Reported Speech: Transformers Edition
Reported Speech is used to tell someone what another person said. When transforming direct speech into reported speech, the tense usually changes, along with pronouns and time expressions. Let’s look at how this works with examples from the world of Transformers.
Tense Changes Table:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
| Present Simple → | Past Simple |
| “I transform quickly,” Optimus said. | Optimus said he transformed quickly. |
| Present Continuous → | Past Continuous |
| “We are fighting the Decepticons,” Bumblebee said. | Bumblebee said they were fighting the Decepticons. |
| Past Simple → | Past Perfect |
| “Megatron attacked us,” said Ratchet. | Ratchet said Megatron had attacked them. |
| Future Simple (will) → | Would |
| “I will protect the city,” said Optimus. | Optimus said he would protect the city. |
Pronoun Changes Table:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
| I → He/She | “I am ready,” said Optimus. → Optimus said he was ready. |
| We → They | “We are winning,” said the Autobots. → The Autobots said they were winning. |
| You → I/They | “You will join us,” said Megatron. → Megatron said I/they would join them. |
Time Expressions Table:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
| Today → That day | “We will fight today,” said Bumblebee. → Bumblebee said they would fight that day. |
| Tomorrow → The next day | “We will attack tomorrow,” said Starscream. → Starscream said they would attack the next day. |
| Yesterday → The day before | “We lost yesterday,” said Optimus. → Optimus said they had lost the day before. |
Exercise 1: Beginner Level
Transform the sentences into Reported Speech.
- Optimus said, “I am ready to lead the Autobots.”
- Bumblebee said, “We are attacking Megatron tomorrow.”
- Starscream said, “We destroyed the city yesterday.”
- Megatron said, “You will not defeat me.”
Clues:
- Remember to change the tense (Present Simple → Past Simple, Present Continuous → Past Continuous, etc.).
- Change pronouns if necessary.
Exercise 2: Intermediate Level
Complete the sentences in Reported Speech.
- Ratchet said, “I have fixed the damaged Autobots.” → Ratchet said he __________ (fix) the damaged Autobots.
- Optimus said, “We are planning a new strategy.” → Optimus said they __________ (plan) a new strategy.
- Bumblebee said, “I will protect the humans.” → Bumblebee said he __________ (protect) the humans.
- Megatron said, “We attacked the Autobots last night.” → Megatron said they __________ (attack) the Autobots the night before.
Clues:
- Pay attention to the tense shifts and pronoun changes.
Exercise 3: Advanced Level
Convert the following conversations into Reported Speech.
- Optimus: “We will defeat the Decepticons soon.” Bumblebee: “I am preparing for the next battle.”
→ Optimus said that __________.
→ Bumblebee said that __________. - Starscream: “I have a new plan to destroy the Autobots.” Megatron: “We are building more Decepticon warriors.”
→ Starscream said that __________.
→ Megatron said that __________.
Clues:
- Use the correct tense change for each part of the dialogue.
Semi-Controlled Practice: Dialogue
Task: Complete the dialogue between two characters, Ratchet and Optimus, using Reported Speech.
- Ratchet: “I repaired Bumblebee last night.”
- Optimus: “We are preparing for the next mission.”
- Ratchet: “The Decepticons will attack tomorrow.”
Report their conversation:
- Ratchet told Optimus that he __________.
- Optimus said that they __________.
- Ratchet said the Decepticons __________.
Freely Controlled Practice: Create Your Own Dialogue
Task: In pairs, create a short dialogue between two Transformers. After you finish, each person will report what the other said using Reported Speech.
Example:
- Student 1 (Optimus): “I will lead the Autobots into battle tomorrow.”
- Student 2 (Bumblebee): “I am ready to follow you.”
Now, switch and report each other’s dialogue:
- Student 1: Bumblebee said that he was ready to follow me.
- Student 2: Optimus said that he would lead the Autobots into battle the next day.