Reported Speech

Reported Speech: The Art of Telling Someone Else’s Story 📖

The Messenger Analogy 🏃‍♂️

Imagine you’re a messenger. Your friend tells you something, and you run to tell another person. But here’s the twist—you’re not just repeating words like a parrot. You’re transforming them, like a translator!

Direct Speech = Exact words with quotation marks (like a voice recording) Reported Speech = Your version of what someone said (like telling a story)

1. Direct vs Indirect Speech: Two Ways to Tell a Story

Think of two friends at school:

Direct Speech (Exact Copy):

Mom said, “I will bake cookies today.”

You’re using her EXACT words. You put them in quotation marks like a little cage.

Indirect Speech (Your Version):

Mom said that she would bake cookies that day.

You’re telling the story YOUR way. No quotation marks. The words change a little.

The Big Difference

2. Reporting Verbs: The Bridges Between Stories 🌉

Reporting verbs are like bridges that connect WHO said something with WHAT they said.

Common Reporting Verbs

graph TD
    A["Reporting Verbs"] --> B["said"]
    A --> C["told"]
    A --> D["asked"]
    A --> E["ordered"]
    A --> F["suggested"]
    A --> G["explained"]

Examples in Action

Remember:

• “Said” = no person after it (She said that…)
• “Told” = needs a person (She told me that…)

3. Tense Backshift Rules: The Time Machine ⏰

This is the magic rule of reported speech!

When you report what someone said, you usually push the tense backward in time. It’s like pressing rewind on a video.

The Time Travel Chart

Visual Time Machine

graph TD
    A["Present Simple"] -->|backshift| B["Past Simple"]
    C["Present Continuous"] -->|backshift| D["Past Continuous"]
    E["Past Simple"] -->|backshift| F["Past Perfect"]
    G["Will"] -->|backshift| H["Would"]
    I["Can"] -->|backshift| J["Could"]

Example Story:

Tom said, “I love ice cream.” ↓ Time machine activates! Tom said that he loved ice cream.

4. Reported Statements: Telling What Someone Said 💬

This is the most common type. You’re simply reporting what someone stated.

The Recipe

1. Remove quotation marks
2. Add “that” (optional but helpful)
3. Backshift the tense
4. Change pronouns if needed

Before and After

Direct: Sarah said, “I am tired.” Reported: Sarah said that she was tired.

Direct: They said, “We have finished.” Reported: They said that they had finished.

Direct: He said, “I will call you.” Reported: He said that he would call me.

Pronoun Changes

5. Reported Questions: When Someone Asks Something ❓

Questions need special treatment!

Two Types of Questions

Yes/No Questions (Can be answered with yes or no)

• Use if or whether
• No question mark at the end

Direct: She asked, “Are you happy?” Reported: She asked if I was happy.

Wh-Questions (Who, what, where, when, why, how)

• Keep the question word
• Change to statement order (no question form!)

Direct: He asked, “Where do you live?” Reported: He asked where I lived.

The Word Order Secret

In reported questions, the word order becomes like a statement, not a question:

❌ He asked where did I live. ✅ He asked where I lived.

graph TD
    A["Direct Question"] --> B{Type?}
    B -->|Yes/No| C["Add IF/WHETHER"]
    B -->|Wh-word| D["Keep Wh-word"]
    C --> E["Statement Order"]
    D --> E
    E --> F["No Question Mark"]

6. Reported Commands: When Someone Orders Something 🎖️

Commands use to + infinitive.

The Formula

Direct: Mom said, “Clean your room!” Reported: Mom told me to clean my room.

Negative Commands:

Direct: Teacher said, “Don’t run in the hall!” Reported: Teacher told us not to run in the hall.

Common Verbs for Commands

• told (someone to do something)
• ordered (more formal/strict)
• commanded (very formal)
• instructed (for teaching)

Example:

The captain said, “Attack!” → The captain ordered them to attack.

7. Reported Suggestions: When Someone Gives Ideas 💡

Suggestions are softer than commands. They’re ideas, not orders.

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: suggest + gerund (-ing)

Direct: She said, “Let’s go to the park.” Reported: She suggested going to the park.

Pattern 2: suggest + (that) + should

Direct: He said, “Why don’t we eat pizza?” Reported: He suggested that we should eat pizza.

Pattern 3: advise/recommend + gerund/-ing

Direct: Doctor said, “You should rest.” Reported: The doctor recommended resting.

Suggestion Verbs

8. No Backshift Cases: When Time Stands Still ⏸️

Sometimes, we don’t change the tense! The time machine stays off.

When to Skip Backshift

1. General truths and facts

Direct: Teacher said, “Water boils at 100°C.” Reported: Teacher said that water boils at 100°C. (This is always true, so no change!)

2. Immediate reporting (just happened)

Direct: She said, “I am hungry.” (just now) Reported: She said she is hungry. (If it’s still true right now, you can keep it!)

3. Conditionals with “would”

Direct: “If I won, I would celebrate.” Reported: He said if he won, he would celebrate. (Would stays as would!)

4. Past Perfect (can’t go further back)

Direct: “I had already eaten.” Reported: She said she had already eaten. (Past Perfect stays Past Perfect—it’s already the furthest back!)

Quick Reference

The Complete Journey 🗺️

graph TD
    A["Someone Speaks"] --> B{What type?}
    B -->|Statement| C["said/told + that"]
    B -->|Question| D["asked if/wh-word"]
    B -->|Command| E["told to + verb"]
    B -->|Suggestion| F["suggested + -ing"]
    C --> G["Backshift Tense"]
    D --> G
    E --> H["Use Infinitive"]
    F --> I["Use Gerund"]
    G --> J["Change Pronouns"]
    H --> J
    I --> J
    J --> K["Reported Speech Complete!"]

Your Messenger Toolkit 🧰

Remember, you’re the messenger! You take someone’s exact words and transform them into your own story.

The Four Key Questions:

1. Is it a statement, question, command, or suggestion?
2. What reporting verb should I use?
3. Do I need to backshift the tense?
4. Do I need to change the pronouns?

Practice Makes Perfect! 🌟

Every time you hear someone speak, try transforming it in your head:

Friend says: “I love this game!” You think: My friend said that she loved that game.

Mom asks: “Did you finish your homework?” You think: Mom asked if I had finished my homework.

You’re now ready to be the world’s best messenger! 🏆