Introduction to Reported Speech
Have you ever wanted to tell a friend what someone else said? Maybe you’re sharing a piece of news, telling a story about a conversation you had, or repeating a teacher’s instructions. In English, we do this using Reported Speech (also known as Indirect Speech).
In this chapter, we will learn how to take someone’s exact words and turn them into a report. Don't worry if it seems like there are many rules at first—once you see the patterns, it becomes like a simple puzzle!
1. Direct vs. Indirect Speech
Before we start, let's look at the difference between the two ways we talk about what people say:
Direct Speech: You repeat the exact words using quotation marks (" ").
Example: Somchai said, "I am hungry."
Indirect (Reported) Speech: You give the meaning of what was said without using the exact words. You usually change the tense and pronouns.
Example: Somchai said (that) he was hungry.
2. The "Backshift" Rule (Changing Tenses)
When the person spoke in the past, we usually move the tense one step back into the past. This is called "backshifting." Imagine you are taking a step back on a timeline.
Present Simple becomes Past Simple
Direct: "I want to go to Bangkok."
Reported: He said he wanted to go to Bangkok.
Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous
Direct: "We are studying for the exam."
Reported: They said they were studying for the exam.
Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect
Direct: "I have finished my homework."
Reported: She said she had finished her homework.
Past Simple becomes Past Perfect
Direct: "I saw a movie yesterday."
Reported: He said he had seen a movie the day before.
Future (Will) becomes Would
Direct: "I will call you later."
Reported: She said she would call me later.
Quick Tip: If the reporting verb is in the Present Tense (e.g., "He says..."), you do not need to change the tense! We only change it when we use past verbs like "He said..." or "They told me...".
3. Changing Pronouns and Time Words
When we report speech, we have to change pronouns (I, you, we) so they make sense from our perspective. We also change time and place words because the "here and now" of the speaker is different from ours.
Common Pronoun Changes:
I \(\rightarrow\) he / she
we \(\rightarrow\) they
my \(\rightarrow\) his / her
Common Time and Place Changes:
now \(\rightarrow\) then / at that time
today \(\rightarrow\) that day
yesterday \(\rightarrow\) the day before / the previous day
tomorrow \(\rightarrow\) the next day / the following day
here \(\rightarrow\) there
this \(\rightarrow\) that
4. Reporting Questions
Reporting questions is a little different. We don't use the question word order anymore; we change it back into a statement word order (Subject + Verb). Also, we don't use the helping verbs do, does, or did.
Yes/No Questions
If the question can be answered with "yes" or "no," we use if or whether.
Direct: "Do you like spicy food?"
Reported: He asked if I liked spicy food.
Wh- Questions
If the question starts with who, what, where, when, why, or how, we keep that word but change the order of the rest of the sentence.
Direct: "Where is the school?"
Reported: She asked where the school was. (Notice: was moves to the end!)
5. Commands and Requests
To report a command (telling someone to do something) or a request (asking politely), we use a very simple pattern: Reporting verb + somebody + to + infinitive.
Commands:
Direct: "Open the window!"
Reported: The teacher told me to open the window.
Negative Commands:
Direct: "Don't run in the hall!"
Reported: He told us not to run in the hall.
Requests:
Direct: "Please help me."
Reported: She asked me to help her.
6. Reporting Verbs: "Say" vs. "Tell"
This is a common mistake for many students! Here is the simple rule:
Say: You don't usually mention the listener immediately after. If you do, use "to."
Correct: He said (that) he was tired.
Correct: He said to me that he was tired.
Tell: You must mention the listener (the person being spoken to).
Correct: He told me (that) he was tired.
Incorrect: He told that he was tired.
7. Modal Verbs in Reported Speech
Based on our syllabus, here is how modal verbs change:
Can \(\rightarrow\) Could
Must / Have to \(\rightarrow\) Had to
Should / Ought to \(\rightarrow\) Stay the same (No change!)
Example: "You should study harder," the doctor said.
Report: The doctor said that I should study harder.
Summary Checklist
When you are changing a sentence into Reported Speech, ask yourself these 4 questions:
1. The Verb: Do I need to move the tense back? (e.g., Present \(\rightarrow\) Past)
2. The Pronouns: Does "I" need to become "he" or "she"?
3. The Time/Place: Does "tomorrow" need to become "the next day"?
4. The Order: If it's a question, did I change it back to a statement order?
Key Takeaway: Reported speech is all about shifting perspective. You are looking back at a conversation from a different time and place, so the words must change to reflect that!