She asked me to make 10 copies of the report.“Go to the bank.”
He told me to go to the bank.
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A week later, Mandy is speaking to a friend on the phone, “I saw James at the café last week. He said that .” |
When turning direct speech into indirect speech, we need to pay attention to the following points:
If the introductory clause is in the simple past (e.g. He said ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table). The term for this in English is backshift .
direct speech | indirect speech |
---|---|
simple present | simple past |
present progressive | past progressive |
simple past | past perfect simple |
present perfect simple | |
past perfect simple | |
past progressive | past perfect progressive |
present perfect progressive | |
past perfect progressive | |
future (going to) | was / were going to |
future (will) | conditional (would) |
conditional (would) |
The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.
If the introductory clause is in the simple present , however (e.g. He says ), then the tense remains unchanged, because the introductory clause already indicates that the statement is being immediately repeated (and not at a later point in time).
In some cases, however, we have to change the verb form.
When turning questions into indirect speech, we have to pay attention to the following points:
We don’t just use indirect questions to report what another person has asked. We also use them to ask questions in a very polite manner.
When turning demands and requests into indirect speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information. We don’t have to pay attention to the tenses – we simply use an infinitive .
If it is a negative demand, then in indirect speech we use not + infinitive .
To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive.
direct speech | indirect speech |
---|---|
today | that day |
now | then at that moment/time |
yesterday | the day before |
… days ago | … days before |
last week | the week before |
next year | the following year |
tomorrow | the next day the following day |
here | there |
this | that |
these | those |
The words say and tell are not interchangeable. say = say something tell = say something to someone
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Exercises on reported speech.
If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.
When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
Type | Example |
---|---|
“I speak English.” | |
He says that he speaks English. | |
He said that he spoke English. |
→ more on statements in reported speech
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
Also note that you have to:
Type | Example | |
---|---|---|
“Why don’t you speak English?” | ||
He asked me why I didn’t speak English. | ||
“Do you speak English?” | ||
He asked me whether / if I spoke English. |
→ more on questions in reported speech
Type | Example |
---|---|
Carol, speak English. | |
He told Carol to speak English. |
→ more on requests in reported speech
Apart from the above mentioned basic rules, there are further aspects that you should keep in mind, for example:
→ more on additional information and exeptions in reported speech
Requests in reported speech.
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Candace Osmond
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They say gossip is a natural part of human life. That’s why language has evolved to develop grammatical rules about the “he said” and “she said” statements. We call them reported speech.
Every time we use reported speech in English, we are talking about something said by someone else in the past. Thinking about it brings me back to high school, when reported speech was the main form of language!
Learn all about the definition, rules, and examples of reported speech as I go over everything. I also included a worksheet at the end of the article so you can test your knowledge of the topic.
Reported speech is a term we use when telling someone what another person said. You can do this while speaking or writing.
There are two kinds of reported speech you can use: direct speech and indirect speech. I’ll break each down for you.
A direct speech sentence mentions the exact words the other person said. For example:
Indirect speech changes the original speaker’s words. For example:
When we tell someone what another individual said, we use reporting verbs like told, asked, convinced, persuaded, and said. We also change the first-person figure in the quotation into the third-person speaker.
We usually talk about the past every time we use reported speech. That’s because the time of speaking is already done. For example:
Indirect speech: The employer asked me if I had experience with people in the corporate setting.
Indirect speech: I told James that I was working on my thesis.
A speech report has two parts: the reporting clause and the reported clause. Read the example below:
The reporting clause here is William said. Meanwhile, the reported clause is the 2nd clause, which is I need your help.
Aside from direct and indirect, reported speech can also be divided into four. The four types of reported speech are similar to the kinds of sentences: imperative, interrogative, exclamatory, and declarative.
The rules for reported speech can be complex. But with enough practice, you’ll be able to master them all.
The most common conjunction in reported speech is that. You can say, “My aunt says she’s outside,” or “My aunt says that she’s outside.”
Use if when you’re reporting a yes-no question. For example:
Indirect speech: She asked if she was coming with them.
Change the reporting verb into its past form if the statement is irrelevant now. Remember that some of these words are irregular verbs, meaning they don’t follow the typical -d or -ed pattern. For example:
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. This verb tense also works if the report is something someone would repeat. For example:
This rule proves that the choice of verb tense is not a black-and-white question. The reporter needs to analyze the context of the action.
Move the tense backward when the reporting verb is in the past tense. That means:
Here are some examples:
He said that the singers had left the building. (past perfect)
If the original speaker is discussing the future, change the tense of the reporting verb into the past form. There’ll also be a change in the auxiliary verbs.
For example:
Indirect speech: She said that she would be there in a moment.
Do not change the verb tenses in indirect speech when the sentence has a time clause. This rule applies when the introductory verb is in the future, present, and present perfect. Here are other conditions where you must not change the tense:
Changing the place and time adverb when using indirect speech is essential. For example, now becomes then and today becomes that day. Here are more transformations in adverbs of time and places.
Here are some examples.
Indirect speech: He said he was baking cookies then.
Indirect speech: She said Myra went there the day before.
Indirect speech: She said she would go to the market the next day.
If the direct speech contains a modal verb, make sure to change them accordingly.
Indirect speech: He asked if he would come to the ball with me.
Indirect speech: He said Gina could inspect the room the next day because she’s free.
However, sometimes, the modal verb should does not change grammatically. For example:
Indirect speech: She said that he should go to the park.
To change an imperative sentence into a reported indirect sentence, use to for imperative and not to for negative sentences. Never use the word that in your indirect speech. Another rule is to remove the word please . Instead, say request or say. For example:
The host requested them not to interrupt the event.
When reporting a direct question, I would use verbs like inquire, wonder, ask, etc. Remember that we don’t use a question mark or exclamation mark for reports of questions. Below is an example I made of how to change question forms.
Correct: He asked me where I live.
Here’s another example. The first sentence uses direct speech in a present simple question form, while the second is the reported speech.
She asked me where I live.
My guide has shown you an explanation of reported statements in English. Do you have a better grasp on how to use it now?
Reported speech refers to something that someone else said. It contains a subject, reporting verb, and a reported cause.
Don’t forget my rules for using reported speech. Practice the correct verb tense, modal verbs, time expressions, and place references.
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Reported questions are one form of reported speech .
direct question | reported question |
---|---|
She said: "Are you cold?" | She asked me if I was cold. |
He said: "Where's my pen?" | He asked where his pen was. |
We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask":
As with reported statements , we may need to change pronouns and tense (backshift) as well as time and place in reported questions.
But we also need to change the word order . After we report a question, it is no longer a question (and in writing there is no question mark). The word order is like that of a normal statement (subject-verb-object).
We introduce reported YES/NO questions with ask + if :
direct question | She said, | |
---|---|---|
reported question | She asked | . |
Note that in the above example the reported question has no auxiliary "do". But there is pronoun change and backshift.
Note that we sometimes use "whether" instead of "if". The meaning is the same. "Whether" is a little more formal and more usual in writing:
We introduce reported question-word questions with ask + question word :
direct question | He said, | "Where | do you live?" |
---|---|---|---|
reported question | He asked me | where | I lived. |
Note that in the above example the reported question has no auxiliary "do". But there is pronoun change and backshift.
Look at these example sentences:
direct question | reported question | |
---|---|---|
YES/NO questions | I said: "Can I help you?" | I asked if I could help her. |
She said to us: "Did you feel cold?" | She asked if we had felt cold. | |
He said: "Are your hands cold?" | He asked whether my hands were cold. | |
question-word questions | He said: "Where are you going?" | He asked me where I was going. |
He said: "Why didn't you say something?" | He asked me why I hadn't said anything. | |
He said: "When will they come?" | He asked when they would come. | |
He said: "Who has seen Avatar?" | He asked me who had seen Avatar. | |
He said: "How much might it cost?" | He asked me how much it might cost. | |
She said to me: "Where is the station?" | She asked me where the station was. | |
choice questions | He asked, "Do you want tea or coffee?" | He asked whether I wanted tea or coffee. |
He said, "Is the car new or second-hand?" | He asked whether the car was new or second-hand. |
Reported speech
Reported questions.
When we report what people say, we usually change the tense of the verbs to reflect that we are reporting – not giving direct speech. This pattern is followed when we report questions and there are also other important changes between direct questions and reported questions.
Reported questions are one form of reported speech.
direct question | reported question |
---|---|
She said: "Are you cold?" | She asked me if I was cold. |
He said: "Where's my pen?" | He asked where his pen was. |
We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask":
As with reported statements, we may need to change pronouns and tense (backshift) as well as time and place in reported questions.
But we also need to change the word order . After we report a question, it is no longer a question (and in writing there is no question mark). The word order is like that of a normal statement (subject-verb-object).
We introduce reported YES/NO questions with ask + if :
direct question | She said, | |
---|---|---|
reported question | She asked | . |
Note that in the above example the reported question has no auxiliary "do". But there is pronoun change and backshift.
Note that we sometimes use "whether" instead of "if". The meaning is the same. "Whether" is a little more formal and more usual in writing:
We introduce reported question-word questions with ask + question word :
direct question | He said, | "Where | do you live?" |
---|---|---|---|
reported question | He asked me | where | I lived. |
Remember that there are basically three types of question:
Reported choice questions have the same structure as Reported YES/NO questions. Questions with the verb BE always have a different structure: Was the tea cold? Where is my tea? You can see all these differences in the examples below.
Look at these example sentences:
direct question | reported question | |
---|---|---|
YES/NO questions | I said: "Can I help you?" | I asked if I could help her. |
She said to us: "Did you feel cold?" | She asked if we had felt cold. | |
He said: "Are your hands cold?" | He asked whether my hands were cold. | |
question-word questions | He said: "Where are you going?" | He asked me where I was going. |
He said: "Why didn't you say something?" | He asked me why I hadn't said anything. | |
He said: "When will they come?" | He asked when they would come. | |
He said: "Who has seen Avatar?" | He asked me who had seen Avatar. | |
He said: "How much might it cost?" | He asked me how much it might cost. | |
She said to me: "Where is the station?" | She asked me where the station was. | |
choice questions | He asked, "Do you want tea or coffee?" | He asked whether I wanted tea or coffee. |
He said, "Is the car new or second-hand?" | He asked whether the car was new or second-hand. |
Question forms and reported speech.
1. Normal word order is used in reported questions, that is, the subject comes before the verb, and it is not necessary to use ‘do’ or ‘did’ :
2. Yes / no questions : This type of question is reported by using ‘ask’ + ‘if / whether + clause :
3. Question words :
This type of question is reported by using ‘ask’ (or another verb like ‘ask’) + question word + clause. The clause contains the question, in normal word order and with the necessary tense change.
Note: See also Summary of Reporting Verbs
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Reported speech or indirect speech is the form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time. This article will help you with all that you need to know about reported speech, its meaning, definition, how and when to use them along with examples. Furthermore, try out the practice questions given to check how far you have understood the topic.
Definition of reported speech, rules to be followed when using reported speech, table 1 – change of pronouns, table 2 – change of adverbs of place and adverbs of time, table 3 – change of tense, table 4 – change of modal verbs, tips to practise reported speech, examples of reported speech, check your understanding of reported speech, frequently asked questions on reported speech in english, what is reported speech.
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.
Now, take a look at the following dictionary definitions for a clearer idea of what it is.
Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”
Reported speech is a little different from direct speech . As it has been discussed already, reported speech is used to tell what someone said and does not use the exact words of the speaker. Take a look at the following rules so that you can make use of reported speech effectively.
Subject said that (report whatever the speaker said) |
As discussed earlier, when transforming a sentence from direct speech into reported speech, you will have to change the pronouns, tense and adverbs of time and place used by the speaker. Let us look at the following tables to see how they work.
I | He, she |
Me | Him, her |
We | They |
Us | Them |
You | He, she, they |
You | Him, her, them |
My | His, her |
Mine | His, hers |
Our | Their |
Ours | Theirs |
Your | His, her, their |
Yours | His, hers, theirs |
This | That |
These | Those |
Here | There |
Now | Then |
Today | That day |
Tomorrow | The next day / The following day |
Yesterday | The previous day |
Tonight | That night |
Last week | The week before |
Next week | The week after |
Last month | The previous month |
Next month | The following month |
Last year | The previous year |
Next year | The following year |
Ago | Before |
Thus | So |
Simple Present Example: Preethi said, “I cook pasta.” | Simple Past Example: Preethi said that she cooked pasta. |
Present Continuous Example: Preethi said, “I am cooking pasta.” | Past Continuous Example: Preethi said that she was cooking pasta. |
Present Perfect Example: Preethi said, “I have cooked pasta.” | Past Perfect Example: Preethi said that she had cooked pasta. |
Present Perfect Example: Preethi said, “I have been cooking pasta.” | Past Perfect Continuous Example: Preethi said that she had been cooking pasta. |
Simple Past Example: Preethi said, “I cooked pasta.” | Past Perfect Example: Preethi said that she had cooked pasta. |
Past Continuous Example: Preethi said, “I was cooking pasta.” | Past Perfect Continuous Example: Preethi said that she had been cooking pasta. |
Past Perfect Example: Preethi said, “I had cooked pasta.” | Past Perfect (No change) Example: Preethi said that she had cooked pasta. |
Past Perfect Continuous Example: Preethi said, “I had been cooking pasta.” | Past Perfect Continuous (No change) Example: Preethi said that she had been cooking pasta. |
Will | Would |
May | Might |
Can | Could |
Shall | Should |
Has/Have | Had |
Here are some tips you can follow to become a pro in using reported speech.
Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written. Check them out.
Transform the following sentences into reported speech by making the necessary changes.
1. Rachel said, “I have an interview tomorrow.”
2. Mahesh said, “What is he doing?”
3. Sherly said, “My daughter is playing the lead role in the skit.”
4. Dinesh said, “It is a wonderful movie!”
5. Suresh said, “My son is getting married next month.”
6. Preetha said, “Can you please help me with the invitations?”
7. Anna said, “I look forward to meeting you.”
8. The teacher said, “Make sure you complete the homework before tomorrow.”
9. Sylvester said, “I am not going to cry anymore.”
10. Jade said, “My sister is moving to Los Angeles.”
Now, find out if you have answered all of them correctly.
1. Rachel said that she had an interview the next day.
2. Mahesh asked what he was doing.
3. Sherly said that her daughter was playing the lead role in the skit.
4. Dinesh exclaimed that it was a wonderful movie.
5. Suresh said that his son was getting married the following month.
6. Preetha asked if I could help her with the invitations.
7. Anna said that she looked forward to meeting me.
8. The teacher told us to make sure we completed the homework before the next day.
9. Sylvester said that he was not going to cry anymore.
10. Jade said that his sister was moving to Los Angeles.
What is the definition of reported speech.
Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”
You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech. Subject said that (report whatever the speaker said)
Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written.
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There are times when someone tells you something and you’ll have to report what they said to someone else.
How can you do this in English?
You’ll need to know how to use what's called reported speech in English and this is what you’ll learn in this blog post.
Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of retelling what someone else has said without repeating their exact words.
For example, let’s say you have a friend called Jon and one called Mary. Mary has organised a house party and has invited you and Jon.
Jon, however, is not feeling well. He says to you, “Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today.”
A few days after the party, you meet Sarah. She’s another one of your friends and she was at the party too, but she arrived late – a moment before you left. You only had time to say hello to each other.
She asks you, “I saw you at the party but I didn’t see Jon. Where was he?”
When Sarah asks you, “Where was Jon?” you can say,
“Jon said, ‘Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today’.”
However, it would be more natural to use indirect speech in this case. So you would say, “Jon said he couldn’t come to the party. He had spent all day working outside under the rain and he felt ill that day .”
Did you notice how the sentence changes in reported speech?
Here’s what happened:
Let’s take a closer look at how we form reported speech.
To form reported speech, you might have to make a few changes to the original sentence that was spoken (or written).
You may have to change pronouns, verb tenses, place and time expressions and, in the case of questions, the word order.
There are certain patterns to learn for reporting promises, agreements, orders, offers, requests, advice and suggestions.
Let’s have a look at all these cases one by one.
In general, when we use reported speech, the present tenses become past tenses.
We do this because we are often reporting someone else’s words at a different time (Jon’s words were spoken 3 days before you reported them to Sarah).
Here’s an example:
Jenny (on Saturday evening) says, “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”(present tenses)
Matt (on Sunday morning) talks to James and says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home. (past tenses)
So this is how different verb tenses change:
DIRECT: I need money.
INDIRECT: She said she needed money.
DIRECT: My French is improving.
INDIRECT: He said his French was improving.
DIRECT: This has been an amazing holiday.
INDIRECT: She told me that it had been an amazing holiday.
What if there is a past simple form of the verb in direct speech? Well, in this case, it can stay the same in reported speech or you can change it to past perfect .
DIRECT: I didn’t go to work.
INDIRECT: Mary said that she didn’t go to work / Mary said that she hadn’t gone to work
DIRECT: I arrived late because I had missed the bus.
INDIRECT: He said he arrived (or had arrived) late because he had missed the bus.
Modal verbs like “can,” “may,” and “will” also change in reported speech.
DIRECT: The exam will be difficult.
INDIRECT: They said that the exam would be difficult.
DIRECT: I can’t be there.
INDIRECT: He told me he couldn’t be there.
DIRECT: We may go there another time.
INDIRECT: They said they might go there another time.
However, past modal verbs don’t change (would, must, could, should, etc.) don’t change in reported speech.
DIRECT: It would be nice if we could go to Paris.
INDIRECT: He said it would be nice if we could go to Paris.
Here are some other examples:
“I am going to the store,” said John. | John said that he was going to the store. |
“I love pizza,” said Jane. | Jane said that she loved pizza. |
“I will finish the project today,” said Mary. | Mary said that she would finish the project that day. |
“I can't come to the party,” said Tom. | Tom said that he couldn't come to the party. |
“I have a headache,” said Sarah. | Sarah said that she had a headache. |
“I saw a movie last night,” said Peter. | Peter said that he had seen a movie the previous night. |
“I want to learn Spanish,” said Emily. | Emily said that she wanted to learn Spanish. |
“I have been working on this project for a week,” said Sam. | Sam said that he had been working on the project for a week. |
“I don't like this food,” said Mark. | Mark said that he didn't like that food. |
“I am not feeling well,” said Alice. | Alice said that she was not feeling well. |
So, in summary,
You make these verb tense shifts when you report the original words at a different time from when they were spoken. However, it is often also possible to keep the original speaker’s tenses when the situation is still the same.
For example,
1. DIRECT: I am feeling sick.
INDIRECT: She said she is feeling sick.
2. DIRECT: We have to leave now.
INDIRECT: They said they have to leave now.
3. DIRECT: I will call you later.
INDIRECT: He said he will call me later.
4. DIRECT: She is not coming to the party.
INDIRECT: He said she is not coming to the party.
5. DIRECT: They are working on a new project.
INDIRECT: She said they are working on a new project.
What about conditional sentences? How do they change in reported speech?
Sentences with “if” and “would” are usually unchanged.
DIRECT: It would be best if we went there early.
INDIRECT: He said it would be best if they went there early.
But conditional sentences used to describe unreal situations (e.g. second conditional or third conditional sentences) can change like this:
DIRECT: If I had more money I would buy a new car.
INDIRECT: She said if she had had more money, she would have bought a new car OR She said if she had more money, she would buy a new car.
In reported speech, because you’re reporting someone else’s words, there’s a change of speaker so this may mean a change of pronoun.
An example:
Jenny says, “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”
Matt says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home.”
In this example, Jenny says “I” to refer to herself but Matt, talking about what Jenny said, uses “she”.
So the sentence in reported speech becomes:
Some other examples:
1 . DIRECT: I have been studying for hours.
INDIRECT: He said he had been studying for hours.
2. DIRECT: I don’t like that movie.
INDIRECT: She said she didn’t like that movie.
3. DIRECT: He doesn't like coffee.
INDIRECT: She said he doesn't like coffee.
4. DIRECT: We have a new car.
INDIRECT: They told me they had a new car.
5. DIRECT: We are going on vacation next week.
INDIRECT: They said they are going on vacation next week.
When you’re reporting someone’s words, there is often a change of place and time. This may mean that you will need to change or remove words that are used to refer to places and time like “here,” “this,” “now,” “today,” “next,” “last,” “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” and so on.
Check the differences in the following sentences:
DIRECT: I'll be back next month.
INDIRECT: She said she would be back the next month , but I never saw her again.
DIRECT: Emma got her degree last Tuesday.
INDIRECT: He said Emma had got her degree the Tuesday before.
DIRECT: I had an argument with my mother-in-law yesterday .
INDIRECT: He said he’d had an argument with his mother-in-law the day before .
DIRECT: We're going to have an amazing party tomorrow.
INDIRECT: They said they were going to have an amazing party the next day.
DIRECT: Meet me here at 10 am.
INDIRECT: He told me to meet him there at 10 am.
DIRECT: This restaurant is really good.
INDIRECT: She said that the restaurant was really good.
DIRECT: I'm going to the gym now.
INDIRECT: He said he was going to the gym at that time.
DIRECT: Today is my birthday.
INDIRECT: She told me that it was her birthday that day .
DIRECT: I'm leaving for Europe next week.
INDIRECT: She said she was leaving for Europe the following week.
What if you have to report a question? For example, how would you report the following questions?
In reported questions, the subject normally comes before the verb and auxiliary “do” is not used.
So, here is what happens when you're reporting a question:
DIRECT: Where’s Mark?
INDIRECT: I asked where Mark was.
DIRECT: When are you going to visit your grandmother?
INDIRECT: He wanted to know when I was going to visit my grandmother.
DIRECT: What do I need to buy for the celebration?
INDIRECT: She asked what she needed to buy for the celebration.
DIRECT: Where are your best friend and his wife staying?
INDIRECT: I asked where his best friend and his wife were staying.
DIRECT: Do you like coffee?
INDIRECT: I asked if she liked coffee.
DIRECT: Can you sing?
INDIRECT: She asked me if I could sing.
DIRECT: Who’s your best friend?
INDIRECT: They asked me who my best friend was.
DIRECT: What time do you usually wake up?
INDIRECT: She asked me what time I usually wake up.
DIRECT: What would you do if you won the lottery?
INDIRECT: He asked me what I would do if I won the lottery.
DIRECT: Do you ever read nonfiction books?
INDIRECT: She asked me if I ever read nonfiction books.
You might have noticed that question marks are not used in reported questions and you don’t use “say” or “tell” either.
When you’re reporting these, you can use the following verbs + an infinitive:
Here are some examples:
DIRECT SPEECH: I’ll always love you.
PROMISE IN INDIRECT SPEECH: She promised to love me.
DIRECT SPEECH: OK, let’s go to the pub.
INDIRECT SPEECH: He agreed to come to the pub with me.
DIRECT SPEECH: Sit down!
INDIRECT SPEECH: They told me to sit down OR they ordered me to sit down.
DIRECT SPEECH: I can go to the post office for you.
INDIRECT SPEECH: She offered to go to the post office.
DIRECT SPEECH: Could I please have the documentation by tomorrow evening?
INDIRECT SPEECH: She requested to have the documentation by the following evening.
DIRECT SPEECH: You should think twice before giving him your phone number.
INDIRECT SPEECH: She advised me to think twice before giving him my phone number.
All right! I hope you have a much clearer idea about what reported speech is and how it’s used.
And the good news is that both direct and indirect speech structures are commonly used in stories, so why not try the StoryLearning method ?
You'll notice this grammatical pattern repeatedly in the context of short stories in English.
Not only will this help you acquire it naturally, but you will also have a fun learning experience by immersing yourself in an interesting and inspiring narrative.
Have a wonderful time learning through books in English !
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Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of communicating what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. For example, if your friend said, “ I am going to the store ,” in reported speech, you might convey this as, “ My friend said he was going to the store. ” Reported speech is common in both spoken and written language, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversations.
Reported speech can be quite challenging for English language learners because in order to change direct speech into reported speech, one must change the perspective and tense of what was said by the original speaker or writer. In this guide, we will explain in detail how to change direct speech into indirect speech and provide lots of examples of reported speech to help you understand. Here are the key aspects of converting direct speech into reported speech.
Pronouns are usually changed to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, “I” in direct speech may become “he” or “she” in reported speech, depending on the context. Here are some example sentences:
Reported speech: tense shifts.
When converting direct speech into reported speech, the verb tense is often shifted back one step in time. This is known as the “backshift” of tenses. It’s essential to adjust the tense to reflect the time elapsed between the original speech and the reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how different tenses in direct speech are transformed in reported speech:
Reported speech: question format.
When converting questions from direct speech into reported speech, the format changes significantly. Unlike statements, questions require rephrasing into a statement format and often involve the use of introductory verbs like ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’. Here are some examples to demonstrate how questions in direct speech are converted into statements in reported speech:
Reported speech quiz.
PHOENIX — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed former President Donald Trump Friday afternoon during a lengthy speech putting to rest his tumultuous independent presidential campaign.
Kennedy's campaign first confirmed the endorsement in a court filing in Pennsylvania before he took the stage for the speech in battleground Arizona. Trump has his own event in nearby Glendale later Friday, where Kennedy will speak, according to three sources familiar with the planning — the culmination of weeks of talks.
Kennedy, who gained prominence as an environmental lawyer and then as a leading anti-vaccine advocate, opened his remarks Friday blasting the Democratic Party for "abandon[ing] democracy," lambasting his "naysayers" for not believing his campaign could be successful, and accusing both the media and Democrats of a conspiracy that kept him from being competitive. Then, Kennedy made it official.
"Many months ago I promised the American people I would withdraw from the race if I became a spoiler. ... In my heart, I no longer believe I have a realistic path to electoral victory," he said.
Framing both Trump and himself as victims of the "continual legal warfare" by Democrats, Kennedy criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for not having won "a single delegate" during her 2020 race and accused her of ignoring the press and scuttling a policy platform for what he called a campaign focused exclusively on opposing Trump. And he compared Biden's, and then Harris', grip on the Democratic Party to the autocracy of Russia under President Vladimir Putin.
By contrast, Kennedy made clear that in Trump, he sees a partner — and a fellow victim.
"These are the principled causes that persuaded me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, and now to throw my support to President Trump. The causes were: Free speech, the war in Ukraine, and the war on our children," he said.
"One of the two candidates has adopted these issues as his own to the point where he has asked to enlist me in his administration. I'm speaking, of course, of Donald Trump."
Other members of the Kennedy family criticized the endorsement . And in a statement, Democratic National Committee senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill said, "Donald Trump isn’t earning an endorsement that’s going to help build support, he’s inheriting the baggage of a failed fringe candidate. Good riddance."
Kennedy’s decision to back Trump comes after weeks of back-channel courtship. One person familiar with the discussions said that Donald Trump Jr. had been looking to engineer a Kennedy endorsement of his father for six months, with another source noting that Trump Jr. had long felt that Kennedy’s presence in the race was hurting the GOP campaign.
For a time, polling was unclear about that question. But it changed dramatically after Harris took over as the Democratic presidential candidate and the polling landscape shifted. It's a reality the Trump campaign acknowledged in a memo from pollster Tony Fabrizio sent to reporters after Kennedy's announcement, which argues its polling shows that Kennedy's vote "breaks for President Trump" in every key state.
Still, the initial conservations started earlier, about a week before the Republican convention, with right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson connecting Trump Jr. with Kennedy.
From there, Trump Jr. and donor Omeed Malik served as go-betweens to help close the deal. The two sources familiar with the talks said that Kennedy is expected to play a role on the campaign trail going forward.
In an interview, Malik said Kennedy has not been promised a Cabinet position in exchange for his endorsement, though that's something Kennedy running mate Nicole Shanahan suggested when speaking on a podcast earlier this week. (Shanahan did not appear at Friday's event.)
But, Malik said, "I think both President Trump and JD Vance have said as much in the last 24 hours, that should they be successful, there are plenty of roles, and I think the area of health is one," where Kennedy could serve.
"I don't see any downside whatsoever" to Kennedy supporting Trump, Malik said, adding, "These types of events have the potential to really change everything."
At his speech on Friday, Kennedy went onto detail about speaking to and meeting with Trump and his advisers, when he said he discovered "we are aligned on many key issues."
And he implied he's been offered a say in a potential future Trump administration.
"If President Trump is elected and honors his word, the vast burden of chronic disease that now demoralizes and bankrupts the country will disappear," Kennedy said.
"President Trump has told he wants this to be his legacy," Kennedy continued. "I'm choosing to believe that this time he will follow through. His son, his biggest donors and his closest friends all support this objective."
And he admitted that aligning with Trump will "a difficult sacrifice for my wife and children but worthwhile if there's even a small chance of saving these kids."
But he stressed that this alliance with Trump "will allow us to disagree publicly and privately," while still working together on their shared goals.
Criticizing agencies like the FDA, Kennedy added that with "Trump's backing," they are going to "staff these agencies with honest scientists and doctors."
As to his electoral future, Kennedy said he would only work to remove his name from ballots in swing states because he wanted to give his to give his supporters in "red states" and "blue states" a chance to vote for him without "harming or helping."
And he said that by remaining on the ballot, he could technically be eligible to assume the presidency in 2025 if no candidate wins a majority of the Electoral College, a virtual impossibility because it would require him to win Electoral College votes .
Kennedy's bid for the presidency stumbled amid intense opposition from Democrats, controversies stoked by the candidate himself, and difficulties overcoming the significant hurdles facing independents trying to get on ballots across the country.
The decision to end his campaign had been expected, after Kennedy’s running mate began openly musing this week about whether he would drop out to endorse former President Donald Trump . Even before then, his campaign had stopped putting on its own events and started engaging in unusual public diplomacy with Trump, an opponent Kennedy had harshly criticized earlier in the campaign.
Kennedy’s impending drop-out marks the end of one of the more quixotic presidential campaigns in modern history, one that initially gained enough traction to send Democrats into a panic about whether his bid could jeopardize their path to victory in 2024. Initially, Kennedy sought the Democratic presidential nomination, but he decided in October 2023 to run as an independent bid instead .
His support waned, as it typically does for candidates charting a collision course with the country’s two-party system — though this time, it came amid a summer packed with campaign-shaking events.
The Democratic Party’s decision to switch up its presidential ticket has prompted a decline in the share of voters saying they’d back third-party candidates, leaving Kennedy largely pulling from Trump . Even before that, Kennedy and his campaign struggled through a months-long, difficult stretch that raised questions about his viability.
Kennedy’s public poll numbers have been dropping, and neither the candidate nor his running mate have spent much time on the trail in recent weeks. Instead, the candidate was accumulating negative headlines — an allegation that he groped a former famly babysitter (to which he responded to by declaring, “ I am not a church boy ”); a revelation that he used a dead bear he found on a roadside to stage a fake bicycle accident in New York’s Central Park; and a claim by Kennedy that doctors found a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, among other things.
He struggled to reconcile his career as an anti-vaccine activist with a need to win over a broad electorate. Kennedy repeatedly courted the anti-vaccine influencers and organizations that were integral to his career, leading to severe criticism from Democrats and other groups pointing to his comments and associations to frame him as a radical. On Thursday, after his campaign announced his intentions to give a Friday update on the state of the race, he tweeted out an 11-minute video he said was an attempt to “set the record straight by explaining my exact posture, point-by-point, one what is probably the most controversial issue of my campaign,” his stance on vaccines. Just 24 hours later, he left the race.
Kennedy also flip-flopped on abortion policy throughout his campaign: In August 2023, while still running as a Democrat, he told NBC News that he’d support signing a national abortion ban after the first three months of pregnancy, before his campaign quickly walked back the comments. Then this May, Kennedy said in a podcast episode that he would support “full-term abortions,” stunning his running mate . Days later, Kennedy walked back those comments, too .
And at an organizational level, Kennedy’s camp struggled at times under the weight of having to fund a massive ballot access program to get on ballots in enough states to win the presidency. By August, only a handful of states had certified Kennedy’s place on the ballot, and he has continued to face legal challenges, including a court decision to boot him from the ballot in New York.
Even though that ballot access program fell short, it wasn’t cheap. The Kennedy campaign spent more than $8 million on campaign consulting from Accelevate 2020 LLC, a group that also does ballot-access work.
Overall, the campaign effectively raised what it spent — it amassed $57.6 million and spent almost $54 million through July. But that fundraising includes $15 million in direct contributions from Kennedy’s vice presidential candidate, Shanahan, who spent the week stoking the speculation the campaign was about to end. (The campaign also refunded her more than $900,000 last month.)
“There’s two options that we’re looking at, and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency, because we draw votes from Trump or we draw somehow more votes from Trump,” she said on a podcast interview released on Monday .
“Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump. And, you know, we walk away from that and we explain to our base why we’re making this decision,” Shanahan continued.
On Friday, Shanahan posted on social media, writing: “I’m not a Kamala Democrat. I’m not a Trump Republican [.] I’m an INDEPENDENT American who is endorsing ideas, not a person or a party. I will continue working to give a voice to the voiceless and bring power back to the people.”
There have been other financial drains on the campaign, too, including the millions Kennedy spent on security as he repeatedly called on the federal government to provide him with Secret Service protection, evoking the political assassinations of his famous father and uncle.
Federal campaign finance records show Kennedy’s campaign spent more than $3 million on security services provided by Gavin de Becker, a prominent security consultant protecting celebrities who is also a Kennedy supporter and friend . The campaign is also carrying an additional $3 million in debt to de Becker’s company.
The campaign received Secret Service protection after the assassination attempt on Trump in July.
Katherine Koretski reported from Phoenix; and Ben Kamisar from Washington, D.C.
Katherine Koretski is a 2024 NBC News campaign embed.
Ben Kamisar is a national political reporter for NBC News
Henry J. Gomez is a senior national political reporter for NBC News
Garrett Haake is NBC News' senior Capitol Hill correspondent. He also covers the Trump campaign.
Dasha Burns is a correspondent for NBC News.
23/08/2024 Wall Street English Argentina
¡Bienvenido a un nuevo blog que te ayudará a aprender inglés online! Nuestro objetivo es que adquieras conocimientos de manera sencilla, intuitiva y gratuita, aprovechando las ventajas de la educación online y el estudio desde casa.
Hoy, exploraremos un tema que suele generar muchas dudas entre los estudiantes: Direct and Indirect Speech (estilo directo e indirecto) y su uso en el Reported Speech (discurso reportado). Te explicaremos qué es el Reported Speech, cómo usar las preguntas en este formato y por qué estudiar en Wall Street English puede ayudarte a perfeccionarlo.
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El Reported Speech , o discurso reportado, es una forma de comunicar lo que otra persona ha dicho sin citar sus palabras textualmente. Es esencial para relatar conversaciones, citas y testimonios de manera indirecta, adaptando los tiempos verbales y las estructuras según el contexto.
Verbo Introductorio: Usá verbos como “ask” (preguntar), “inquire” (inquirir), “wonder” (preguntarse).
Cambio de tiempos verbales: Ajustá los tiempos verbales según el contexto. Por ejemplo, el presente se convierte en pasado.
Eliminar el signo de interrogación: Las preguntas en Reported Speech se convierten en oraciones afirmativas.
Pronombres y Adjetivos: Ajustá los pronombres y adjetivos según el contexto.
En estos ejemplos, observa cómo se ajustan los tiempos verbales y cómo la estructura cambia de una pregunta a una oración declarativa. Además, el uso de pronombres y adjetivos se adapta según el contexto de la conversación reportada.
Direct Speech (Estilo Directo): Se usa para citar las palabras exactas de alguien, utilizando comillas. Ejemplos:
Indirect Speech (Estilo Indirecto): Se utiliza para parafrasear o resumir lo que alguien dijo. Ejemplos:
En Wall Street English, te ofrecemos un entorno de aprendizaje personalizado y efectivo que te ayudará a dominar tanto el Direct Speech como el Reported Speech. Nuestras clases 100% remotas te permiten practicar y perfeccionar tus habilidades en un ambiente cómodo y adaptado a tus necesidades. Con nuestros expertos en enseñanza del inglés (conocé más sobre nuestros teachers acá ), aprenderás a usar correctamente los diferentes estilos de discurso y a responder preguntas en Reported Speech con confianza.
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Como puedes ver, dominar el Direct Speech, el Indirect Speech y el Reported Speech es más sencillo de lo que parece. Con práctica y la orientación adecuada, podrás aplicarlos correctamente en diferentes contextos. No dudes en profundizar tus conocimientos y mejorar tu habilidad con nuestras clases de inglés personalizadas.
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Direct speech is a representation of the actual words someone said. A direct speech report usually has a reporting verb in the past simple. The most common reporting verb is said . The reporting clause may come first or second.
reporting clause first | reported clause | reporting clause second |
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The reporting clause may sometimes come in the middle of the reported clause, especially in literary styles:
“No,” she said , “I’ve never seen it before.”
‘Was it,’ he asked , ‘the first time you had spoken to Mrs Dalton?’
We can use adverbs with the reporting verb to describe the way someone said something. This is more common when the reporting clause comes second:
“I will not accept it!” he said angrily .
‘Can I speak to the doctor?’ she asked rather nervously .
Reported speech: punctuation
Reported speech: reporting and reported clauses
In narratives, especially novels and short stories, when the reporting clause comes second, we often invert the subject (s) and reporting verb (v):
“Things have always been the same in this village,” [V] said [S] the old man .
‘Hold on! I’m coming!’ [V] cried [S] Maurice .
Informal narratives.
In informal conversation, we sometimes use the present simple in the reporting clause. This makes the direct speech more vivid and dramatic:
So then this guy says , “I’ve got something for you. Come over here.” And he picked up a box and he says , “Open that.”
We can make the direct speech even more vivid and dramatic by using the present continuous. This is very informal:
And he’s looking at me and he ’s asking , “Who are you?” and I said, “I’m your nephew” and he ’s mumbling , “I don’t know you. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”
In very informal conversation, people sometimes use says as a reporting verb for all persons ( I, you, she, he, we, they ):
She says , ‘What’s going on here?’ and I says , ‘Nothing. There’s nothing happening – everything’s okay.’
Many speakers consider the above examples to be incorrect. This applies especially to the use of says with all persons.
We also use the present simple in newspaper headlines. This makes the reported words more dramatic:
‘I WON’T RESIGN,’ SAYS MINISTER
Say or tell ?
Word of the Day
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Lofty ideas, etc. are of a high moral standard.
Trial, judge, and jury: talking about what happens when a criminal is caught
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Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was. The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb.
Reported speech: He asked if he would see me later. Some modal verbs do not need to change tense because they fit naturally. Example: Direct speech: I should go to the park. Reported speech: He told me he should go to the park. Here are both correct and incorrect examples of reported speech for clarity:
Reported speech: She asked what time the meeting was. Note that the question mark is not used in reported speech. 2. Reporting Commands:When reporting commands, you need to use an introductory phrase such as "ordered" or "told" followed by the person, to + infinitive, and any additional information. Here's an example:
For reported requests, we use "asked (someone) to do something": "Please make a copy of this report." (direct speech) She asked me to make a copy of the report. (reported speech) For reported orders, we use "told (someone) to do something:". "Go to the bank." (direct speech)
Reported speech: indirect speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Requests/orders. "Asked me to" is used for requests. "Told me to" is stronger; it is used for orders/commands. She asked me to make copies. He told me to go to the bank. 2. Yes/no questions. "Asked if" and "wanted to know if" are equal. We don't use the auxiliary verbs "do/does/did" in the reported question.
Introduction. In English grammar, we use reported speech to say what another person has said. We can use their exact words with quotation marks, this is known as direct speech, or we can use indirect speech. In indirect speech, we change the tense and pronouns to show that some time has passed. Indirect speech is often introduced by a reporting ...
transform the question into an indirect question. use the interrogative or if / whether. Type. Example. with interrogative. direct speech. "Why don't you speak English?". reported speech. He asked me why I didn't speak English.
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 questions are one form of reported speech. direct question. reported question. She said: "Are you cold?" She asked me if I was cold. He said: "Where's my pen?" He asked where his pen was. We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask": He asked (me) if / whether ...
Reported questions are one form of reported speech. direct question. reported question. She said: "Are you cold?" She asked me if I was cold. He said: "Where's my pen?" He asked where his pen was. We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask": He asked (me) if / whether ...
Yes, and you report it with a reporting verb. He said he wanted to know about reported speech. I said, I want and you changed it to he wanted. Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could; will changes ...
Question Forms and Reported Speech. 1. Normal word order is used in reported questions, that is, the subject comes before the verb, and it is not necessary to use 'do' or 'did': "Where does Peter live?" —> She asked him where Peter lived. 2. Yes / no questions: This type of question is reported by using 'ask' + 'if / whether ...
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, also known as indirect speech, is a way of retelling what someone else has said without repeating their exact words. For example, let's say you have a friend called Jon and one called Mary. Mary has organised a house party and has invited you and Jon. Jon, however, is not feeling well.
Questions and imperatives in indirect speech. Download full-size image from Pinterest. We use the normal order of words in reported questions: subject + verb. We don't use an auxiliary verb like do or did. When we report an order or instruction, we use the form ask or tell someone to do something. Pronoun changes in indirect speech
Reported speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Direct: "I will help you," she promised. Reported: She promised that she would help me. Direct: "You should study harder," he advised. Reported: He advised that I should study harder. Direct: "I didn't take your book," he denied. Reported: He denied taking my book. Direct: "Let's go to the cinema," she suggested.
The causes were: Free speech, the war in Ukraine, and the war on our children," he said. "One of the two candidates has adopted these issues as his own to the point where he has asked to enlist me ...
Reported Speech: The manager asked why I had left the meeting early. En estos ejemplos, observa cómo se ajustan los tiempos verbales y cómo la estructura cambia de una pregunta a una oración declarativa. Además, el uso de pronombres y adjetivos se adapta según el contexto de la conversación reportada.
The conservative firebrand deleted her post, but that so far hasn't stemmed the online pile-on.
Reported speech: direct speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined former President Donald Trump onstage at a rally in Arizona on Friday, hours after he suspended his independent presidential campaign and endorsed Trump. Kennedy said ...