Category: Grammar Expansion
Reported Speech
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
Reported speech is used to tell someone what another person said, without using their exact words. Also called indirect speech.
- Direct: She said, "I am tired."
- Reported: She said (that) she was tired.
Changes in Reported Speech
1. Tense Changes (Backshift)
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Present Simple: "I work here." | Past Simple: He said he worked there. |
| Present Continuous: "I am working." | Past Continuous: He said he was working. |
| Present Perfect: "I have finished." | Past Perfect: He said he had finished. |
| Past Simple: "I worked." | Past Perfect: He said he had worked. |
| Will: "I will go." | Would: He said he would go. |
| Can: "I can swim." | Could: He said he could swim. |
2. Pronoun Changes
- I → he/she
- we → they
- my → his/her
- our → their
3. Time & Place Changes
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| now | then |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
Types of Reported Speech
Statements
Structure: Subject + said (that) + reported clause
- "I love pizza." → He said (that) he loved pizza.
- "We are leaving." → They said (that) they were leaving.
Questions
Yes/No questions: asked + if/whether
- "Do you like coffee?" → She asked if/whether I liked coffee.
WH-questions: asked + question word
- "Where do you live?" → She asked where I lived.
Commands/Requests
Structure: told/asked + someone + to + verb
- "Close the door." → She told me to close the door.
- "Please help me." → She asked me to help her.
- "Don't go." → She told me not to go.
More Examples
- "I will call you tomorrow." → He said he would call me the next day.
- "Are you coming?" → She asked if I was coming.
- "What time is it?" → He asked what time it was.
- "Don't be late!" → She told me not to be late.