Gossip - Reported Speech

Oh my goodness! Don't spread the word!

Shhhhh! Don't tell anybody, okay? Well, Flabbergasting English has been mentioned by numerous teachers from different parts of the world for its contents and clear examples and topics. The Flabbergasting English's managers asked me to come here and inform you that no mater how difficult the topics is, its Executive Director and Editor, Lil' Dawg, will be posting about the themes you require.

Have you ever thought about GOSSIPS? How do people deliver a message to others? Is the final message the same first given? Well, gossips are usually rumors or talks of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature. And the person who gossips around is the gossiper. So, basically, what happens is that one tells something to somebody that tells it to somebody else and it goes on and on.

However, for one to be able to gossip, one needs to know how to REPORT WHAT HAD BEEN SAID. But you might be asking yourself how you can do such thing. It is not difficult.

Gossiping as well as, telling something what happened, or reporting the news are part of a group that we, linguists, call REPORTED SPEECH. What would this be? 

Reported Speech also called Indirect Speech is the reporting of something said or written by conveying what was meant rather than repeating the exact words, as in the sentence He asked me whether I would go as opposed to He asked me, ``Will you go?''

So, as you can see above, the question was "Will you go?", but when it comes to Reported Speech, the auxiliary or helping verb "will" has been swapped for "would". This happens because, whenever you are reporting what has been said or written, we use the PAST TENSES.

See examples:

Sarah: I will not go to school tonight.

Reported Speech: Teacher, Sarah told me she WOULD NOT come to school tonight.

WILL is swapped for WOULD

GO is swapped from COME

James: I think that George got so fat.

Reported Speech: James told me he thought George got so fat.

THINK is swapped for THOUGHT

Micheal: Shhh! Don't tell the teacher. I've cheated on the test.

Reported Speech: Michael told to not tell the teacher he had cheated on the test.

TELL is swapped for TOLD 

HAVE is swapped for HAD

This is how the reported speech happens. I need to go now because MY MOM TOLD ME MY LITTLE SISTER NEEDED TO USE THE COMPUTER. 

Lil' Dawg

ESL Teacher

rphingles@yahoo.com.br