Reported Speech (also called Indirect Speech) is used to report what someone said without using their exact words. We often change the tense, pronouns, and time expressions.
Direct Speech: "I am hungry," said John. Reported Speech: John said that he was hungry.
Direct Speech: "I will call you tomorrow," she said. Reported Speech: She said that she would call me the next day.
Direct Speech: "Where do you live?" he asked. Reported Speech: He asked where I lived.
💡 Key Changes in Reported Speech:
• Tense changes (backshifting)
• Pronoun changes
• Time and place expression changes
• Word order changes (for questions)
📝 2. Tense Changes (Backshifting)
📊 Tense Backshifting Rules
Direct Speech Tense
Reported Speech Tense
Example
Present Simple
Past Simple
"I work" → He said he worked.
Present Continuous
Past Continuous
"I am working" → He said he was working.
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
"I have worked" → He said he had worked.
Past Simple
Past Perfect
"I worked" → He said he had worked.
Future (will)
Would
"I will work" → He said he would work.
can
could
"I can swim" → He said he could swim.
may
might
"I may come" → He said he might come.
must
had to / must
"I must go" → He said he had to go.
💡 No change when:
• Reporting verb is present: "She says she is happy."
• Statement is a general truth: "He said the sun rises in the east."
• Statement is still true: "She said she is 25 years old." (still true)
📝 3. Pronoun and Possessive Changes
Direct: "I love my job," she said. Reported: She said that she loved her job.
Direct: "We want to buy our own house," they said. Reported: They said that they wanted to buy their own house.
Direct: "You should see your doctor," he said to me. Reported: He told me that I should see my doctor.
📌 Pronoun Change Examples
• I → he/she (depending on speaker)
• you → I/he/she/they (depending on listener)
• we → they
• my → his/her
• your → my/his/her/their
• our → their
📝 4. Time and Place Changes
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
now
then / at that time
today
that day
tonight
that night
yesterday
the day before / the previous day
tomorrow
the next day / the following day
this week
that week
last week
the previous week / the week before
next week
the following week / the week after
here
there
• "I will see you tomorrow" → He said he would see me the next day.
• "I was here yesterday" → She said she had been there the day before.
• "I'm leaving now" → He said he was leaving then.
📝 5. Reporting Statements
✅ Formula: said (that) / told (that)
• Direct: "I am tired," she said.
• Reported: She said (that) she was tired.
• Direct: "We have finished the project," they said.
• Reported: They said (that) they had finished the project.
• Direct: "I will help you," he told me.
• Reported: He told me (that) he would help me.
📝 6. Reporting Questions
📌 Yes/No Questions: Use "if" or "whether"
• Direct: "Do you like coffee?" he asked.
• Reported: He asked if I liked coffee.
• Direct: "Are you coming?" she asked.
• Reported: She asked whether I was coming.
📌 Wh- Questions: Keep the question word
• Direct: "Where do you live?" he asked.
• Reported: He asked where I lived.
• Direct: "What time is it?" she asked.
• Reported: She asked what time it was.
• Direct: "Why are you late?" he asked.
• Reported: He asked why I was late.
⚠️ Important: In reported questions, use normal word order (subject + verb), NOT question word order!
📝 7. Reporting Commands and Requests
✅ Formula: told + to + infinitive / asked + to + infinitive
Commands (tell):
• Direct: "Close the door," he said.
• Reported: He told me to close the door.
Requests (ask):
• Direct: "Please help me," she said.
• Reported: She asked me to help her.
Negative commands:
• Direct: "Don't be late," he said.
• Reported: He told me not to be late.
💬 8. Examples by Category (100+ Examples)
📌 Reporting Statements (25 examples)
1. "I am happy," she said. → She said she was happy.
2. "We are leaving," they said. → They said they were leaving.
3. "I have finished my work," he said. → He said he had finished his work.
4. "She will come tomorrow," he said. → He said she would come the next day.
5. "I can speak French," she said. → She said she could speak French.
6. "We must go now," they said. → They said they had to go then.
7. "I love this movie," he said. → He said he loved that movie.
8. "The sun rises in the east," the teacher said. → The teacher said the sun rises in the east.
9. "I don't like coffee," she said. → She said she didn't like coffee.
10. "We have never been to Paris," they said. → They said they had never been to Paris.
11. "I will call you later," he told me. → He told me he would call me later.
12. "She is studying now," her mother said. → Her mother said she was studying then.
13. "I saw the movie yesterday," he said. → He said he had seen the movie the day before.
14. "They are getting married next week," she said. → She said they were getting married the following week.
15. "I have lost my keys," he said. → He said he had lost his keys.
16. "We will be there," they said. → They said they would be there.
17. "I can't attend the meeting," she said. → She said she couldn't attend the meeting.
18. "You should see a doctor," he told me. → He told me I should see a doctor.
19. "I'm not feeling well," she said. → She said she wasn't feeling well.
20. "They have already eaten," he said. → He said they had already eaten.
21. "I'll help you with your homework," she said. → She said she would help me with my homework.
22. "We don't have enough money," they said. → They said they didn't have enough money.
23. "She is going to quit her job," he said. → He said she was going to quit her job.
24. "I was sleeping when you called," she said. → She said she had been sleeping when I called.
25. "They will arrive at 8 PM," he said. → He said they would arrive at 8 PM.
📌 Reporting Yes/No Questions (20 examples)
26. "Do you like coffee?" he asked. → He asked if I liked coffee.
27. "Are you coming to the party?" she asked. → She asked whether I was coming to the party.
28. "Have you finished your homework?" the teacher asked. → The teacher asked if I had finished my homework.
29. "Will you be there tomorrow?" he asked. → He asked if I would be there the next day.
30. "Can you swim?" she asked. → She asked if I could swim.
31. "Did you see the movie?" he asked. → He asked if I had seen the movie.
32. "Do you speak English?" she asked. → She asked if I spoke English.
33. "Is it raining outside?" he asked. → He asked if it was raining outside.
34. "Have you ever been to London?" she asked. → She asked if I had ever been to London.
35. "Will you help me?" he asked. → He asked if I would help him.
36. "Do you need any help?" she asked. → She asked if I needed any help.
37. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked. → He asked if I was feeling okay.
38. "Did you enjoy the concert?" she asked. → She asked if I had enjoyed the concert.
39. "Can you drive?" he asked. → He asked if I could drive.
40. "Do you have a car?" she asked. → She asked if I had a car.
41. "Is this your first time here?" he asked. → He asked if that was my first time there.
42. "Were you at home yesterday?" she asked. → She asked if I had been at home the day before.
43. "Will you marry me?" he asked. → He asked if I would marry him.
44. "Do you like my new dress?" she asked. → She asked if I liked her new dress.
45. "Have you seen my keys?" he asked. → He asked if I had seen his keys.
📌 Reporting Wh- Questions (20 examples)
46. "Where do you live?" he asked. → He asked where I lived.
47. "What time is it?" she asked. → She asked what time it was.
48. "Why are you late?" he asked. → He asked why I was late.
49. "Who is that woman?" she asked. → She asked who that woman was.
50. "How are you?" he asked. → He asked how I was.
51. "Where are you going?" she asked. → She asked where I was going.
52. "What are you doing?" he asked. → He asked what I was doing.
53. "Why did you say that?" she asked. → She asked why I had said that.
54. "How much does it cost?" he asked. → He asked how much it cost.
55. "Where did you buy that?" she asked. → She asked where I had bought that.
56. "What do you want to eat?" he asked. → He asked what I wanted to eat.
57. "When will you arrive?" she asked. → She asked when I would arrive.
58. "Who is your favorite actor?" he asked. → He asked who my favorite actor was.
59. "How long have you been waiting?" she asked. → She asked how long I had been waiting.
60. "Where were you last night?" he asked. → He asked where I had been the night before.
61. "What did you do yesterday?" she asked. → She asked what I had done the day before.
62. "Why haven't you called me?" he asked. → He asked why I hadn't called him.
63. "How many languages do you speak?" she asked. → She asked how many languages I spoke.
64. "Where is the nearest bank?" he asked. → He asked where the nearest bank was.
65. "What time does the movie start?" she asked. → She asked what time the movie started.
📌 Reporting Commands and Requests (20 examples)
66. "Close the door," he said. → He told me to close the door.
67. "Please help me," she said. → She asked me to help her.
68. "Don't be late," he said. → He told me not to be late.
69. "Sit down," the teacher said. → The teacher told us to sit down.
70. "Please be quiet," she said. → She asked us to be quiet.
71. "Turn off the lights," he said. → He told me to turn off the lights.
72. "Don't touch that," she said. → She told me not to touch that.
73. "Open your books," the teacher said. → The teacher told us to open our books.
74. "Please wait here," he said. → He asked me to wait there.
75. "Don't forget to call me," she said. → She told me not to forget to call her.
76. "Finish your homework," her mother said. → Her mother told her to finish her homework.
77. "Please don't smoke here," he said. → He asked me not to smoke there.
78. "Come here," she said. → She told me to go there.
79. "Don't worry," he said. → He told me not to worry.
80. "Take a seat," the doctor said. → The doctor told me to take a seat.
81. "Please send me the report," she said. → She asked me to send her the report.
82. "Don't make so much noise," he said. → He told us not to make so much noise.
83. "Call me when you arrive," she said. → She told me to call her when I arrived.
84. "Please don't tell anyone," he said. → He asked me not to tell anyone.
85. "Be careful," she said. → She told me to be careful.
📌 Mixed Examples (20 examples)
86. "I'm going to the store," she said. → She said she was going to the store.
87. "Where is my phone?" he asked. → He asked where his phone was.
88. "Don't eat that," her mother said. → Her mother told her not to eat that.
89. "I've never seen anything like this," he said. → He said he had never seen anything like that.
90. "Will you be at the meeting?" she asked. → She asked if I would be at the meeting.
91. "We visited Paris last summer," they said. → They said they had visited Paris the previous summer.
92. "Please help me carry this," he said. → He asked me to help him carry that.
93. "Why didn't you call me?" she asked. → She asked why I hadn't called her.
94. "I can't believe it!" he said. → He said he couldn't believe it.
95. "Turn left at the corner," she said. → She told me to turn left at the corner.
96. "Have you eaten lunch?" he asked. → He asked if I had eaten lunch.
97. "We'll be late if we don't hurry," she said. → She said they would be late if they didn't hurry.
98. "How often do you exercise?" he asked. → He asked how often I exercised.
99. "Please don't be angry," she said. → She asked me not to be angry.
100. "I'll always love you," he said. → He said he would always love me.
❌ 9. Common Mistakes
Mistake
Correction
❌ He said me that he was tired.
✅ He told me that he was tired.
❌ She asked where do I live.
✅ She asked where I lived.
❌ He said that he will come tomorrow.
✅ He said that he would come the next day.
❌ She asked if I am coming.
✅ She asked if I was coming.
❌ He told that he was hungry.
✅ He said that he was hungry.
⚠️ Important Rules:
1. Use "said" (no object) or "told" + object
2. Backshift tenses (present → past, past → past perfect, will → would)
3. Change pronouns (I → he/she, we → they, you → I/he/she)
4. Change time expressions (today → that day, tomorrow → the next day)
5. For questions, use normal word order (subject + verb)
✍️ 10. Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Change to reported speech (statements)
1. "I am tired," she said. → She said that she was tired.
2. "We will arrive soon," they said. → ____________________
3. "I have finished my work," he said. → ____________________
4. "I don't like coffee," she said. → ____________________
5. "We are leaving now," they said. → ____________________
Exercise 2: Change to reported speech (questions)
1. "Do you like pizza?" he asked. → He asked if I liked pizza.
2. "Where do you live?" she asked. → ____________________
3. "Are you coming to the party?" he asked. → ____________________
4. "What time is it?" she asked. → ____________________
5. "Why are you late?" he asked. → ____________________
Exercise 3: Change to reported speech (commands)
1. "Close the door," he said. → He told me to close the door.
2. "Don't be late," she said. → ____________________
3. "Please help me," he said. → ____________________
4. "Sit down," the teacher said. → ____________________
5. "Don't worry," she said. → ____________________
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q1.What is backshifting in reported speech?▼
Backshifting means moving the tense of the original statement one step back into the past. For example: 'I am tired' becomes 'He said he was tired.' Present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, etc.
Q2.When do we NOT change the tense in reported speech?▼
We don't change the tense when: 1) The reporting verb is in present tense (She says she is tired), 2) The statement is a general truth (He said the sun rises in the east), 3) The statement is still true at the time of reporting.
Q3.How do we report questions?▼
For yes/no questions, use 'if' or 'whether' (He asked if I was tired). For wh- questions, keep the wh- word (He asked where I lived). Remember: no question word order in reported questions!