Reported Speech, Modals & Prepositional Verbs
Section: Use of English | Syllabus: Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language (0057)
Prepositional Verbs
- A prepositional verb is a verb + preposition that work together to create a specific meaning, often different from the verb alone.
- Common examples: walk away (leave by walking), look after (take care of), look for (search for), listen to, wait for, talk about, run into (meet by chance).
- The preposition usually cannot be swapped without changing the meaning: "look after" (care for) is different from "look for" (search) and "look at" (view).
- Learn prepositional verbs as whole phrases rather than translating word by word — a direct translation often gives the wrong preposition.
Reporting Statements and Commands
- Reported (indirect) speech tells someone what another person said, without using their exact words in quotation marks.
- Reporting a statement: use "said (that)" + subject + verb, usually shifting the tense back one step:
- Direct: "I am tired," she said. → Reported: She said (that) she was tired.
- Direct: "I like pizza," he said. → Reported: He said (that) he liked pizza.
- Reporting a command: use "told" + person + to + base verb:
- Direct: "Close the door," she said. → Reported: She told him to close the door.
- Direct: "Don't run," the teacher said. → Reported: The teacher told them not to run.
- Pronouns often need to change too, to match who is speaking about whom: "I" → "she/he", "my" → "her/his".
The verb shifts one step into the past when a statement becomes reported speech
Worked Example: Reporting a StatementQuestion: Report what Maria said: "I am tired," Maria said.
Step 1 — Choose the reporting structure: "said (that)". Step 2 — Shift the tense back one step: "am" → "was". Step 3 — Change the pronoun to match the speaker being reported: "I" → "she". Answer"Maria said that she was tired."
Modal Verbs: Necessity, Advice and Obligation
- Modal verbs add extra meaning to a main verb, such as necessity, advice or ability. They are followed by the base form of the verb — no "to" and no "-s" for he/she/it.
- needn't — lack of necessity: "You needn't bring an umbrella; it isn't going to rain."
- should / ought to — advice or mild obligation: "You should apologise." "You ought to see a doctor about that."
- Other useful modals: can (ability/permission), must (strong obligation/certainty), might (possibility).
Common Mistakes
MistakeAdding "to" after a modal verb, e.g. "You should to apologise."
FixModal verbs are followed directly by the base verb, with no "to": "You should apologise."
MistakeForgetting to shift the tense back when reporting a statement, e.g. "She said that she is tired."
FixShift the tense back one step in reported speech: "She said that she was tired."
MistakeChanging the preposition in a prepositional verb and losing the intended meaning, e.g. saying "look for" when you mean "take care of."
FixLearn prepositional verbs as whole fixed phrases — changing the preposition changes the meaning: "look after" not "look for."
Worked Example: Choosing the Correct ModalQuestion: Complete the sentence with the most appropriate modal: "You have a bad cough — you ___ see a doctor."
Step 1 — Identify the meaning needed: advice, not strong obligation. Step 2 — Both "should" and "ought to" express advice. Step 3 — Choose "should" + the base verb "see". Answer"You should see a doctor."
Interactive revision notes, videos and practice questions load below.