Reported speech

1. Reported Verb
2. Reported Speech

I said to the class, “You will study rules today.” (Direct speech)
I informed the class that they would study rules that day. (Indirect speech)

Reported Verb – Who said to whom (I said to the class)

Reported speech – What is being said (We will study the rules today)

Changes into reported Verb

Said – said
Say – say
Says – says
Said to - depends on the Reported speech ( told, announced, informed, questioned, asked,
interrogated, inquired, exclaimed, requested, commanded, ordered, compelled. Accused,)

How to remove , and “”

that – statement (We will study rules today.)
whether/ if- interrogative, shouldn’t start with WH family words (IS she dancing today?)
to – Imperative sentences (Command) (Shut the door)
*If WH family word is given so no any other word would be used.

Reported Speech Rules

Now let us take a look at the rules for changing direct speech to indirect or reported
speech –

➡️First and foremost, we do not use inverted commas in reported speech which must
be clear from the example given above.

➡️We use conjunctions like ‘if’, and ‘whether’ after the reporting verb in reported speech

➡️The reporting verb’s tense is never altered.

➡️The verb of reporting varies according to sense: it can be told, inquired, asked, etc.

For example:
Direct: Mohan said to Sohan, “I am going to school”
Reported: Mohan told Sohan that he is going to school
Rules for Modal Verbs
Direct Indirect

This That

Now Then

Here There

Today That day

Tomorrow The next day

Yesterday The previous day

last night The previous night

Can Could

May Might

Shall Should

Will Would

Ago Before

Just Then

Come Go

Listed below are some common rules followed in pronouns using reported speech:

✏️We change the first-person pronouns (I, my, us, our, me, we) as per the subject of
the reporting verb in the reported speech.
✏️We change the second-person pronouns (you, your, yourself) as per the object of the
reporting verb in the reported speech.
✏️There is no change in the third-person pronouns.

Direct Speech Reported Speech

I He, she

We They
Me Him, her

Us Them

My His, her

You He, she, they

Our Their

Your His, her, their

Mine His, hers

Ours Theirs

You Him, her, them

Yours His, hers, theirs

For example:

Direct: Rita said, “I like the book.”

Reported: Rita said that she likes the book.

Direct: Arun said to me, “Do you like to eat cakes?”

Reported: Arun asked me if I liked eating cakes.

Direct: Ravi said, “I enjoy fishing.”

Reported: Ravi said that he enjoys fishing.

Rules for Change in Tenses

Here are some common ruled used for change in tenses:

✏️The tense of the reported speech is not changed if the reporting verb is in the present
or the future tense.
✏️If a historical fact, a universal reality or a habitual fact is conveyed in a direct speech.
The indirect speech tense will not change.
✏️If the reporting verb is in the past tense, then it will change the tense of the reported
speech as follows:
Direct Reported

Simple Present Simple Past

Example: Sheela said, “I wash clothes.” Example: Sheela said she washed clothes

Present Continuous Past continuous

Example: Sheela said, “I am washing clothes.” Examples: Sheela said that she was washing clothes.

Present Perfect Past Perfect

Example: Sheela said, “I have washed clothes.” Example: Sheela said that she has washed clothes.

Simple Past Past Perfect

Example: Sheela said, “I washed clothes.” Example: Sheela said that she has washed clothes.

Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

Example: Sheela said, “I was washing clothes.” Example: Sheela said she had been washing clothes.

Examples:

Direct: Reema says, “I am going out.”

Reported: Reema says that she is going out.

Direct: Ramesh said, “Honesty is the best policy.”

Reported: Ramesh said that honesty is the best policy.

Direct: Vishnu said that, “India gained independence in 1947.”

Reported: Vishnu said that India gained independence in 1947.

Direct: Akshat will say, “I want a slice of cake.”

Reported: Akshat will say that he wants a slice of cake.

Direct: Reena said, “I am writing a novel.”

Reported: Reena said that she was writing a novel.

Direct: Ayushi said, “I was working on my project.”

Reported: Ayushi said that she had been working on her project.

Rules for Changing Statements into Reported Speech

Here are some common rules for changing statements into reported speech:

✏️The “said to” reporting verb is changed to “told,” “replied,” “remarked,”

✏️We do not change the object i.e., the reporting verb is not followed by an object.
✏️We drop the inverted commas and use a conjunction to join the reporting clause and
speech/
✏️The laws are followed for the changing of pronouns, tenses, etc.

Examples:

Direct: Ramu said, “I saw a lion in the forest.”

Indirect: Ramu said that he had seen a lion in the forest.

Direct: Satish said to me, “I am very happy here.”

Indirect: Satish told me that he was very happy there.

Direct: He said, “I can do this work.”

Indirect: He said that he could do that work.

Rules for Changing Interrogative Sentences into

Reported Speech
Here are some common rules followed for changing interrogative sentences into
reported speech:

✏️The reporting verb “say” is transformed into “ask, inquire,”

✏️By inserting the subject before the verb, the interrogative clause is converted into a
declaration and the full stop is inserted at the end of the sentence.
✏️The wh-word is repeated in the sentence if the interrogative sentence has a wh-word
(who, where, where, how, why, etc). This works as a conjunction.
✏️If the asking phrase is a yes-no answer style phrase (with auxiliary verbs are, were,
were, do, did, have, shall, etc.), then if or whether is used as a conjunction.
✏️In the reported speech, the auxiliaries do, did, does drop in a positive question.
✏️The conjunction after the reporting clause is not used.

Examples:

Direct: I said to him, “Where are you going?”

Indirect: Tasked him where he was going.

Direct: He said to me, “Will you go there?”

Indirect: He asked me if I would go there.

Direct: My friend said to Deepak, “Have you ever been to Agra?”

Indirect: My friend asked Deepak if he had ever been to Agra.

Rules for Changing Commands and Requests into

Indirect Speech
The reporting verb is changed into command, order, say, enable, submit, etc. in
imperative sentences that have commands.

✏️By positioning it before the verb, the imperative mood is converted into the infinitive
mood. The auxiliary ‘do’ is dropped in the case of negative sentences, and ‘to’ is
substituted after ‘not

Examples:

Direct: She said to me, “Open the window.”

Indirect: She ordered me to open the window.

Direct: The captain said to the soldiers, “Attack the enemy.”

Indirect: The captain commanded the soldiers to attack the enemy.

Direct: I said to him, “Leave this place at once.”

Indirect: I told him to leave that place at once.

Tips to Practise Reported Speech

Indirect speech, sometimes referred to as reported speech, is used to communicate
ideas without directly quoting another person. The following advice will help you
become proficient in reported speech:

👉 Understand the Basics: Ensure you have a solid understanding of direct speech
(quoting exact words) before moving on to reported speech.

👉 Identify Reporting Verbs: Recognize common reporting verbs such as “say,” “tell,”
“ask,” “inform,” etc. These verbs are often used to introduce reported speech.

👉 Practice with Various Tenses: Work on reported speech with different tenses
(present, past, future) to become comfortable with each.

👉 Use Reporting Words Appropriately: Experiment with different reporting words to

convey the speaker’s attitude or emotion accurately. For example, “complain,” “admit,”
“suggest.”

👉 Write Dialogues: Create dialogues and convert them into reported speech. This will
help you practice both creating and transforming speech.

👉 Use Authentic Materials: Practice reported speech by reading books, articles, or

watching videos. Try to convert the direct speech in these materials into reported
speech.

English Speech Topics

Parts of Speech

Figures of Speech

Fun Exercises for Reported Speech with Answers

Here are a few exercises for reported speech along with answers:

Exercise 1
Change the following sentences from direct speech to reported speech.

1. “I love watching movies,” she said.

o Answer: She said that she loved watching movies.
2. “Don’t forget to buy some milk on your way home,” he told me.
o Answer: He told me not to forget to buy some milk on my way home.
3. “I will visit my grandparents next weekend,” Peter said.
o Answer: Peter said that he would visit his grandparents the following weekend.
4. “I have finished my homework,” she announced.
o Answer: She announced that she had finished her homework.
5. “We are going to the beach tomorrow,” they exclaimed.
o Answer: They exclaimed that they were going to the beach the next day.

Exercise 2
Combine the following sentences into reported speech.

1. Mary said, “I am going to the store. I need some groceries.”

o Answer: Mary said that she was going to the store because she needed
some groceries.
2. “It’s raining outside,” he remarked.
o Answer: He remarked that it was raining outside.
3. “I can’t attend the meeting,” she explained. “I have a doctor’s appointment.”
o Answer: She explained that she couldn’t attend the meeting because she
had a doctor’s appointment.
4. “We will finish the project by Friday,” they assured us.
o Answer: They assured us that they would finish the project by Friday.
5. “I have never been to Paris,” he admitted.
o Answer: He admitted that he had never been to Paris.

Exercise 3
Transform the sentences into reported speech.

1. “Why are you late?” she asked.

 o Answer: She asked why I was late.
2. “Please help me with this heavy box,” he requested.
o Answer: He requested me to help him with that heavy box.
3. “Could you pass me the salt?” she inquired.
o Answer: She inquired if I could pass her the salt.
4. “Don’t touch the paintings,” the guide said to the visitors.
o Answer: The guide told the visitors not to touch the paintings.
5. “I must finish this report today,” he said.
o Answer: He said that he must finish that report that day.