Lesson on Reported Speech

What is Reported Speech?

Reported Speech (also called Indirect Speech) is used to tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. It often involves changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions.

Direct vs. Reported Speech

• Direct Speech: Quoting someone's exact words, usually enclosed in quotation marks. Example: She said, "I am happy."
• Reported Speech: Paraphrasing what someone said without quotation marks. Example: She said that she was happy.

Rules for Changing Direct Speech to Reported Speech

• Tense Shift: When the reporting verb (e.g., "said") is in the past, the tense in the reported speech usually shifts back one step in time:
  • Present Simple → Past Simple: "I eat" → "She said she ate."
  • Present Continuous → Past Continuous: "I am eating" → "She said she was eating."
  • Past Simple → Past Perfect: "I ate" → "She said she had eaten."
• Pronoun Changes: Pronouns may need to change to match the perspective. Example: "I am tired" → "He said that he was tired."
• Time and Place Changes: Words indicating time or place often need to be adjusted:
  • now → then
  • today → that day
  • here → there
  • tomorrow → the next day
• Reporting Verbs: Common reporting verbs include say, tell, ask, explain, reply.

Exceptions to the Rules

• No Tense Change: If the reporting verb is in the present, no tense change is required: Example: "I like apples" → "She says she likes apples."
• Universal Truths: No tense change is needed for universal truths: Example: "The Earth is round" → "He said that the Earth is round."