Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
1. Definition and Rule
Reported speech — also called indirect speech — is the grammatical structure used to convey what someone said without reproducing their exact words. Instead of quoting someone directly (with quotation marks), you re-express the meaning in your own phrasing, adjusting tenses, pronouns, and time references accordingly.
Compare the two forms:
Direct speech: She said, "I like ice cream."
Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.
The core rule is straightforward: when the reporting verb (e.g. said, told, asked) is in the past tense, the verb inside the reported clause shifts one step further into the past. This is called backshift. Pronouns, modal verbs, and time/place expressions must also be adjusted to reflect the new perspective.
2. Form and Structure
Basic Pattern
Reporting clause + (that) + reported clause | OR | Reporting verb + object + to-infinitive
Tense Backshift Table
Present Simple → Past Simple
"I work hard." → He said (that) he worked hard.
Present Continuous → Past Continuous
"I am studying English." → She said she was studying English.
Present Perfect → Past Perfect
"I have finished my homework." → He said he had finished his homework.
Simple Past → Past Perfect
"I saw the film yesterday." → She said she had seen the film the day before.
Will → Would
"I will come tomorrow." → She said she would come the next day.
Can → Could | May → Might | Must → Had to
"I can speak French." → He said he could speak French.
"I must finish this work." → She said she had to finish that work.
Note: The modals would, could, should, might, ought to already carry a past or hypothetical meaning and do not shift further.
Said vs. Told
Use said when there is no indirect object, and told when naming the person addressed. Never use "said to me" — replace it with "told me".
She said (that) she loved that film. ✓
She told us (that) she loved that film. ✓
Pronoun Changes
First-person pronouns (I, we, my, our) shift to third-person (he/she/they, his/her/their) to match the new reporting perspective.
"I love my job," she said. → She said she loved her job.
"You are late," he told me. → He told me that I was late.
Time and Place Expression Changes
Because reporting happens at a later moment, temporal references must shift:
- now → then / at that time
- today → that day
- tomorrow → the next day / the following day
- yesterday → the day before / the previous day
- next week/month → the following week/month
- last week/month → the previous week/month
- ago → before
- here → there
3. Uses
Reported speech is used in the following situations:
- Reporting statements — passing on information someone said at an earlier time.
- Reporting yes/no questions — using if or whether to introduce the question in statement form.
- Reporting wh-questions — keeping the question word (what, where, why, when, how) but switching to statement word order.
- Reporting commands and orders — using tell, order, warn, or forbid + object + to-infinitive (or not to-infinitive for negatives).
- Reporting requests — using ask, beg, or request + object + to-infinitive.
- Reporting suggestions — using suggest/recommend with a that-clause (optionally with should) or with a gerund.
- Academic and formal writing — summarising sources, citing arguments, and narrating events without direct quotation.
4. Worked Examples
Reporting Statements
"I am studying for my exams," he told me. → He told me that he was studying for his exams.
"I have visited Paris three times," she said. → She said that she had visited Paris three times.
"I will come to your party," he said. → He said that he would come to the party.
Reporting Questions
Yes/No question — use if or whether, then subject + verb in statement order:
"Are you going to university?" she asked me. → She asked me if I was going to university.
Wh-question — keep the question word, then subject + verb:
"What time does the film start?" he asked. → He asked what time the film started.
"Where do you live?" she asked. → She asked where I lived.
Reporting Commands and Requests
"Study hard for the exam!" the teacher said. → The teacher told us to study hard for the exam.
"Don't be late!" she said. → She told us not to be late.
"Can you help me?" she asked. → She asked me to help her.
Reporting Suggestions
"Why don't you try a different method?" he said. → He suggested that I should try a different method. / He suggested trying a different method.
Complex Example with Multiple Changes
"I haven't finished my work today, and I won't come tomorrow," he said. → He said that he hadn't finished his work that day, and that he wouldn't come the next day.
Universal Truth — No Backshift
"The Earth revolves around the Sun," the teacher said. → The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
5. Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1 — Forgetting to backshift:
- Wrong: She said that she is tired. Correct: She said that she was tired.
Mistake 2 — Confusing said and told:
- Wrong: She told that she was tired. / She said me that... Correct: She said that she was tired. / She told me that...
Mistake 3 — Wrong pronoun adjustment:
- Wrong: She said that I was going. (when reporting someone else's words) Correct: She said that she was going.
Mistake 4 — Not changing time expressions:
- Wrong: She said she would see me tomorrow. (reported the following day) Correct: She said she would see me the next day.
Mistake 5 — Shifting modals that should not change:
- Wrong: He said he might help if he would. Correct: He said he would help if he could. (would/could remain unchanged)
Mistake 6 — Wrong structure for commands:
- Wrong: She told me close the door. Correct: She told me to close the door.
Mistake 7 — Wrong question word order:
- Wrong: She asked me where was I going. Correct: She asked me where I was going.
Mistake 8 — Double backshift of past perfect:
- Wrong: "I had finished," she said. → She said she had had finished. Correct: She said she had finished. (past perfect does not shift further)
Mistake 9 — Using "not" in the wrong position with infinitives:
- Wrong: He told me to not go. Correct: He told me not to go.
Mistake 10 — Applying backshift to universal truths:
- Acceptable (and preferred): The teacher said that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. (present tense retained for a permanent fact)
6. Key-Point Callout
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Key point: Four things must always be checked when converting direct speech to reported speech: (1) tense backshift — shift the verb one step into the past when the reporting verb is past; (2) pronouns — I/we become he/she/they from the reporter's perspective; (3) time and place expressions — now → then, tomorrow → the next day, here → there; (4) structure — questions use statement word order with if/whether or a wh-word; commands and requests use the to-infinitive. No backshift is needed for universal truths, present reporting verbs, or modals that already express past meaning (would, could, should, might).