Unit 21: Reported speech
Ngữ pháp Reported speech / reported questions / reporting verbs
📘 Giải thích tiếng Việt
Reported speech - lùi thì
Khi tường thuật, động từ thường lùi một thì: hiện tại đơn → quá khứ đơn, will → would, can → could, must/have to → had to. Ví dụ: "I am tired" → She said she was tired.
Lưu ý: không lùi thì khi tường thuật một sự thật hiển nhiên hoặc điều vẫn còn đúng ở hiện tại.
Đổi đại từ, trạng từ chỉ thời gian & nơi chốn
Cùng với việc lùi thì, phải đổi cho hợp ngữ cảnh: my → his/her, this/that → the/it, here → there, now → then, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before, ago → before.
Reported questions - câu hỏi tường thuật
Dùng if/whether cho câu hỏi Yes/No, giữ nguyên từ để hỏi (what, where...) cho câu Wh-. Quan trọng: dùng trật tự câu khẳng định (S + V), không đảo ngữ và không dấu hỏi. Ví dụ: He asked where I lived (không phải "where did I live").
Reporting verbs - động từ tường thuật
Mỗi động từ đi với một cấu trúc riêng. Ví dụ deny: + danh từ, + that-clause, hoặc + V-ing (denied stealing...). Ngoài ra: admit, suggest + V-ing; promise, refuse + to-V; advise, remind + tân ngữ + to-V.
Theory
Reported speech: tense and modal changes
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| present simple | past simple |
| present continuous | past continuous |
| present perfect simple | past perfect simple |
| present perfect continuous | past perfect continuous |
| past simple | past perfect simple |
| past continuous | past perfect continuous |
| past perfect simple/continuous | no tense change |
| am/is/are going to | was/were going to |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| must / have to | had to |
| may | might |
⚠️ No changes needed when reporting a scientific fact or something still true.
Pronoun and determiner changes
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| my | his / her |
| this/that + noun | the / that |
| this/that + verb | it |
| these/those + noun | the / those |
| these/those + verb | they |
Time and place changes
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| here | there |
| now / at the moment | then / at that moment |
| tomorrow | the next/following day |
| tonight | that night |
| next week/month/year | the following week/month/year |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| last week/month/year | the week/month/year before / the previous … |
| ago | before / previously |
Reported questions
- Yes/no questions: use if or whether
- Wh-questions: keep the question word
- Use normal word order (not question form) and no question mark
Reporting verbs
Different reporting verbs take different grammatical patterns:
- deny (verb + noun): Katie denied the accusation.
- deny (verb + that clause): Katie denied (that) she was a shoplifter.
- deny (verb + -ing): Katie denied stealing the chocolate biscuits.
Exercise A
Complete using the correct form of the verb in brackets.
Exercise B
If the word or phrase in bold is correct, write ✓. If it is incorrect, rewrite it correctly.
Exercise C
Write one word in each gap.
Exercise D
Complete each second sentence using the word given, so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Write between two and five words in each gap.
Jerry said that __________ be travelling round Europe.
Liz said that __________ had Evan and Christie over for dinner.
Barry said that Daz had __________ and then suddenly left.
Jessie and Sandy said together that __________ yearly diet the next day.
George and Kevin's father told his sons __________ up from school that afternoon.
Toby said he __________ as they were so cheap.
Dave's mum __________ study harder.
Greg said that __________ be coming down with flu.
Tine said she didn't know why __________ recently.
Ben said everything __________ before.
Exercise E
Write one word in each gap.
The Excuses
The office was silent. 'So, let me get this right,' (1) __________ Alison calmly. 'Not one of you is willing to donate some money towards Mr Bartlett's leaving present.' There was silence again for a moment, then Deidre (2) __________ up, saying that she (3) __________ love to give a donation, but unfortunately her house (4) __________ being painted that week and she (5) __________ not have any spare cash at all. Alec was next. He was very apologetic and said that he (6) __________ meant to bring some money to work (7) __________ morning, but had forgotten. Perhaps tomorrow? Betty said she (8) __________ completely broke at (9) __________ moment in time, and said she (10) __________ not give anything until she (11) __________ her pay cheque at the end of the week. Alison stared at them all. She (12) __________ them how disappointed she (13) __________ with all of them, and that she (14) __________ remember their excuses when it was time for (15) __________ to retire. She slammed the door behind her as she left the room.
Exercise F
Rewrite as reported questions, beginning with the words given.
My mum asked me if __________
Julian wanted to know whether __________
Fiona asked Rod and Jenny whether __________
I asked Mrs Daley if Graham __________
Jan asked me if __________
Daisy asked Wendy if __________
Fred asked Gloria whether __________
Adrian wondered whether __________
The police officer demanded to know whether Sykes __________
Exercise G
Rewrite as direct questions.
Exercise H
Complete using the correct form of the words in the box.
Exercise I
Circle the extra word in each line.
Getting a mortgage
1 Someone told to me a few months ago that getting a mortgage would be easy. How
2 wrong they were! When I first went into the bank, I asked if them how much I could
3 borrow. They refused that to answer even such a simple question, saying that I had to
4 actually find a house before they could tell me whether they would have lend me the
5 money or not. I thought this was ridiculous and so told it a white lie, saying that
6 I had been already found a house. They finally said they would lend me the money, so
7 that was great. Then the problems started. A few weeks later a friend told me that about
8 a wonderful flat that was for sale. He suggested to our buying it together because it was
9 so large and I agreed. When I went back to the bank and said so I was planning to
10 buy a flat with a friend, the bank manager denied doing that he had ever said the bank
11 would give me a mortgage and claimed that he has had looked at my finances and knew
12 I wasn't earning enough to borrow money. I begged with him to have another look at my
13 records as I knew he was wrong. Finally, he agreed me to reconsider my case and
14 eventually sent me a letter which stated that the bank would was quite happy to give me
15 a mortgage. By then, though, it was said too late as someone else had bought the flat!
