Reported speech

 Reported Speech: A Complete Grammar Guide

I. Reported speech is often also called indirect speech in English.

II. Tense Changes in Reported Speech

When changing from direct to indirect speech, you need to change the grammar in certain ways.

Verb tense forms usually need to change. The tenses generally move backwards in this way:

Present Simple Tense into Past Simple Tense

Present Continuous Tense into Past Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Tense into Past Perfect Tense

Past Simple Tense into Past Perfect Tense

Past Continuous Tense into Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Tense (The tense remains unchanged)

Will into Would

Will be into Would be

Will have into Would have

Will have been into Would have been

Other Verb Form Changes in Indirect Speech

Can into Could

Could (The verb remains unchanged)

Have to into Had to

Must into Must/Had to

May into Might

Might (The verb remains unchanged)

Should (The verb remains unchanged)

III. Changes in Time and Place in Reported Speech

Time and place references often have to change in Indirect Speech

Now –> Then

Today –> That day

Here –> There

This –> That

Tomorrow –> The following day/ The next day/ The day after

Next week –> The following week/ The next week/ The week after

Yesterday –> The previous day/ The day before

Last week –> The previous week/ The week before

Ago –> Previously/ Before

Tonight –> That night

IV. No Change in Verb Tenses in Reported Speech

There is no change in verb tenses in Indirect Speech when:

1. The introductory verb is in the Present, Present Perfect or Future.

2. If the reported sentence deals with a fact or general truth.

3. The reported sentence contains a time clause.

4. The verb of the sentence is in the unreal past (the second or the third conditional).

5. The subjunctive stays unchanged in the subordinate clause.

6. Had better, could, would, used to, should, might, ought to and mustn’t remain unchanged.

7. If the speaker reports something immediately or soon after it was said.

V. Introductory Verbs in Reported Speech

List of Introductory Verbs in Reported Speech.

1. Tell, say, ask

2. Verb + that + clause: complain, deny, explain, exclaim, remark, promise, boast, inform somebody, claim, agree, suggest

3. Verb + to + infinitive: agree, offer, refuse, demand, threaten, promise, claim

4. Verb + indirect object + to + infinitive: advise, allow, beg, command, encourage, forbid, invite, want, instruct, permit, urge, order, remind, warn

5. Verb + “ing” form: admit (to), accuse somebody of, apologize for, boast about/ of, complain to somebody of, deny, insist on, suggest

6. Verb + how: explain to somebody

7. Wonder

VI. Changes of Pronouns in Reported Speech

In indirect speech, you need to be careful with personal pronouns. They need to be changed according to the situation. You need to know the context.

VII. Reported Questions in English

When you are changing a question from direct speech into indirect speech, you follow the same kinds of rules as for statements.

To report a question, we use verbs such as: inquire, wonder, want to know, ask…

VIII. Reported Commands and Requests in English

Reported Orders, Commands and Requests are formed using the to-infinitive and not to-infinitive.

The reporting verbs for the orders/ commands/ requests are: order, shout, demand, warn, beg, command, tell, insist, beseech, threaten, implore, ask, propose, forbid…

When we change from direct to indirect speech, the pronoun and tense changes that are also needed.