reporting clause first
reported clause
reporting clause second
The reporting clause may sometimes come in the middle of the reported clause, especially in literary styles:
“No,” she said , “I’ve never seen it before.”
‘Was it,’ he asked , ‘the first time you had spoken to Mrs Dalton?’
We can use adverbs with the reporting verb to describe the way someone said something. This is more common when the reporting clause comes second:
“I will not accept it!” he said angrily .
‘Can I speak to the doctor?’ she asked rather nervously .
Reported speech: punctuation
Reported speech: reporting and reported clauses
In narratives, especially novels and short stories, when the reporting clause comes second, we often invert the subject (s) and reporting verb (v):
“Things have always been the same in this village,” [V] said [S] the old man .
‘Hold on! I’m coming!’ [V] cried [S] Maurice .
Informal narratives.
In informal conversation, we sometimes use the present simple in the reporting clause. This makes the direct speech more vivid and dramatic:
So then this guy says , “I’ve got something for you. Come over here.” And he picked up a box and he says , “Open that.”
We can make the direct speech even more vivid and dramatic by using the present continuous. This is very informal:
And he’s looking at me and he ’s asking , “Who are you?” and I said, “I’m your nephew” and he ’s mumbling , “I don’t know you. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”
In very informal conversation, people sometimes use says as a reporting verb for all persons ( I, you, she, he, we, they ):
She says , ‘What’s going on here?’ and I says , ‘Nothing. There’s nothing happening – everything’s okay.’
Many speakers consider the above examples to be incorrect. This applies especially to the use of says with all persons.
We also use the present simple in newspaper headlines. This makes the reported words more dramatic:
‘I WON’T RESIGN,’ SAYS MINISTER
Say or tell ?
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Converting direct speech into reported speech.
I would be grateful if you could write about these two topics: Reported Speech and Indirect Speech.
To clarify, “Reported Speech” and “Indirect Speech” are the same thing.
I’ll assume that the reader intended to ask about the difference between Reported Speech and Direct Speech .
Direct speech consists of the exact words spoken by someone.
“I am glad to be here this evening.”
Indirect or Reported Speech consists of a report made of what was said by another.
The speaker said that she was glad to be there that evening.
Direct speech requires opening and closing quotation marks. Indirect speech is written without quotation marks.
Rules for reporting speech The report of what someone has said begins with an introductory clause and a conjunction:
The speaker said that . . . The witness asserted that . . . Robert Redford was overheard expressing the opinion that . . .
First person pronouns change to third person:
“I am glad…” becomes She or he was glad . . .
The verbs of the original quotation will change according to the sequence of tenses.
Present tense is changed to past:
“I am glad…” becomes she was glad . . .
Future tense is changed to conditional:
“I think that you will be glad too” becomes He thought the audience would be glad too.
Words that signify proximity in time or place change to corresponding words signifying distance away: now, today, yesterday, last week, here, these become then, that day, the day before, the previous week, there, those.
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”
Lincoln said that the world would little note, nor long remember what speakers said there, but it could never forget what they had done there.
Sometimes explanatory words or phrases are added for the sake of readers who afterwards read the quoted speech. For example, the indirect quotation from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address would be clearer with the insertion of additional information.
Lincoln said that the world would little note, nor long remember what speakers said at the Gettysburg battlefield commemoration, but it could never forget what the Union soldiers had done there.
Two other types of quotations require special handling: direct address and questions.
Direct address Sometimes speakers directly address the people listening to them.
“And, ladies, and gentlemen, we must be tireless guardians of our ideals, as well as our security.” [speech by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the 20-year anniversary of the September 11, 2011 bombings in the United States.]
Secretary of Defense Austin told his listeners that Americans must be tireless guardians of their ideals, as well as their security.
Questions A question changed to an indirect quotation loses its question mark.
“How can you buy or sell the sky—the warmth of the land?” (purported words of Chief Seattle)
Chief Seattle asked how one could buy or sell the sky or the warmth of the land.
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You have neglected to highlight one of the most important points about reported questions and one with which foreigners (and recently, apparently, even many native speakers) have difficulty, which is the change in word order.
“How are you going to get here?”
Becomes: ‘she asked me how I was going to get there’, not
(apologies for premature posting)
*’she asked me how was I going to get there’
Direct speech and reported speech (indirect speech), reported speech table of contents:, overview and definitions, reporting verbs.
Third person singular verbs, place and time expressions, tense backshift, no tense backshift, reporting questions, reporting orders and requests.
Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses
I have the package. |
He says, "I have the package." |
He says he has the package. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
She says, "I like ice cream." | She says she likes ice cream. |
They say, "You are right." | They say we are right. |
He says, "My name is Gary." | He says his name is Gary. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
He says, "I work every day." | He says he works every day. |
She says, "I am a big girl." | She says she is a big girl. |
Bonnie says, "I have a question." | Bonnie says she has a question. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
She said, "I work here." | She said she worked there. |
They said, "We are eating now." | They said they were eating then. |
You said, "She sings today." | You said she sang that day. |
He said, "I will come tomorrow." | He said he would come the following day. |
this | that |
these | those |
here | there |
now | then / at the time |
today | that day / yesterday |
yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
a week ago / last week | a week before / the previous week |
last month | the month before / the previous month |
next year | the following year |
in three years | three years from then |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
Ten minutes ago you said, "We have a lot of work today." | Ten minutes ago you said we had a lot of work today. |
I am sorry. |
He said he was sorry. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
You said, "We are late." | You said we were late. |
They said, "We have plans." | They said they had plans. |
He said, "I work hard." | He said he worked hard. |
She said, "I drink water." | She said she drank water. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
He said, "I eat cheese." | He said he ate cheese. |
He said, "I am eating cheese." | He said he was eating cheese. |
He said, "I have eaten cheese." | He said he had eaten cheese. |
He said, "I have been eating cheese." | He said he had been eating cheese. |
He said, "I ate cheese." | He said he had eaten cheese. |
He said, "I was eating cheese." | He said he had been eating cheese. |
(no change) | |
He said, "I had eaten cheese." | He said he had eaten cheese. |
(no change) | |
He said, "I had been eating cheese." | He said he had been eating cheese. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
Will | Would |
She said, "I will eat cheese." | She said she would eat cheese. |
Can | Could |
She said, "I can eat cheese." | She said she could eat cheese. |
Must | Had to |
She said, "I must eat cheese." | She said she had to eat cheese. |
Shall | Would |
She said, "I shall eat cheese." | She said she would eat cheese. |
May | Might |
She said, "I may eat cheese." | She said she might eat cheese. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
Would | |
She said, "I would eat cheese." | She said she would eat cheese. |
Could | |
She said, "I could eat cheese." | She said she could eat cheese. |
Should | |
She said, "I should eat cheese." | She said she should eat cheese. |
Might | |
She said, "I might eat cheese." | She said she might eat cheese. |
Ought to | |
She said, "I ought to eat cheese." | She said she ought to eat cheese. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
You said, "The Earth is round." | You said the Earth is round. OR You said the Earth was round. |
I said, "Rome is in Italy." | I said Rome is in Italy. OR I said Rome was in Italy. |
She said, "People sleep at night." | She said people sleep at night. OR She said people slept at night. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
You say, "I jog daily." | You say you jog daily. |
You have said, "I jog daily." | You have said you jog daily. |
You will say, "I jog daily." | You will say you jog daily. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
She asked, "Are you well?" | She asked if I was well. |
"Where do you live?" he asked me. | He asked me where I lived. |
"Why don't we meet?" she asked me. | She asked me why we didn't meet. |
I asked, "How does she make them?" | I asked how she made them. |
They asked, "Where is the mall?" | They asked where the mall is. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
"Go home," she told me. | She told me to go home. |
"Start talking," he told us. | He told us to start talking. |
"Stop right there," they ordered us. | They ordered us to stop right there. |
"Could you please open the door?" she asked me. | She asked me to open the door. |
"Don't shout," I asked. | I asked them not to shout. |
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Direct and Indirect Speech
Every day, people relay messages from one person to another. Whether it is to prove a point, describe an event, or disclose an opinion, we use the freedom of speech to share information. There are generally two ways of reporting a spoken idea: direct and indirect speech. This article shall explain and compare these two types of speech. Some examples are also provided to give you a more in-depth understanding.
Both direct and indirect speech are methods to narrate the words spoken by a specific person. The difference between them lies in how they are constructed and in the purpose of using them.
In a direct speech , the actual words of the speaker are quoted explicitly. It is often used to relay something being said in the present tense. It can also be used to recall the exact words of the speaker when retelling a previous conversation. You can recognize a direct speech instantly because it has a text enclosed in a set of quotation marks. That text or idea is known as the reported speech .
As you can see, direct speech can be presented in different tenses: past, present, or future. It depends on when the actual words were spoken and when the reporter is retelling them. Also, reporting verbs (say, ask, answer, etc.) are not necessarily placed before the quoted text. You can also place them after it.
This type of speech is often used in writing novels or telling a story. This is because it gives the text a more actual and realistic effect.
Indirect speech is usually used to relay what was being said by the speaker without directly quoting the original words. In this case, the tense of the sentence is typically changed. Reporting verbs, such as say, tell, ask, and others, are used as an introduction. The words of the original speaker will not be enclosed inside the quotation marks. Instead, the word “that” is used to connect the reporting verb to the reported text.
The above sentences are actually converted from the previous examples of direct speech. Aside from eliminating the quotation marks, correct pronouns are also used. Additionally, the reporting verbs are now all found before the reported speech. The reporting verb is then followed with “that.”
Now, let us specify the rules in converting direct speech to indirect speech. Here are the steps on how to do so:
The quotation marks are the primary indication of a direct speech. Therefore, it is crucial to take them out if you are forming an indirect one.
You have to retain the tense of the reporting verb to allow consistency of reports. Instead of placing a comma to separate the reporting clause from the reported one, the word “that” is added. However, if the reported speech is a yes-no question, you use “if” instead of “that.” If the question starts with who, what, when, where, etc., no additional words are needed. Instead, you have to rearrange the sentence into a declarative form.
If the reporting verb is in the past tense, you should change the tense of the verb inside the reported speech into its past tense. This is not necessary if the reporting verb is in the present or future tense.
Of course, you have to consider the correlation between the report and the idea on the quoted text. Sometimes, a change in tense is not needed even if the reporting verb is in the past tense.
For the first example, the quoted text is still about to happen. So, you don’t need to change the tense of the sentence inside the quotation. For the second example, watching TV series is implied as a habitual action. Therefore, you still have to retain the present tense of the verb.
You should also change the pronoun based on who the speaker, doer, and receiver of the action is.
Appropriate changing of pronouns is done to avoid misunderstanding the whole text. If pronouns are not changed, it might confuse the reader or the listener as to who is saying or doing the action.
The change in pronouns gives rise to changes in the plurality of the verb used. That being said, you have to consider and follow correct subject-verb agreement at all times.
Present Simple Tense into Past Simple Tense
For example:
Present Continuous Tense into Past Continuous Tense
Present Perfect Tense into Past Perfect Tense
Past Simple Tense into Past Perfect Tense
Past Continuous Tense into Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Perfect Tense ( The tense remains unchanged )
Future Simple Tense (e.g. will ) into “ would “
Future Progressive Tense (e.g. will be ) into “ would be “
Future Perfect Tense (e.g. will have ) into “ would have “
Future Perfect Tense (e.g. will have been ) into “ would have been “
Can into Could
Could ( The verb remains unchanged)
Have to into Had to
Must into Must/Had to
May into Might
Might (The verb remains unchanged)
Should (The verb remains unchanged)
IMAGES
COMMENTS
Direct: "I will help you," she promised. Reported: She promised that she would help me. Direct: "You should study harder," he advised. Reported: He advised that I should study harder. Direct: "I didn't take your book," he denied. Reported: He denied taking my book. Direct: "Let's go to the cinema," she suggested.
Time Expressions with Reported Speech Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we heard the direct speech and when we say the reported speech. For example: It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today".
An accessible guide for understanding the correct usage of English grammar and punctuation with clear, concise explanations on everything from adverbs, verbs, nouns and adjectives, and from apostrophes to semicolons.
Reported speech: She said she was going to the store then. In this example, the pronoun "I" is changed to "she" and the adverb "now" is changed to "then.". 2. Change the tense: In reported speech, you usually need to change the tense of the verb to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here's an example:
Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request. Statements. When transforming statements, check whether you have to change: ... Statements in Reported Speech. no backshift - change of pronouns; no ...
A direct speech can be transformed into an indirect speech and vice versa using a suitable reporting verb and a linker depending on the sentence. Let's have an example first. Tina said to me, "Are you busy now?" [direct speech] Tina asked me whether I was busy then. [indirect speech] Direct Speech. Speaker. Reporting verb. Direct speech ...
Rule 1: Change the verb tense in the quoted speech. With past tense reporting verbs, shift the tense back. For example, if the direct speech is in the present simple, shift it to the past simple in the reported speech. Hence, "He says, 'I am busy'" will change to "He said he was busy." Rule 2: Adjust pronouns and time/place words as necessary.
Reported speech: indirect speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Reported speech: She says she likes dogs. When the reporting verb is in the past tense, you need to change the tense of both the reporting verb and the main verb. Example: Direct speech: I like dogs. Reported speech: She said she liked dogs. The tenses generally move backward as follows: Direct Speech. Reported Speech.
Introduction. In English grammar, we use reported speech to say what another person has said. We can use their exact words with quotation marks, this is known as direct speech, or we can use indirect speech. In indirect speech, we change the tense and pronouns to show that some time has passed. Indirect speech is often introduced by a reporting ...
Modals also change when transforming direct speech into indirect speech. Here are some common changes: 'Can' changes to 'could'. 'May' changes to 'might'. 'Will' changes to 'would'. 'Shall' changes to 'should'. Examples: Direct: She said, "I can play the piano." Indirect: She said that she could play the piano.
5. Conversion of expressions of time and place. If there is an expression of time/place in the sentence, it may be changed, depending on the situation. Direct Speech → Peter, "I worked in the garden yesterday .". Reported Speech → Peter said (that) he had worked in the garden the day before. Direct Speech.
Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech. As discussed earlier, when transforming a sentence from direct speech into reported speech, you will have to change the pronouns, tense and adverbs of time and place used by the speaker. Let us look at the following tables to see how they work.
Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could; will changes to would; etc. She said she was having the interview at four o'clock. (Direct speech: 'I'm having the interview at four o'clock.') They said they'd phone later and let me know.
Reported Statements 1. Change the direct speech into reported speech. Use 'she said' at the beginning of each answer. It's the same day, so you don't need to change the time expressions. 1) "He works in a bank." [ . Check. Show.
In indirect speech, the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command. Normally, the tense in reported speech is one tense back in time from the tense in direct speech: She said, "I am tired." = She said that she was tired. Phrase in Direct Speech. Equivalent in Reported Speech.
Differences between Direct and Indirect Speech. Change of Pronouns. Change of Tenses. Change of Time and Place References. Converting Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech. Step 1: Remove the Quotation Marks. Step 2: Use a Reporting Verb and a Linker. Step 3: Change the Tense of the Verb. Step 4: Change the Pronouns.
REPORTED SPEECH! https://7esl.com/reported-speech/Reported speech is often also called indirect speech in English.Direct Speech: https://7esl.com/direct-spee...
Reported speech: direct speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Direct speech consists of the exact words spoken by someone. "I am glad to be here this evening.". Indirect or Reported Speech consists of a report made of what was said by another. The speaker said that she was glad to be there that evening. Direct speech requires opening and closing quotation marks. Indirect speech is written without ...
Direct speech and reported speech fully explained: all the rules and details, full with examples and illustrations. Reported Speech ... When reporting a question, you should also change the question into an indirect question. In other words, you need to change this sentence so that it is a normal positive sentence, not a question. ...
Direct and indirect Speech in Universal Sentence. Sentences which have natural truth or universal truth in the part of reported speech are called universal sentences. Example: Allah is one. Honesty is the best policy. To change universal sentences from direct speech into indirect speech, follow the following rules along with the above-mentioned ...
Here are the steps on how to do so: 1. Eliminate the quotation marks that enclose the relayed text. The quotation marks are the primary indication of a direct speech. Therefore, it is crucial to take them out if you are forming an indirect one. 2. Retain the tense of the reporting verb and add the word "that" after it.
But, her timing dodged the potential chaos of undergoing a presidential change in the middle of an academic year, which occurred at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. As Armstrong inherits a mountain of pressing issues left by Shafik concerning the University's standing in higher education and the nation at large, the community will ...