Now that you know some of the reported speech rules about backshift, let’s learn some exceptions.
There are two situations in which we do NOT need to change the verb tense.
For example, if someone says “I have three children” (direct speech) then we would say “He said he has three children” because the situation continues to be true.
If I tell you “I live in the United States” (direct speech) then you could tell someone else “She said she lives in the United States” (that’s reported speech) because it is still true.
When the situation is still true, then we don’t need to backshift the verb.
But when the situation is NOT still true, then we DO need to backshift the verb.
Imagine your friend says, “I have a headache.”
We also don’t need to backshift to the verb when somebody said something about the future, and the event is still in the future.
Here’s an example:
Let’s look at a different situation:
Quick review:
Those were the rules for reported statements, just regular sentences.
What about reported speech for questions, requests, and orders?
For reported requests, we use “asked (someone) to do something”:
For reported orders, we use “told (someone) to do something:”
The main verb stays in the infinitive with “to”:
For yes/no questions, we use “asked if” and “wanted to know if” in reported speech.
The main verb changes and back shifts according to the rules and exceptions we learned earlier.
Notice that we don’t use do/does/did in the reported question:
For other questions that are not yes/no questions, we use asked/wanted to know (without “if”):
Again, notice that we don’t use do/does/did in reported questions:
Also, in questions with the verb “to be,” the word order changes in the reported question:
Learn more about reported speech:
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I’ve got one last little exercise for you, and that is to write sentences using reported speech. Think about a conversation you’ve had in the past, and write about it – let’s see you put this into practice right away.
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Reported Statements
Here's how it works:
We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. ( Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell' .) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:
We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. (As I'm sure you know, often, we can choose if we want to use 'that' or not in English. I've put it in brackets () to show that it's optional. It's exactly the same if you use 'that' or if you don't use 'that'.)
But , if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:
present simple | I like ice cream | She said (that) she liked ice cream. |
present continuous | I am living in London | She said (that) she was living in London. |
past simple | I bought a car | She said (that) she had bought a car OR She said (that) she bought a car. |
past continuous | I was walking along the street | She said (that) she had been walking along the street. |
present perfect | I haven't seen Julie | She said (that) she hadn't seen Julie. |
past perfect* | I had taken English lessons before | She said (that) she had taken English lessons before. |
will | I'll see you later | She said (that) she would see me later. |
would* | I would help, but... | She said (that) she would help but... |
can | I can speak perfect English | She said (that) she could speak perfect English. |
could* | I could swim when I was four | She said (that) she could swim when she was four. |
shall | I shall come later | She said (that) she would come later. |
should* | I should call my mother | She said (that) she should call her mother |
might* | I might be late | She said (that) she might be late |
must | I must study at the weekend | She said (that) she must study at the weekend OR She said she had to study at the weekend |
* doesn't change.
Click here for a mixed tense exercise about practise reported statements. Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.
Reported Questions
So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?
Where is the Post Office, please? | She asked me where the Post Office was. |
What are you doing? | She asked me what I was doing. |
Who was that fantastic man? | She asked me who that fantastic man had been. |
Do you love me? | He asked me if I loved him. |
Have you ever been to Mexico? | She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico. |
Are you living here? | She asked me if I was living here. |
Click here to practise reported 'wh' questions. Click here to practise reported 'yes / no' questions. Reported Requests
There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:
Please help me. | She asked me to help her. |
Please don't smoke. | She asked me not to smoke. |
Could you bring my book tonight? | She asked me to bring her book that night. |
Could you pass the milk, please? | She asked me to pass the milk. |
Would you mind coming early tomorrow? | She asked me to come early the next day. |
Reported Orders
Go to bed! | He told the child to go to bed. |
Don't worry! | He told her not to worry. |
Be on time! | He told me to be on time. |
Don't smoke! | He told us not to smoke. |
now | then / at that time |
today | yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June |
yesterday | the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of December |
last night | the night before, Thursday night |
last week | the week before / the previous week |
tomorrow | today / the next day / the following day / Friday |
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If we want to say what somebody has said, we basically have two options:
direct speech (exact words) | reported speech (my words) |
---|---|
He said: "I love you." | He said that he loved me. |
In this lesson we learn about reported speech , the structure that we use when we report what another person has said, and reported speech rules.
Now we will look at:
Reported speech is called "indirect speech" by some people. Other people regard reported speech simply as one form of indirect speech. Other forms are, for example:
EnglishPost.org
Reported speech (Indirect Speech) is how we represent the speech of other people or what we ourselves say.
Reported Speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words
The structure of the independent clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question, or a command.
Statement | She told me she was sick |
Question | He asked me whether I was sick or not |
Command | They ordered us to take a pill every day |
Table of Contents
Present tenses and reported speech, past tenses and reported speech, reported speech examples, reported speech and the simple present, reported speech and present continuous, reported speech and the simple past, reported speech and the past continuous, reported speech and the present perfect, reported speech and the past perfect, reported speech and ‘ can ’ and ‘can’t’, reported speech and ‘ will ’ and ‘ won’t ’, reported speech and could and couldn’t, reported speech and the future continuous, reported questions exercises online.
To turn sentences into Indirect Speech, you have to follow a set of rules and this is what makes reported speech difficult for some.
To make reported speech sentences, you need to manage English tenses well.
These are some examples of sentences using indirect speech
The present simple tense usually changes to the past simple
He said that he travelled a lot in his job | |
I play video games a lot | She said that he played video games a lot |
We run every morning | They said that they ran every morning |
I do yoga every weekend | She said that he did yoga every weekend |
The present continuous tense usually changes to the past continuous.
She said that her mom was cooking | |
My brother is watching TV | He said that his brother was watching TV |
My family is eating dinner | She said that her family was eating dinner |
I am doing Yoga | She said that she was doing yoga |
The past simple tense usually changes to the past perfect
My mom cooked dinner | She said that her mom had cooked dinner |
My brother watched a movie | He said that his brother had watched a movie |
My family just ate dinner | She said that her family just had eaten dinner |
I really enjoyed the party | |
Bill on Saturday | He said that Bill on Saturday |
The past continuous tense usually changes to the past perfect continuous.
She said that her mom had been cooking dinner | |
My brother was watching a movie | He said that his brother had been watching a movie |
My family was talking in the room | She said that her family had been talking in the room |
Derek was doing Yoga | She said that Derek was doing Yoga |
The present perfect tense usually changes to the past perfect tense
My mom has been kind | She said that her mom had always been kind |
My brother has worked hard | He said that his brother had worked hard |
My girlfriend has contributed a lot | He said that his girlfriend has contributed a lot |
My family has always helped | She said that her family had always helped |
The past perfect tense does not change
My mom had been kind | She said that her mom had always been kind |
My brother had worked hard | He said that his brother had worked hard |
He has played very well | He said that he had played very well |
My family had always helped | She said that her family had always helped |
‘ Can ’ and ‘can’t’ in direct speech change to ‘ could ’ and ‘ couldn’t ’
She said that her mom couldn’t remember his name | |
My brother can play soccer well | He said that his brother could play soccer well |
My family can help you a lot | She said that her family could help me a lot |
My mom can lend me money | She said that she could lend me money |
‘ Will ’ and ‘ won’t ’ in direct speech change to ‘ would ’ and ‘ wouldn’t ’
to my wedding | She said that her mom to her wedding |
My brother in my team | He said that his brother in her team |
My family me with some money | She said that her family her with some money |
She to Europe | She said that she to Europe |
Could and couldn’t doesn’t change
go to the wedding | She said that her mom go to the wedding |
My brother be in your team | He said that his brother be in your team |
My family help me out | She said that her family help me out |
Will ’ and ‘ won’t ’ in direct speech change to ‘ would ’ and ‘ wouldn’t ’
peech | |
the car next Friday | She said that she the car next Friday |
home | He said that he home |
I g in Norway | He said that he in Norway |
I exercises | He said that he exercises |
These are some online exercises to learn more about reported questions
Manuel Campos
I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English
Speech can be direct and indirect, or reported.
When you express your thought orally or in writing, it is direct speech. We usually put it in quotes.
When you communicate what someone else said, it is reported speech.
Sue: "I am hungry."
Sue says (that) she is hungry.
To transfer a positive or a negative sentence to reported speech, we need two parts:
Pay attention
In the reported speech, we must replace the pronouns. Otherwise, we won't keep the meaning.
Mary: "I am glad to help you!"
Mary says she is glad to help me . BUT NOT Mary says I am glad to help you.
You should also be careful with time indicators (today, now, next week etc.) not to lose the idea of the original direct statement.
The word that can be used or left out, both options are correct.
When we have a sentence that consists of the main and the dependent part we need to be careful with the verb tenses. The tense in the main part affects the tense in the dependent part. This is called backshifting.
If the main part is in the present simple (e.g., "she says...", "he tells me..."), the dependent part remains unchanged.
John: "I have just got up."
John says he has just got up. "Says" is the present simple → no backshifting
If the main part is in the past simple, we have to do the backshifting. Its basic principle is that the past simple in the main part "pushes" the tense of the dependent part one step back in time. This way we balance both parts of the sentence.
tense | changes to | direct speech | he said... |
---|---|---|---|
present simple → | past simple | I don't have a pen | He he a pen |
present continuous → | past continuous | I am having a shower | He he a shower |
present perfect → | past perfect | I haven't finished yet | He said he yet |
past simple → | past perfect OR doesn't change | I didn't like the film | He said he hadn't liked the film OR He said he didn't like the film |
past continuous → | past perfect continuous | I was reading a book | He said he a book |
will → | would | I will help you | He said he me |
can → | could | I can ride a horse | He said he a horse |
You can view the topic ' reported statements ' with an explanation and exercises.
If the direct question began with a question word (when, what, how, why and so on), then in the reported speech:
"Why did you leave the door open?" → She asked me why I had left the door open.
"Where have you been?" → She asked me where I had been.
If the direct question didn't have a question word (it was a yes/no question), we add the word "if" to transform it into reported speech. The rules of backshifting are the same.
"Will it rain tomorrow?" → They wanted to know if it would rain the next day.
"Can I lend your pen for a second?" → I asked if I could lend his pen for a second.
You can also view the topic ' reported questions ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.
If we want to transform somebody's demand or request into reported speech, we say:
If the imperative was negative (don't go, don't do), we put "not" before "to": tell somebody not to do something.
"Do not cross the red line, please!" → The officer told us not to cross the red line.
"Could you put the flowers in the vase, please?" → She asked me to put the flowers in the vase.
You can also view the topic ' reported requests & demands ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.
Sometimes we may wish to report the words of others. In fact, this is quite a regular occurrence in any language.
There are two ways to do this: reported (indirect) speech, and direct speech.
Here’s how they work.
As the name would suggest, direct speech is when you directly report the words of another person.
“I’ll see you at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said.
Direct speech can always be identified in written speech through the use of speech marks (sometimes known as quotation marks). Please note that single or double marks can be used depending on the habit of the individual user.
Direct speech is the easier of the two options because it does not involve any grammatical or structural changes to the original sentence.
Reported speech involves grammatical, and sometimes structural, changes.
Here is an example of the same sentence as above but this time delivered in reported speech.
“I’ll see you at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said. (direct speech)
He said (that) he would see me at the meeting today. (reported/indirect speech)
Aa can be seen, considerable changes have been made to the original sentence. First of all, the speech marks have been removed. Next, we must consider the verb tense used. Fortunately, the rules covering this are written in stone:
1) Present simple | Past simple |
2) Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
3) Present continuous | Past continuous |
4) Past simple | Past Perfect |
5) Past continuous | Past perfect continuous |
6) Past perfect | Past perfect (no change) |
7) Past perfect continuous | Past perfect continuous (no change) |
8) Future simple (will) | Would |
9) Can | Could |
10)All other Modal Verbs (might/may/could/should/would) | No change |
As can be seen from the above table, the original verb tense must be adapted accordingly. Let us look at the original examples once more:
The verb tense in the original, direct speech sentence (‘will’) has been adapted to ‘would’ as necessary. This reflects the difference in time between when the comment was originally made, and when it was reported.
This fact is made most obviously clear when the present tense is adapted to the past, as follows:
“I want to talk to you,” she said.
She said that she wanted to talk to me.
As is dictated, ‘want’ has become wanted’ because the request is now clearly in the past.
Please note that, on some occasions, adapting the present tense to the past tense may not be necessary. For example:
“I like pizza,” she said.
She said she likes/liked pizza.
Because we can assume the state to still be true, the present tense is also correct in the reported sentence.
Let us look once more at the original pair of sentences:
As well as the verb tense, both the subject and object have been adapted, and so has the time expression.
Of course, these amendments are all relative. Who was talking to who, and what is the time relationship between when the original sentence was communicated, and when it was reported? Always bear in mind these considerations when using reported speech.
Questions are a little bit different, and must be adapted in their own unique way. Generally speaking, there are two types of questions, and each must be considered separately.
The first question is an ‘information’ question, requiring some kind of specific detail in the answer. The second question, meanwhile, is quite simply a ‘yes/no’ question, where detail is optional.
Here are the changes that must be made to each question in reported (indirect) speech
In the ‘information’ question, the original sentence must be restructured so it is now no longer a question, but an affirmative statement. That is because, when reported, it is no longer a question. The verb tense should also be adapted as per the rules with all reported speech transitions.
In the ‘yes/no’ question, the sentence must also be adapted, with the word ‘if’ (or ‘whether’) replacing the auxiliary. Again, the verb tense must be changed accordingly.
In the examples in this article we have included the classic reporting verbs ‘said’ and ‘asked’. ‘Tell’ is another classic.
In truth, these verbs are incredibly uninformative. In reality, they tell us nothing about the emotion or feeling of what was communicated.
Therefore, it is better to run through the many options of reporting verbs we have at our disposal to select an option which best describes the sentiment of the words. Of course, in formal or business English you may want to stay with the neutral words of ‘say’, ‘ask’ and ‘tell’, but to be a little more descriptive, why not check out some of these options:
There are almost countless others. Give your language more color by choosing something more descriptive.
And don’t forget, the Linguix AI-powered writing assistant can provide you not only with the grammatical and structural amendments that you need to be correct in your writing, but can also be used to adapt your style so it is suitable to your audience. Get lists of synonyms to help you identify the perfect word, too.
How to use reported speech.
If you have a sentence in Direct Speech, try to follow our 5 steps to put the sentence into Reported Speech..
Mind the type of sentences when you use Reported Speech. There is more detailed information on the following pages.
If you use Reported Speech there are mostly two main differences.
The introductory sentence in Reported Speech can be in the Present or in the Past .
If the introductory sentences is in the Simple Present, there is no backshift of tenses.
If there is a pronoun in Direct Speech, it has possibly to be changed in Reported Speech, depending on the siutation.
Here I is changed to she .
If there is backshift of tenses in Reported Speech, the tenses are shifted the following way.
Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
---|---|
Simple forms | |
Simple Present | Simple Past |
Simple Past | Past Perfect |
Present Perfect | |
Past Perfect | |
will | would |
Progressive forms | |
am/are/is | was/were |
was/were | had been |
has been | |
had been |
If there is an expression of time/place in the sentence, it may be changed, depending on the situation.
Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
---|---|
this evening | that evening |
today/this day | that day |
these days | those days |
now | then |
a week ago | a week before |
last weekend | the weekend before / the previous weekend |
next week | the following week |
tomorrow | the next/following day |
here | there |
In some cases backshift of tenses is not necessary, e.g. when statements are still true. Backshift of tenses is never wrong.
when you use general statements.
* The word that is optional, that is the reason why we put it in brackets.
Definition of reported speech noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Questions about grammar and vocabulary?
Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.
Nearby words.
When we are finding out how to learn English grammar online, the way to present spoken words as reported or direct speech is an important skill to acquire. Reported speech is sometimes called indirect speech, to contrast with direct speech.
Although this piece is mainly focussed on reported speech, in order to understand this fully a good knowledge of how to write direct speech is really important.
Direct speech refers to the actual words that are spoken by a person, or character, in a story . We have rules to show this.
There are many rules and conventions of punctuating direct speech (sometimes called dialogue):
Speech Marks : The actual words spoken appear between speech marks (it does not matter whether these are single or double, as long as the writer is consistent). All other punctuation appears within the speech marks.
‘How do you feel today?’ I asked.
End of dialogue : Often, when writing direct speech, the speaker will be identified with something like he said , or cried Joan . If this comes after a piece of direct speech, then that direct speech will usually end with a comma, although it can use a question mark, ellipses or exclamation mark, but not a full stop.
Sentences: Direct speech is considered a sentence within its own right, and is punctuated accordingly.
Paragraphing: Every time there is a change of speaker there should be a new paragraph. Normally, unless just a few words are being spoken, direct speech should begin a new paragraph.
Reported Speech
However, often a writer simply wants to carry the gist, or meaning, of the actual words a person uses . This is when indirect speech comes into play. Not only is this punctuated differently (none of the rules specific to direct speech apply – reported speech is punctuated as normal prose), but sometimes the tense of verb forms can change.
In reported speech tenses, pronouns and adverbial phrases often (but not always) change. The tables and examples below illustrate this. Firstly, we look at tense.
Direct speech
‘I regularly exercise,’ he said.
He said that he exercises regularly.
Present Continuous
‘I am repairing the car,’ said John.
John said that he was repairing the car.
‘He ate his dinner,’ said Mum.
Mum said that he had eaten his dinner.
Present Perfect
‘I have been shopping,’ said my wife.
My wife told me that she had been shopping.
Past Perfect
‘I just finished the test,’ said the boy.
The boy said that he had just finished the test.
Present Perfect Continuous
They stuttered, ‘We have been waiting for your call.’
They stuttered that they had been waiting for her call.
Past Continuous
‘I was working,’ he explained.
He explained that he had been working .
‘I will be paying in my salary on Tuesday,’ he said.
He said that he would be paying in his salary on Tuesday.
Future Continuous
‘I’ll be visiting on Thursday,’ she explained.
She explained that she would be visiting on Thursday.
Next we will consider how pronouns can be changed when shifting from direct to reported speech. There are rules to remember. They are complex, but can soon be learned.
First Person Pronoun – we, I, me, mine, us, our
If we are talking about a third person pronoun (for example: she, it, he, their etc) then the pronoun changes.
‘I love football,’ he told me. He told me that he loves football.
If we are talking about another first person then the pronoun, then the pronoun does not change.
I said, ‘I love football.’ I said that I love football.
Second Person Pronoun – you, yours
The pronoun changes to fit with the object of the sentence.
She said to me, ‘You are my hero!’ She said to me that I was her hero. ‘You are my hero,’ she said to him. She said to him that he was her hero.
Third Person Pronoun – she, he, it, they, his, him, them, his
The pronoun is not changed when direct speech is switched to reported speech.
‘It will fall over,’ he said. He said that it would fall over.
Adverb is direct speech
Adverb in reported speech
**This ** He said, ‘I like this.’
**That ** He said that he liked that.
**These ** ‘How much are these?’ he asked.
**Those ** He asked how much those were.
**Here ** ‘Here it is!’ she shouted.
**There ** She shouted that it was there.
**Now ** ‘I want it now,’ screamed the child.
**Then ** The child screamed that he wanted it then.
**Today ** ‘It will arrive today,’ said the postman.
**That day ** The postman said that it would arrive that day.
**Yesterday ** ‘I was upset yesterday,’ said Bill.
**The previous day, the day before ** Bill said that he had been upset the day before.
**Tomorrow **‘I will tell you tomorrow,’ promised Fred.
**The next day **Fred promised that he would tell me the next day.
**Ago **‘It happened long ago,’ said the T Rex.
**Before **The T Rex said that it had happened long before.
These rules can seem confusing, but a good way to practice them is to take direct speech from a book, or from a quote in a newspaper, and try putting it into reported speech. The rules in this article can then be used to check that you have the right idea.
Similar article: Ten Top Study Tips for Passing Your English Exams
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Reported Speech: Reported Speech or also known as indirect speech, is typically used to convey what has been said by someone at a particular point of time. However, owing to the nuances of the systems involved, English grammar may be a complicated language to learn and understand. But once you get hold of the grammar fundamentals , you can be a pro. It’s these fundamentals that will help you create a solid base. The rest of the journey becomes much easier once you get a good grip on the english grammar for competitive exams . So, today, we’re going to talk about one of those basics that is an important part of English grammar, i.e., Reported Speech with multiple definition, usage with examples and numerous practise exercicses.
What is reported speech, definition of reported speech, reported speech rules, rules for modal verbs, rules for pronouns, rules for change in tenses, rules for changing statements into reported speech, rules for changing interrogative sentences into reported speech, rules for changing commands and requests into indirect speech, tips to practise reported speech, fun exercises for reported speech with answers.
When we use the exact words spoken by someone, it is known as Direct Speech or Reported Speech. Reporting speech is a way to effectivley communication something that has been spoken, usually in the past, by the speaker. It is also possible to describe it from the speaker’s perspective from the third person. Since you are only communicating the message and are not repeating the speaker’s exact words, you do not need to use quotation marks while using this type of speaking.
For example: Rita said to Seema, “ I am going to bake a cake ”
Here we are using the exact words spoken by Rita, however, reported or Indirect speech is used when we are reporting something said by someone else but we do not use the exact words. So, we use this form of speech to talk about the past. For example:
Rita told Seema that she was going to bake a cake
In this case, we haven’t used the exact words of Rita but conveyed her message.
Difference Between Reporting Clause and Reported Speech
The words that come before the inverted commas are known as the reporting clause, in the example given above, the reporting clause will be – Rita said to Seema, where ‘said’ is the verb and is known as the reporting clause/verb . The words written within the inverted commas are known as the Reported speech, in the above example, the reported speech is “I am going to bake a cake” .
Also Read: 55+ Phrases with Meaning to Boost Your Vocabulary
Here are some common definitions of reported speech for your reference:
➡️ An Oxford Learner’s Dictionary definition of reported speech is “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.”
➡️ Reporter speech is described as “speech which tells you what someone said but does not use the person’s actual words” by the Collins Dictionary.
➡️ “The act of reporting something that was said, but not using the same words,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary.
➡️ Reported speech is defined as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said” by the Macmillan Dictionary.
Also Read: Adjective: Definition, Usage, Example, Forms, Types
Now let us take a look at the rules for changing direct speech to indirect or reported speech –
➡️ First and foremost, we do not use inverted commas in reported speech which must be clear from the example given above.
➡️ We use conjunctions like ‘if’, and ‘whether’ after the reporting verb in reported speech
➡️ The reporting verb’s tense is never altered.
➡️ The verb of reporting varies according to sense: it can be told, inquired, asked, etc.
For example: Direct : Mohan said to Sohan, “I am going to school” Reported : Mohan told Sohan that he is going to school
Also Read: Useful Idioms for IELTS Exams That Will Boost Your Score
Modal words are used to show a sense of possibility, intent, necessity or ability. Some common examples of verbs can include should, can and must. These words are used to express hypothetical conditions. Check the table of contents below for rules with examples of modal verbs.
this | that |
there | those |
now | then |
Here | There |
today | That day |
tomorrow | The next day |
yesterday | The previous day |
last night | The previous night |
can | Could |
may | Might |
shall | Should |
will | Would |
ago | Before |
just | Then |
come | Go |
Also Read: Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises With Answers for Class 12
Listed below are some common rules followed in pronouns using reported speech:
✏️ We change the first-person pronouns (I, my, us, our, me, we) as per the subject of the reporting verb in the reported speech. ✏️ We change the second-person pronouns (you, your, yourself) as per the object of the reporting verb in the reported speech. ✏️ There is no change in the third-person pronouns.
I | He, she |
We | They |
Me | Him, her |
Us | Them |
My | His, her |
You | He, she, they |
Our | Their |
Your | His, her, their |
Mine | His, hers |
Ours | Theirs |
You | Him, her, them |
Yours | His, hers, theirs |
For example:
Direct : Rita said, “I like the book.” Reported : Rita said that she likes the book.
Direct : Arun said to me, “Do you like to eat cakes?” Reported : Arun asked me if I liked eating cakes.
Direct : Ravi said, “I enjoy fishing.” Reported : Ravi said that he enjoys fishing.
Also Read: Reported Speech Interrogative: Rules, Examples & Exercise
Here are some common ruled used for change in tenses:
✏️ The tense of the reported speech is not changed if the reporting verb is in the present or the future tense. ✏️ If a historical fact, a universal reality or a habitual fact is conveyed in a direct speech. The indirect speech tense will not change. ✏️ If the reporting verb is in the past tense, then it will change the tense of the reported speech as follows:
Simple Present Sheela said, “I wash clothes.” | Simple Past Sheela said she washed clothes |
Present Continuous Sheela said, “I am washing clothes.” | Past continuous Sheela said that she was washing clothes. |
Present Perfect Sheela said, “I have washed clothes.” | Past Perfect Sheela said that she has washed clothes. |
Simple Past Sheela said, “I washed clothes.” | Past Perfect Sheela said that she has washed clothes. |
Past Continuous Sheela said, “I was washing clothes.” | Past Perfect Continuous Sheela said she had been washing clothes. |
Direct : Reema says, “I am going out.” Reported : Reema says that she is going out.
Direct : Ramesh said, “Honesty is the best policy.” Reported : Ramesh said that honesty is the best policy.
Direct : Vishnu said that, “India gained independence in 1947.” Reported : Vishnu said that India gained independence in 1947.
Direct : Akshat will say, “I want a slice of cake.” Reported : Akshat will say that he wants a slice of cake.
Direct : Reena said, “I am writing a novel.” Reported : Reena said that she was writing a novel.
Direct : Ayushi said, “I was working on my project.” Reported : Ayushi said that she had been working on her project.
Also Read: Exploring the Types of Reported Speech: A Complete Guide
Here are some common rules for changing statements into reported speech:
✏️ The “said to” reporting verb is changed to “told,” “replied,” “remarked,” ✏️ We do not change the object i.e., the reporting verb is not followed by an object. ✏️ We drop the inverted commas and use a conjunction to join the reporting clause and speech/ ✏️ The laws are followed for the changing of pronouns, tenses, etc.
Direct: Ramu said, “I saw a lion in the forest.” Indirect: Ramu said that he had seen a lion in the forest.
Direct : Satish said to me, “I am very happy here.” Indirect : Satish told me that he was very happy there.
Direct : He said, “I can do this work.” Indirect: He said that he could do that work.
50 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech Interrogative Sentences
Here are some common rules followed for changing interrogative sentences into reported speech:
✏️ The reporting verb “say” is transformed into “ask, inquire,” ✏️ By inserting the subject before the verb, the interrogative clause is converted into a declaration and the full stop is inserted at the end of the sentence. ✏️ The wh-word is repeated in the sentence if the interrogative sentence has a wh-word (who, where, where, how, why, etc). This works as a conjunction. ✏️ If the asking phrase is a yes-no answer style phrase (with auxiliary verbs are, were, were, do, did, have, shall, etc.), then if or whether is used as a conjunction. ✏️ In the reported speech, the auxiliaries do, did, does drop in a positive question. ✏️ The conjunction after the reporting clause is not used.
Direct: I said to him, “Where are you going?” Indirect: Tasked him where he was going.
Direct: He said to me, “Will you go there?” Indirect: He asked me if I would go there.
Direct: My friend said to Deepak, “Have you ever been to Agra?” Indirect: My friend asked Deepak if he had ever been to Agra.
How to Change Sentences into Indirect Speech
The reporting verb is changed into command, order, say, enable, submit, etc. in imperative sentences that have commands.
✏️ By positioning it before the verb, the imperative mood is converted into the infinitive mood. The auxiliary ‘do’ is dropped in the case of negative sentences, and ‘to’ is substituted after ‘not
Direct: She said to me, “Open the window.” Indirect: She ordered me to open the window.
Direct: The captain said to the soldiers, “Attack the enemy.” Indirect: The captain commanded the soldiers to attack the enemy.
Direct: I said to him, “Leave this place at once.” Indirect: I told him to leave that place at once.
Also Read: Direct And Indirect Speech Questions
Indirect speech, sometimes referred to as reported speech, is used to communicate ideas without directly quoting another person. The following advice will help you become proficient in reported speech:
👉 Understand the Basics : Ensure you have a solid understanding of direct speech (quoting exact words) before moving on to reported speech.
👉 Identify Reporting Verbs : Recognize common reporting verbs such as “say,” “tell,” “ask,” “inform,” etc. These verbs are often used to introduce reported speech.
👉 Practice with Various Tenses : Work on reported speech with different tenses (present, past, future) to become comfortable with each.
👉 Use Reporting Words Appropriately : Experiment with different reporting words to convey the speaker’s attitude or emotion accurately. For example, “complain,” “admit,” “suggest.”
👉 Write Dialogues : Create dialogues and convert them into reported speech. This will help you practice both creating and transforming speech.
👉 Use Authentic Materials : Practice reported speech by reading books, articles, or watching videos. Try to convert the direct speech in these materials into reported speech.
Here are a few exercises for reported speech along with answers:
Change the following sentences from direct speech to reported speech.
Reported Speech Exercises For Class 9
Combine the following sentences into reported speech.
Transform the sentences into reported speech.
Direct And Indirect Speech Questions: Comprehensive Guide with Examples
Reporting speech is the way we present our own or other people’s words. Direct speech and indirect speech are the two primary categories of reported speech. Direct communication restates the speaker’s precise words or their words as we recall them: “I didn’t realize it was midnight,” Barbara remarked.
The speech that is being reported may be declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, or imperative.
Quote marks are not used when putting the speaker’s words or ideas into a sentence in reported speech. Typically, noun clauses are employed. When reading a reported speech, the reader should not assume that the words are exactly what the speaker said; frequently, they are paraphrased.
The reported speech can be Assertive/Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, and Exclamatory.
We hope that this blog helped you learn about the basics of Reported Speech. Planning for English proficiency exams like IELTS or TOEFL ? Our Leverage Edu experts are here to guide you through your exam preparation with the best guidance, study materials and online classes! Sign up for a free demo with us now!
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Reported speech (also known as indirect speech) is when we report what somebody has said. Native speakers use reported speech very often.
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Examples of reported speech, translations of reported speech.
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Definition :.
In order to report a dialogue, one should be well-versed in changing sentences from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech . Of course, we need not reproduce the actual words of the speaker exactly. We are more concerned with the sense of the utterance than in the literal repetition of the words. The following guidelines will help you to refresh what you have studied about the transformation of sentences from Direct to Indirect Speech.
Statements : When the utterance of the speaker is a statement we use the reporting verbs - say, tell. The conjunction used is - that . In order to preserve the original tone of the speaker ‘say’ or ‘tell’ can be replaced with:- suggest, agree, mutter, admit, insist, whisper, boast, state, remark, claim, object, protest, etc.
There are several differences between a sentence with direct speech and a sentence with indirect speech.
Dialogue | Reported form |
---|---|
He said, I can speak four language . | He boasted that he could speak four languages. |
Some more examples .
Dialogue | Reported form |
---|---|
“Let’s go out for a walk,” | She suggested going out for a walk. |
“That mobile is mine”, | He claimed that that mobile was him. |
“Yes, I took the mobile”, | He admitted that he had taken the mobile. |
“You can’t arrest me”, | He protested that they could not arrest him. |
“You shouldn’t take my laptop” | He objected that I shouldn’t take his atlas. |
We can replace ‘ tell ’ with the following verbs suited to the context: complained, stammered, sneered, snapped, explained, declared, announced, groaned, promised, gasped, conceded, etc.
Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
---|---|
The boy said to his friend, “I am waiting for you here now.” | The boy told his friend that he was waiting for him there then. |
Changes to be noted:
Kinds | Dialogue | Reporting |
---|---|---|
Reporting Verb | said to | told |
Pronouns | I | he |
you | him | |
Tense | am waiting | was waiting |
Place Concept | here | there |
Time Concept | now | then |
A. pronouns:.
Direct Speech | Indirect Speech (Reported Speech) |
---|---|
I, you | he, she, it |
my, mine, your, yours | his, her, hers, its |
we | they |
our, ours | their, theirs |
us | them |
Direct Speech (speaker’s words) | Indirect Speech (Reporter or Listener) |
---|---|
am, is, are | was, were |
make, makes | made |
am / is / are eating | was / were eating |
will / can / may eat | would / could / might eat |
has, have | had |
has / have eaten | had eaten |
Direct Speech (speaker’s words) | Indirect Speech (Reporter or Listener) |
was / were | had been |
ate | had eaten |
was / were eating | had been eating |
Direct Speech | Indirect Speech (Reported Speech) |
---|---|
now | then |
today | that day |
tonight | that night |
yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
tomorrow | the next / following day |
the day before yesterday | two days before |
the day after tomorrow | in two days |
last week | the previous week or the week before |
last month | the previous month or the month before |
last year | the previous year or the year before |
next week / month / year | the following week / month / year |
a week / month | a week / month |
last night | the previous night |
here | there |
this / it | that |
these | those |
thus | so |
ago | before |
Kind of Sentences | Reporting Verbs | Conjunctions |
---|---|---|
Statement | said, told, suggested, admitted, remarked | that |
Direct Speech | Rosy said, “I have a habit of reding before I go to bed”. |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Rosy said that she had a habit of reading before she went to bed. |
Direct Speech | David said, ‘Here is the pen I borrowed yesterday, John.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | David said to John that there was the pen he had borrowed the previous day. |
In reported speech people often leave out the conjunction that .
Reported Speech |
---|
Sarah said that she felt ill. |
Malika said that she couldn’t find her pendrive |
Peter said that David was hitting him. |
Direct Speech | Sarah says, “I kids”. |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Sarah says that she kids. |
Direct Speech | Mohan said, “I written a novel”. |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Mohan said that he written a novel. |
Direct Speech | She said, “I the dentist next week”. |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | She said that she the dentist the following week. |
Direct Speech | She said, “When I in a village I faced a lot of hardships”. |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | She said that when she in a village she faced a lot of hardships. (Don’t use had lived / had been living) |
Direct Speech | She said, “I wish I an angel.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | She said that she wished she an angel. (Don’t use had been) |
Direct Speech | He said, “I starve than beg.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | He said that he starve than beg. |
Direct Speech | He said, “If won the election I would become a minister.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | He said that if he won the election he would become a minister. |
Direct Speech | He said, “Habit is a second nature.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | He said that habit is a second nature. |
Likewise a comment clause (parenthesis) is left out
you see, as you know, to tell you frankly etc. |
Well, very well, now, so etc.
The teacher asked the children to lision to him. (now left out) |
Direct Speech | My neighbour said, “My guests arrived last evening. They are staying with us today. They will be leaving early tomorrow morning.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | My neighbour told me that her guests had arrived the previous evening they were staying with them that day they would be leaving early the following morning. |
Sentence with the same concept should be joined with ‘and’ but when there is a contract use ‘but’.
A. the reporting verbs for questions are:.
Kind of Sentences | Reporting Verbs | Conjunctions |
---|---|---|
Questions (1) W/H type | asked, enquired, wanted to know | if / whether |
Questions (2) Verbal | asked, enquired, wanted |
if / whether |
Direct Speech | My friend said, “Are they coming with us?” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | My friend asked me whether they were coming with us. |
Direct Speech | I said, “Were they angry with you?” |
Indirect Speech | I asked him whether they had been angry with him. |
Direct Speech | Sarah to her mother, “Can the milkman milk in heavy rain?” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Sarah asked her mother if the milkman could bring milk in that heavy rain. |
When using; do, does (present tense) - the main verb converts into the past (does / do go -> went) did (past tense) - the main verb converts into past perfect. (did go -> had gone)
Direct Speech | “Does David study late at night?” Sonia. |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Sonia me David studied late at night. |
Direct Speech | Jems ,“Do college students cellphones?” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Jems college students used cellphones. |
“Is he here?” | Whether he was there |
These questions begin with a question word ( Who, What, When, Why, Where, How, How long ... ). While changing such a question into reported form we do not use any conjunction. We simply invert the word order (Verb + Subject is changed into Subject + Verb). Do not use if/whether in W/h Questions .
Verb + Subject | She said to me, “What do you want?” |
Subject + Verb | She asked me what I wanted. |
Direct Speech | My neighbour , “when did the men the stray dogs” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | My neighbour when the men the stray dogs. |
Direct Speech | My friend , “Which colour you choose?” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | My fiend me which colour ? |
Direct Speech | Father to mother, “Why was Angelina when she from school?” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | father asked mother why Angelina crying when she from school. |
These are questions begining with a verb. ( Are you ready? Is it true? ) Here we use the conjunction ‘ if’ or ‘whether ’. The word order is changed as mentioned earlier.
Verb + Subject | She said to me, “Is Tom at home?” |
Subject + Verb | Sh asked me if Tom was at home. |
To report a command we can use a number of verbs
Kind of Sentences | Reporting Verbs | Conjunctions |
---|---|---|
Commands & Requests | told, asked, requested, warned, advised, instructed, ordered | to - not to |
We use the conjunction ‘ to ’ . When the command is a negative one beginning with “Don’t” we change it to ‘not to’ .
Direct Speech | The Captain , “Get ready to board the ship.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | The Captain his sailors ready to board the ship. |
Direct Speech | Teacher to Jems, “Get out” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Teacher Jems out. |
Direct Speech | The Judge to the culprit, “Tell me the truth.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | The Judge the culprit the truth. |
Direct Speech | Headmaster to the students, “ copy in the examination”. |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Headmaster the students in the examination. |
Please - requested + whom + to + v
Direct Speech | The teacher sa id, “Please improve your knowledge.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | The teacher the student to his knowledge. |
Direct Speech | Robert to me, “Please post letters”. |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Robert me to post letters. |
Direct Speech | Mother , “Please keep your room neat.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Mother me to keep my room neat. |
Exclamations can be reported with adverbs of manner.
Kind of Sentences | Reporting Verbs | Conjunctions |
---|---|---|
Exclamations | exclaimed with joy / exclaimed with sorrow | that |
a) Reporting Verb: exclaimed with (emotion) b) The exclamation should be changed into a statement. c) Use suitable emotions to the exclamation.
Direct Speech | Rosy said to David, “How wonderfully you sang!” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | Rosy with happiness that David had sung wonderfully. |
Direct Speech | The foreigner said, “What a man Obama is!.” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | The foreigner in wonder that Obama a man. |
Direct Speech | John said, “That I should see you here!” |
---|---|
Indirect Speech | John to see . |
Alas!- exclaimed with sadness / regret / disappoinment. | |
---|---|
Direct Speech | The reporter said, “Alas! Many lives due to tsunami” |
Indirect Speech | The reporter sadly that many lives due to tsunami. |
May you!- blesses / wished. | |
---|---|
Direct Speech | The grandmother said, “May with success wherever ” |
Indirect Speech | The grandmother blessed her grandson that he with success wherever he . |
Don’t / never - warned or forbade. (when using forbid do not use negatives) | |
---|---|
Direct Speech | Father said, “Shakshi, don’t play in dirty water!” |
Indirect Speech | Father his daughter Sakshi to in dirty water. |
O God! - called upon God with regret / sadness / disappointment. | |
---|---|
Direct Speech | The beggar said, “O God! I have been cheated”. |
Indirect Speech | The beggar called upon God that he . |
What are idioms? Idioms can be defined as a group of words having a meaning different from the individual meanings of each word in the group.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message. Q2.
Reported speech: She said she was going to the store then. In this example, the pronoun "I" is changed to "she" and the adverb "now" is changed to "then.". 2. Change the tense: In reported speech, you usually need to change the tense of the verb to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here's an example:
For example: Direct speech: I dislike fried chicken. Reported speech: She said she disliked fried chicken. Note how the main verb in the reported statement is also in the past tense verb form. Use the simple present tense in your indirect speech if the initial words remain relevant at the time of reporting.
Reported speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Reported speech: He asked if he would see me later. In the direct speech example you can see the modal verb 'will' being used to ask a question. Notice how in reported speech the modal verb 'will' and the reporting verb 'ask' are both written in the past tense. So, 'will' becomes 'would' and 'ask' becomes 'asked'.
Reported Speech. Reported speech is the report of one speaker or writer on the words spoken, written, or thought by someone else. Also called reported discourse . Traditionally, two broad categories of reported speech have been recognized: direct speech (in which the original speaker's words are quoted word for word) and indirect speech (in ...
When we use reported speech, we often change the verb tense backwards in time. This can be called "backshift.". Here are some examples in different verb tenses: "I want to go home.". She said she wanted to go home. "I 'm reading a good book.". She said she was reading a good book. "I ate pasta for dinner last night.".
We can call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example: Direct speech: Sit down! In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask': Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
Reported Speech. If we want to say what somebody has said, we basically have two options: We can use the person's exact words - in quotation marks "..." if we are writing ( direct speech ). We can change the person's words into our own words ( reported speech ). He said: "I love you." He said that he loved me.
Reported speech (Indirect Speech) is how we represent the speech of other people or what we ourselves say. Reported Speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. The structure of the independent clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question, or a command.
You should also be careful with time indicators (today, now, next week etc.) not to lose the idea of the original direct statement.. The word that can be used or left out, both options are correct.. Backshift of tenses in reported speech. When we have a sentence that consists of the main and the dependent part we need to be careful with the verb tenses.
Direct speech is the easier of the two options because it does not involve any grammatical or structural changes to the original sentence. Reported (indirect) speech. Reported speech involves grammatical, and sometimes structural, changes. Here is an example of the same sentence as above but this time delivered in reported speech.
5. Conversion of expressions of time and place. If there is an expression of time/place in the sentence, it may be changed, depending on the situation. Direct Speech → Peter, "I worked in the garden yesterday .". Reported Speech → Peter said (that) he had worked in the garden the day before. Direct Speech.
a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words. In reported speech, '"I'll come later," he said.' becomes 'He said he'd come later.' Certain grammatical rules must be followed when describing a conversation in reported speech. Topics Language b1
REPORTED SPEECH definition: 1. → indirect speech specialized 2. → indirect speech specialized 3. a description of what someone…. Learn more.
Reported speech is sometimes called indirect speech, to contrast with direct speech. Although this piece is mainly focussed on reported speech, in order to understand this fully a good knowledge of how to write direct speech is really important. Direct speech refers to the actual words that are spoken by a person, or character, in a story.
Reported speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Here are some common definitions of reported speech for your reference: ️ An Oxford Learner's Dictionary definition of reported speech is "a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.". ️ Reporter speech is described as "speech which tells you what someone said but does not use the person's actual words ...
Reported speech (also known as indirect speech) is when we report what somebody has said. Native speakers use reported speech very often. Structures of reported speech. He told me he would be late. Structures of reported questions. She asked if it was better to wait.
REPORTED SPEECH meaning: 1. → indirect speech specialized 2. → indirect speech specialized 3. a description of what someone…. Learn more.
Definition : In order to report a dialogue, one should be well-versed in changing sentences from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech. Of course, we need not reproduce the actual words of the speaker exactly. We are more concerned with the sense of the utterance than in the literal repetition of the words. The following guidelines will help you to ...
→ another term for indirect speech.... Click for English pronunciations, examples sentences, video.