1. REPORTED SPEECH
Reported Speech is the exact meaning
of what someone said but not the exact
words. We do not use quotation marks
in Reported Speech.

2. REPORTED STATEMENTS
 To report statements we use a reporting verb
(say, tell, advise, explain, promise, etc)
followed by a that-clause. In spoken English
that may be omitted.
 Pronouns and possessive adjectives change
according to the meaning.
Direct Speech: He said, “I can’t fix it myself.”
Reported Sp.: He said he couldn’t fix it himself.

3. Direct Sp. Reported Sp.
Here There
This That
Certain These Those
words Now Then
change Today That day
as Tonight That night
follows: Tomorrow The next day/ the following
day
Yesterday The day before
Next week The following week
Last week The week before
Ago Before

4. When the reporting verb is in the Past the verb tenses change as follow:
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Present Simple (he speaks) Past Simple (he spoke)
Present Contin. (he is Past Contin. (he was
speaking) speaking)
Past Simple (he spoke) Past Perfect (he had spoken)
Present Perfect (he has Past Perfect (he had spoken)
spoken)
Past Perfect (he had spoken) Past Perfect (he had spoken)
Future (shall/will) Conditional (should/would)
Imperative (speak) To-infinitive (to speak)

5. Direct Speech Reported Speech
Am Was
Is Was
Has Had
Have Had
There is There was
There are There were
Doesn’t Didn’t
Don’t Didn’t
Was Had been
Were Had been
Had Had had
Spoke Had spoken
Didn’t speak Hadn’t spoken
Hadn’t spoken Hadn’t spoken
“Go/Don’t go!” He told me to go/ not to go.

6. Modal
verbs
Direct Speech Reported Speech
Can Could
May Might
Might Might
Could Could
Would Would
Should Should
Ought to Ought to
Daren’t Daren’t
Must Must/ Had to
Needn’t Needn’t/ didn’t have to

7.  There are no changes in verb tenses when the
reporting verb is in the Present, Future or
Present Perfect or when the sentences expresses
something which is always true.
D. S.: She’ll say, “I can do it”.
“The earth is round”, said the teacher.
R.S.: She’ll say (that) she can do it.
The teacher said (that) the earth is
round.

8.  The Past Continuous does not usually change.
D. S.: “I was travelling to Brighton while
she was flying to the USA”, he said.
R. S.: He said he was travelling to
Brighton while she was flying to the USA.

9. REPORTED QUESTIONS
 In Reported questions we use affirmative word
order and the question mark is omitted. To report a
wh-question, we use ask by the question word (who,
what,etc). When there is no question word in direct
questions, if or whether is used in Reported
questions. Pronouns, possessive adjectives, tenses,
time expressions, etc. change as in statements.
D. S.: He asked, “What time is it?”
He asked me, “Do you know her?”
R. S.: He asked what time it was.
He asked me if/whether I knew her.

10. Reported Commands/ Requests/
Suggestions
 To report commands, requests, suggestions,
etc we use a reporting verb (order, ask, tell,
advise, offer, warn, beg, suggest, etc)
followed by to-infinitive or not to- infinitive.
D.S.: He said to me, “Stop talking!”
He said to me, “Don’t touch it!”
R.S.: He told me to stop talking.
He told me not to touch it.