Reporting statements

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Reporting statements
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How do we report statements?
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We can report what someone said like this.
Garfield is a funny film, said Elaine.
Elaine said (that) Garfield was a funny film.
When we report statements in the simple present,
we
? take away the quotation marks.
Jason said (that) he had the Cars DVD.
I have the Cars DVD, said Jason.
? use a reporting verb.
Superman looks silly, said Matt.
Matt said (that) Superman looked silly.
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? change the verb tense from the simple present
to the simple past.
Donna said (that) Tom hated cartoons.
Tom hates cartoons, said Donna.
? change pronouns and possessive adjectives,
e.g. I to he / she, your to my / our.
I like your Shrek T-shirt, said Lisa.
Lisa said (that) she liked my Shrek T-shirt.
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? change the time words, e.g. now to then,
tomorrow to the next day.
Jurassic Park 4 starts today, said Ed.
Ed said (that) Jurassic Park 4 started that day.
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More examples of the changes we make when
reporting statements
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When we report statements, we make the following
changes.
use a reporting verb, e.g. said
I like football, said Alice. ? Alice said
(that) she liked football.
change the tense
simple present tense ? simple past tense
Im thirsty, said Michael. ? Michael said
(that) he was thirsty.
We do not change the tense if the information is
true when we report it.
Im flying to Singapore tonight, May told me
this morning. ? May told me this morning (that)
she is flying to Singapore tonight.
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When we report peoples opinions in general, we
can keep the reporting verb and the other verbs
in the sentence in the present tense.
A lot of students think (that) the Internet is
important.
change most of the modal verbs
I can come later, said Anita. ? Anita said
(that) she could come later.
can ? could
may ? may
I may go to the beach today, said Jason. ?
Jason said (that) he might go to the beach that
day.
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must ? had to
I must get home by ten oclock, said Leo. ? Leo
said (that) he had to get home by ten oclock.
will ? would
Ill see him at the match, Brenda said. ?
Brenda said that she would see him at the match.
need ? need
You neednt wait for me, said Stella. ? Stella
said that I neednt wait for her.
Note
Need only acts as a modal verb in questions
(e.g. Need you go?) and negative statements
(e.g. You need not go.).
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change the pronouns / possessive adjectives
I / you ? he / she
I saw Andy Lau in the park, said Tina. ? Tina
said (that) she had seen Andy Lau in the park.
we / you ? they
Were leaving next month, they said. ? They
said that they were leaving the following month.
me / you ? him /her
Tom gave me a photo, said Alice. ? Alice said
(that) Tom had given her a photo.
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us / you ? them
Hell take you all to Stanley Market, said
George. ? George said (that) he would take them
all to Stanley Market.
my / your ? his / her
Its my calculator, said Andy. ? Andy said
(that) it was his calculator.
our / your ? their
Our friends have arrived, she said. ? She said
(that) their friends had arrived.
mine / yours ? his / hers
The Superman comic is mine, said Amy. ? Amy
said (that) the Superman comic was hers.
ours / yours ? theirs
The holiday brochures arent ours, said
Bernard. ? Bernard said (that) the holiday
brochures were not theirs.
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change the time words
now ? then
Ken and Jane have to go now, said Henry. ?
Henry said (that) Ken and Jane had to go then.
today ? that day
Im going to the dentist today, she said. ? She
said (that) she was going to the dentist that
day.
this afternoon ? that afternoon
Im going shopping with Maggie this afternoon,
said Eddie. ? Eddie said (that) he was going
shopping with Maggie that afternoon.
Im having dinner at The Peak this evening,
she said. ? She said (that) she was having
dinner at The Peak that evening.
this evening ? that evening
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tonight ? that night
Ill call Tom tonight, promised Donna. ? Donna
promised (that) she would call Tom that night.
tomorrow ? the following / next day
Were going to Japan tomorrow, said Kelly. ?
Kelly said (that) they were going to Japan the
following / next day.
yesterday ? the day before
I was busy yesterday, explained Mark. ? Mark
explained (that) he had been busy the day before.
next week ? the following week
Ill be going on holiday next week, said
Alex. ? Alex said (that) he would be going on
holiday the following week.
next Monday ? the following Monday
Were going to the theatre next Monday, Betty
said. ? Betty said (that) they were going to the
theatre the following Monday.
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next month ? the following month
Robbie Williams will be coming to Hong Kong
next month, said Tony. ? Tony said (that)
Robbie Williams would be coming to Hong Kong the
following month.
last week ? the week before
We were in Canada last week, she said. ? She
said (that) they had been in Canada the week
before.
last weekend ? the weekend before
I went to Kelly Chens concert last weekend,
said John. ? John said (that) he had gone to
Kelly Chens concert the weekend before.
We do not change the time words if the
information is still true when we report it.
I want to go to Repulse Bay today, she said. ?
She said (that) she wanted to go to Repulse Bay
today.
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Practice
Complete the article by reporting what the
students think about the film.
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Our film night with Casino Royale was a great
success! Heres what the audience had to say
about the action film. I love the film! I plan
to buy the DVD tomorrow. Jason Wong from Class 1B
said
He also said Casino Royale is very
different from other James Bond films but its
also more interesting. Jenny Lam from Class 1A
said from other James Bond films but
(that) he loved the film.
(that) he planned to buy the DVD the next day.
(that) Casino Royale was
very different
(that) it was also more interesting.
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My favourite scene is the one in which James
Bond chases a terrorist across a building
site. Benny Lo from Class 1C said
the one in which across a
building site. I dont usually like action
films but I like Casino Royale! Im going to
tell my friends about it tonight. Jessica Mak
from Class 1A said
but She also said
her friends about it
(that) his favourite scene was
James Bond chased a terrorist
(that) she doesnt usually like
she liked Casino Royale.
action films
(that) she was going to tell
that night.
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The end