Reported Speech

For Intermediate learners

Reported speech is related to the grammar of reporting what someone else said. In this lesson, you will learn all about it.

What Is Reported Speech?

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of reporting what someone has said without necessarily using their exact words.

Reported Speech: Types

We can report speech in two ways:

Direct Reported Speech

When we want to report someone's exact same words to a third party, we report it directly. Remember to put the whole reported clause in quotation marks. Take a look at the following examples:

They said, "See you later!".

"To hell with you!", Maria shouted.

Direct Reported Speech: Uses

Since we want to deliver the exact words somebody said, the reported speech does not change. However, the sentence that comes before or after it, is usually in the past tense. Study the following examples:

"I don't want you anymore.". I voiced.

"Why can't she come right now?" My mom yelled.

Indirect Speech

When we want to report someone's speech indirectly, we use our own words to do it. So, the tenses must change. Study the following examples carefully:

Chiara told me they were going on a trip to Italy.

The director said we could move the chairs around.

Indirect Reported Speech: Uses

Backshift

One important thing to do when we want to report speech indirectly, is to change the tense of the reported speech. In other words, if the sentence is in the simple present tense, it changes to simple past and so on. Take a look at the table below:

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Simple Present	Simple Past
Present Continuous	Past Continuous

Now, let us see how they are used in sentences:

"I want to go to the movies". → She said she wanted to go to the movies.

As you can see, the sentence has been back shifted into simple past tense.

"We are cleaning the house today." → They said they were cleaning the house today.

Reporting Verbs

In English, we have some reporting verbs that are used to report speech, either directly or indirectly, to a third party. These verbs are presented in the following list:

Voice
Declare
Tell
Say
Answer
Shout
Cry

Now let us see some examples:

She cried "I cannot believe I ever trusted you!"

My friend asked whether I was busy today or not.

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What Is Reported Speech?
- Direct Reported Speech: Uses
- Indirect Reported Speech: Uses
  Backshift
Reporting Verbs

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