🎓 Prepared by students from Boğaziçi University

What is Reported Speech?

Reported speech (or indirect speech) allows you to describe what someone said without using their exact words. It's an essential skill for English fluency and GCSE exams.

Short answer

Reported speech transforms direct quotes into indirect statements, typically changing tense and pronouns (He said that he was busy instead of He said 'I am busy').

Direct vs Reported Speech

Direct Speech

•He said, 'I am busy'
•Direct quote with quotation marks
•Speaker's exact words
•No pronoun change

Reported Speech

•He said (that) he was busy
•No quotation marks
•Tense shifts back one level
•Pronouns change to fit context

Step-by-step worked examples

Tom said, 'I will finish the work tomorrow'. Convert to reported speech.

Shift tense: will → would
Change pronouns: I → he
Result: Tom said (that) he would finish the work the next day.

Direct: 'The weather is nice today.' Indirect form?

Shift tense: is → was
No pronoun needed (observation)
Result: She said the weather was nice that day.

'We enjoy football,' they said. Reported form?

Shift tense: enjoy → enjoyed
Keep pronoun they (third person)
Result: They said that they enjoyed football.

Flashcards

Quick quiz

Q1.'I am happy,' she said. Reported form?

Correct answer: C. Tense shifts past (am→was), pronoun changes (I→she). Answer: She said she was happy.

Q2.Tense shift: present simple in reported?

Correct answer: B. All tenses shift back one level in reported speech.

Q3.'We will come,' they said. Reported form?

Correct answer: C. will→would (tense shift), we→they (pronoun change).

Q4.Which is NOT correct reported speech?

Correct answer: C. 'They said they go home' is wrong — should be 'went'. Tense must shift.

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Common mistakes

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Forgetting to shift the tense. — Correct: Always shift tense back one level: present→past, will→would.

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Keeping the original pronoun. — Correct: Change pronouns to match the new subject: I→he, we→they, etc.

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Adding 'that' is always wrong. — Correct: 'That' is optional and often omitted in speech.

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Only using 'said' as the reporting verb. — Correct: Use told, claimed, stated, replied, mentioned, etc.

FAQ

What is the difference between direct and reported speech?

Direct speech uses exact words with quotation marks ('I love it'). Reported speech paraphrases without quotes, shifting tense and pronouns (He said he loved it).

Do you always shift the tense in reported speech?

Mostly yes, unless the statement is still true (She said the Earth is round — not was round).

Reported speech examples in sentences?

Direct: 'I am tired,' John said. Reported: John said he was tired.

How do you form reported speech correctly?

Identify the reporting verb (said, told, etc.), shift the tense back, change pronouns to fit, and remove quotation marks.