How clever you are!” Alice exclaimed that I was very clever.

Change the following Direct Speech to Indirect Speech.

• He said, “Be quiet and listen to my words.”
• He said, “I shall go as soon as possible.”
• Jill asked, “Why do you look sad?”
• My teacher said, “I have marked your papers.”
• “Will you be at home tomorrow?” my friend asked.
• “What a pretty dress!” Ethel said.
• “Can I drop you home?” asked Harry.
• “I was sick yesterday,” Elena said.
• He urged them to be quiet and listen to his words.
• He said that he would go as soon as possible.
• Jill asked why I looked sad.
• My teacher said that she had marked our papers.
• My friend asked if I would be at home the following day.
• Ethel exclaimed that it was a pretty dress.
• Harry asked whether he could drop me home.
• Elena said that she had been sick the previous day.

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CreativEdge Learning

Direct and reported speech for psle synthesis and transformation.

For Primary 5 and Primary 6, pupils learn the grammar rules for different sentence structures. This is to prepare for PSLE synthesis and transformation. One common type of sentence structure which routinely appears as a common PSLE synthesis and transformation question is the conversion of direct speech to reported speech.

Direct speech versus Reported speech

Direct speech refers to a person’s spoken words.

For reported speech , we change a person’s direct speech and re-write the direct speech using our own words.

Types of reported speech

PSLE synthesis and transformation questions focus on the following types of reported speech for statements, orders and questions .

For this post, we will examine the rules for the different types of reported speech , the grammatical rules and the common types of questions for PSLE synthesis and transformation.

A. Reported Statements

The first type of reported speech that we are introducing is the reported statement.

A reported statement is when someone speaks to you about something.

Pupils should take note that for reported statements, the rules to remember include:

• Change the pronouns
• Change the tense of the verb to show the change from direct to reported statement.

• Change the time

How to write a reported statement

A reported statement generally starts with the speaker and the speech verb. This part of the answer is generally given.

Max said that …

First, the pronoun is also written to show the speaker.

Max said that he ….

Next, the pronoun is also changed to show the speaker.

After that,  the verb is changed to show that the reported statement took place in the past.

Max said that he was going …

Then pupils have to consider if they have to change the place. In this case, there is no need to do so.

Max said that he was going to the beach…

Finally, change the time according to the rules for reporting statement.

Max said that he was goingto the beach the following day.

Now, we’ll examine two common types of questions for reporting statements.

Reported statement question 1

The first type of reported statement requires pupils to make the following changes – Change the pronoun, tense of the verb and the time.

Reported statement question 2

The second type of reported statement requires pupils to make changes to the pronoun and the time.

Pupils should note to change the verb from the past tense to the past perfect tense for reported speech.

This is also the more commonly-tested question type for PSLE Synthesis and Transformation.

It is also more  a more common PSLE synthesis and transformation question as the change from past tense to past perfect tense is slightly more challenging.

B. Reported orders

Another type of reported speech is reported orders. This is when someone tells you to do something.

It is like an order as you must listen to the person’s words and follow his order.

How to write a reported order

A reported order generally starts with the speaker and the speech verb. As it is an order, the speech verb is usually “told”.

The first part of the answer is usually given.

Mrs Lim told her children …

The “don’t” in direct speech must be changed to “not to” for reported orders.

Mrs Lim told her children not to …

Next, to add the noun that does not require any changes.

Mrs Lim told her children not to go near the stove when …

For reported orders, the tense of the verb must be changed too.

The rules for change of pronouns and tenses are the same as those of reported statements .

In this case, change the pronoun “I” to “she” as the speaker is Mrs Lim. In addition, change the tense of the verb from present (is) to past tense (was).

Mrs Lim told her children not to go near the stove when she was not at home.

Now that we have explained the steps for writing a reported order, let’s look at two common questions for reported orders.

Reported order Question 1

Reported order Question 2

C. Reported Questions

Another type of reported speech is reported questions when the speaker asks a question.

How to write a reported question

A reported question generally starts with the speaker and the speech verb. As it is an question, the speech verb is  “asked”.

The teacher asked Sarah …

For such reported questions which the answer is yes or no, pupils should start with if.

The teacher asked Sarah if …

Next, the pronoun must be changed too.

The teacher asked Sarah if she…

Like reported statements and orders, the verb has to be changed using the same rules .

The keyword is “Did” which shows that the direct question is in the past tense. As such, the reported question has to be in the past perfect tense. For PSLE synthesis, the focus is generally on the c hange from past tense to past perfect tense.

For reported questions, it is important to note that the re-order of certain words too.

For a reported question, the direct question is changed to read like a statement. Therefore, instead of “Had she done”, it should be “she had done”

The teacher asked Sarah if she had done…

Finally, pupils must remember the basic rule of synthesis and transformation. Pupils must use as many of the words in the question as possible in the answer.

The teacher asked Sarah if she had done her homework.

Next, let’s look at two questions for reported questions.

Reported question Question 1

As clearly shown in the answer below, the past tense is changed to past perfect tense. The words are also re-ordered to read like a statement.

Reported question Question 2

D. Direct speech

For the last section, we are focusing on a newer type of PSLE synthesis and transformation question is the change from reported speech to direct speech.

How to write direct speech

For direct speech, the first part of the answer is usually given.

Mother told Jim, …

For direct speech questions , pupils have to take note of the punctuation. The direct speech must start with an open-inverted comma.

Mother told Jim, “ …

Like reported speech, the pronouns must be changed.

Mother told Jim, “ You………… your…

When writing direct speech, pupils should take note of the modal verbs. In this case, “had to” is changed to “must”

Mother told Jim, “ You must….. your…

For direct speech, pupils also have to consider the change of the tenses for the verbs. In addition, pupils should pay attention to the modal verbs and if it requires a change.

In this case, there is a modal verb “must” so the verb accompanying it has to be in the present tense.

Mother told Jim, “You must clean… your…

Next, the noun remains unchanged.

Mother told Jim, “You must clean your bedroom…

Then pupils have to change the time. The same rules apply as that of reported speech.

Mother told Jim, “You must clean your bedroom today…

Lastly, pupils must remember the punctuation for direct speech.

In this case the direct speech must be ended with a full stop and a close-inverted comma.

Mother told Jim, “You must clean your bedroom today .”

Let’s examine two questions to learn how to convert a reported statement to a direct statement.

Direct Speech Question 1

Direct speech Question 2

Also, do read our top 10 most common exam themes for the PSLE composition exam as well as our top exam tips for the PSLE composition exam.

Related Posts

English - Class 5

Topic outline

Direct and Indirect Speech

We can report the words of a speaker in two ways:

      1.    By repeating the exact words used by the speaker.

      2.    By reporting only the material of what he said.  

Now read the following sentences.

      1.    Ram said , “ Anand is a good boy .”

      2.    Ram said that Anand was a good boy.

In the first sentence , we repeat, or quote, the exact words spoken by the speaker. This is called Direct Speech or Narration . Here we put the exact words of the speaker within quotation marks (" ") and we place a colon after 'said'. We write first word inside the quotation marks with a capital letter.

A comma is placed after the Reporting Verb to separate it from the second part of the sentence. In the first sentence, “ said ” is called the reporting verb, and “ Anand is a good boy .” is called the Reported Speech.

In the second sentence , we do not give the exact words of the speaker but give only the substance of what he said. This is called Indirect Speech or Narration .

In Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech ), we do not use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word. Here colon is not used after said. Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. The Verb ‘is’ is changed to was. (The Tense of the Verb in the Reported Speech is changed from the Present to the Past.). Here the Reported Speech is introduced by the Conjunction ‘that’.

Rules For Changing Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Rule 1: If the Reporting Verb is in the Present or Future Tense, the Verb in the Reported Speech is not changed at all. In other words, if in direct speech we find say, says or will say then we will not change the tense of the verb inside the quotation marks.

Here are some examples:

Direct Speech - Dia says, “There is no water in the glass.”

Indirect Speech - Dia says that there is no water in the glass.

Direct Speech - Ram will say, “Nobody was in the auditorium.”

Indirect Speech - Ram will say that nobody was in the auditorium.

Direct Speech - The tutor will say, “Hari will pass the entrance exam.”

Indirect Speech - The tutor will say that Hari will pass the entrance exam.

Direct Speech - She says, “Meena likes chicken curry.”

Indirect Speech - She says that Meena likes chicken curry.

Rule 2: If the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense, the Verb in the Reported Speech is also changed to the Past Tense. In other word, if in direct speech we find reporting verb “said” then we will change the tense of the verb inside the quotation marks to the past tense.

      1.    The Simple Present becomes the Simple Past.

Direct Speech - Tia said, “Neena works very hard.”

Indirect Speech - Tia said that Neena worked very hard.

Direct Speech - She said, "It is cold outside."

Indirect Speech - She said it was cold outside.

      2.    The Present Continuous becomes the Past Continuous.

Direct Speech - He said, "I visited Delhi last year”

Indirect Speech - He said that he had visited Delhi the previous year.

Direct Speech - Meera said, "I'm teaching French online."

Indirect Speech - Meera said she was teaching French online.

      3.    The Present Perfect becomes the Past Perfect.

Direct Speech - Anu said, "I have lived here for a long time.”

Indirect Speech - Anu said that she had lived there for a long time.

Direct Speech - Meena said, “Kapil has written the article.”

Indirect Speech - Meena said that Kapil had written the article.

      4.    May is changed into might; can is changed into could.

Direct Speech - He said, “Rahul may clear the exam.”

Indirect Speech - He said that Rahul might clear the exam.

Direct Speech - I said, “I can solve this problem.”

Indirect Speech - I said that I could solve this problem.

      5.    The Simple Past becomes the Past Perfect.

Direct Speech - Dev,”Avi reached at night.”

Indirect Speech - Dev said that Avi had reached at night.

Direct Speech - He said, “She came at 11 a.m. in the morning.”

Indirect Speech - He said that she had come at 11 a.m. in the morning.

      6.    The Past Continuous becomes the Past Perfect Continuous.

Direct Speech - Ravi said, “All were looking at the magician.”

Indirect Speech - Ravi said that all had been looking at the magician.

Direct Speech - Jimmy said, “All the boys were shouting.”

Indirect Speech - Jimmy said that all the boys had been shouting.

      7.    Shall is changed into should; will is changed into would.

Direct Speech - Radha said, "I will open the door."

Indirect Speech - Radha said that she would open the door.

Direct Speech - I said, “I shall try to assist her.”

Indirect Speech - I said that I should try to assist her.

Rule 3: If in direct speech the Reported Speech contains some universal or habitual fact, then we will follow RULE ONE or in other words the tense inside the quotation marks remains unchanged.

Direct Speech - Ravi said, “Everything happens for a reason.”

Indirect Speech - Ravi said that everything happens for a reason.

Direct Speech - Teacher said, “The moon moves round the earth.”

Indirect Speech - Teacher said that the moon moves round the earth.

Direct Speech - She said, “God is never in hurry, but he is always on time.”

Indirect Speech - She said that God is never in hurry, but he is always on time.

Direct Speech - The teacher said,” The sun rises in the east”

Indirect Speech - The teacher said the sun rises in the east.

Rule 4: Pronouns of the First Person in Direct Speech are changed in indirect Speech to the same person as the subject of the introductory verb.

Direct Speech - Tia said, “I am tired.”

Indirect Speech - John said that I was tired.

Direct Speech - Sita said, “I have done my homework.”

Indirect Speech - Sita said that she had done her homework.

Direct Speech - He said, “I shall do my best.”

Indirect Speech - He said that he would do his best.

Direct Speech - He said, “I will not come.”

Indirect Speech - He said that he would not go there.

Direct Speech - I said, “The little boy calls me.”

Indirect Speech - I said that the little boy called me.

Rule 5: Pronouns of the Second Person in Direct Speech are changed in Indirect Speech to the same person as the noun or pronoun which comes after the introductory verb.

Direct Speech - Heera said to me, “You are genius.”

Indirect Speech - Heera told me that I was genius.

Direct Speech - Avi said to Abhi,”You are a smart boy.”

Indirect Speech - Avi told Abhi that he was a smart boy.

Direct Speech - Sia said to Kareena,”You are a nice girl.”

Indirect Speech - Sia told Kareena that she was a nice girl.

Direct Speech - Tom said to him, “You have not done your assignment.”

Indirect Speech - Tom told him that he had not done his assignment.

Direct Speech - Jimmy said to her, “You have done your job.”

Indirect Speech - Jimmy told her that she had done her job.

Rule 6: Pronouns of the Third Person in Direct Speech remain the same in Indirect Speech.

Direct Speech - Harmeet said to me, “She is not well.”

Indirect Speech - Harmeet told me that she was not well.

Direct Speech - He said to me, “She was correct.”

Indirect Speech - He told me that she was correct.

Direct Speech - Bali said to you, “You are mistaken.”

Indirect Speech - Bali told you that you are mistaken.

Note : - In all the above examples, the verb ‘said’ in Direct Speech becomes ‘told’ in Indirect Speech and the Preposition ‘to’ is omitted.

Rule 7: When turning a sentence from Direct into indirect Speech words showing ‘nearness’ are changed into words showing ‘distance.’ Thus:

Now becomes then.

Here becomes there.

Ago becomes before.

Today becomes before.

This becomes that.

These become those.

Tomorrow becomes the next day.

Yesterday becomes the day before (or the previous day).

Last night becomes the night before (or the previous night).

Direct Speech - Tim said, “I am free now.”

Indirect Speech - Tim said that he was free then.

Direct Speech - He said, “I have seen this woman in the market.”

Indirect Speech - He said that he had seen that woman in the market.

Direct Speech - I said, “These oranges are sour.”

Indirect Speech - I said that those oranges were sour.

Direct Speech - Heena said, “The red basket is here.”

Indirect Speech - Heena said that the red basket was there.

Direct Speech - She said,”Aftab may go tomorrow.”

Indirect Speech - She said that Aftab might go the next day.

Direct Speech - Teacher said, “Today is a sunny day.”

Indirect Speech - Teacher said that day was a sunny day.

Direct Speech - Ram said, “I went to the mall last night.”

Indirect Speech - Ram said that he had gone to the mall the night before.

Direct Speech - She said, “I went to cinema yesterday.”

Indirect Speech - She said that she had gone to the cinema the day before.

Rule 8: Commands and Requests

In reporting a Command or a Request in the Indirect Speech, we change the introductory Verb to request, order, command, advice or some other word suiting the sense. Here the verb in Reported Speech is put in the Infinitive.

Direct Speech - I said to Karishma,”Please give me your pen.”

Indirect Speech - I requested Karishma to give me her pen.

Direct Speech - “You must read this article” said the teacher to Riya.

Indirect Speech - Teacher advised Riya to read that article.

Direct Speech - He said to the Principal, “Forgive me.”

Indirect Speech - He begged the Principal to forgive him.

Direct Speech - The teacher said, “Do your best, Radhika.”

Indirect Speech - The teacher advised Radhika to do her best.

Direct Speech - He said, “Listen to me carefully.”

Indirect Speech- He urged them to listen to him carefully.

Rule 9: In reporting question in the Indirect Speech, we change introductory Verb to ask or inquire. We use ‘whether’ or ‘if’ if the interrogative sentence begins with a verb. Here interrogative form is changed into the Declarative form. There is no need to use new connective is used if the interrogative sentence begins with who, whose, whom, which, what, how, when or why.

Direct Speech - He said to me, “Where are you staying in Delhi?”

Indirect Speech - He asked me where I was staying in Delhi.

Direct Speech - Rosy said to her,” How are you doing?”

Indirect Speech - Rosy asked her how she was doing.

Direct Speech - The teacher said to the boy, “Why are you crying?”

Indirect Speech - The teacher asked the boy why he was crying.

Direct Speech - She said to me, “Have you completed your project?”

Indirect Speech - She asked me if I had completed my project.

Direct Speech - Mahesh said to me, “Do you play badminton?”

Indirect Speech - Mahesh asked me whether I played badminton.

Rule 10: Exclamations and Wishes

In reporting an Exclamation or Wish in the Indirect Speech, we omit words showing exclamation such as alas, hurrah, etc. and sign of exclamation. We change the introductory Verb into wish, claim, pray, bless, curse, etc.

Direct Speech - Students said, “Hurrah! We have won the series.”

Indirect Speech - Students exclaimed with joy that they had won the series.

Direct Speech - She said to her, “May you live long!”

Indirect Speech - She wished that she might live long.

Direct Speech - Harish said to her, “My God bless you!”

Indirect Speech - Harish prayed that god might bless her.

Download to practice offline.

Reported Speech

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Social Media Reacts To Obama's 'Size' Joke About Trump

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

Former President Barack Obama’s brutal slam about Donald Trump’s obsession with crowd sizes during the Democratic National Convention was the joke heard ’round the world.

“Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,” Obama said of the former president in his speech Tuesday night, before pointing to Trump trademarks such as ” childish nicknames” and “the crazy conspiracy theories.”

But it’s the moment when Obama also referenced Trump’s “weird obsession with crowd sizes,” and stretched his hands to suggest length is Trump’s real concern, that people really responded to.

Some were incredulous.

I cannot believe this moment happened… pic.twitter.com/u14mY9GD9E — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 21, 2024

Obama making a dick joke about Trump wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card lmao pic.twitter.com/o93z5Kj2dO — RPG Enjoyer 🐉 (@BasedRPG) August 21, 2024

Others were impressed with Obama’s comedic skills.

Ok this is a perfect comedic delivery. pic.twitter.com/7ZOUaG9j19 — Jason Kander (@JasonKander) August 21, 2024

The joke quickly went viral, though there was some debate over whether Obama actually was joking about Trump’s physical attributes, his obsession with crowd sizes, or his trademark use of “accordion hands” when he tells a story.

While making a Dick joke, Obama also mocked trump’s patented accordion playing. Now Every time trump plays the the accordion everyone remembers the Dick joke. https://t.co/753MVr4YAE — @revbug.bsky.social (@RevBug) August 21, 2024

Uh, uh... I'm aware I'm a degenerate and may misread things as such, but err... did Obama just use his hands to gesture that Trump has a tiny dick while mocking him for being obsessed with crowd size? Cause uh, I'm writing that into the historical record regardless. — 🔥Reverend Aiden (@SweetFnLucifer) August 21, 2024

Every time Trump does *accordion hands* from now on, which is always, the audience will associate it with this Obama joke. It was brilliant. — Suz Bee (@SuzBee599785) August 21, 2024

However, “dick joke” was the trending term on X, formerly Twitter, over “crowd size joke” or “accordion joke.”

Still, some people had questions, like how long Obama practiced the hand gesture.

I need to know how much did he rehearse that in front of the bathroom mirror. — Carlos A. Sainz Caccia 🇵🇸 (@sainzcaccia) August 21, 2024

Many people ― especially those in the mainstream media ― seem to clutch their pearls over the bit.

Obama actually framed the need for grace in a really powerful way, and dedicated 5-10 minutes of his speech to bridging divides. But he couldn’t help but make a dick joke so that’s all we’re gonna hear about for 24 hours. — Isaac Saul (@Ike_Saul) August 21, 2024

Smh @jaketapper is such a fucking giant man baby Love how Anderson yeeted him the fuck off the air when he tried to bait him into a cryfest over the Obama dick joke pic.twitter.com/bEtF05VTPI — T. Fisher King (@T_FisherKing) August 21, 2024

😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/kARXIAtBVY — Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 21, 2024

The NY Post. 🥴 pic.twitter.com/tFkCduTMK3 — Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@NotHoodlum) August 21, 2024

Obama lambasting Trump for how childish he is, and literally not even one sentence later makes a dick joke. You can't write this stuff. — Jordan (@therealjomjohns) August 21, 2024

War criminal Obama made a small-dick joke about Trump during his DNC speech on the national stage—while most Americans are suffering/struggling—and the cultist Blue Maga crowd is gleefully celebrating it like he’s some hero. What fucking world are we in? — Kamala Harris is a Genocidal Cop (@joleekirk) August 21, 2024

Others suggested fair is fair considering how Trump promoted the false birther conspiracy against Obama.

Barack did a dick joke on live TV at the #DNC2024CHICAGO . The Obamas truly give 0 F's. And you know what? Good for them. Trump promoted the racist birther conspiracy, Republicans ran with it, and forced Obama to produce his birth certificate. Let them humiliate Donald. — Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) August 21, 2024

One person noted that Trump’s political career reportedly began in earnest after Obama brutally roasted him at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and thought Tuesday’s speech was a fitting bookend.

“Remember, it was Obama gently ribbing Trump at the correspondents dinner that started all this. Now a dick joke might finish it,” one X user wrote.

remember, it was Obama gently ribbing Trump at the correspondents dinner that started all this. Now a dick joke might finish it. https://t.co/Tvwj5DuecD — Cooper S. Beckett (@CooperSBeckett) August 21, 2024

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Rep. Matt Gaetz defeats Kevin McCarthy-backed GOP primary challenger

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., won his primary Tuesday, NBC News projects, handing former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy a final defeat on his revenge tour. 

Gaetz defeated Navy veteran Aaron Dimmock, who was backed by McCarthy, R-Calif., in the deeply Republican 1st District on the Florida Panhandle.

McCarthy and his allies had targeted Gaetz, along with other Republicans who voted to oust him from the speakership late last year. McCarthy was able to claim only one win, helping to defeat House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, R-Va., this summer. Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Eli Crane of Arizona also fended off primary challenges after they voted to oust McCarthy. 

A McCarthy-aligned super PAC called Florida Patriots PAC spent $3.5 million on ads against Gaetz, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. The group ran ads referring to an ongoing Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz over allegations of drug use and sexual misconduct. Gaetz has dismissed the investigation as “frivolous.”

But in a sign that Gaetz was in a strong position heading into the primary, Florida Patriots PAC stopped spending in the race three weeks ago.

Gaetz also got a boost from former President Donald Trump, who endorsed him. Gaetz touted the endorsement on the airwaves, with one TV ad featuring audio of Trump saying Gaetz is “a very good person, and he’s a very capable man. You ever watch this guy on television? Like a machine. He’s great. He loves Florida, and he loves the country.”

McCarthy is betting his effort was not completely in vain, suggesting that it could have dinged Gaetz if he decides to run for statewide office someday. 

“I don’t think he’ll ever be able to run for governor like he wants to,” McCarthy said at last month’s Republican convention, according to The Independent .

Bridget Bowman is a deputy editor for NBC's Political Unit.

Arrest Following Kidnapping and Assault

• by Andy Fell
• August 21, 2024

UC Davis police have arrested a suspect following an assault and kidnapping reported last Monday, Aug. 12. James Garvin surrendered at the UC Davis police department at 5 p.m., Aug. 20. He was booked at Yolo County jail on charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment and assault with great bodily injury.

Police had issued a Clery timely warning on the evening of Aug. 12 after a woman reported being seized from behind while walking in the UC Davis Arboretum just after 6 p.m. that day. The victim was able to break away and seek help. Police responded quickly to the scene but did not immediately locate the suspect. Subsequently, police were able to identify the suspect using evidence including video recordings.

Garvin is a Davis resident but not a UC Davis student or employee.

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• Andy Fell, News and Media Relations, 530-304-8888, [email protected]

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