Reported Speech
Reported speech
Learn how to correctly report other people's statements and questions. Master the "sequence of tenses" rules and the changes to pronouns and time expressions, so you can smoothly talk about what you have heard from others.
Reported speech: We use reported speech for passing on information.
Application
Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, serves reporting on what somebody said in either relatively distant or very recent past, e.g.:
“I’ll be with you in a minute” (direct speech) ➡ She says she’ll be with us in a minute. (reported speech)
“I haven’t finished the project” (direct speech) ➡ He said he had not finished the project. (reported speech)
structure
Imagine you’re on the phone or in a loud and crowded place. You’re trying to tell your friend what your other friend has just said, because you are the only one actually hearing the words (direct speech). Serving as a messenger immediately passing on information you might start reporting in the present, saying, e.g. Meghan says she knows she’s running late but she’s already waiting for her cab (actual words: “I know I’m running late but I’m already waiting for my cab”). Notice that even though the tense does not change in the process, the pronouns and possessive adjectives do.
More often than not, however, you will begin reporting with a verb in the past, e.g. said or told, which in most cases will result with the tense of the original utterance going “one step back”. We call this change “backshift”:
|
|
direct speech (actual words) |
indirect/reported speech |
|
Present simple |
I usually stay up late. |
John said (that) he usually stayed up late. |
|
Present continuous |
I’m talking to Adam. |
Rachel said (that) she was talking to Adam. |
|
Present perfect |
I have lost my car keys again. |
Bob said (that) he had lost his car keys again. |
|
Past simple |
I Quit my job yesterday. |
Monica said (that) she had quit her job the day before. |
|
Past continuous |
I was driving back home when the accident happened. |
Chandler said (that) he had been driving back home when the accident had happened. |
|
Modal verbs: will, can, must, may |
I will help you. You can stay here. We must stick together. That may well be the end of our friendship. |
Chris said (that) he would help me. George said (that) I could stay there. Michelle said (that) we had to stick together. Julian said (that) that might well be the end of our friendship. |
|
am/is/are going to |
She is going to move out. |
Henry said she was going to move out. |
Notice that apart from the tense other elements (pronouns, possessive adjectives, places, time expressions) need changing too:
|
|
direct speech (actual words) |
indirect/reported speech |
|
now |
We must leave now! |
She said (that) they had to leave then/immediately. |
|
today |
I’m seeing my aunt today. |
He said (that) he was seeing his aunt that day. |
|
tomorrow |
I’m taking up yoga tomorrow. |
She said (that) she was taking up yoga the next/following day. |
|
yesterday |
I had a hell of a day yesterday. |
He said (that) he’d had a hell of a day the day before/the previous day. |
|
last week |
We weren’t even here last week. |
They said (that) they hadn’t even been there the week before. |
|
this month |
It’s the first time I’ve heard from you this month. |
Mom said (that) it was the first time she’d heard from me that month. |
|
here |
I don’t even know what we’re doing here. |
He said (that) he didn’t even know what they were doing there. |
|
these |
I can’t remember these buildings. |
Liz said (that) she couldn’t remember those buildings. |
|
come |
I would like you to come with me. |
Booms said (that) she would like me to him with her. |
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