Reported speech (also known as indirect speech) is a way of expressing what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. Instead of using quotation marks, the original speaker's words are paraphrased and often introduced by verbs like "said," "told," or "asked."
- Direct speech: He said, "I am going to the store."
- Reported speech: He said that he was going to the store.
In direct speech, the actual words spoken by the speaker are placed within inverted commas. For example: Raman said to me, “I am going out for lunch.” Here, "Raman said to me" is the reporting verb part, while “I am going out for lunch” is the reported speech part.
In indirect speech, the words of the speaker are reported in the form of a narrative with necessary changes. Reporting involves the selection of an appropriate reporting verb: Raman told me that he was going out for lunch.
The Rules for Changing the Reporting Verb
No change is made in the tense of the reported speech when the Reporting Verb is in the Present or Future tense. Only the following mechanical changes are made:
- ‘Says to’ is changed into ‘tells’ (and 'says' remains 'says').
- ‘Will say / Shall say’ changes into ‘Will tell / Shall tell’ if followed by an object.
- Conjunction ‘that’ is used to join the clauses.
- Inverted commas are removed.
Examples: Present & Future Reporting Verbs
- Direct: John says, “I like to freak out on weekends.”
Indirect: John says that he likes to freak out on weekends. - Direct: Sylvia says to Leonardo, “We shall start our journey tomorrow at 4 o’clock.”
Indirect: Sylvia tells Leonardo that they will start their journey tomorrow at 4 o’clock. - Direct: Joseph will say, “I am not interested in this job.”
Indirect: Joseph will say that he is not interested in this job. - Direct: Mary will say to me, “I have placed all the articles.”
Indirect: Mary will tell me that she has placed all the articles.
When the Reporting Verb is in the Past Tense
When the reporting verb is in the past tense (e.g., said, said to, was/were saying, had said), the tense of the reported speech changes according to the following rules:
- ‘Said to’ is changed into ‘told’.
- Conjunction ‘that’ is used.
- Inverted commas are removed.
Tense Transformation Table
| Direct Speech Structure | Changes into Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Simple Present Subject + V1 + s/es |
Simple Past Subject + V2 |
| Present Continuous Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing |
Past Continuous Subject + was/were + V1 + ing |
| Present Perfect Subject + has/have + V3 |
Past Perfect Subject + had + V3 |
| Present Perfect Continuous Sub + has/have + been + V1 + ing |
Past Perfect Continuous Sub + had been + V1 + ing |
| Simple Past Subject + V2 |
Past Perfect Subject + had + V3 |
| Past Continuous Subject + was/were + V1 + ing |
Past Perfect Continuous Sub + had been + V1 + ing |
| Do / Does (Not) + V1 | Did (Not) + V1 |
| Did (Not) + V1 | Had (Not) + V3 |
Note: Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous tenses do not change their tense form.
Change of Pronoun
The way pronouns change in reported speech depends on the context and the relationship between the speaker, the listener, and the person being referred to. Here are the general rules:
- 1. First-person pronouns (I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours): Changed according to the Subject of the reporting verb.
Example: "I will go tomorrow," becomes "He said that he would go the next day." - 2. Second-person pronouns (you, your, yours): Changed according to the Object of the reporting verb.
Example: "You should go," becomes "He told me that I should go." - 3. Third-person pronouns (he, she, it, they, him, her, them, his, hers, theirs): Third-person pronouns generally remain unchanged.
Example: "He is coming," becomes "She said that he was coming." - 4. Demonstrative Pronouns (this, these): If the reference is to something close to the speaker, they turn into distant markers.
Example: "This book is interesting," becomes "She said that that book was interesting."
Change in Expressions of Time and Place (Adverbs)
Words denoting nearness of time and place are changed into words denoting distance:
| Direct Speech Word | Changes Into |
|---|---|
| This | That |
| These | Those |
| Here | There |
| Now | Then |
| Today | That Day |
| Yesterday | The Previous Day / The Day Before |
| Tomorrow | The Next Day / The Following Day |
| Ago | Before |
| Come | Go |
Universal Truths, Historical Facts, & Habitual Facts
Sentences containing universal truths, historical facts, or habitual actions do not change their tense, even if the reporting verb is in the past tense. Only the conjunction ‘that’ is added.
- Universal Truths:
Direct: "The sun rises in the east." → Reported: He said that the sun rises in the east.
Direct: "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius." → Reported: She told me that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. - Historical Facts:
Direct: "Columbus discovered America in 1492." → Reported: The teacher said that Columbus discovered America in 1492.
Direct: "The French Revolution happened in 1789." → Reported: He told us that the French Revolution happened in 1789. - Habitual Facts:
Direct: "I usually go for a walk in the park." → Reported: She said that she usually goes for a walk in the park.
Direct: "Birds fly." → Reported: He told me that birds fly.
Imperative Sentences in Indirect Speech
Imperative sentences express commands, requests, advice, or suggestions. When reporting them, the reporting verb (said/said to) is changed to tell, ask, order, command, advise, forbid, threaten, or suggest based on the tone, and the verb of the reported speech is turned into an infinitive (to + V1).
- Direct: "Close the door." → Indirect: He told me to close the door.
- Direct: "Don't touch the glass." → Indirect: She warned us not to touch the glass.
- Direct: "Please help me." → Indirect: He asked me to help him.
- Direct: "Let's go for a walk." → Indirect: She suggested going for a walk.
- Direct: The police said to the thief, “Tell me the name of your partners or I will hang you.”
→ Indirect: The police threatened the thief to tell them the name of his partners or he would be hanged. - Direct: The mother said to Marina, “Do not mix up with bad girls.”
→ Indirect: The mother forbade Marina to mix up with bad girls.
Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory sentences express strong sudden feelings or emotions. The reporting verb is changed to exclaimed with joy / sorrow / surprise / disgust / praise, etc., and the sentence structure becomes declarative with the conjunction 'that'.
- Direct: Philip said, “O Jesus! What a beautiful catch!” → Indirect: Philip exclaimed with surprise that it was a beautiful catch.
- Direct: "What a beautiful day!" → Indirect: He exclaimed how beautiful the day was.
- Direct: "How delicious this cake is!" → Indirect: She exclaimed that it was a delicious cake.
- Direct: Paul said, “Alas! I lost the last chance also.” → Indirect: Paul exclaimed with sorrow that he had lost the last chance also.
- Direct: Shauna said, “Eww! Take this dirty napkin away.” → Indirect: Shauna exclaimed with disgust and ordered the waiter to take that dirty napkin away.
- Direct: Denny said, “Hurrah! We have won the jackpot.” → Indirect: Denny exclaimed jubilantly that they had won the jackpot.
Interrogative Sentences (Questions)
Questions asked in direct speech are changed into indirect speech using the following adjustments:
1. Questions Beginning with a Helping Verb (Yes/No Questions)
The reporting verb is changed to asked/enquired and the connector 'if' or 'whether' is placed before the clause. The sentence structure becomes assertive (Subject + Verb).
- Direct: Catherine said to Victor, “Are you writing with this pen?"
shadow Indirect: Catherine asked Victor if he was writing with that pen. - Direct: Ronald said to Margaret, “Did you see today’s newspaper?”
Indirect: Ronald asked Margaret if she had seen that day’s newspaper.
2. Questions Beginning with the Wh- Family (Who, Why, Where, When, How)
No conjunction connector (like that/if) is used. The Wh- word itself acts as a connector, followed immediately by the assertive form (Subject + Verb).
- Direct: Cathy said to Homer, “Where have you kept my jewellery box?”
Indirect: Cathy asked Homer where he had kept her jewellery box. - Direct: Churchill said to Edward, “Why did you not support me in the meeting?”
Indirect: Churchill asked Edward why he had not supported him in the meeting. - Direct: Mocha said to Crimson, “Why will Bill not attend our party?”
Indirect: Mocha asked Crimson why Bill would not attend their party.
Exercises
(a) Read the following dialogues and complete the paragraph given below:
Rohit: I am going to Mangalore to attend a workshop on small entrepreneurs.
Ronnie: When will you go?
Rohit: I shall go on Monday.
Ronnie: Where will you stay?
Rohit: I will stay in a lodge provided by the organisation.
Ronnie: I also want to join you but I cannot take any leave this month. Guide me to start my own business when you come back.
Rohit: I’ll help you.
Ronnie: Thank you.
Rohit told Ronnie that (a)________________________________________________. Ronnie asked him (b)_______________________________________. Rohit replied that (c)________________________________________________________. Ronnie inquired (d)_______________________________________________________. Rohit replied that (e)_______________________________________________________. Ronnie told him (f)_______________________________________________________. Rohit assured him (g)____________________________________________________. Ronnie thanked him.
(b) Read the following dialogues and complete the paragraph given below:
Visitor: Will you please tell me the availability of a single room for two nights?
Receptionist: Well, let me check. Please wait.
Visitor: What is the tariff for the single room?
Receptionist: It costs Rs. 2000/- per day. Shall I book one for you?
Visitor: Yes, please.
Receptionist: Do you want any wake-up service?
Visitor: No, thanks, but make sure that my breakfast reaches me at 9 o’clock.
Receptionist: Yes sir, we shall take care of it.
Visitor: Thank you.
A visitor went to a hotel receptionist and asked (a)____________________________. The receptionist requested (b)______________________________________. The visitor again inquired (c)___________________________________________. The receptionist told him (d)____________________________________________________________ and asked (e)_______________________________________________________. The visitor replied (f)____________________________________________. The receptionist inquired whether (g)______________________________________________. The visitor replied in the negative and instructed that (h)________________________________________. The receptionist assured the visitor that (i)__________________________________________. The visitor thanked the receptionist and went away taking the keys.
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