Reported Speech

Also Known As: Indirect Speech

1. Direct Speech 2. Backshifting 3. Reporting Verbs

4. Modal Verbs 5. Reported Questions 6. Reported Commands

English Grammar Lesson

Step-by-step guide to understanding and using reported speech

① Direct Speech – The Exact Words

Direct speech records the exact words a person says.

"I love your earrings."

How to RECOGNISE Direct Speech Direct → Reported Speech

Amy said, "I love your earrings."

Quotation marks
American English: "double marks"
⬇
British English: 'single marks'
Amy said that
In spoken English, quotation style doesn't matter.
she loved my earrings.
② Backshifting – Going Back One Tense

Backshifting = moving the verb tense ONE STEP back into the past when reporting speech.

BACKSHIFT
Direct Speech Reported Speech
⟶ go back
(NOW) (PAST)
one tense

He says: Past Simple Robin told the teacher

"I forgot → that he had forgotten
my homework." Past Perfect his homework.

WHY backshift? When we report speech, we have moved forward in time — the original statement is now in the past.
③ Reporting Verbs – SAY vs TELL

We use a reporting verb to introduce reported speech. SAY and TELL are the most common.

SAY (said – said) TELL (told – told)

Structure: tell + OBJECT (required!)

Structure: say / say to + person
✔ I told you I was sick.
✔ She said, "Good morning."
VS ✔ I told him / my boss / the world.
✔ Martha said to me that she
was going to be late.
✘ I said you that… ← WRONG
✘ She said me that… ← WRONG
TELL needs a person!
She told me that …✔
(who you're telling)
② Backshifting – The 12 Tenses

When the reporting verb is in the PAST, shift the tense back one step.

DIRECT SPEECH (tense) REPORTED SPEECH (backshifted)

Present Simple: I work here Past Simple: he worked there

Present Continuous: I am working Past Continuous: he was working

Present Perfect: I have worked Past Perfect: he had worked

Past Simple: I worked Past Perfect: he had worked

Past Continuous: I was working Past Perfect Continuous: he had been working

Past Perfect: I had worked Past Perfect: STAYS THE SAME ✔

will (future) → would he said he would come

can → could | may → might | must → had to

(Modal verbs — covered on next slide)
(obligation)
💡 Exception: No backshift needed when the information is still true today, or the event hasn't happened yet.
② Backshifting – Worked Examples

DIRECT: "I haven't heard from Gloria in weeks." (present perfect)

REPORTED: Ren told me that she hadn't heard from Gloria in weeks. (past perfect)
▶ Present Perfect → Past Perfect | Pronoun: I → she

DIRECT: "I'm staying here for two nights." (present continuous)

REPORTED: Sean said that he was staying there for two nights. (past continuous)
▶ Present Continuous → Past Continuous | here → there

DIRECT: "I live in the UK." (still true today)

REPORTED: She said that she lives in the UK. ← NO change needed!
▶ Tense unchanged – the fact is still true now.

DIRECT: "Next week I'm flying to Canada." (future – hasn't happened)

REPORTED: He told me that he is flying to Canada to visit his sister.
▶ Tense unchanged – the event is still in the future.
② Backshifting – When You DON'T Need It

🌍 Fact still true today

Direct: "I live in the UK."

Reported: She said that she LIVES in the UK.
▶ The fact hasn't changed — backshift is optional.

️ Event hasn't happened yet

Direct: "I'm flying to Canada next week."

Reported: He told me that he IS FLYING to Canada.
▶ The trip is still in the future — both forms are correct.

🔁 Habitual / repeated speech

Direct: "I love you." (says it all the time)

Reported: He SAYS he loves me. (present simple is fine)
▶ Use present simple for ongoing truths or habits.
④ Modal Verbs in Reported Speech

Some modal verbs CHANGE when reported. Others STAY THE SAME.

Direct Reported Example – Direct Example – Reported

WILL WOULD "I will attend." She said she would attend.

CAN COULD "I can't swim." He told me he couldn't swim.

MAY (possibility) MIGHT "We may raise prices." They said they might raise prices.

MAY (permission) COULD "You may use phones." The professor said we could use phones.

MUST (obligation) HAD TO "You must pay." He said we had to pay.

Modal verbs that STAY THE SAME:

MUST (speculation): "She must be stuck in traffic." → He said she must be stuck in traffic.
SHOULD: "You should try that restaurant." → Pete said we should try that restaurant.
COULD / MIGHT / WOULD: (already past forms — no further backshift)
⑤ Reported Questions – Yes/No Questions

A yes/no question has only two possible answers: YES or NO.

DIRECT: "Are you a student at this university?"

STRUCTURE for Reported Yes/No Questions:

Reporting verb (ask) + person (optional) + IF or WHETHER + subject + verb

"if" and "whether" are interchangeable – "if" is more common in everyday speech.

REPORTED: That lady asked me if / whether I was a student at this university.

❌ Common Mistake: "That lady asked me if WAS I a student…"

In reported questions, DO NOT invert the subject and verb. It is NOT a real question → no question word order, no question
mark.
⑤ Reported Questions – Wh- Questions

Wh- questions begin with: who, what, when, where, why, how

STRUCTURE: Reporting verb + question word + subject + verb

Direct: "Where do you live?"

Reported: She asked me where I lived.
▶ question word + subject + verb (no inversion)

Direct: "Why can't you work on Mondays?"

Reported: My boss asked me why I couldn't work on Mondays.
▶ drop the auxiliary 'do / does'

Direct: "Who will be at your party?"

Reported: She asked me who would be at my party.
▶ 'who' is the subject here — who + verb

KEY RULE: Reported questions are NOT real questions → no inversion, no question mark.
⑥ Reported Commands (Imperatives)
Imperatives tell someone what to do. When we report them, we use TELL + person + INFINITIVE (to + base
verb).

DIRECT (imperatives) REPORTED (tell + to + verb)

"Sit down." My mom told me to sit down.

"Be quiet." She told me to be quiet.

→
"Do your homework." She told me to do my homework.

"Don't look at your phone." She told me NOT to look at my phone.

Negative commands: Tell + person + NOT + to + base verb (e.g. told me NOT to look)
Real-World Puzzle – Past + Future Together

Why can we have a past verb AND a future time word in the same sentence?

SCENARIO:
This morning, the teacher said: "You have to dress up tonight."

You report it to a friend later that day:

"The teacher said that we had to dress up tonight."

Why HAD TO? Why TONIGHT?

The teacher's words are in the past — the teacher The event (dressing up) is still in the future! The
said them earlier. So we backshift: have to → had time word tonight doesn't change — it still refers
to. to the future.
Other Changes – Pronouns & Adverbs
When we report speech, we often need to change pronouns and time/place adverbs to match the new
speaker's perspective.

Pronouns Place adverbs Time adverbs

now → then
I → he / she today → that day
you → I / he / she / they here → there tomorrow → the next day
my → his / her this → that yesterday → the day before
your → my / his / her last week → the week before
next week → the following week

Always check: pronouns, place words, and time expressions — they may all need updating.
Summary – Reported Speech at a Glance

Type Structure Key Rule Example

Backshift tense; change pronouns &

Statement say/tell + (that) + clause She said that she loved it.
adverbs

ask + (person) + if/whether + S +

Yes/No Q No inversion; no question mark He asked if I was ready.
V

Wh- Q ask + (person) + wh-word + S + V Keep question word; no inversion She asked where I lived.

Negative: tell + person + NOT + to +

Command tell + person + to + base verb She told me to sit down.
verb

will→would can→could should/could/might/would stay the

Modal verbs He said he would come.
may→might must→had to same