DIRECT SPEECH

INDIRECT SPEECH

simple present

ex. He said, “I go to school everyday.”

simple past

ex. He said (that) he went to school everyday.

simple past

ex. She said, “I wrote my paper.”

past perfect

ex. She said (that) she had written her paper.

OR simple past

ex. She said (that) she wrote her paper.

present perfect

ex. “I have traveled to five countries,” my sister said.

past perfect

ex. My sister said (that) she had travelled to five countries.

present continuous

ex. He said, “I am walking to the store.”

past continuous

ex. He said (that) he was walking to the store.

past continuous

ex. She said, “I was swimming at the beach.”

past perfect continuous

ex. She said (that) she had been swimming at the beach.

will

ex. He said, “I will buy you a drink.”

would

ex. He said (that) he would buy me a drink.

can

ex. “I can run faster than you,” she said.

could

ex. She said (that) she could run faster than me.

don’t

ex. My mom said, “Don’t stay out too late!”

not to

ex. My mom said not to stay out too late.

Yes/No Question

ex. “Are you sad?” my friend asked.

Use “if”

ex. My friend asked if I was sad.

NOT a Yes/No Question
ex. She asked, “What is your favorite book?”

Do not use “if”

ex. She asked me what my favorite book is/was.

Imperative

ex. “Clean your room,” my mom told me.

Infinitive

ex. My mom told me to clean my room.

Tomorrow

ex. She said, “I am going to Rome tomorrow!”

The next day

ex. She said (that) she was going to Rome the next day.

Next week/year

ex. She said, “I will see you next week!”

The following week/year

ex. She said (that) she would see me the following week.

Yesterday

ex.  He said, “I was so tired yesterday.”

The day before

ex. He said (that) he had been so tired the day before.

Last week/month

ex. She told me, “I stayed home last weekend.”

The week before/the month before

ex. She told me (that) she had stayed at home the weekend before.

SUBJECT

OBJECT

I

me

he/she

him/her

they

them

we

us

you

you

accuse

claim that (someone) did something wrong

He was accused of stealing.

admit

confess to be true

She admitted to eating the last cookie.

advise

offer suggestions

The doctor advised her to avoid salt.

agree

have the same opinion about something

He agreed to help his sister with her homework.

argue

express opposite views

The husband and wife argued for hours.

announce

make a public declaration about something

Be quiet! They are announcing the results of the match.

answer

a thing said in reaction to a question

The student raised his hand to answer the question.

apologize

express regret for something that you have done wrong

Her boyfriend apologized for lying to her.

ask

say something in order to get an answer

The tourist asked me for directions.

beg

ask humbly for something

He begged his dad to give him $20.

blame

assign a responsibility for a fault

The team blamed the loss on the goalie.

brag

say in a boastful way

"I won again," he bragged.

challenge

ask to take part in a contest or competition

He challenged her to a game of tennis.

chant

a repeated rhythmic phrase

"Let's go Yankees!" the crowd chanted.

cheer

shout in encouragement

She cheered for her teammates.

clarify

make more clearly understandable

The report clarified his position.

claim

to say something without evidence or proof

He claimed that he was the best soccer player on the team.

compliment

to say something nice about someone

She complimented her friend on her haircut.

conclude

to bring to an end

The doctors concluded that the patient had cancer.

confess

admit or state that one has done something wrong

She was unable to confess to the murder.

confirm

state with evidence that a report or fact is true

He confirmed that the information was true.

congratulate

praise (someone) for a specific achievement

He congratulated her on winning the game.

consider

think carefully about something

She considered her options and made the best decision.

contemplate

think about for a long time

He contemplated whether or not to accept the job.

dare

defy or challenge to do something

His friends dared him to ask her on a date.

declare

to say something with confidence

"I am always right," he declared.

decline

politely refuse

He declined the invitation to the party.

demand

ask for in a forceful way

She demanded to see the email.

disagree

have or express a different opinion

Why do you always disagree with me?

deny

refuse to admit

The defendant denied stealing the money.

describe

explain something using details

Can you describe the city you live in?

encourage

give support, confidence, or hope to

My teacher encouraged me to study chemistry.

exaggerate

represent (something) as being larger, greater, better, or worse than it really is

"I couldn't sleep for three days. I'm not exaggerating!"

exclaim

cry out suddenly in surprise, anger, or pain

"Yes!" he exclaimed.

explain

make (an idea, situation, or problem) clear to someone by describing it in more detail

The teacher explained how to multiply fractions.

express

convey (a thought or feeling) in words or by gestures and conduct

He expressed his love for her in a card.

grumble

to complain about something in a low, angry, almost non-understandable voice

"This is terrible," he grumbled, not loud enough to be heard.

guess

estimate (something) without sufficient information to be sure of being correct

She guessed the child's age to be 8 or 9.

hint

suggest or indicate something indirectly

She hinted at the surprise.

imply

strongly suggest the truth or existence of

The report implies that more jobs will be lost if we don't make changes.

inform

give (someone) facts or information

My parents informed me about what happened.

inquire

to ask for information from (someone)

The guest at the hotel inquired about room service.

insist

to not accept refusal

He insisted on paying for dinner.

instruct

teach (someone) a subject or skill

He instructed them about how to drive.

insult

speak to or treat with disrespect

He insulted her by calling her fat.

interrogate

ask questions of (someone, esp. a suspect or a prisoner) aggressively, or formally

The police interrogated the suspect.

interrupt

stop (someone speaking) by saying or doing something

I hate when people interrupt me when I'm speaking.

lecture

deliver an educational speech

My parents always lecture me about what I can and can't do.

lie

not tell the truth

She lied about her age.

mention

refer to something briefly and without going into detail

I haven't mentioned the news to him yet.

mumble

say something indistinctly and quietly, making it difficult for others to understand

He mumbled something so that the teacher wouldn't hear.

object

say something to express one's disapproval of or disagreement with something

Residents object to the building of a new mall.

observe

watch (someone or something) carefully and attentively

The police officer stood to the side observing the action.

offer

present (something) for (someone) to accept or reject

He offered to buy me a drink.

protest

express an objection to what someone has said or done

He tried to pay for her dinner, but she protested.

provoke

stimulate (someone) to do or feel something, usually by making them angry

Her younger brother provoked her into hitting him.

question

feel or express doubt about

She questioned his decision to move.

respond

say something in reply

She will not respond to my phone calls.

snap

say something quickly and irritably to someone

"Don't bother me when I'm working," she snapped.

state

express something clearly in speech or writing

The news reported stated that ten people were injured in the accident.

suggest

state a possible idea

My boyfriend suggested going out to dinner tonight.

swear

to promise to do something / to use offensive language

She swore to me that she wouldn't lie again. / He was kicked out of class for swearing at the teacher.

tease

make fun of or attempt to provoke

My sisters teased me about my new boots.

threaten

express one's intention to harm (someone) if (something) is not done

He threatened to call the police if I didn't leave the store.

tell

communicate information, facts, or news to someone

I told her that you would be late.

urge

try persistently to persuade

He urged her to quit her job and work for his company.

volunteer

offer to do something for free

He volunteered to bake the cake for the party.

verify

make sure or demonstrate that (something) is true or accurate

Can you verify these numbers for me?

warn

inform (someone) in advance about a future danger

She warned him not to drive because the roads were icy.

whine

give or make a long, high-pitched complaining cry or sound

The employee whined about working so much.

whisper

speak quietly

Please try to whisper in the library.

yell

speak loudly to express excitement or anger

Don't yell at me!