Reported Speech
by Reported speech is an important part of English grammar. It is used to report or communicate what another person has said without necessarily repeating the exact words. It is also known as indirect speech.
There are two main forms of speech in English: direct speech and reported speech. Direct speech repeats the speaker’s exact words, while reported speech conveys the meaning of those words in a modified form.
Example:
-
Direct Speech: Riya said, “I am happy.”
-
Reported Speech: Riya said that she was happy.
Reported speech is commonly used in conversations, storytelling, news reports, interviews, and formal writing.
Direct Speech and Reported Speech:
A. Direct Speech
Direct speech presents the exact words spoken by a person. The speaker’s words are placed within quotation marks.
Examples:
-
He said, “I am busy.”
-
She said, “I like reading.”
-
Rahul said, “I will help you.”
B. Reported Speech
Reported speech communicates what someone said without using the exact original words or quotation marks.
Examples:
-
He said that he was busy.
-
She said that she liked reading.
-
Rahul said that he would help me.
Main Parts of Reported Speech:
Reported speech generally contains two parts.
-
Reporting clause: Indicates who is speaking and uses a reporting verb such as said, told, asked, or explained.
-
Reported clause: Communicates the information or words being reported.
Example:
She said that she was tired.
-
Reporting clause: She said
-
Reported clause: that she was tired
Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Reported Speech:
Rule 1: Change of Pronouns
Pronouns may change according to the speaker, listener, and context.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| He said, “I am ready.” | He said that he was ready. |
| She said, “My book is new.” | She said that her book was new. |
| Ravi said to me, “You are helpful.” | Ravi told me that I was helpful. |
| They said, “We are busy.” | They said that they were busy. |
Note: Pronouns do not change mechanically in every sentence. Their form depends on who originally spoke and who is reporting the statement.
Rule 2: Change of Tenses
When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the reported clause usually moves one step back. This is called backshift.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Simple Present → Simple Past | “I work hard.” → He said that he worked hard. |
| Present Continuous → Past Continuous | “I am reading.” → She said that she was reading. |
| Present Perfect → Past Perfect | “I have finished.” → He said that he had finished. |
| Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous | “I have been waiting.” → She said that she had been waiting. |
| Simple Past → Past Perfect | “I saw him.” → He said that he had seen him. |
| Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous | “I was sleeping.” → She said that she had been sleeping. |
| Will → Would | “I will come.” → He said that he would come. |
| Can → Could | “I can swim.” → She said that she could swim. |
| May → Might | “I may attend.” → He said that he might attend. |
Other common changes include:
-
Shall → Should or Would, depending on meaning.
-
Must → Had to when it expresses an obligation that is reported from the past; must may remain unchanged in some contexts.
-
Could, would, should, and might usually remain unchanged.
Important exception: Backshift is not always necessary when the statement remains true or the reporting context makes the original tense appropriate.
Example:
-
Direct: The teacher said, “The Earth revolves around the Sun.”
-
Reported: The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Rule 3: Change of Time and Place Expressions
Words referring to time and place may change when the reporting situation changes.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Now | Then |
| Today | That day |
| Yesterday | The previous day / the day before |
| Tomorrow | The following day / the next day |
| Tonight | That night |
| Last week | The previous week / the week before |
| Next week | The following week / the week after |
| Ago | Before |
| Here | There |
| This | That |
| These | Those |
Examples:
-
Direct: He said, “I will return tomorrow.”
-
Reported: He said that he would return the following day.
-
Direct: She said, “I live here.”
-
Reported: She said that she lived there.
These changes depend on the actual reporting context. For example, today may remain today if the statement is reported on the same day.
Reported Speech for Different Types of Sentences
A. Assertive or Declarative Sentences
These sentences make statements or express facts, opinions, or information.
Rules:
-
Use reporting verbs such as said or told.
-
Use that when appropriate.
-
Change pronouns, tenses, and time expressions according to context.
-
Use told with an object, such as told me or told her.
Examples:
-
Direct: He said, “I am ill.”
-
Reported: He said that he was ill.
-
Direct: She said to me, “You are late.”
-
Reported: She told me that I was late.
B. Interrogative Sentences
Interrogative sentences ask questions. They are divided into two main types.
1. Yes/No questions
Use if or whether. Change the question into statement word order.
Examples:
-
Direct: He said to me, “Are you ready?”
-
Reported: He asked me if I was ready.
-
Direct: She said, “Do you like tea?”
-
Reported: She asked whether I liked tea.
2. Wh-questions
Keep the question word, such as what, where, why, when, or how. Use statement word order rather than question word order.
Examples:
-
Direct: He said to me, “Where do you live?”
-
Reported: He asked me where I lived.
-
Direct: She said, “Why are you crying?”
-
Reported: She asked why I was crying.
Important: Do not normally use do, does, or did as question auxiliaries in the reported clause.
Incorrect: He asked me where did I live.
Correct: He asked me where I lived.
C. Imperative Sentences
Imperative sentences express commands, requests, advice, instructions, or warnings.
Rules:
-
Use suitable reporting verbs such as ordered, requested, advised, warned, or instructed.
-
Use to + base verb for positive commands.
-
Use not to + base verb for negative commands.
Examples:
-
Direct: The teacher said to the students, “Sit down.”
-
Reported: The teacher instructed the students to sit down.
-
Direct: Mother said to me, “Please help me.”
-
Reported: Mother requested me to help her.
-
Direct: He said to me, “Do not waste time.”
-
Reported: He advised me not to waste time.
D. Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory sentences express strong feelings such as joy, sorrow, surprise, or admiration.
Rules:
-
Use reporting verbs such as exclaimed, shouted, cried, or remarked.
-
Express the meaning of the exclamation.
-
Remove the exclamation mark in the reported clause.
Examples:
-
Direct: She said, “What a beautiful flower!”
-
Reported: She exclaimed with admiration that it was a very beautiful flower.
-
Direct: He said, “Alas! I have lost my wallet.”
-
Reported: He exclaimed with sorrow that he had lost his wallet.
-
Direct: They said, “Hurrah! We have won the match!”
-
Reported: They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
Changes in Reporting Verbs
The reporting verb depends on the purpose of the original statement.
| Purpose | Reporting Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | Said, explained, stated | He explained that he was busy. |
| Information given to someone | Told, informed | She informed me that she was leaving. |
| Question | Asked, enquired | He asked whether I was ready. |
| Command | Ordered, instructed | The officer ordered them to stop. |
| Request | Requested, begged | She requested me to wait. |
| Advice | Advised, recommended | He advised me to exercise. |
| Warning | Warned | She warned him not to touch it. |
| Promise | Promised | He promised that he would return. |
| Suggestion | Suggested, proposed | She suggested going by train. |
Grammar note: Say and tell are used differently. We say “He said that he was tired” but “He told me that he was tired.” We do not normally say “He told that he was tired” without an object.
Special Rules and Exceptions
A. Universal Truths
When a statement expresses a scientific fact or universal truth, the present tense usually remains unchanged.
-
Direct: The teacher said, “Water boils at 100°C at standard atmospheric pressure.”
-
Reported: The teacher said that water boils at 100°C at standard atmospheric pressure.
B. Past Reporting Verb with an Unchanged Tense
Backshift may not be required if the information is still true or relevant.
-
Direct: She said, “I live in Mumbai.”
-
Reported: She said that she lives in Mumbai.
The form lived is also possible if the report presents the statement from a past viewpoint or the situation may have changed.
C. Modal Verbs
Some modal verbs change, while others often remain the same.
-
Will → Would
-
Can → Could
-
May → Might
-
Could → usually Could
-
Would → usually Would
-
Should → usually Should
-
Might → usually Might
D. Punctuation
Direct speech uses quotation marks and usually a comma before the quoted words.
Example: He said, “I am ready.”
Reported speech does not use quotation marks around the reported clause.
Example: He said that he was ready.
Common Errors in Reported Speech
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| He told that he was ill. | He said that he was ill. |
| She asked me where was I going. | She asked me where I was going. |
| He ordered me don’t run. | He ordered me not to run. |
| She said that she is tired. | She said that she was tired. (When backshift is required.) |
| He asked that whether I was ready. | He asked whether I was ready. |
| Ravi said me that he was busy. | Ravi told me that he was busy. |
Practice Exercise:
Change the following sentences into reported speech.
-
He said, “I am learning English.”
-
She said to me, “Have you completed your work?”
-
The teacher said to the students, “Work hard.”
-
Riya said, “I will visit Delhi tomorrow.”
-
He said, “What a wonderful performance!”
-
Mother said to me, “Do not waste your time.”
-
The teacher said, “Honesty is the best policy.”
-
He said to me, “Where are you going?”
Answers
-
He said that he was learning English.
-
She asked me whether I had completed my work.
-
The teacher advised the students to work hard.
-
Riya said that she would visit Delhi the following day.
-
He exclaimed with admiration that it was a wonderful performance.
-
Mother advised me not to waste my time.
-
The teacher said that honesty is the best policy.
-
He asked me where I was going.
Importance of Reported Speech
Reported speech is essential for effective communication because it enables people to share information without repeating the speaker’s exact words. It is widely used in journalism, academic writing, storytelling, interviews, official reports, and everyday conversation.
Learning reported speech improves grammatical accuracy, comprehension, writing ability, and the ability to communicate other people’s ideas clearly.