
Reported speech: reporting and reported clauses Speech reports consist of two parts: the reporting clause and the reported clause. The reporting clause includes a verb such as say, tell, ask, reply, shout, usually in the past simple, and the reported clause includes what the original speaker said.
How to use reported speech?
Jun 04, 2020 · What is reporting speech and reported speech? Direct speech and reported speech are the two ways we can say what someone has said. Reported speech: James said that he was my neighbour. Because we are talking about something that happened in the past, we use past tense verbs in reported speech: said not say; was not am. Click to see full answer.
How to change quoted speech to reported speech?
Reported Speech. Reported speech puts the speaker's words or ideas into a sentence without quotation marks. Noun clauses are usually used. In reported speech, the reader does not assume that the words are the speaker's exact words; often, they are a paraphrase of the speaker's words.
What is reported speech in English grammar?
Reported speech is the report of one speaker or writer on the words spoken, written, or thought by someone else. Also called reported discourse . Traditionally, two broad categories of reported speech have been recognized: direct speech (in which the original speaker's words are quoted word for word) and indirect speech (in which the original speaker's thoughts are conveyed …
What is a report speech?
We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. ( Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell' .) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence: Direct speech: I like ice cream. Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.

What is reporting and reported speech with examples?
What is reporting a speech?
What is reported speech called?
What are the examples of reported speech?
Direct speech | Reported speech |
---|---|
She says: "I like tuna fish." | She says that she likes tuna fish. |
She said: "I'm visiting Paris next weekend" | She said that she was visiting Paris the following weekend. |
What is reported speech Wikipedia?
Why do we use reported speech?
What are the 4 types of reported speech?
What are the rules of reporting speech?
...
Change of tenses.
Direct speech | Reported speech | |
---|---|---|
Ann said: | "I want ice-cream." | Ann said that she wanted ice-cream. |
Simple Past | Simple Present | Simple Past |
Simple Past | Simple Past Present Perfect Past Perfect | Past Perfect |
Simple Past | will | would |
What reported speech rules?
- Rules for reporting speech. ...
- The first rule is to choose a reporting verb and tense. ...
- The second rule is to change the perspective, or point of view. ...
- Next, choose whether to include "that or "if." ...
- The fourth rule is to "backshift" the tense. ...
- Reporting on questions.
How do you explain a reported speech to a student?
What is reported speech?
Reported Speech. Reported speech puts the speaker's words or ideas into a sentence without quotation marks. Noun clauses are usually used. In reported speech, the reader does not assume that the words are the speaker's exact words; often, they are a paraphrase of the speaker's words.
What is direct speech?
Direct Speech. Direct speech shows a person's exact words. Quotation marks ("....") are a sign that the words are the exact words that a person used.
What does a quotation mark mean in a speech?
Direct speech shows a person's exact words. Quotation marks ("....") are a sign that the words are the exact words that a person used.
When to use reported speech?
Reported speech is used when someone says a sentence, like, "I'm going to the movie tonight". Later, we want to tell a 3rd person what the first person is doing.
What is indirect speech?
Indirect speech or Reported speech is just a way of expressing your intent in questions, statements or other phrases, without essentially quoting them outrightly as the way it is done in direct speech.
Do you need to change the tense in a report?
You don't need to change the tense, but you do need to switch the 'person' from 'I' to 'he’. You also need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. But, in case the reporting verb is in the past tense, then change the tenses in the reported speech itself.
What is reported speech?
Updated February 11, 2019. Reported speech is the report of one speaker or writer on the words spoken, written, or thought by someone else. Also called reported discourse .
Is reported speech a transposition?
We have to realize that reported speech represents, in fact, a kind of translation, a transposition that necessarily takes into account two different cognitive perspectives: the point of view ...
Does the tense of the reported speech change?
The tense of the reported speech is not changed if the reporting verb is in the present or the future tense. If a historical fact, a universal reality or a habitual fact is conveyed in a direct speech. The indirect speech tense will not change.
What is the reporting verb?
The reporting verb is changed into command, order, say, enable, submit, etc. in imperative sentences that have commands. By positioning it before the verb, the imperative mood is converted into the infinitive mood. The auxiliary ‘do’ is dropped in the case of negative sentences, and ‘to’ is substituted after ‘not.
When do we use the exact words spoken by someone?
When we use the exact words spoken by someone, it is known as Direct Speech. Here we are using the exact words spoken by Rita, however reported or Indirect speech is used when we are reporting something said by someone else but we do not use the exact words. So, we use this form of speech to talk about the past.
Reporting and summarising
When we want to report what people say, we don't usually try to report their exact words. We usually give a summary, for example:
Reporting verbs
When we want to report what people say, we use reporting verbs. Different reporting verbs have different patterns, for example:
Tenses in reported speech
When reporting what people say or think in English, we need to remember that the rules for tense forms in reported speech are exactly the same as in the rest of the language.
How to identify direct speech?
Direct speech can always be identified in written speech through the use of speech marks (sometimes known as quotation marks). Please note that single or double marks can be used depending on the habit of the individual user. Direct speech is the easier of the two options because it does not involve any grammatical or structural changes to ...
What is direct speech?
Direct speech. As the name would suggest, direct speech is when you directly report the words of another person. “I’ll see you at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said. Direct speech can always be identified in written speech through the use of speech marks (sometimes known as quotation marks).
Is an information question an affirmative statement?
In the ‘information’ question, the original sentence must be restructured so it is now no longer a question, but an affirmative statement. That is because, when reported, it is no longer a question. The verb tense should also be adapted as per the rules with all reported speech transitions.
Reported (Indirect) Speech
In reported (indirect) speech, we report an idea expressed by someone, without quoting the exact words used.
Reporting what another person says
In reported (indirect) speech, we report an idea expressed by someone, without quoting the exact words used.

Reported Speech Rules
- To understand Reported Speech Grammar and Reported Verbs, you need to first understand reported speech rules and how it works. Here are some types of reported speech: Reported Statements Reported speech is used when someone says a sentence, like, "I'm going to the movie tonight". Later, we want to tell a 3rd person what the first person is doing. I...
Here Are Some More Examples
- Reported Requests The reported speech goes a long way. What if a person asks you to do something politely or make a request? It’s called a reported request. For example Direct Speech:Close the door, please / Could you close the door please? / Would you mind closing the door, please? All these requests mean the same, so we don't need to report every word there wh…
Here's A Table of How Some Conversions Can Be Made
- now can be converted to then / at that time today can be converted to yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27thof June yesterday can be converted to the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of December last night can be converted to the night before, Thursday night last week can be converted to the week before / the previous week tomorrow ca…
Now Let Us Check Our Understanding Through This Table
- This is all about reported speech. English grammar is a tricky thing given both the rules and practice. Reading these rules solely will not help you to get a strong grasp of them. You also have to practice reported speech sentences in practical life to know how and when they can be used.