LoginReported 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, "
"
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
"Why can't she come right now?" My mom
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
As you can see, the sentence has been back shifted into simple past tense.
"We
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
My friend
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