English · Chapter 10
Reported Speech and Indirect Questions: Saying What Others Said
Reported speech lets you relay what someone said without quoting them directly — a skill essential for storytelling, journalism, academic writing, and everyday conversation.
Direct Speech vs. Reported Speech
When we use direct speech, we quote someone's exact words, enclosed in quotation marks. When we use reported speech (also called indirect speech), we relay the meaning of what was said, adapting tense, pronouns, and time/place references to fit the new context.
Direct speech: She said, "I am tired."
Reported speech: She said (that) she was tired.
Direct speech: He told me, "I will call you tomorrow."
Reported speech: He told me (that) he would call me the next day.
Key grammar notes:
— "That" after the reporting verb is optional in informal English but common in formal writing.
— Say is used without an indirect object: "She said (that)..."
— Tell requires an indirect object: "She told me (that)..." / NOT "She told that..."
Tense Backshift Rules
When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told, asked, etc.), the tenses in the reported clause typically "shift back" one step into the past. This is called backshift.
| Direct Speech Tense | Reported Speech Tense | Example |
|---|
| Present simple ("I work") | Past simple (worked) | "I work here." → She said she worked there. |
| Present continuous ("I am working") | Past continuous (was working) | "I am working." → He said he was working. |
| Past simple ("I visited") | Past perfect (had visited) | "I visited Rome." → She said she had visited Rome. |
| Present perfect ("I have finished") | Past perfect (had finished) | "I have finished." → He said he had finished. |
| Past continuous ("I was sleeping") | Past perfect continuous (had been sleeping) | "I was sleeping." → She said she had been sleeping. |
| Will ("I will help") | Would (would help) | "I will help." → He said he would help. |
| Can ("I can come") | Could (could come) | "I can come." → She said she could come. |
| May ("It may rain") | Might (might rain) | "It may rain." → He said it might rain. |
| Must ("You must go") | Had to / must (had to go) | "You must go." → She said I had to go. |
| Should / would / could / might | No change | "You should rest." → He said I should rest. |
Time and Place Reference Changes
Because reported speech occurs at a different time and often place than the original speech, references to time and location must be updated.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|
| now | then / at that moment |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| last week | the week before / the previous week |
| next week | the following week |
| ago | before / previously |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| come | go |
Direct: "I met her here yesterday and she told me she would call tomorrow."
Reported: He said he had met her there the day before and she had told him she would call the next day.
Reporting Verbs: Beyond "Said" and "Told"
English has a rich set of reporting verbs that convey not just what was said but how it was said — whether it was an order, a warning, a promise, or a suggestion. Using these verbs makes reported speech more precise and natural.
| Reporting Verb | Structure | Example |
|---|
| say | say (that) + clause | She said (that) she was tired. |
| tell | tell + person + (that) + clause | He told me he would be late. |
| ask | ask + (person) + if/wh-word + clause | She asked me if I was hungry. |
| warn | warn + person + not to / that | He warned us not to go near the edge. |
| advise | advise + person + to-infinitive | She advised me to see a doctor. |
| suggest | suggest + gerund / suggest (that) + clause | He suggested going by train. / He suggested we go by train. |
| order | order + person + to-infinitive | The general ordered the soldiers to advance. |
| promise | promise + to-infinitive / promise (that) | She promised to call me. / She promised she would call. |
| deny | deny + gerund | He denied stealing the money. |
| admit | admit + gerund | She admitted making a mistake. |
| claim | claim + to-infinitive / claim (that) | He claimed to be an expert. |
| refuse | refuse + to-infinitive | She refused to sign the contract. |
| offer | offer + to-infinitive | He offered to help us move. |
| agree | agree + to-infinitive | She agreed to lend me her car. |
| insist | insist on + gerund / insist (that) | He insisted on paying the bill. |
Reporting Questions
Reported questions follow special rules. The word order changes to subject-verb (not question word order), and we do NOT use auxiliary do/does/did or question marks.
Yes/No Questions: Use If or Whether
Direct: "Are you coming to the party?"
Reported: She asked me if I was coming to the party.
NOT: She asked me was I coming to the party.
Direct: "Have you finished your homework?"
Reported: He asked whether I had finished my homework.
Direct: "Can you speak French?"
Reported: She asked me if I could speak French.
Wh- Questions: Use the Question Word
Direct: "Where do you live?"
Reported: He asked me where I lived.
NOT: He asked me where did I live.
Direct: "What time does the train leave?"
Reported: She asked what time the train left.
Direct: "Why did you leave early?"
Reported: He asked me why I had left early.
Reporting Commands and Requests
Commands and requests in direct speech become to-infinitive structures in reported speech.
Direct: "Close the door!" (command)
Reported: She told me to close the door.
Direct: "Don't touch that!" (negative command)
Reported: He told me not to touch that.
Direct: "Please help me with this." (request)
Reported: She asked me to help her with it.
Direct: "Could you lend me some money?" (polite request)
Reported: He asked me to lend him some money.
When NOT to Backshift
Tense backshift is not always required. There are two main situations where the original tense can be kept:
1. Eternal Truths and Scientific Facts
Direct: "The Earth revolves around the Sun."
Reported: The teacher said (that) the Earth revolves around the Sun. (No backshift — still true.)
Direct: "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius."
Reported: She explained that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
2. Very Recent Speech
(Said two minutes ago) Direct: "I'm hungry."
Reported: She says she is hungry. (Present reporting verb → no backshift needed.)
If the reporting verb is present (says, tells), no backshift occurs because the information is still current.
20 Complete Transformation Examples
- "I love chocolate." → She said (that) she loved chocolate.
- "We are waiting for the bus." → They said they were waiting for the bus.
- "I have never been to Japan." → He said he had never been to Japan.
- "She will win the competition." → He said she would win the competition.
- "I can't come tonight." → She said she couldn't come that night.
- "Stop talking!" → The teacher told us to stop talking.
- "Don't be late!" → She told me not to be late.
- "Where are you going?" → He asked me where I was going.
- "Did you enjoy the concert?" → She asked me if I had enjoyed the concert.
- "I'll help you tomorrow." → He promised to help me the next day.
- "You should rest." → The doctor advised me to rest.
- "I didn't take your phone." → He denied taking my phone.
- "I'm sorry I was rude." → She admitted having been rude / admitted (that) she had been rude.
- "Shall we go for a walk?" → He suggested going for a walk.
- "How long have you worked here?" → She asked how long I had worked there.
- "I won't tell anyone." → She promised she wouldn't tell anyone.
- "Be careful with that knife!" → He warned her to be careful with that knife.
- "I may be late." → She said she might be late.
- "Which hotel are you staying in?" → He asked which hotel I was staying in.
- "You must submit the form today." → She told me I had to submit the form that day.
Chapter Summary
- Reported speech relays meaning without quoting directly; when the reporting verb is past, tenses in the reported clause shift back one step (present→past, past→past perfect, will→would, can→could).
- Time and place references change systematically: now→then, today→that day, tomorrow→the next day, here→there, this→that, come→go.
- Say is used without an indirect object; tell always requires one — "She told me" not "She told that."
- Reported yes/no questions use if or whether; reported wh-questions use the question word — both use normal subject-verb order with no auxiliary do/does/did and no question mark.
- Commands and requests in reported speech use tell/ask + person + to-infinitive; negatives use "not to" + infinitive.
- Backshift is not required for eternal truths, scientific facts, or when the reporting verb is in the present tense because the information is still current.
- Precise reporting verbs (warn, advise, suggest, deny, admit, promise, refuse, offer) convey not just what was said but the speaker's intention — and each carries its own grammatical structure.