A full description about the changes from direct to reported speech in English

1. REPORTED SPEECH
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez López

2. DEFINITION
Reported speech (also known as indirect
speech) refers to a sentence reporting what
someone has said. When we use reported
speech, we are usually talking about the past
(because obviously the person who spoke
originally spoke in the past). The verbs
therefore usually have to be in the past too.
"I'm going to the cinema".
He said he was going to the cinema.

3. RULES
In all sentences, the quotation marks
and the comma immediately before the
first quotation mark are removed. Next,
the word "that" is usually inserted after
the reporting verb. Then, there are
certain changes to be considered.
She said, “I work very hard."
She said that she worked very hard.

4. 1. Tense changes
As a rule when you report something someone
has said you go back a tense (the tense on the
left changes to the tense on the right):
Direct speech Indirect speech
Present simple Past simple
›
She said, "It's cold." She said it was cold.
Present continuous Past continuous
She said, "I'm teaching › She said she was teaching
English online." English online.
Present perfect simple Past perfect simple
She said, "I've been on › She said she had been on
the web since 1999." the web since 1999.

5. Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous
She said, "I've been teaching › She said she had been teaching
English for seven years." English for seven years.
Past simple Past perfect
She said, "I taught online › She said she had taught online
yesterday." yesterday.
Past continuous Past perfect continuous
She said, "I was teaching › She said she had been teaching
earlier." earlier.
Past perfect
Past perfect
She said, "The lesson had
› NO CHANGE - She said the lesson
already started when he
had already started when he arrived.
arrived."
Past perfect continuous
Past perfect continuous
NO CHANGE - She said she'd
She said, "I'd already been ›
already been teaching for five
teaching for five minutes."
minutes.

6. Other tense changes
Modal verb forms also change:
Direct speech Indirect speech
will would
She said, "I'll teach English › She said she would teach English
online tomorrow." online tomorrow.
can could
She said, "I can teach English › She said she could teach English
online." online.
must
had to
She said, "I must have a
› She said she had to have a
computer to teach English
computer to teach English online.
online."
shall should
She said, "What shall we learn › She asked what we should learn
today?" today.
may might
She said, "May I open a new › She asked if she might open a new
browser?" browser.

7. 2. Time and place changes
Time and place references change:
now › then
today › that day
here › there
this › that
this week › that week
the following day
tomorrow › the next day
the day after

8. the following week
next week › the next week
the week after
the previous day
Yesterday › the day before
the previous week
last week › the week before
previously
Ago › before
2 weeks previously
2 weeks ago › 2 weeks before
Tonight › that night
the previous Saturday
last Saturday › the Saturday before
the following Saturday
the next Saturday
next Saturday › the Saturday after
that Saturday

9. Examples:
I went to the theatre last
night.
He said he had gone to the
theatre the night before.
I'm staying here until next
week.
He said he was staying there
until the following week.

10. 3. Pronouns
Personal pronouns need to be changed according
to the situation.
“I run 5 km every day”, said she.
She said she ran 5 km every day.

11. Besides, some demontratives must
be changed:
THIS changes to THAT
And THESE to THOSE:
She said ‘I like this shirt’
She said she liked that shirt.

12. 4. Reporting Verbs
Said, told and asked are the most common verbs used in
indirect speech.
We use “asked” to report questions:
I asked Lynne what time the lesson started.
We use “told” with an object.
Lynne told me she felt tired.
We usually use “said” without an object.
Lynne said she was going to teach online.
If “said” is used with an object we must include “to”
Lynne said to me that she'd never been to China.

13. There are many other verbs we can use apart from said,
told and asked. These include:
accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologised,
begged, boasted, complained, denied, explained, implied,
invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested and
thought.

14. 5. Indirect Questions
We normally use asked, but also wanted to know and wondered.
YES/NO Questions:
“Can you pass me the salt?” she asked.
1- We write the subject + asked if: She asked if...
2- We invert the subject order of the question and change pronouns, time and
place expressions and tenses:
She asked if I could pass her the salt.
WH- Questions:
They asked “Where does your brother live?
1- We write the subject + asked: They asked
2- We write the WH- word, and we invert the subject order of the question and
change pronouns, time and place expressions and tenses:
They asked where my brother lived.

15. 6. Indirect orders, requests and
suggestions
positive imperative tell + (Object) + to infinitive
He told me to close the door.
Close the door!
negative imperative tell + (Object) + not to infinitive
Don't speak! He told me not to speak.
imperatives as requests ask + (Object) + to infinitive
Please, pass me the salt. He asked me to pass him the salt.

16. As regards suggestions, there are two possibilities.
There are two verbs: suggested and recommended.
The speaker is included suggest + verb (ing)
in the action expressed
by the suggestion: He suggested going to the
park.
Let’s go to the park
The speaker is not suggest + that + subject + bare
included in the action infinitive
expressed by the
suggestion: He suggested that I play the
piano.
Why don’t you play the
piano?