English Grammar • Reported Speech

Reported Speech

A clear guide to Direct and Indirect Speech with basic rules, conversion tables, examples and practice exercises.

1. What is Reported Speech?

Reported Speech is the way we represent or report the speech of other people or what we ourselves say.

Direct Speech	Indirect / Reported Speech
is a representation of the actual words someone said.	does not give the exact words uttered but focuses on the content of what someone said.
Repeats the words as exactly as spoken by the speaker.	Reports the words spoken by the speaker.
The teacher said to the students, “I shall take you to the museum tomorrow.”	The teacher informed the students that he would take them to the museum the next day.

Remember: Direct Speech normally uses quotation marks to show the speaker’s exact words. In Reported Speech, the quotation marks are removed and the sentence is adjusted to fit the reporting structure.

2. Parts of a Reported-Speech Sentence

Reporting Verb

The verb that introduces the reported words.

Examples: said, told, asked, replied, explained, requested, advised, ordered, exclaimed.

Reported Words

The message or information that is being reported.

Direct: Raja said, “I am very busy.”

Reported: Raja said that he was very busy.

3. Basic Rules for Changing Direct into Reported Speech

Remove the quotation marks. The exact words are no longer placed inside inverted commas.
Choose a suitable reporting verb. The verb depends on whether the speaker makes a statement, asks a question, gives an order, makes a request, gives advice, etc.
Change pronouns where necessary. Pronouns are changed according to the speaker, listener and meaning.
Change the tense when required. If the reporting verb is in the past, the tense of the reported clause generally moves one step back.
Change words showing time and place. Words such as now, today, tomorrow, yesterday, here may need to be changed according to the reporting situation.
Use a suitable joining word. Statements commonly use that; yes/no questions use if/whether; wh-questions retain the question word.
Change question word order. A reported question follows statement word order; it does not retain the auxiliary-before-subject order of a direct question.
Change commands, requests and advice appropriately. Structures such as to + verb and not to + verb are commonly used.

4. Pronoun Conversion Rules

Pronoun changes depend on who is speaking, who is listening and who is being talked about.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech – usual change	Example
I / me	according to the speaker	Ravi said, “I am ready.” → Ravi said that he was ready.
we / us	according to the speaker	They said, “We are ready.” → They said that they were ready.
you	according to the listener	Ravi said to me, “You are late.” → Ravi told me that I was late.
my / our	according to the speaker	She said, “My book is here.” → She said that her book was there.
your	according to the listener	He said to me, “Your bag is ready.” → He told me that my bag was ready.

Tip: Do not change pronouns mechanically. First identify the speaker and the person being addressed.

5. Tense Conversion Table

When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the following backshift is generally used.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Simple Present → Present	Simple Past
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
Simple Past	Past Perfect
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect	Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
will / shall	would
can	could
may	might
must	had to / must, depending on meaning and context

Example: Satya said, “I have completed my work.” → Satya said that she had completed her work.

Example: Jayan said, “I am learning English.” → Jayan said that he was learning English.

Example: Madhu said, “I bought a pen yesterday.” → Madhu said that he/she had bought a pen the previous day.

Important: Backshift is not automatic in every situation. If the reporting verb is in the present/future, or if the statement expresses a fact that remains true, the original tense may be retained where appropriate.

6. Time and Place Word Conversion

Direct Speech	Common Reported Form
now	then
today	that day
tonight	that night
yesterday	the previous day / the day before
tomorrow	the next day / the following day
last week	the previous week / the week before
next week	the following week / the next week
ago	before
here	there
this	that
these	those

Example: Joseph and Mary said, “We will go shopping tomorrow.” → Joseph and Mary said that they would go shopping the next day.

7. Statements

Statements are commonly introduced by that. The reporting verb may remain said, or it may change according to the context.

Direct: Raja said, “I am very busy.”
Reported: Raja said that he was very busy.

Direct: Akshita said, “I have just come back from Chennai.”
Reported: Akshita said that she had just come back from Chennai.

Direct: Afsar and Ayesha said, “We can’t attend the party.”
Reported: Afsar and Ayesha said that they could not attend the party.

8. Questions

A. Wh-Questions

Keep the question word (what, where, why, when, who, how) and change the rest of the sentence into statement order.

Direct: Priya said to Vijay, “Where are you going?”
Reported: Priya asked Vijay where he was going.

Direct: Priya said to Vijay, “Why are you going there?”
Reported: Priya further inquired why he was going there.

B. Yes / No Questions

Use if or whether.

Direct: He said to me, “Are you ready?”
Reported: He asked me if I was ready.

Remember: Do not write He asked me if was I ready. The correct reported-question order is if + subject + verb.

9. Commands, Requests and Advice

The reporting verb changes according to the intention of the speaker.

Direct Speech	Suitable Reporting Verb	Reported Structure
Command	ordered / commanded	ordered + object + to + verb
Request	requested / asked	requested + object + to + verb
Advice	advised	advised + object + to + verb
Negative command/request	ordered / requested / advised	+ object + not to + verb

Direct: The teacher said to the students, “Open your books.”
Reported: The teacher told the students to open their books.

Direct: Mother said to me, “Do not waste your time.”
Reported: Mother advised me not to waste my time.

Direct: The teacher said to Divya, “You should have reached the bus stop on time.”
Reported: The teacher told Divya that she should have reached the bus stop on time.

10. Requests with “Please”

Direct: She said to him, “Please help me.”
Reported: She requested him to help her.

Direct: The student said to the teacher, “Please explain the answer.”
Reported: The student requested the teacher to explain the answer.

11. Exclamations

For exclamatory sentences, report the feeling or emotion rather than retaining the exact exclamatory form.

Direct: He said, “What a beautiful day!”
Reported: He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful day.

Direct: She said, “Alas! I have lost my purse.”
Reported: She exclaimed with sorrow that she had lost her purse.

12. Quick Conversion Checklist

Identify the speaker and the listener.
Identify the type of sentence: statement, question, command, request, advice or exclamation.
Choose the correct reporting verb.
Remove quotation marks and the comma before the quotation.
Change pronouns according to meaning.
Backshift the tense when required.
Change time/place expressions when the reporting situation requires it.
Use the correct connector: that / if / whether / wh-word / to.
For questions, use statement word order.
Read the final sentence once to check that the meaning has not changed.

13. Reference-Based Practice: Task 1

Rewrite the following sentences in the indirect speech.

1. Satya: “I have completed my work.”
Satya said that __________________________.

2. Johnson: “I don’t like to go out.”
Johnson said that __________________________.

3. Akshita: “I have just come back from Chennai.”
Akshita said that __________________________.

4. Jayan: “I am learning English.”
Jayan said that __________________________.

5. Madhu: “I bought a pen yesterday.”
Madhu said that __________________________.

6. Joseph and Mary: “We will go shopping tomorrow.”
Joseph and Mary said that __________________________.

7. Afsar and Ayesha: “We can’t attend the party.”
Afsar and Ayesha said that __________________________.

8. Satish: “How are you?”
Satish asked __________________________.

9. Victor: “I am fine. Thank you.”
Victor said that __________________________.

14. Reference-Based Practice: Task 2

A. Complete the reported dialogue

Priya: “Where are you going?”
Vijay: “I am going to the railway station.”
Priya: “Why are you going there?”
Vijay: “I want to receive my uncle who is coming from Bangalore.”

Priya asked Vijay (a) ______________________________.

Vijay replied (b) ______________________________.

Priya further inquired (c) ______________________________.

Vijay stated that (d) ______________________________.

B. Complete the report

Teacher: “Why are you late?”
Divya: “I missed the bus.”
Teacher: “You should have reached the bus stop on time.”
Divya: “My grandmother is ill. So, I had to take her to the doctor.”
Teacher: “I am sorry. What ails her?”
Divya: “She has high fever.”

The teacher asked Divya why she was late. Divya replied that (a) ______________________________. The teacher told her that (b) ______________________________. Divya said that her grandmother was ill so she had to take her to the doctor. The teacher felt sorry and further asked her (c) ______________________________. Divya explained that she (d) ______________________________ high fever.

15. Practice: Mixed Conversion

1. Ravi said, “I am tired.”

2. Meena said, “I have finished my homework.”

3. Arun said to me, “Are you coming with us?”

4. The teacher said to the students, “Do not make noise.”

5. Father said to me, “Please close the door.”

6. She said, “What a wonderful performance!”

7. Priya said to Vijay, “Where are you going?”

8. The doctor said to the patient, “Take the medicine regularly.”

9. Joseph said, “We will meet here tomorrow.”

10. Ayesha said, “I don’t like to go out.”

16. Task 3: Passage Conversion

Rewrite the following passage in indirect speech.

Pradeep got out of bed with much excitement. “It is going to be a lovely sunny day,” he remarked to his sister Varshini.

“Just let me sleep a bit longer, Pradeep,” Varshini begged, “and since you are feeling so enthusiastic,” she suggested, “Why don’t you go and help mother in cooking?”

“Sure, I will,” said Pradeep. “Can I help you, mum?” he said to his mother.

“Yes, of course. There are idlis and vadas on the dining table. Have your breakfast.”

“Thank you, mum; I’ll surely help you by eating them.”

Your answer:

Write your reported passage here…

17. Answer Key – Selected Exercises

Task 1

1. Satya said that she had completed her work.
2. Johnson said that he/she did not like to go out.
3. Akshita said that she had just come back from Chennai.
4. Jayan said that he was learning English.
5. Madhu said that he/she had bought a pen the previous day.
6. Joseph and Mary said that they would go shopping the next day.
7. Afsar and Ayesha said that they could not attend the party.
8. Satish asked how I was.
9. Victor said that he was fine and thanked the listener.

Task 2A

(a) where he was going.
(b) that he was going to the railway station.
(c) why he was going there.
(d) he wanted to receive his uncle who was coming from Bangalore.

Task 2B

(a) she had missed the bus.
(b) she should have reached the bus stop on time.
(c) what ailed her grandmother.
(d) had

Teacher’s note: Some pronoun choices depend on the reporting context. In classroom exercises, accept an alternative form when it is grammatically correct and preserves the intended meaning.

18. Exam Tips

For Statements

Look for said / told and usually use that.

For Wh-Questions

Keep the question word and use statement order.

For Yes/No Questions