Use:

Use reported speech to talk about what another person said in the past.
Eve: ‘I went to the party on Friday night’.
James: ‘Eve said that she had gone to the party on Friday night’.

Form:
1) When reporting speech, the verb in the sentence may shift to a past tense.

am / is / are changes to was / were

“I am fine.” She said that she was fine.

present simple changes to past simple
“I like it.” He said he liked it.
present continuous changes to past continuous
“She’s sleeping.” He said that she was sleeping.
will changes to would
“I’ll be there.” You said that you’d be there.
can changes to could
“I can come to the meeting.” You said that you could come to the meeting.
past simple changes to past perfect
“I did the shopping.” Tom said that he had done the shopping.
present perfect changes to past perfect
“I’ve read that book.” I told him that I’d read the book.
past continuous changes to past perfect continuous
“She was walking home alone.” He said that she had been walking home alone.
present perfect continuous changes to past perfect continuous
“I’ve been working,” I told him that I’d been working.
2) To report speech, use He / She / I said (that) ...
You can also use He / She told me (that)...; I told him / her (that)...

3) Don’t use quotation marks (“) when reporting speech.

4) References to times in the past also may need to change when using reported speech, if that time
is no longer the same.
this morning / week / month → that morning / week / month
yesterday → the previous day
last week / month → the previous week / month
ago → earlier / previously
tomorrow → the following day
next week / month → the following week / month
"Don't do it!"
Check
Show
[.]
2) "I'm leaving tomorrow."
Check
Show
[.]
3) "Please get me a cup of tea."
Check
Show
[.]
4) "She got married last year."
Check
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[.]
5) "Be quick!"
Check
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[.]
6) "Could you explain number four, please?"
Check
Show
[.]
7) "Where do you live?"
Check
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[.]
8) "We went to the cinema and then to a Chinese restaurant."
Check
Show
[.]
9) "I'll come and help you at twelve."
Check
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[.]
10) "What are you doing tomorrow?"
Check
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[.]
11) "Don't go!"
Check
Show
[.]
12) "Do you work in London?"
Check
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[.]
13) "Could you tell me where the post office is?"
Check
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[.]
14) "Come here!"
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[.]
15) "I've never been to Wales."
Check
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[.]
16) "Have you ever seen The Lord of the Rings?"
Check
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[.]
17) "I don't like mushrooms."
Check
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[.]
18) "Don't be silly!"
Check
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[.]
19) "Would you mind waiting a moment please?"
Check
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[.]
20) "How often do you play sport?"

[.]
"Don't do it!"

Check
Show

[ She told me not to do it. ]

2) "I'm leaving tomorrow."
Check
Show
[ She said that she was leaving tomorrow. ]
3) "Please get me a cup of tea."
Check
Show
[ She asked me to get her a cup of tea. ]
4) "She got married last year."
Check
Show
[ She said that she had got married last year. ]
5) "Be quick!"
Check
Show
[ She told me to be quick. ]
6) "Could you explain number four, please?" Check
Show
[ She asked me to explain number four. ]
7) "Where do you live?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me where I lived. ]
8) "We went to the cinema and then to a Chinese restaurant."
Check
Show
[ She said that they had gone to the cinema and then to a Chinese restaurant. ]
9) "I'll come and help you at twelve."
Check
Show
[ She said that she would come and help me at twelve. ]
10) "What are you doing tomorrow?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me what I was doing tomorrow. ]
11) "Don't go!"
Check
Show
[ She told me not to go. ]
12) "Do you work in London?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me if I worked in London. ]
13) "Could you tell me where the post office is?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me to tell her where the post office was. ]
14) "Come here!"
Check
Show
[ She told me to come here. ]
15) "I've never been to Wales."
Check
Show
[ She said that she had never been to Wales. ]
16) "Have you ever seen The Lord of the Rings?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me if I had ever seen The Lord of the Rings. ]
17) "I don't like mushrooms."
Check
Show
[ She said that she didn't like mushrooms. ]
18) "Don't be silly!"
Check
Show
[ She told me not to be silly. ]
19) "Would you mind waiting a moment please?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me to wait a moment. ]
20) "How often do you play sport?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me how often I played sport. ]
More reported speech exercises here
Did you arrive before seven?"
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Show
[.]
2) "How was your holiday?"
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Show
[.]
3) "I would have visited the hospital, if I had known you were sick."
Check
Show
[.]
4) "Don't touch!"
Check
Show
[.]
5) "Do you usually cook at home?"
Check
Show
[.]
6) "They had never been to Scotland until last year."
Check
Show
[.]
7) "Make sure you arrive early!"
Check
Show
[.]
8) "I should have studied harder for the exam."
Check
Show
[.]
9) "Would you mind telling me how to get to the art gallery, please?"
Check
Show
[.]
10) "Please don't forget my book."
Check
Show
[.]
11) "Make sure you arrive at six!"
Check
Show
[.]
12) "Remember to study hard!"
Check
Show
[.]
13) "Where do you want to eat tonight?"
Check
Show
[.]
14) "I usually drink coffee in the mornings."
Check
Show
[.]
15) "Do you like studying English?"
Check
Show
[.]
16) "I'll come and help you on Saturday."
Check
Show
[.]
17) "Please buy some bread on your way home."
Check
Show
[.]
18) "Please give this to John."
Check
Show
[.]
19) "Could you give me the glass on the table, please?"
Check
Show
[.]
20) "Come quickly!"
Check
Show
[.]
More reported speech exercises here
1) "Did you arrive before seven?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me if I had arrived before seven. ]
2) "How was your holiday?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me how my holiday had been. ]
3) "I would have visited the hospital, if I had known you were sick."

Check
Show
[ She said that she would have visited the hospital, if she had known I was
sick. ]
4) "Don't touch!"
Check
Show
[ She told me not to touch. ]
5) "Do you usually cook at home?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me if I usually cooked at home. ]
6) "They had never been to Scotland until last year." Check
Show
[ She said that they had never been to Scotland until last year. ]
7) "Make sure you arrive early!"
Check
Show
[ She told me to arrive early. ]
8) "I should have studied harder for the exam."
Check
Show
[ She said that she should have studied harder for the exam. ]
9) "Would you mind telling me how to get to the art gallery, please?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me how to get to the art gallery. ]
10) "Please don't forget my book."
Check
Show
[ She asked me not to forget her book. ]
11) "Make sure you arrive at six!"
Check
Show
[ She told me to arrive at six. ]
12) "Remember to study hard!"
Check
Show
[ She told me to remember to study hard. ]
13) "Where do you want to eat tonight?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me where I wanted to eat tonight. ]
14) "I usually drink coffee in the mornings."
Check
Show
[ She said that she usually drank coffee in the mornings. ]
15) "Do you like studying English?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me if I liked studying English. ]
16) "I'll come and help you on Saturday."
Check
Show
[ She said that she would come and help me on Saturday. ]
17) "Please buy some bread on your way home."
Check
Show
[ She asked me to buy some bread on my way home. ]
18) "Please give this to John."
Check
Show
[ She asked me to give this to John. ]
19) "Could you give me the glass on the table, please?"
Check
Show
[ She asked me to give her the glass on the table. ]
20) "Come quickly!"

[ She told me to come quickly. ]

1. Dad => Mom : 'Have the children put away their toys ? It'll be
time for bed in 15
minutes.
I don't know

2. Mary =>Jane. 'Are you free tomorrow night ? I'd like you to
come to my party
!

3. Pete => Patricia : 'This work looks difficult to me ... Can I help
you ?

4. Sandy => Jennifer : 'Will you come tonight ?' 'No!'

5. Dad => Johnny : 'Have you tidied up your room ?' 'No, but I will
in 10
minutes.'

6. Mom => Paul : 'I heard that Ann was at the dance last night !
Did she have fun ?' ' Yes, and she has danced till now
!'
7. Devon => Dad : I need a new tennis racket ! What's the best
place to get a new one
?

8. Mom => Olie : Clean yourself ! Don't wipe your dirty fingers on
my nice and new tablecloth! and come here when you're no longer
dirty
!'
I don't know

9. Mom => Granny : 'Did you remember to take your medicine

before breakfast? If not, you'd better take it now
!'

10. Dad =>Philip : 'Do as you're told ! Don't answer back ! You're
very rude and will be grounded tonight
!'
1. Dad => Mom : 'Have the children put away their toys ? It'll be
time for bed in 15 minutes. Dad asked Mom whether the
children have put away their toys because it will be time for bed
15 minutes ago Dad asked Mom whether the children had put
away their toys because it would be time for bed 15 minutes later.
It's a direct question : let's use 'asked'; 'whether' = choice (or
not); present perfect => past perfect ; future => modal
conditional; 'in 15 minutes' ='15 minutes later'.

2. Mary =>Jane. 'Are you free tomorrow night ? I'd like you to
come to my party ! Mary asked Jane whether she was free the
following night, because she would like her to come to her
party.
It's a question => we use 'asked' ;'whether' = choice (or not).
Present => preterite; 'tomorrow night' = 'the following night or
the night after'. The modal conditional remains a conditional.

3. Pete => Patricia : 'This work looks difficult to me ... Can I help
you ?
Pete told Patricia that that work looks difficult to him
and asks whether he can help her. Pete told Patricia that that
work lookeddifficult to him and asked whether he could help her.
Affirmative sentence in the present =>'told'(preterite); 'this'=>
'that'; 'me' => 'him'; 2 sentences linked together=> 'he added ';
'can' => 'could'; 'you' => 'her'.

4. Sandy => Jennifer : 'Will you come tonight ?' 'No!'

Sandy told Jennifer that she will come tonight and Jennifer
answered that she won't.
Sandy asked Jennifer whether she wouldcome that night and
Jennifer answered that she wouldn't.
Question in the future => future in the past => 'modal
conditional';'yes or no question' => 'whether' ; 'tonight' => 'that
 night' ; the auxiliary is repeated in the short answer => modal
conditional.

5. Dad => Johnny : 'Have you tidied up your room ?' 'No, but I will
in 10 minutes.' Dad asked Johnny whether he had tidied up his
room ; Johnny answered that he hadn't, but would do it 10
minutes later.
'Yes or no question'=> 'whether'; 'have you tidied' = present
perfect => past perfect ; the auxiliary is repeated in the short
answer => 'he hadn't' ; 'I will'= future => modal contitional; 'in
10 minutes" => '10 minutes later'.

6. Mom => Paul : 'I heard that Ann was at the dance last night !
Did she have fun ?' ' Yes, and she has danced till now
!' Mom ordered Paul that she heard that Ann had been at the
dance the night before. She would ask if she had fun and Paul
answered that she did and added that she had danced till then.
Mom told Paul that she had heard that Ann had been at the dance
the night before. She asked if she had had fun and Paul answered
that she had and added that she had danced till then.
Affirmative clause => 'told'; preterite => past perfect ; 'last night'
=> 'the night before' ; preterits => past perfects ; 'till now' => 'till
then' => she danced all night.

7. Devon => Dad : I need a new tennis racket ! What's the best
place to get a new one ? Devon said to Dad that he wanted a new
tennis racket and asked what the best place was to get a new
one. Devon told Dad that he needed a new tennis racket and
asked what the best place was to get a new one.
modal 'need' in the preterite => 'he needed'; reported question=>
Interrogative without inverting the subject.

8. Mom => Olie : Clean yourself ! Don't wipe your dirty fingers on
my nice and new tablecloth! and come here when you're no longer
dirty !' Mom ordered Olie to clean herself. She added to wipe not
her dirty fingers on Mom's new tablecloth and ordered her come
back here when she was no longer dirty. Mom ordered Olie to
clean herself. She added not to wipe her dirty fingers on Mom's
new tablecloth and ordered her to come back there when she was
no longer dirty.
Verb in the imperative form => ...'ordered'; the 2 sentences are
linked => 'he added'; negative imperative => negative infinitive;
The presents are turned into preterites.

9. Mom => Granny : 'Did you remember to take your medicine

before breakfast? If not, you'd better take it now !' Mom asked
Granny if you remembered to take your medicine before breakfast.
 She added that if she didn't, she'd better take it then. Mom
asked Granny if she had remembered to take her medicine before
breakfast. She added that if she hadn't, she'd better take it then.
It's a question : must be introduced by 'asked' and the subject
must not be inverted. 'If not' => 'If she hadn't remembered ...
'You'd better is not changed. '

10. Dad =>Philip : 'Do as you're told ! Don't answer back ! You're
very rude and will be grounded tonight !' Dad ordered Philip to do
as he was told, not to answer back, and added that Philip was rude
and would be grounded on that night.
Imperatives => past infinitives=> one affirmative infinitive and
one negative one ; Present => preterite ; future => modal
conditional.
16.

Reported speech – common mistakes

Common mistakes Correct version Why?

After tell we mention the

She said me that she wasn't She told me that she wasn't listener. After say we don't
able to do it. able to do it. mention the listener.

If the reporting verb (in this

She told me that she is
looking for her handbag.
He told me he hasn't seen her
before.
She told me she will see him
later.
She told me that she was
looking for her handbag.
He told me he hadn't
seen her before.
She told me she wouldsee
him later.
case tell) is in the past tense,
we usually change the tense
of the verb which follows:
I am ⇒ I was
I can ⇒ I could
have been ⇒ had been
was ⇒ had been
will ⇒ would
can ⇒ could

When we report a command

or warning, we use (not) + to
I told him don't go there. I told him not to go there. + infinitive.