Definition: Reported Speech (also called Indirect Speech) is used to communicate

what someone else said, think or believe, but without using the exact words. A few
changes are necessary; often a pronoun has to be changed and the verb is usually moved
back a tense, where possible.

For example:

 He said that he was going to come.

* The person's exact words were "I'm going to come".

Reported speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense
of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like "say", "tell", "ask", and we may use
the word "that" to introduce the reported words. Reported speech doesn't use quotation
marks to enclose what the person said.

For example:

 Direct speech:
- "I'm going to the cinema", he said.
 Reported speech:
- He said he was going to the cinema.

 Direct speech:
- "I'm going to come", he said.
 Reported speech:
- He said that he was going to come.

 Direct speech:
- She said, "I saw him."
 Reported speech:
- She said that she had seen him.

Direct speech Reported speech

He said, "I live in Paris."
He said, "I am cooking dinner."
He said, "I have visted London
twice."
He said, "I went to New York last
week."
He said, "I had already eaten."
He said, "I am going to find a new
job."
He said, "I will give Jack a call."
He said he lived in Paris.
He said he was cooking dinner.
He said he had visited London twice.
He said he had gone to New York the week
before.
He said he had already eaten.
He said he was going to find a new job.
He said he would give Jack a call.