1. INDIRECT
QUOTATION

2. The speaker’s or writer’s words
are reported indirectly,
without quotation marks
(“..........”)

3. Indirect Quotation
are sometimes called
Reported Speech

4.
Indirect Quotations are introduced by
the same reporting verbs
used for Direct Quotations.

5. The word ‘that’ is often added
for clarity.

6. The tense of verbs in Indirect Quotations
is affected by
The tense of The Reporting Verb.

7. changing
Direct Quotation
to
Indirect Quotation

8. HOW
?@#$

9. 1.
omit the quotation mark
Pamella said,
“I want ice cream”
I want ice cream

10. 2.
add the subordinate “that”
(you may omit that if the meaning is clear without it)
Pamella said,
I want ice cream
Pamella said that
I want ice cream

11. 3.
change the verb tense if necessary
Pamella said that
I want ice cream
I wanted ice cream
{Follow the sequence of tense rules}

12. 4.
change pronouns
(and time expression if necessary)
to keep the sense of the original
Pamella said that
I want ice cream
She wanted ice cream

13. “Do you want this ice cream, Pamella?”

14. past tense reporting verb
may cause changes in
verbs, pronouns, and time expression
in an indirect quotation
according to the following rules.

15. SEQUENCE
of tenses rules

16. 1
SIMPLE PRESENT
SIMPLE PAST

17. Susan said,
“The exam is at eight
o’clock.”
Susan said (that)
the exam was at eight
o’clock

18. 2
Simple Past
Present Perfect
Past Perfect

19. She said,
“We didn’t have time
to eat breakfast.”
She said (that)
they hadn’t had time
to eat breakfast.

20. He said,
“The exam has just
started.”
He said (that)
The exam had just
started.

21. 3
WILL WOULD
CAN COULD
MAY MIGHT
MUST HAD TO

22. Sam mentioned,
“Today, I will eat chinese food,
and tomorrow I will eat french
food if I can find a good
restaurant.”
Sam mentioned that
Today he would eat chinese food
and that tomorrow he would eat
french food if he could find a
good restaurant.

23. 4
TIME EXPRESSION
MAY CHANGE IF
THE MEANING
REQUIRES IT.

24. The teacher said,
“You must finish the
test right now.”
The teaher said that
we had to finish the
test right then.

26. 1
When the reporting verb is
simple present, present
perfect, or future,
the verb tense in the quotation
DOES NOT CHANGE.
1

27. He says, “I can finish it today.”
He says that he can finish it
today.

28. When the reporting phrase is
according to,
the verb tense
DOES NOT CHANGE.
2

29. The lawyer said, “My client is
innocent.”
According to the lawyer, his client is
innocent.

30. When the quoted information is
a fact or a general truth,
the verb tense
DOES NOT CHANGE
3

31. He said, “Water boils at a lower
temperature in the mountains.”
He said that water boils at a lower
temperature in the mountains.

33. Changing
direct quotation
to
indirect quotation

34. 1. omit the quotation marks.
2. add the subordinator ‘that’
3. change the verb tense
4. change pronouns and time
expression.

35. Sequence of
tense rules

36. Simple present Simple past
Simple past
present perfect
Past perfect
Will, can,
may, must
Would, could,
might, had to
Time expression
(right now)
Right then

37. exception

38. The verb tense in quotation
mark DOES NOT change
When ...

39. ....the reporting verb is simple present,
present perfect, or future
...the reporting verb is according to
...the quoted information is a fact or
general truth.

40. THANK YOU,
Friends
@alissafatma I alissafatma@gmail.com