Reported Speech Activities

When we use reported speech we convey what someone else has said without quoting them directly. Let’s image the following scenario in which a sister is talking to her brother:

reported speech

Here we can see the direct speech (“I really want to ride my bike to school.”). Now let’s image the brother is reporting this speech to their father. Notice he doesn’t use the exact words his sister used. This is an example of reported speech.

reported speech example

Reported Speech is an English grammar structure used to convey what someone else has said without quoting them directly. Instead, we use our own words to relay their message. To use reported speech, we need to make some changes to pronouns, verb tenses, and time expressions.

Before we dive in, let’s take a look at a few examples for affirmative and negative statements:

Direct SpeechReported Speech
(Marta) “I wanted to be a dentist when I was young.”Marta said she had wanted to be a dentist when she was young.
(Lily to me) “I am not learning English.”Lily told me she was not learning English.
(Molly to Evie) “I have visited China.”Molly told Evie she had visited China.

When changing direct speech to reported speech we need to follow six steps:

INSERT IMAGE OF STEPS

Step 1: Choose a Reporting Verb

In reported speech, we need a reporting verb to introduce the sentence. Common reporting verbs include:

  • said
  • told
  • asked
  • explained
  • advised

For example:

Direct speech: She said, “I am studying.”
Reported speech: She said (that) she was studying.

There are many reporting verbs we can choose from, but the most common are say and tell in their past form: said and told. When we use told we always need to mention to whom the message was told. For example: Martha told me, Or Peter told Mary. For this, we’ll need to remember our object pronouns (e.g., me, her, his, them, us).

Step 2: Backshift Verb Tense

In reported speech, we often change the verb tense from the present to the past. Here’s the usual pattern for tense changes:

Tense in Original (Direct) SpeechTense to Use in Reported Speech
Present SimplePast Simple
Present ContinuousPast Continuous
Past SimplePast Perfect
Past ContinuousPast Perfect Continuous
Present PerfectPast Perfect
Present Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect Continuous
Past PerfectPast Perfect
WillWould

Step 3: Perspective (Adjust Pronouns)

Change the pronouns in the direct speech to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech.

  • I becomes he/she,
  • you becomes I/we (depending on the speaker),
  • we becomes they,
  • my becomes his/her,
  • your becomes my.

For example:

Direct speech: “I am going to your party,” he said.
Reported speech: He said (that) he was coming to my party.

Step 4: Adjust Time Expressions

Time expressions (such as now, today, tomorrow, etc.) often change when converting to reported speech. Here are some common changes:

Time Expression Used in Direct SpeechTime Expression to Use in Reported Speech
nowthen
todaythat day
tomorrowthe next day
yesterdaythe day before
next weekthe following week
herethere
thisthat

Here are some examples of these changes:

Direct Speech: “I have a meeting today.”
Reported Speech: She said she had a meeting that day.

Direct Speech: “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Reported Speech: He said he would call me the next day.

Direct Speech: “I saw her yesterday.”
Reported Speech: She said she had seen her the day before.

Direct Speech: “The keys are here.”
Reported Speech: He said the keys were there.

Direct Speech: “I love this book.”
Reported Speech: She said she loved that book.

Video: How to Use Reported Speech

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More Reported Speech Practice

Reported Speech Quiz

Ready to put what you’ve learned about reported speech into practice? Take the quiz!

Make sure you keep reviewing the video, worksheets and quiz to consolidate your understanding of reported speech. If you feel ready to move on, choose a topic below to keep improving your English!