Table of Contents
No Change in Verb Tenses in Reported Speech
The Introductory Verb is in the Present, Present Perfect or Future
Example:
Direct speech: He says, “I will come”.
Reported speech: He says that he will come.
Fact or General Truth
If the reported sentence deals with a
Example:
Direct speech: Copernicus: “The planets revolve around the sun.“
Indirect speech: Copernicus stated that the planets revolve around the sun.
Time Clause
The reported sentence contains a time clause, the tenses of the time clause remain unchanged.
Example:
Direct speech: She said, “His parents died while he was still at school.”
Indirect speech: She said that his parents had died while he was still at school.
The Second or the Third Conditional
The verb of the sentence is in the unreal past (the second or the third conditional).
Example:
Direct speech: He said, “If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.“
Reported speech: He said that he would travel around the world if he won the lottery.
The Subjunctive
The subjunctive stays unchanged in the subordinate clause.
Example:
Direct speech: The children said, “We wish we didn’t have to take exams.”
Reported speech: The children said they wished they didn’t have to take exams.
“Had Better”, “Could”, “Would”, “Used to”, “Should”, “Might”, “Ought to” and “Mustn’t” Remain Unchanged
Example:
Direct speech: He said, “You had better
Indirect speech: He said that I had better
Direct speech: He said, “Ann might ring today.”
Reported speech: He said that Ann might ring that day.
Report Something Immediately
If the speaker reports something immediately or soon after it was said, the clause often remains as spoken.
Example:
A: What did the teacher say?
B: He said that we write our lesson carefully.
No Change in Verb Tenses in Reported Speech | Image
What is reported speech?
Reported speech is when you tell somebody else what you or a person said before.
Direct speech vs Reported speech:
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| She says: "I like tuna fish." | She says that she likes tuna fish. |
| She said: "I'm visiting Paris next weekend" | She said that she was visiting Paris the following weekend. |
Different types of sentences
When you use reported speech, you either report:
- statements
- questions
- requests / commands
- other types
A. Reporting Statements
When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
- pronouns
- tense
- place and time expression
1- Pronouns
In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says what.
Example:
She says, “My dad likes roast chicken.” – She says that her dad likes roast chicken.
2- Tenses
- If the sentence starts in the present, there is no backshift of tenses in reported speech.
- If the sentence starts in the past, there is often backshift of tenses in reported speech.
| Direct speech | Reported speech | |
|---|---|---|
| (no backshift) | “I write poems.” | He says that he writes poems. |
| (backshift) | “I write poems.” |
He said that he wrote poems. |
No backshift
Do not change the tense if the introductory clause is in
Example:
He says, “I write poems.” – He says that he writes English.
Backshift
You must change the tense if the introductory clause is in
Example:
He said, “I am happy.” – He said that he was happy.
Examples of the main changes
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
|
Simple Present
He said: "I am happy" |
Simple Past
He said that he was happy |
|
Present Progressive
He said: "I'm looking for my keys" |
Past Progressive
He said that he was looking for his keys |
|
Simple Past
He said: "I visited New York last year" |
Past Perfect Simple
He said that he had visited New York the previous year. |
|
Present Perfect
He said: " I've lived here for a long time " |
Past Perfect
He said that he had lived there for a long time |
|
Past Perfect
He said: "They had finished the work when I arrived" |
Past Perfect
He said that they had finished the work when he had arrived" |
|
Past Progressive
He said: "I was playing football when the accident occurred" |
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football when the accident had occurred |
|
Present Perfect Progressive
He said |
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football for two hours |
|
Past Perfect Progressive
He said: "I had been reading a newspaper when the light went off" |
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been reading a newspaper when the light had gone off |
|
Future Simple (will+verb)
He said: "I will open the door." |
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would open the door. |
|
Conditional (would+verb)
He said: "I would buy Mercedes if I were rich" |
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would buy Mercedes if he had been rich" |
The modal verbs could, should, would, might, needn't, ought to, used to do not normally change.
Example:
He said, "She might be right." – He said that she might be right.
Other modal verbs may change:
| Modal | Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|---|
| can | "I can do it." | He said he could do it. |
| may | "May I go out?" | He wanted to know if he might go out. |
| must | "She must apply for the job." | He said that she must/had to apply for the job. |
| will | "They will call you." | He told her that they would call her. |
3- Place, demonstratives and time expressions
Place, demonstratives and time expressions change if the context of the reported statement (i.e. the location and/or the period of time) is different from that of the direct speech.
In the following table, you will find the different changes of place; demonstratives and time expressions.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Time Expressions | |
| today | that day |
| now | then |
| yesterday | the day before |
| … days ago | … days before |
| last week | the week before |
| next year | the following year |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| Place | |
| here | there |
| Demonstratives | |
| this | that |
| these | those |
B. Reporting Questions
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
- pronouns
- place and time expressions
- tenses (backshift)
- transform the question into an indirect question
- use the question word (where, when, what, how) or
if / whether
| Types of questions | Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|---|
| With question word (what, why, where, how...) | "Why" don’t you speak English?” | He asked me why I didn’t speak English. |
| Without question word (yes or no questions) | “Do you speak English?” | He asked me |
C. Reporting requests / commands
When transforming requests and commands, check whether you have to change:
- pronouns
- place and time expressions
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| “Nancy |
He told Nancy to do the exercise. |
| "Nancy, give me your pen, please." | He asked Nancy to give him her pen. |
| Tenses are not relevant for requests – simply use to / not to + verb (infinitive without "to") |
Example:
She said, “Sit down." - She asked me to sit down.
She said, "don't be lazy" - She asked me not to be lazy
|
For affirmative use to + infinitive (without to) For negative requests, use not to + infinitive (without to). |
D. Other transformations
- Expressions of advice with must, should and ought are usually reported using
advise / urge .
Example:
"You must read this book."
Headvised / urged me to read that book. - The expression let’s is usually reported using suggest. In this case, there are two possibilities for reported speech: gerund or statement with should.
Example
"Let’s go to the cinema."
1. He suggested going to the cinema.
2. He suggested that we should go to the cinema.
Main clauses connected with and/but
If two complete main clauses are connected with ‚and or ‚but, put ‚that after the conjunction.
Example
He said
If the subject is dropped in the second main clause (the conjunction is followed by a verb), do not use ‚that‘.
Example
She said
