Unit 9: Grammar: The Reported Speech (Part 1) : cours 1 Bac SM

1Lesson Objectives

This opening section states exactly what a 1st year Baccalaureate student must be able to do at the end of Unit 9, Grammar: The Reported Speech (Part 1).

By the end of this grammar lesson, you should be able to report what other people said, in writing and in speech, using the correct verb forms, pronouns and time or place words. The six objectives below are the exact competences tested in class tests and in the National Baccalaureate exam (language section).

Distinguish clearly between direct speech (the speaker's exact words, between quotation marks) and reported speech (the same message told again in your own words, without quotation marks), both in written and in spoken English. Identify the two building parts of a reported sentence: the reporting verb (say, tell) and the reported clause, joined by the optional linker that . Apply the basic tense change, called backshift, when the reporting verb is in the past: present simple \to past simple, present continuous \to past continuous, will \to would, can \to could . Change pronouns (subject and object) and possessive adjectives according to the new speaker's point of view: I \to he / she, my \to his / her, we \to they . Adjust the most common time and place expressions : now \to then, today \to that day, tomorrow \to the next day, here \to there, this \to that . Use say and tell correctly and avoid the very frequent mistake «He said me\dots» instead of He told me\dots / He said to me\dots

Direct speech

The exact words of a speaker, written between quotation marks: Samira said, "I am tired."

Reported (indirect) speech

The message of a speaker retold by another person, with no quotation marks: Samira said (that) she was tired.

Backshift

The movement of the verb one step back into the past when the reporting verb is in the past tense (is \to was, will \to would).

Target competences

Listening / Speaking

Passing on a message or a piece of news to a classmate: Yassine said he would be late.

Reading

Understanding reported statements in newspaper articles, reports and interviews.

Writing

Writing a short report or a summary of a conversation, an interview or a survey.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake 1

He said me that\dots \to correct: He told me that\dots

Mistake 2

Keeping the quotation marks in reported speech.

Mistake 3

Forgetting to change I / my / here / today when the situation changes.

$Objective$	$You will be able to\dots$	$Example$
$1$	$Recognise direct vs reported speech$	$"I am busy," he said. \to He said he was busy.$
$2$	$Split the sentence into its two parts$	$He told me \| (that) he was busy.$
$3$	$Apply backshift$	$study \to studied; will \to would; can \to could$
$4$	$Change pronouns and possessives$	$"I lost my key." \to She said she had lost her key.$
$5$	$Adjust time and place words$	$here \to there; today \to that day$
$6$	$Choose say or tell$	$say (+ that) / tell + person (+ that)$

Checklist of the six objectives of Unit 9, Grammar: Reported Speech (Part 1).

Next lesson: Reported Speech (Part 2) will complete this study with reported questions (He asked me if / where\dots) and reported orders and requests (She told me to wait, He asked me not to shout). Master Part 1 first: the rules of backshift, pronouns and time markers learnt here are used again in Part 2.

Every day we repeat what other people say. This short warm-up shows that when we pass on a message, something changes in the language.

A Message Passed On

Statement

Salma says to Younes: "I am studying for the Biology test." A few minutes later, Younes reports this to the teacher: "Salma said that she was studying for the Biology test."

Solution

Compare the two sentences word by word. Notice that the pronoun 'I' becomes 'she'. Notice that the verb 'am studying' becomes 'was studying'. Notice that a new small word, 'that', has been added after 'said'.

Interpretation

The meaning of the message has not changed, but its form has been transformed to fit the new speaker and situation.

Three Guiding Questions

What changed?

Which words were modified between Salma's original sentence and Younes's report?

Who is speaking?

Who speaks now (Younes, to the teacher) and who is being reported (Salma)?

Why the changes?

Which grammar rule can explain these transformations?

Three modifications observed when the message is passed on

These three small changes are not random: each one follows a precise grammar rule that will be explained step by step in the rest of this unit. For now, remember the key observation of this warm-up: the message keeps the same meaning, but it changes its form . This transformation of a quoted sentence into a sentence told by someone else is called Reported Speech (also known as Indirect Speech).

Reported Speech

A way of telling someone what another person said, without repeating their exact words, by adjusting pronouns, verb tenses, and sometimes time or place expressions.

To understand and apply the rules of reported speech introduced later in this unit, you will need to rely on notions already studied: the main English tenses (present simple, present continuous, past simple), subject and object pronouns (I, you, he, she...), the use of quotation marks and punctuation in direct speech, and the common reporting verbs say, tell, and ask .

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