Reported Speech

Direct speech gives a speaker's exact words inside quotation marks: Sita said, "I am busy today." Indirect or reported speech gives the same message in the reporter's own frame: Sita said that she was busy that day. Turning one into the other is a mechanical operation, and the examiner sets it every year. Four things may change — the reporting verb and link word, the pronouns, the tense, and the words of time and place — and a fifth thing, the word order of questions, changes too. Work through them in that order every single time and the transformation becomes almost automatic.

27.1 The tense shift

Direct	Reported
"I write letters."	He said that he wrote letters.
"I am writing."	He said that he was writing.
"I have written."	He said that he had written.
"I have been writing."	He said that he had been writing.
"I wrote a letter."	He said that he had written a letter.
"I was writing."	He said that he had been writing.
"I had written."	He said that he had written. (no change)
"I will write."	He said that he would write.
"I shall write."	He said that he would (or should) write.

Modals in reported speech

Direct	Reported	Example
can	could	"I can swim." → She said she could swim.
may (permission / possibility)	might	"You may go." → He said I might go.
must (obligation)	had to	"You must leave." → He said I had to leave.
must (rule still true, or deduction)	must	He said that water must boil at 100 °C.
shall (future)	would	"We shall win." → They said they would win.
shall (suggestion, offer)	should	"Shall I carry it?" → He asked whether he should carry it.
will	would	"I will help." → He said he would help.
no change: would, could, might, should, ought to, used to, had better, would rather, need not		"You should rest." → She said I should rest.

27.2 Pronouns, time words and place words

Pronouns — the rule. First person (I, we, my, our, us) changes to agree with the subject of the reporting verb. Second person (you, your) changes to agree with its object. Third person (he, she, they, it) does not change.

He said to me, "I have finished your work." → He told me that he had finished my work.

Direct	Reported	Direct	Reported
now	then	here	there
today	that day	this	that
tonight	that night	these	those
yesterday	the previous day / the day before	come	go
tomorrow	the next day / the following day	bring	take
last night	the previous night	hence	thence
next week	the following week	thus	so
last month	the previous month	ago	before
the day before yesterday	two days before	just	then

"I met him here yesterday," she said. → She said that she had met him there the previous day.

27.3 Reporting each type of sentence

Statements

Use said when there is no listener mentioned, told when there is.

Direct	Reported
He said, "I am ill."	He said that he was ill.
He said to me, "I am ill."	He told me that he was ill.
She said, "We won the match."	She said that they had won the match.

Questions

Three things happen: the reporting verb becomes ask / enquire / want to know; the question changes to statement word order; and do, does, did disappear.

Direct	Reported
He said, "Are you coming?"	He asked whether / if I was coming.
He said, "Do you like tea?"	He asked whether I liked tea.
He said, "Where did you go?"	He asked where I had gone.
She said, "What is your name?"	She asked what my name was.
"Who broke the glass?" he asked.	He asked who had broken the glass. (a subject question keeps its order)

Commands, requests and advice

The imperative becomes an infinitive: reporting verb + object + to + base verb. A negative imperative takes not to.

Direct	Reporting verb	Reported
"Stand up," the teacher said to us.	order / command / tell	The teacher ordered us to stand up.
"Please lend me your pen," he said.	request	He requested me to lend him my pen.
"You should see a doctor," she said.	advise	She advised me to see a doctor.
"Don't touch the wires," he said.	warn / tell	He warned me not to touch the wires.
"Let's go for a walk," she said.	suggest / propose	She suggested going for a walk. / She proposed that we should go for a walk.
"Let him come in," he said.	—	He said that he might come in.

Exclamations, wishes and fixed expressions

Direct	Reported
"What a beautiful garden!" he said.	He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful garden.
"Alas! I have lost my purse," she said.	She exclaimed with sorrow that she had lost her purse.
"Hurrah! We have won," they said.	They exclaimed with joy that they had won.
"May you live long!" he said.	He prayed that I might live long.
"Good morning," she said to him.	She greeted him.
"Thank you," he said to her.	He thanked her.
"Yes," he said.	He replied in the affirmative. / He agreed.
"No," he said.	He replied in the negative. / He refused.

27.4 When the tense does not shift

1. The reporting verb is in the present, present perfect or future. He says that he is busy. · She has told me that she will come.
2. Universal truths and permanent facts. The teacher said that the earth revolves round the sun. He said that Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal.
3. The verb is already past perfect — there is no further step back.
4. Second and third conditionals, and wish clauses, which are already unreal. "If I were rich, I would travel," he said. → He said that if he were rich, he would travel. "I wish I knew the answer," she said. → She said she wished she knew the answer.
5. Modals that have no past form: would, could, might, should, ought to, used to, had better, would rather, need not.
6. A past tense tied to a stated past time, where a shift would sound absurd: He said that he was born in 2005.

27.5 Say, tell, speak, ask

Verb	Pattern	Example
say	say (to somebody) that …	He said to me that he was late.
tell	tell somebody that … (no to)	He told me that he was late.
tell	also: tell a lie / the truth / a story / the time	Don't tell lies.
speak	speak to somebody · speak a language	I spoke to the principal.
ask	ask somebody about / for something	She asked for water.

Chapter summary

• Reported speech changes the reporting verb and link word, the pronouns, the tense, the time and place words, and the word order of questions.
• Backshift: present → past, past → past perfect, will → would, can → could, may → might, must → had to. The past perfect does not move.
• No backshift after a present or future reporting verb, for universal truths, for unreal conditionals and wish, and for would, could, might, should, ought to, used to.
• Pronouns: first person follows the subject of the reporting verb, second person follows its object, third person is unchanged.
• Statements take that; yes/no questions take if / whether; wh-questions keep their wh-word; imperatives become to + base verb, with not to for negatives.
• A reported question has statement word order, no do / does / did, and no question mark.
• say that / say to somebody that / tell somebody that — tell never takes to before the listener, and that is never used with a wh-word or if.
• Exclamations use exclaim with joy / sorrow that; greetings, thanks, yes and no have their own reporting verbs.

Practice questions

Change into indirect speech (1 mark each)

1. He said, "I am writing a letter." [1]
2. She said to me, "I saw your brother yesterday." [1]
3. The guide said, "The Himalayas lie to the north of Nepal." [1]
4. "Are you free this evening?" he asked me. [1]
5. The teacher said to the boys, "Why are you making noise?" [1]
6. "Please give me a glass of water," the old man said to her. [1]
7. "Don't play on the road," my father said to us. [1]
8. "What a lovely morning it is!" she said. [1]
9. He said, "I shall go to Pokhara tomorrow." [1]
10. "May God bless you!" the priest said to the pilgrims. [1]

Answers

1. He said that he was writing a letter. — present continuous → past continuous.

2. She told me that she had seen my brother the previous day. — said to me → told me; saw → had seen; your → my; yesterday → the previous day.

3. The guide said that the Himalayas lie to the north of Nepal. — a permanent geographical fact does not shift.

4. He asked me whether (if) I was free that evening. — yes/no question → whether; this evening → that evening.

5. The teacher asked the boys why they were making noise. — wh-word kept, statement order, no question mark.

6. The old man requested her to give him a glass of water. — request → requested + object + to + base verb.

7. My father told us not to play on the road. — negative imperative → not to + base verb.

8. She exclaimed that it was a very lovely morning. — exclamation → exclaimed that, with very replacing what a.

9. He said that he would go to Pokhara the next day. — shall (future) → would; tomorrow → the next day.

10. The priest prayed that God might bless the pilgrims. — an optative is reported with prayed that + might.

Correct the errors (1 mark each)

11. He said me that he was busy. [1]
12. She told to me that she would come. [1]
13. He asked me that where I lived. [1]
14. She asked me what was my name. [1]
15. He said that he will meet me the next day. [1]
16. The teacher said that the earth moved round the sun. [1]
17. He asked me if I am ready? [1]
18. She told me to not open the window. [1]

Answers

11. He told me that he was busy. (or He said to me that…)

12. She told me that she would come. — tell takes no to before the listener.

13. He asked me where I lived. — no that with a wh-word.

14. She asked me what my name was. — statement order.

15. He said that he would meet me the next day. — backshift after a past reporting verb.

16. The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun. — a universal truth stays in the present.

17. He asked me whether (if) I was ready. — no question mark, and the tense shifts.

18. She told me not to open the window. — not comes before to.

Change into direct speech (1 mark each)

19. He told me that he had finished his homework. [1]
20. She asked me where I had put the keys. [1]
21. The officer ordered the peon to bring the file at once. [1]
22. He exclaimed with sorrow that he had failed the test. [1]

Answers

19. He said to me, "I have finished my homework." — the past perfect becomes the present perfect.

20. She said to me, "Where have you put the keys?" — restore question order and the question mark.

21. The officer said to the peon, "Bring the file at once." — the infinitive becomes an imperative.

22. He said, "Alas! I have failed the test." — with sorrow signals the interjection Alas!