REPORTED SPEECHMiguel Ángel Rodríguez López

DEFINITION

Reported speech (also known as indirect speech) refers to a sentence reporting what someone has said. When we use reported speech, we are usually talking about the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.

"I'm going to the cinema".He said he was going to the cinema.

RULESIn all sentences, the quotation marks and the comma immediately before the first quotation mark are removed.  Next, the word "that" is usually inserted after the reporting verb. Then, there are certain changes to be considered. 

She said, “I work very hard." She said she worked very hard.

1. Tense changes

Direct speech   Indirect speech

Present simple She said, "It's cold." › Past simple

She said it was cold.

Present continuous She said, "I'm teaching

English online." ›

Past continuous She said she was teaching

English online.

Other tense changesModal verb forms also change:

Direct speech   Indirect speech will

She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow."

›would

She said she would teach English online tomorrow.

can She said, "I can teach English online."

›could

She said she could teach English online.

must She said, "I must have a computer to teach English online."

›had to

She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.

2. Time and place changes

Time and place references change:

now › then

today › that day

here › there

this › that

this week › that week

tomorrow ›the following day the next day the day after

next week ›the following week the next week the week after

Yesterday › the previous day the day before

last week › the previous week the week before

Ago › previously before

2 weeks ago › 2 weeks previously 2 weeks before

Tonight › that night

last Saturday › the previous Saturday the Saturday before

next Saturday ›the following Saturdaythe next Saturdaythe Saturday afterthat Saturday

Examples: I went to the theatre last night. He said he had gone to the theatre the night before. I'm staying here until next week. He said he was staying there until the following week.

3. Pronouns

Personal pronouns need to be changed according to the situation.

“I run 5 km every day”, said she.

She said she ran 5 km every day.

4. Reporting Verbs Said, told and asked are the most common verbs used in indirect speech.

We use “asked” to report questions:I asked Lynne what time the lesson started.

We use “told” with an object.Lynne told me she felt tired.

We usually use “said” without an object.Lynne said she was going to teach online.

If “said” is used with an object we must include “to” Lynne said to me that she'd never been to China.

There are many other verbs we can use apart from said, told and asked. These include:

accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologised, begged, boasted, complained, denied, explained, implied,

invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested and thought.

5. Indirect QuestionsWe normally use asked.

YES/NO Questions:“Can you pass me the salt?” she asked.1- We write the subject + asked if: She asked if...2- We invert the subject order of the question and change pronouns, time and

place expressions and tenses:

She asked if I could pass her the salt.

WH- Questions:They asked “Where does your brother live?

1- We write the subject + asked: They asked 2- We write the WH- word, and we invert the subject order of the question and

change pronouns, time and place expressions and tenses:

They asked where my brother lived.