REPORTED SPEECH

Reported speech is used to say or explain what someone else has said. The first thing
you need to know is that you can report something directly or indirectly.

Direct reported speech (using “...”) Indirect reported speech (without “...”)

He said: “I will owe the company £100.” He said that he would owe the company
£100.
(You repeat exactly what the person said using
“...”)

Verb tense changes:

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

Present simple Past simple

“I never eat meat,” he explained. He explained that he never ate meat.

Present continuous Past continuous

“I’m waiting for Ann,” he said. He said (that) he was waiting for Ann.

Present perfect Past perfect

“I have found a flat,” he said. He said (that) he had found a flat.

Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

He said: “I have been waiting for ages.” He said he had been waiting for ages.

Past simple Past perfect

“I took it home with me,” she said. She said she had taken it home with her.

Past continuous Past perfect continuous

“I was preparing dinner,” he said. He said he had been preparing dinner.

Past perfect Past perfect

“He had gone to Madrid,” she said. She said he had gone to Madrid.

Going to – future Was going to

“I’m going to meet him in class,” she said. She said she was going to meet him in
 class.

Future simple Would (Conditional)

“I will tell you a secret,” he said. He said he would tell me a secret.

Future continuous Conditional continuous

“I will be using the car myself on the She said she would be using the car
24th,” she said. herself on the 24th.

Shall (offers and suggestions) Should

“Shall we go to a restaurant?” he asked. He asked if we should go to a restaurant.
“Shall I help you?” she asked. She asked if she should help me.

Must Had to
“You must finish your homework before She said I had to finish my homework
going out,” she said. before going out.

Can Could
“I can take the drinks to the party,” he He said he could take the drinks to the
said. party.
Indirect speech with modal verbs

When reporting modal verb sentences, you don’t need to change the grammatical
tense except when reporting “must” as an obligation.

Example 1: “You should call your She told me (that) I should call my mother.
mother.” (no change in tense)

Example 2: “These dishes could have He said that those/the dishes could have
been prepared better.” (modals in past) been prepared better. (no change in tense)

(You use “those/the” if you can’t show the

dishes anymore)

Example 3: “You must wash your hands She said I had to wash my hands first there.
first here.”
(You use “there” if you’re not in the location
anymore)
1. Complete the table below reporting the direct speech sentences correctly.

Direct Speech (what the person says) Indirect reported Speech (what you report)

(1) Anna said: “You should invite your She told me that I _SHOULD INVITE MY_ cousin.
cousin.”

(2) John said: “I’ve never tuned a guitar John said _HE HAD NEVER TUNED_ a guitar
before.” before.

(3) The witness said: “I didn’t use my The witness said she__HADN’T USED HER_ laptop
laptop on this day.” on _THAT day.

(4) “I’m uploading the program to my My friend said he_WAS UPLOADING _ the program
computer.” said my friend. to _HIS__ computer.

(5) “I saw the most amazing views on Paul said that he HAD SEEN_ the most amazing
this trip to the Scottish highlands.” said views on _THAT_ trip to the Scottish highlands.
Paul.

(6) My uncle said to me: “I will give you My uncle said that he WOULD GIVE ME_ a call
a call tomorrow.” tomorrow.

(7) “These scenes could have been The director said that _THOSE SCENES COULD
filmed better.” said the director.” HAVE BEEN FILMED_ better.

(8) “You must call before to make an The dentist said I HAD TO CALL_ before to make
appointment.” said the dentist. an appointment. Answers
Reporting opinions and facts in present
You can report opinions or facts that are still true or relevant in present tense. While
this requires a bit of logic at first, eventually you will see that some sentences will
make more sense if they’re reported in present and some won’t. Just make sure that if
you report in present, the reporting verb (believe, think, say...) is also in present.

Example 1: “I am lactose The customer says she is lactose intolerant.

intolerant.”
(“was lactose intolerant” would be confusing)

Example 2: “I do 500 sit ups every The athlete says that he does 500 sit ups every
day to stay in shape.” day to stay in shape.
(“did 500 sit ups” would be confusing)

Example 3: “The sun’s expected Experts estimate(d) that the sun’s expected
lifespan is about 4.5 billion years.” lifespan is/was about 4.5 billion years. (both can
be used)

Example 4: “The city is being The news report says/said that the city is/was
evacuated to prepare for the being evacuated to prepare for the storm.”
storm.”
(both formats are correct)

2. Complete the gaps choosing the present or past form of the missing verb.
(Sometimes both options can be correct)

(1) “I am sure that our governments My friend says he IS_ sure that our
are spying on us.” My friend tells me governments _ARE_ spying on us.
every day.

(2) “We believe that there is a black Scientists _BELIEVE that there _IS_ a black
hole at the centre of almost every hole at the centre of almost every galaxy.
galaxy.

(3) “The classes are going to be My friend told me that the classes
cancelled because of the storm.” ___ARE/WERE__ going to be cancelled
because of the storm.

(4) “The manager is wrapping up the The secretary says that the manager
meeting.” _IS/WAS_ wrapping up the meeting.
Using indirect reported speech to report questions

 Reporting yes/no/choice questions:

For these types of questions, you have to add if/whether and follow the same
tense changes studied at the beginning of the unit.

Direct Speech “...” Reported Speech

“Do you want to go to the beach or He asked me if/whether I wanted to go to the

the park?” beach or the park.

 Reporting what/where… questions:

For these types of questions, you have to change the position of the
verb/eliminate the auxiliary verb and follow the same tense changes studied at
the beginning of the grammar topic.

Direct Speech “...” Reported Speech

“Where is the cinema?” He asked/wanted to know where the cinema was. (past
simple)

“What did you buy at the She wanted to know what I had bought at the store.
store?” (past perfect)

3. Complete the table reporting the following questions correctly.

Direct speech Reported Speech

(1) “Have you seen the trailer for He asked me _IF I HAVE SEEN THE TRAILER FOR
the film?” THE FILM_

(2) “Why does English have so The student wanted to know WHY ENGLISH HAD
many Latin words?” SO MANY LATIN WORDS.
(3) “Would you take a gap year My friend asked me IF I WOULD TAKE A GAP
after high school?” YEAR AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.

(4) “Where did you buy these He wanted to know WHERE I HAD BOUGHT
shoes?” THOSE SHOES.

(5) “Can you look after my dog for She asked me IF I COULD LOOK AFTER HIS DOG
a while?” FOR A WHILE.

(6) “How many dinners will you They wanted to know _HOW MANY DINNERS I
need for the wedding?” WOULD NEED FOR THE WEDDING.

Answers
Reporting commands

To report commands in English, you just have to add the infinitive with “to/not to”
after the reporting verb.
REPORTING COMMANDS

reCommand Reported speech

Example 1: Bring the documents, He asked/ordered... me to bring the

please. documents.

Example 2: Don’t stand here. She told me not to stand here/there.

Report the following commands

1. Turn in the assignment. The teacher asked me TO TURN ON THE

ASSIGNMENT_.
2. Do 3 sets of 20 push ups. The trainer asked me TO DO 3 SETS OF 20
PUSH UPS.
3. Don’t take so long in the shower. My sister told me NOT TO TAKE SO LONG
IN THE SHOWER.
4. Don’t put off this task. The tutor advised me NO TO PUT OFF
THAT TASK_.
Useful verbs you can use to add more detail to your reported speech
phrases

4. Complete the gaps in the table below choosing a pair of reporting verbs from the
box below.

claimed/argued, opposed/objected to, concludes/determines, advise/suggest,

stated/declared

To declare (1) Edward R. Murrow said Edward R. Murrow _________________

that a nation of sheep will that a nation of sheep will give rise to a
give rise to a government government of wolves.
of wolves.

To (2) Aristotle believed that Aristotle _________________ that Earth

argue Earth was the centre of the was the centre of the universe.
universe.

To analyse a (3) The research paper The research paper ______________

topic thinks that our current
situation is unsustainable. that our current situation is
unsustainable.

To (4) Experts recommend Experts ___________________ not

recommend not having a fox as a pet. having a fox as a pet.

To (5) Many fans disagreed Many fans _____________________the

contrast with the director’s director’s decision to retcon Doctor
decision to *retcon Doctor Who’s story.
Who’s story.

*Retcon means to revise or change the story of a film or a book.

Answers

Review of logical order of the sentences

Some reported verbs are followed by to or object + to. (remember the guidelines from
grammar unit 5: infinitives)
E.g: He offered to pick me up after the concert. She asked me to accompany her
to the entrance.

Some reported verbs are followed by ing.

E.g: We recommend/advise/suggest bringing your own provisions for the trip.

5. Choose if these verbs need a preposition. Then, write the verbs in parentheses in
ing, or to form.

1. She decided __________ (take) a gap year after finishing her Bachelor's degree.
2. They refused __________ (leave) the premises.
3. We regret ________________ (report) the story inaccurately last night.
4. We agreed __________ (withdraw) from the race.
5. You promised __________ (take care of) the utility bills.
6. He remembered ____________ (get rid of) the old clothes last month.
7. I decided ____________ (pursue) a degree in chemistry.
8. She threatened ____________ (take) me to court.
9. She advised me ____________ (work) from home.
10. She denied ________________ (leave) the office unattended.
11. The security guard ordered us ___________ (take off) our shoes. Answers

Some reported verbs are followed by a dependent preposition and ing.

(to, on, about, of, for, against, from)

6. Complete the gaps with the correct preposition and the -ing form of the verb given
in parenthesis.
1. I apologise __________________ (disturb) the class.
2. They insisted __________________ (pay) for the meal.
3. The burglar admitted ________________ (break into) the house.
4. The customers complained __________________ (not, have) free shipping for
the items.
5. The NGO was blamed _________________ (encourage) the riots.
6. The witness was accused ____________________ (lie) under oath.
7. The travel agency warned us _____________________ (hitchhike) across the
country.
8. The clouds prevented the climbers ____________________ (see) the summit.
Some reported verbs are followed by THAT + clause.

This format requires a bit of logic, while most thinking (think, believe, hope…) and
saying (say, explain, admit, suggest…) verbs can be followed by THAT + clause, some
reporting verbs can’t (apologise, blame, refuse...). As always, you need to follow the
grammatical tense rules explained in the unit. Look at the following examples:

The soldier says: “It’s true. I left the base without permission.”

You can say: You can say:

The soldier admitted to leaving the The soldier admitted that he had left the base without
base without permission. ✔ permission. ✔ (Use past perfect to report past events)
The soldier admitted that he left the base without
permission. ✘

The coach says: “It was your fault that we lost the match.”

You can say: You can’t say:

My coach blamed me for losing the match. My coach blamed me that it was my fault that…
✔ ✘

Learning how to use the verb “suggest” correctly:

 Suggesting in the present:

“You should take the 9 o’clock train tomorrow.”

 You can say: or You can say:

He suggests taking the 9 o’clock train He suggests (that) I take the 9 o’clock train
tomorrow. ✔ tomorrow . ✔
He suggests me to take the 9 o’clock He suggests (that) I took the 9 o’clock train...
train... ✘ ✘

 Suggesting in the past:

“You should work out more often.”

You can say: or You can say:

He suggested working out more often. He suggested (that) I should work out more often.
✔ ✔

7. Complete the sentences using the correct format for the verbs given.

1. “It was me who took the car.”

A. He admitted to __________________ (take) the car.
B. He admitted that he ______________ (take) the car.

2. “You should learn a trade like plumbing or carpentry.”

A. My teacher suggests that ________________ (learn) a trade like plumbing or
carpentry.
B. My teacher suggests __________ (learn) a trade like plumbing or carpentry.

3. “I dream of being selected to study abroad.”

A. She hopes ___________________ (be) selected to study abroad.
B. She hopes that __________________ (be) selected to study abroad.

4. “You should read Animal Farm by Orwell.”

A. My friend suggested _________________ (read) Animal Farm by Orwell.
B. My friend suggested that ___________________ (read) Animal Farm by Orwell.