Reported Speech — English Bac Agro

Dans le programme du Bac Agro

English carries a coefficient of 2 in the Bac Sciences Agronomiques stream, level with Philosophy. The stream is built on Mathematics (coefficient 7), then Physics-Chemistry, Life & Earth Sciences and Plant & Animal Sciences (coefficient 5 each). English plays the role of a mark-mover in the average rather than a make-or-break subject, but its themes on the environment and development connect naturally to the stream's science content.

À l'épreuve

Three parts: Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing (about 180 words). The habit of thinking in systems — soil, plant, animal, climate — helps Agro candidates handle essay prompts on sustainable development and the environment, where a concrete, well-chosen example beats a list of vague ones.

Objectifs d'apprentissage

Apply this grammar point accurately in the Language section and in the guided writing of the Bac Agro English exam (coefficient 2)
Apply the backshift of tenses (present → past, past → past perfect, will → would)
Report a yes/no question with if / whether and an open question by keeping the question word
Report an order or a request with tell / ask + object + to + infinitive
Adjust time and place markers (now → then, tomorrow → the next day, here → there)

Notions clés

The tense change (backshift)

present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, past simple → past perfect, present perfect → past perfect, will → would, can → could. E.g. “I am tired.” → She said (that) she was tired.

Reported questions and word order

Word order goes back to that of a statement (subject + verb), with no auxiliary do / does / did; a yes/no question is introduced by if or whether; an open question keeps the question word (what, where, why…). E.g. “Where do you live?” → He asked where I lived.

Orders and marker changes

tell / ask + object + to + infinitive for an order or a request (“Close the door.” → He told me to close the door). Time and place markers also change: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before, here → there, this → that.

Erreurs fréquentes

Forgetting the tense backshift: “She said she is tired” is wrong in classic reported speech — use “She said she was tired”.

Keeping question word order (auxiliary before subject) in a reported question: “He asked where did I live” is wrong — use “He asked where I lived”.

Forgetting to change time markers: reporting “I'll call you tomorrow” without changing tomorrow to the next day distorts the meaning when the report is made on another day.

Exemple corrigé

Énoncé

Put into reported speech: Tom said, “I will finish the project tomorrow.”

Correction

Backshift the modal. will becomes would in reported speech.

Change the time marker. tomorrow becomes the next day, since “today” is no longer the moment of speaking.

Adjust the pronoun. I becomes he (Tom is talking about himself).

Result. “Tom said (that) he would finish the project the next day.”

Le cours, puis l'entraînement.

Orka génère des exercices illimités et des examens blancs corrigés sur tout le programme de Anglais du Bac Agro, avec un suivi de ta progression chapitre par chapitre.

Continue gratuitement sur Orka

3 exercices pour t'entraîner

Exercice 1

Easy

Report: She said, “I am reading a good book.”

Voir la correction

“She said (that) she was reading a good book.” — present continuous → past continuous.

Exercice 2

Medium

Report the question: He asked, “Did you see the movie?”

Voir la correction

“He asked if I had seen the movie.” — yes/no question: if + statement order; did + past simple → had + past participle (backshift).

Exercice 3

Hard

Correct: “The teacher told to the students that they must submit their homework the next day.”

Voir la correction

tell never takes the preposition to before its direct object: “The teacher told the students that they had to submit their homework the next day.” (must becomes had to in classic reported speech).

Va plus loin sur ce chapitre

50+ exercices interactifs sur ce chapitre

Générés et corrigés étape par étape par l’IA, à ton niveau.

Connexion requise

Quiz IA adaptatif

Questions qui s’ajustent automatiquement à tes réussites et erreurs.

Connexion requise

Corrigés d’annales sur ce chapitre

Sujets d’examens nationaux et régionaux déjà tombés.

Connexion requise

Plan de révision personnalisé

Priorise ce chapitre selon ta progression réelle sur toute la filière.

Premium

Flashcards du chapitre

Formules et définitions clés en mode révision rapide.

Premium

Tuteur IA en Darija

Pose tes questions sur ce chapitre et obtiens une explication immédiate.

Premium

Questions fréquentes

Is the backshift always compulsory?

It is expected in Bac writing, except when the reporting verb (say, tell, ask) is in the present (“He says he is tired”) or when the reported fact is a still-valid general truth (“She said the sun rises in the east”).

How do I report an order or a prohibition?

With tell + object + to + infinitive for an order (“He told me to close the door”), and tell + object + not to + infinitive for a prohibition (“He told me not to be late”).

if or whether for a reported yes/no question?

Both are correct and interchangeable for a yes/no question: “He asked if / whether I had seen the movie.” whether is compulsory before or not (“whether or not”).

English is only coefficient 2 in my stream — is it worth revision time?

Yes. A mark in English weighs in the average exactly like a mark in a science subject at coefficient 2, and it is usually easier to raise because it rests on method, not on accumulated knowledge. One organised weekly session — chapter, rule or words, example, short paragraph — is enough.

Is this grammar point actually tested on the Bac Agro English paper?

Yes — in the Language section as gap-fill, sentence-joining or error-correction, and indirectly in Writing, where the same structures decide whether a sentence is marked as accurate. One rule, two examples and one typical mistake per point is enough to cover both.