Reported Speech

Reported (Indirect) Speech

In reported (indirect) speech, we report an idea expressed by someone,
without quoting the exact words used.
Direct speech Tom : "I like football."
Mary: "What did Tom say?"
Indirect (reported) speech Bill : "Tom said (that) he liked football."


We use verbs such as : say, tell, announce, promise, explain.

The verb tenses become more past
We can omit 'that' : Tom said (that) he liked football

We often want to tell someone what another person has said to us. In most cases we do not report the exact words that we hear. Instead we make some changes so that what we say sounds more natural. This is called reported speech (or indirect speech). Here are some examples:


Miho told me that she's returning to Japan next year.
He said that you're angry with me.
The teacher told me to go to the office.
She asked if you were feeling better.
She wanted to know if I had ever ridden a horse.*

* In writing, particularly in fiction writing, it is common to use direct speech: She asked me: "Have you ever ridden a horse?" Please note, however, that direct speech is most unusual in spoken language.

Reported speech can also include thoughts or words that are the reporter's summary of what was said. Here are some examples:


I wonder if she can come to my party.
I don't know why he shouted at me.
Do you think that she likes me?
She begged me not to tell the teacher.
She apologized for being late.
John realized that he had left his violin on the bus.*
She persuaded me to tell her my secret.**

* In the last sentence, it may be that John never said anything like: "I realized that I'd left my violin on the bus." The reporter, in relating what John told him, is summarizing what happened to John in the reporter's own words. This is a common aspect of reported speech. (The same applies to sentence example **.)

As noted above when we report words or thoughts we need to make some changes to make what we say sound natural. Some of these changes may be as easy as changing pronouns or correcting time references:


"I can't come to your party." - She said she can't come to my party.
"My mother called me today." - He said his mother called that day.

In many cases more extensive changes are needed to produce correct and natural-sounding reported speech, particularly when reporting questions or commands. Here are some examples:


"Do you have children?" - He asked me if I have children.
"Did you go to the party?" - She wanted to know if I went to the party.
"What's the time?" - She asked me what the time was.
"Please speak more slowly!" - She requested that I speak more slowly.
"Do not open that box!" - She told me not to open the box.

Source : Paul Shoebottom 1996-2015