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Reported Speech
Prepared by Mr. Meyphalla Oudom
Tel: 070 42 33 37
FB: Phalla Oudom
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What is reported speech?
• Reported speech is when you tell somebody else what you or
a person said before.

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• Distinction must be made between direct speech and
reported speech.
• 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 She said that she was visiting Paris the
weekend" following weekend.

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Different types of sentences
• Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm going
to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone

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else what the first person said. Then we use reported speech.
• When you use reported speech, you either report:
statements
questions
requests / commands
other types

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A. Reporting Statements
When transforming statements, check whether
you have to change:

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• pronouns
• tense
• place and time expression

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1. Pronouns
• In reported speech, you often have to change
the pronoun depending on who says what.

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• Example:
• She says, “My dad likes roast chicken.” – She says
that her dad likes roast chicken.

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2. Tense
If the sentence starts in the present, there is no backshift of
tenses in reported speech.

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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.
“I write poems.”
(backshift) He said that he wrote poems.

He says, “I write poems.” – He says that he writes English.

He said, “I am happy.” – He said that he was happy.
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Examples of the main
changes in tense:
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Simple Present Simple Past

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He said: "I am happy" He said that he was happy
Past Progressive
Present Progressive
He said that he was looking for his
He said: "I'm looking for my keys"
keys
Simple Past Past Perfect Simple
He said: "I visited New York last year" He said that he had visited New York
the previous year.
Present Perfect Past Perfect
He said: " I've lived here for a long He said that he had lived there for a
time " long time
Past Perfect Past Perfect
He said: "They had finished the work He said that they had finished the 7
when I arrived" work when he had arrived"
 Past Perfect Progressive
Past Progressive He said that he had been playing
He said: "I was playing football when football when the accident had
the accident occurred" occurred

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Present Perfect Progressive Past Perfect Progressive
He said:"I have been playing football He said that he had been playing
for two hours." football for two hours

Past Perfect Progressive

Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been reading a
He said: "I had been reading a
newspaper when the light had gone
newspaper when the light went off"
off

Future Simple (will+verb) Conditional (would+verb)

He said: "I will open the door." He said that he would open the door.
Conditional (would+verb) Conditional (would+verb)
He said: "I would buy Mercedes if I He said that he would buy Mercedes if 8
were rich" he had been rich"
Modal Auxiliary Verb
• The modal verbs could, should, would, might, needn't, ought
to, used to do not normally change.

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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.
He wanted to know if he might go
may "May I go out?"
out.
He said that she must/had to apply
must "She must apply for the job."
for the job.
will "They will call you." He told her that they would call her. 9
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

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period of time) is different from that of the direct speech.

Direct Speech Reported Speech Direct Speech Reported Speech

Time Expressions Place
today that day here there
now then Demonstratives
yesterday the day before this that
… days ago … days before these those
last week the week before
next year the following year
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the next day / the
tomorrow
following day
B. Reporting Questions
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
pronouns, place and time expressions, and tenses (backshift)
Also note that you have to:

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• 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

"Why" don’t you speak He asked me why I
(what, why, where,
English?” didn’t speak English.
how...)

Without question word He asked me whether /

“Do you speak English?”
(yes or no questions) if I spoke English.
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C. Reporting requests / commands
When transforming requests and commands, check
whether you have to change: pronouns, place and time
expressions.
Direct speech Reported speech

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“Nancy, do the exercise.“ 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). 12
D. Other transformations
Expressions of advice with must, should and ought are usually
reported using advise / urge.

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Example:
"You must read this book."
He advised / 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.
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How to Use 'Say' and 'Tell'
• In reported statements, we can use either 'say' or 'tell'. The
meaning is the same, but the grammar is different. For

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example:
• Direct speech:
• John: "I'll be late".
• Reported speech: John said (that) he would be late.
• OR John told me (that) he was going to be late.
• With 'tell' we NEED the object (e.g. 'me', 'you', 'her').
With 'say' we CAN'T use the object (e.g. 'me', 'them', 'us').
• So we CAN'T say:
• “John said me that he would be late.”
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• “John told that he would be late.”
Here are some correct examples:
• Julie said (that) she'd come to the party.
• I said (that) I was going to bed early.

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• He told me (that) he loved living in London.
• They told John (that) they would arrive at six.

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More Example
1) Present simple -> past simple
• "I know you." -> She said she knew him.
2) Present continuous -> past continuous

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• "I am having coffee" -> He said he was having coffee.
3) Present perfect -> past perfect
• "I have finished my homework" -> He said he had finished his
homework.
4) Present perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous
• "I have been studying Chinese" -> She said she had been
studying Chinese.
5) Is going to -> was going to
• "I am going to go home" -> She said she was going to go home.
6) Future simple - > would
• "I will go to the bank later" -> He said he would go to the bank 16
later.
• John said, "I love this town.”

• "Do you like soccer ?" He asked me.

• "I can't drive a lorry," he said.

• "Be nice to your brother," he said.

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• "Don't be nasty," he said.

• "Don't waste your money" she said.

• "What have you decided to do?" she asked him.

• "I always wake up early," he said.

• "You should revise your lessons," he said.

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• "Where have you been?" he asked me.

Thanks for Your Attention

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