Reported Speech

Reported Speech

We use the reported speech when we tell someone what somebody else has said.

"I'm going to the supermarket for a while"

direct speech

"Where is your mum?"

"Mum said she was going to the supermarket for a while"

reported or indirect speech

"They talk on the phone every morning."

direct speech

They told me that they talked on the phone every morning.

When we make a sentence into the reported speech we use reporting verbs. The main ones are "say" and "tell".

• She said that she was hungry (we don't mention who she said that to)

• She told me that she was hungry. (she said that to me)

• but She said to me that she was hungry.

Apart from the pronouns, we must also change the verb tenses.

• Present  $\longrightarrow$  Past

• Present Perfect, Past  $\longrightarrow$  Past Perfect

• Past Perfect  $\longrightarrow$  Past Perfect

• can $\longrightarrow$  could

• must/have to $\longrightarrow$  had to

• will $\longrightarrow$  would

Also, time words and some verbs change.

• now $\longrightarrow$  then

• today $\longrightarrow$  that day

• tomorrow $\longrightarrow$  the following day

• this week/month/year $\longrightarrow$ that week/month/year

• next week/month/year $\longrightarrow$ the next/the following week/month/year 

• come $\longrightarrow$  go

• here $\longrightarrow$  there

Look at the following examples.

''I want to go to the park'' Alison said

Alison said that she wanted to go to the park.

''I have done my homework'' Nick said to his mum.

Nick told his mum that he had done his homework.

''I was studying for the test yesterday'' Errica told us.

Errica told us that she had been studying for the test the previous day.