This module examines how spoken or written words can be reported, transformed, or restructured without changing their original meaning. It is heavily tested in the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination, especially in objective and sentence transformation questions.

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1. DIRECT AND INDIRECT (REPORTED) SPEECH

1.1 Meaning of Direct Speech

Direct speech is the exact words spoken by a speaker. These words are written inside quotation marks and are not changed in any way.

Key Features of Direct Speech

• Uses quotation marks (“ ”)

• The tense remains as spoken

• Often introduced by reporting verbs such as said, asked, shouted, exclaimed

Example Sentences

1. Ama said, “I am preparing for the licensure examination.”

2. The teacher said, “Open your books to page ten.”

3. Kofi asked, “Will you attend the workshop tomorrow?”

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1.2 Meaning of Indirect (Reported) Speech

Indirect speech reports what someone said without using the exact words. Quotation marks are removed, and tense, pronouns, time, and place words are usually changed.

Key Features of Indirect Speech

• No quotation marks

• The sentence is usually introduced by that, if, whether

• Changes occur depending on the tense of the reporting verb

Example Sentences

1. Ama said that she was preparing for the licensure examination.

2. The teacher instructed the pupils to open their books to page ten.

3. Kofi asked whether I would attend the workshop the next day.

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1.3 Rules for Changing Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

(a) Change of Tense

When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the verb in the reported speech usually moves one step back.

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
am/is → was	“I am tired.” → He said he was tired
are → were	“They are ready.” → She said they were ready
has/have → had	“I have finished.” → He said he had finished
will → would	“I will come.” → She said she would come

Examples

1. “I teach English.” → She said that she taught English.

2. “We will write the test.” → They said they would write the test.

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(b) Change of Pronouns

Pronouns change to reflect who is speaking and who is being spoken to.

Examples

1. “I am happy.” → He said he was happy.

2. “We are ready.” → They said they were ready.

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(c) Change of Time and Place Expressions

Direct	Indirect
today	that day
tomorrow	the next day
yesterday	the previous day
now	then
here	there

Examples

1. “I will come tomorrow.” → She said she would come the next day.

2. “The meeting is here.” → He said the meeting was there.

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1.4 Reporting Commands and Requests

Commands are usually reported using to + infinitive.

Examples

1. “Sit down.” → The teacher told the pupils to sit down.

2. “Do not make noise.” → The teacher warned them not to make noise.

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1.5 Reporting Questions

Yes/No questions use if or whether.
Wh-questions retain the question word but become statements.

Examples

1. “Are you ready?” → He asked if I was ready.

2. “Where do you live?” → She asked where I lived.

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2. TAG QUESTIONS

2.1 Meaning of Tag Questions

A tag question is a short question added to the end of a statement to:

• seek confirmation

• express politeness

• encourage response

It consists of an auxiliary verb + pronoun.

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2.2 Rules for Forming Tag Questions

Rule 1: Positive Statement → Negative Tag

Examples

1. She is a teacher, isn’t she?

2. They have finished the work, haven’t they?

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Rule 2: Negative Statement → Positive Tag

Examples

1. He is not late, is he?

2. You don’t like maths, do you?

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Rule 3: Use the Correct Auxiliary Verb

The auxiliary in the tag must match the tense and verb in the statement.

Examples

1. She can teach well, can’t she?

2. They will attend the seminar, won’t they?

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Rule 4: Imperatives

• Positive commands → will you? / won’t you?

• Negative commands → will you?

Examples

1. Close the door, will you?

2. Don’t talk in class, will you?

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2.3 Common Errors in Tag Questions (GTLE Focus)

• Wrong auxiliary

• Wrong pronoun

• Double negatives

Incorrect: She is coming, is she?
Correct: She is coming, isn’t she?

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3. RELATIVE PRONOUNS

3.1 Meaning of Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun introduces a relative clause and refers back to a noun already mentioned (called the antecedent).

Common Relative Pronouns

• who – people (subject)

• whom – people (object)

• whose – possession

• which – animals or things

• that – people or things

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3.2 Uses of Relative Pronouns

(a) WHO

Used for people as the subject of a clause.

Examples

1. The teacher who teaches English is very strict.

2. She is the woman who won the award.

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(b) WHOM

Used for people as the object (formal usage).

Examples

1. The student whom the teacher praised was happy.

2. He is the man whom we invited.

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(c) WHOSE

Shows possession.

Examples

1. This is the teacher whose class performed well.

2. The pupil whose book was missing cried.

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(d) WHICH

Used for animals or things.

Examples

1. The book which I bought is very useful.

2. The school which was built last year is beautiful.

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(e) THAT

Can replace who or which in defining clauses.

Examples

1. The teacher that teaches maths is new.

2. This is the pen that I lost.

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3.3 Defining vs Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Defining Clause

• Gives essential information

• No commas

• Can use that

Example

• The students who passed the exam were happy.

Non-Defining Clause

• Gives extra information

• Uses commas

• Cannot use that

Example

• Ama, who is my sister, is a teacher.

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GTLE EXAM TIPS FOR MODULE 4.2

• Expect sentence transformation questions

• Pay attention to tense and pronoun shifts

• Watch out for tag question polarity

• Choose the correct relative pronoun based on meaning

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