Reported Speech

Level: C

This 5-Minute English lesson provides a comprehensive guide to reported speech in English grammar, explaining its definition, rules, and various transformations from direct speech. It covers changes in tense, pronouns, time markers, and specific rules for questions, demands, and expressions with infinitives.

Reported speech is when we repeat what another person has said but instead of using their exact words in quotation marks (direct speech), we use a subordinate clause introduced by a reporting verb like the ones below:

strong>Examples:
He says/said …
She explains/explained …
She tells/told me …
He asks/asked …

Often, we have to change the tense, pronouns and time markers in reported speech.
Learn the rules for writing indirect speech in English with simple explanations. In the exercises, you can test your grammar skills.

When turning direct speech into reported speech, we may have to change all or some of the following:

• the pronouns

Example:

“I would love to see it.”

→ He said (that) he would love to see it.

1st person singular I → 3rd person singular he

• information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page)

Example:

“I will contact you tomorrow to finalise the details.”

→ I said (that) I would contact him the following day to finalise the details.

tomorrow → the following day

• the tense (backshift)

Example:

“I am happy to hear that.”
→ I said (that) I was happy to hear that.

simple present am → simple past was

If the reporting verb is in the simple past (e.g. said, told, asked, replied …), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table below). This is known as backshifting.

Examples:

“I appreciate your transparency.”
→ He said (that) he appreciated my transparency.

simple present → simple past

“I have prepared a short presentation about the product.”
→ I said (that) I had prepared a short presentation about the product.

present perfect → past perfect

“I will contact you tomorrow.”
→ I said (that) I would contact him the following day.

will → would

The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.

Example:

“I would love to see it.”

→ He said (that) he would love to see it.

When turning questions into reported speech, we follow the same rules as for declarative sentences: we change the pronouns as well as the time and place markers and backshift the tense as needed.

In addition, we also have to bear in mind the following:

• instead of that, we use a question word after the reporting verb; if there is no question word, we use whether/if instead

Examples:

“How are you today?”

→ I asked how he was that day.

“Is there any room to negotiate on price?”

→ He asked me if/whether there was any room to negotiate on price.

• questions in reported speech follow declarative sentence word order (subject + verb)

Example:

“Could you send me a written offer?”

→ He asked me if I could send him a written offer.

in direct questions, the verb comes before the subject; this order is reversed in reported speech

• we don’t use the auxiliary verb do/did for questions in reported speech; instead, the main verb appears in the simple past without an auxiliary verb

Example:

“What do you think of the product?”

→ I asked him what he thought of the product.

not: I asked him what did he think of the product.

• put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions.

Example:

“Who is in charge of sales?”

→ He asked who was in charge of sales.

When turning orders, demands and requests into reported speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information.

We don’t have to pay attention to the tense – we simply use an infinitive rather than a conjugated verb.

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Feynman
Hello everyone, I'm Feynman. Today I'm hoping to learn about a fundamental concept in English grammar: reported speech. It seems a bit tricky, and I've invited Darwin to help explain these concepts to me.

Darwin
I'm happy to be here, Feynman. I'm Darwin, and I've been studying a comprehensive guide on reported speech. This material covers everything from basic definitions to complex transformations, and I'll try to explain it in simple terms.

Feynman
Great! So, to start, what exactly is reported speech? I often hear it mentioned, but I'm not entirely clear on its purpose or how it differs from direct speech.

Darwin
That's a perfect starting point. According to the guide, reported speech is when we convey what someone else said, but without using their exact words. Instead of putting their words in quotation marks, which is direct speech, we use a subordinate clause introduced by a 'reporting verb.'

Feynman
A subordinate clause and a reporting verb... could you give me an example to make that clearer?

Darwin
Certainly. Imagine someone says, 'I am happy.' In direct speech, you'd quote them directly. But in reported speech, you might say, 'He said that he was happy.' Here, 'said' is the reporting verb, and 'that he was happy' is the subordinate clause.

Feynman
Ah, I see! So, it's like summarizing or rephrasing what was said. The guide mentions that we often have to change the tense, pronouns, and time markers. Why is that necessary?

Darwin
Excellent observation, Feynman. These changes are crucial because the context of the statement has shifted. When you report something, you're usually doing it at a different time and from a different perspective than when the original statement was made. This is often called 'backshifting' the tense.

Feynman
Backshifting? That sounds like moving the tense backward. Can you give me an example of how a tense would change?

Darwin
Yes, exactly. If someone says, 'I appreciate your transparency' in the simple present, and you report it later, you'd say, 'He said that he appreciated my transparency.' The simple present 'appreciate' becomes the simple past 'appreciated.' It's like stepping back in time one tense.

Feynman
So, if the original statement was in the simple past, it would go back to the past perfect? Like 'I prepared a presentation' becomes 'He said he had prepared a presentation'?

Darwin
Precisely! You've got the concept of backshifting. The guide also points out that if the reporting verb is in the present tense, like 'he says,' then the original tense usually doesn't change. For example, 'I am pleased to meet you' becomes 'He says that he is pleased to meet me.'

Feynman
That's a helpful distinction. What about questions? How do they work in reported speech? I imagine they don't just stay as questions.

Darwin
You're right. When reporting questions, we don't use a question mark at the end, and the word order changes to that of a declarative sentence – subject before the verb. Also, instead of 'that,' we use a question word like 'how' or 'what,' or 'if'/'whether' if there's no question word.

Feynman
So, 'Is there any room to negotiate on price?' from our sales example would become 'He asked if there was any room to negotiate on price'?

Darwin
Spot on, Feynman! And notice how 'is' moved after 'there' and changed to 'was' due to backshifting. Another key point is that we drop the auxiliary verb 'do' or 'did' in reported questions.

Feynman
That makes sense. What about commands or requests? Do they also backshift?

Darwin
For demands or requests, it's simpler. We don't backshift the tense. Instead, we use an infinitive. So, 'Send me a written offer tomorrow' becomes 'He told me to send him a written offer the following day.'

Feynman
Ah, so 'tomorrow' also changes to 'the following day.' That's one of those time markers you mentioned earlier, right?

Darwin
Exactly. The guide provides a table of common changes for time and place markers. 'Today' becomes 'that day,' 'here' becomes 'there,' and so on. These changes ensure the reported statement makes sense in its new context.

Feynman
This is much clearer now. So, reported speech is about rephrasing what someone said, often by backshifting tenses, changing pronouns and time/place markers, and adjusting sentence structure, especially for questions and commands. The key is to make the reported statement fit the new time and perspective.

Darwin
That's an excellent summary, Feynman! You've grasped the core principles of reported speech. If you can explain it that clearly, you truly understand it. I'm glad I could help make this grammar concept more accessible.

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