Grade 7 English: Direct and reported speech poster
A one-page CAPS Grade 7 English poster on direct and reported speech (Grammar), with the key ideas, key words and a tip to remember.
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English · Grade 7 · Grammar
Direct and reported speech
1Direct speech
Direct speech gives the exact words, inside quotation marks. Use a comma before the opening marks, a capital letter for the first spoken word, and put the end mark inside the closing marks. Start a new line for a new speaker.
Example
Gran said, “Dinner is ready.” “Is it ready?” asked Zola.
2Speech in two parts
When the speaker is named in the middle, the second part begins with a small letter unless it starts a new sentence.
Example
“We should leave now,” said Dad, “before the traffic starts.”
3Reported speech
Reported speech tells what was said without the exact words. It has no quotation marks. We often add that. The tense moves back one step.
Example
Gran said, “Dinner is ready.” Gran said that dinner was ready.
4Changing the verb
present simple to past simple: walk to walked
present continuous to past continuous: is going to was going
past simple or present perfect to past perfect: left or has left to had left
will to would; can to could; may to might
must to had to (must can also stay)
5Pronouns, time and place
I to he or she; we to they; my to his or her
now to then; today to that day
tomorrow to the next day; yesterday to the day before
last night to the night before; next week to the week after
here to there; this to that
6Questions, commands and exceptions
Question: asked + if, whether or the question word. Use statement word order and no question mark.
Command: told or asked + to (or not to).
A general truth can keep its tense.
Example
“Where do you live?” She asked where I lived. “Stop talking!” He told us to stop talking.