S3 English | Reported Speech Lesson-Prep Guide | backshift, if/whether, word order, 4 mistakes

2026-11-12

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary English (DSE)

Students write “He said me that he is tired” and copy question order straight into reported speech. This lesson does three things: one seven-pair backshift table, one statement word order for every question, and told or asked plus to for commands.

Objectives — Students can: (1) name the three areas that change (tense, pronouns, time and place words) and open with a saying verb plus that; (2) backshift seven pairs correctly (present to past, present continuous to past continuous, present perfect and past simple to past perfect, will to would, can to could, must to had to); (3) report yes/no questions with if or whether and wh- questions with the wh-word kept, using statement order and dropping do, does and did; (4) report commands with told or asked plus to or not to; (5) change today to that day, tomorrow to the next day, here to there, this to that and now to then.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Saying verbs	What follows say and what follows tell?	say + something; tell + somebody + something
Present perfect	What is the past participle of go?	gone
Question order	Where does the auxiliary sit in “Where does he live?”	Before the subject: does he

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-6 min	Wrong sentence first	Write “He said me that he is tired” and ask students to circle two errors	Call out said me and is
6-15 min	Seven pairs	Model each backshift pair, stressing that past simple and present perfect both become past perfect	Copy the table
15-27 min	Question order	Model if for yes/no and the kept wh-word, both in statement order with do removed	Report three questions
27-36 min	Commands and time words	Model told or asked plus to and not to, then change today, tomorrow and here	Report two commands
36-41 min	Four error pairs	Show four wrong answers; students name the faulty area; tutor adds one line	Explain one error
41-45 min	Exit check	Collect three items, mark on the spot, name the act to reteach	Hand in three items

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Act 1: shift the tense back exactly one step

“The first move in reported speech is a single-step backshift: present to past, present continuous to past continuous, present perfect to past perfect, past simple also to past perfect, will to would, can to could, must to had to. Past simple and present perfect collide in the same slot, so had done can come from either did or have done; the context decides. Students ask why we shift, and one reason is enough: the original moment has passed, so the reference point moves back one step. If the reported fact is still universally true, as in the earth goes round the sun, the shift is optional, but in exams shift unless the question says otherwise.”

One step back; did and have done both become had done.

Scene 2: Act 2: questions take statement order and lose the auxiliary

“Reporting a question takes two moves, in this order. First choose the linker: yes/no questions take if or whether, and wh- questions keep where, when, why or how. Second change the order: remove the auxiliary and put the subject back in front of the verb. Where does he live becomes he asked where he lived, with does gone and live in the past. Do you like tea becomes she asked if I liked tea, with do gone and like in the past. The most common failure keeps the question mark and the inversion, producing he asked where did he live, which is wrong twice over. Note also that whether or not is the full form; if never pairs with or not that way.”

Choose the linker, then statement order; do, does and did disappear.

Scene 3: Act 3: commands take told or asked plus to

“Commands and requests do not use that; they use a to-infinitive. A teacher instructing students uses told plus person plus to; a polite request uses asked plus person plus to; the negative puts not before to. Sit down becomes the teacher told us to sit down, and do not run becomes he told us not to run. Pronouns must follow the speaker: us refers to specific people, so rewrite it as the students or them for the sentence to make sense. The last group is time and place words: today becomes that day, tomorrow becomes the next day, yesterday becomes the day before, here becomes there, this becomes that, and now becomes then. Students who shift the tense but leave the time words produce grammatical nonsense, and that is where most marks leak.”

Commands take told or asked plus to; time and place words change too.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Report a statement	Report: “I am tired,” he said.	(1) Use a saying verb plus that (2) Shift am to was (3) Change I to he (4) Check the full stop	He said that he was tired.
Report a yes/no question	Report: “Do you like tea?” she asked.	(1) Use if or whether (2) Drop do (3) Shift like to liked (4) Use statement order	She asked if I liked tea.
Report a wh- question	Report: “Where does he live?” she asked.	(1) Keep where (2) Drop does (3) Shift live to lived (4) Put the subject before the verb	She asked where he lived.
Report a command	Report: “Do not run,” the teacher told us.	(1) told plus person (2) not to for the negative (3) Base verb (4) Change us to them if needed	The teacher told us not to run.

Sanity check (teach this): Reasonableness checks: (1) say never takes a person directly; say me is wrong, so use tell me or say to me. (2) Reported questions keep no question mark and no inversion; did he is a signal of error. (3) Past simple and present perfect both become past perfect, so had done is acceptable for either. (4) Commands take a to-infinitive; that signals a wrong type. (5) Time words must change with the tense; a surviving today means the answer is unfinished.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Report: “I will call you tomorrow,” she said.	She said that she would call me the next day.	Were will and tomorrow both changed?
Report: “Are you coming?” he asked.	He asked if I was coming.	Was the inversion removed and if used?
Report: “Close the door,” she told him.	She told him to close the door.	Was to used instead of that?

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
person straight after say	“He said me that he was tired.”	say needs to before a person, or use tell plus person.
question order kept	“He asked where did he live.”	Reported questions take statement order and lose did.
that after told for a command	“He told me that close the door.”	Commands take told plus person plus to plus base verb.
time word left unchanged	“She said she would call me tomorrow.”	After reporting, tomorrow becomes the next day.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Reported speech practice, questions 1-4 on this page — Label each item statement, yes/no, wh- or command before rewriting
Prep-guide master index — The same one-step rule extends to advanced reporting verbs
Redo this lesson — Report six lines of a dialogue and list the three kinds of words you changed

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Give three of the seven backshifts.	present to past, present perfect to past perfect, will to would	Any wrong pair means reteach Act 1
Which two linkers report a yes/no question?	if or whether	Missing them means reteach Act 2
What is the pattern for a command?	told or asked plus person plus to or not to plus base verb	Using that means reteach Act 3

09 Tutor FAQ

Can I teach statements only?

No. Question order is a frequent loss in the same paper, so teach all three kinds together and always ask first which kind it is.

How do I stop students forgetting the time words?

Make them underline every time word after rewriting; today, tomorrow and here must be replaced.

Should I add more reporting verbs?

Keep said, told and asked in S3. Admit, deny and suggest belong to S4, once the structures are secure.

Find a tutor — free Tutor Registration →

A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.