Reported Speech and Reporting Verbs

Overview

Reported speech is the grammar of retelling. It allows us to communicate what someone said, asked, advised, promised, warned, or suggested without repeating the exact original words. In real communication, this happens constantly:

• We report news.
• We summarize conversations.
• We pass on instructions.
• We explain what teachers, managers, parents, or friends said.
• We retell questions and answers.

Because of that, reported speech is not a minor grammar topic. It is a full communication system.

Many learners first meet reported speech as a short list of changes:

• will -> would
• now -> then
• today -> that day
• here -> there

Those changes matter, but they are only part of the picture. To use reported speech well, you must understand:

1. the difference between direct speech and reported speech
2. when backshift is natural and when it is unnecessary
3. how to change pronouns, time words, and place words
4. how to report statements, questions, commands, requests, advice, warnings, promises, and suggestions
5. which grammar pattern follows each reporting verb

This lesson is designed as a full chapter. If you study it carefully, you should be able to report most everyday speech accurately and naturally.

Chapter Map

This chapter moves in a deliberate order:

1. First, you will learn the core difference between direct speech and reported speech.
2. Next, you will learn how ordinary statements are reported.
3. Then, you will study backshift carefully, including the cases where it is optional or unnecessary.
4. After that, you will learn how pronouns, time words, and place words change with perspective.
5. Then, you will study reported questions and the difference between if and whether.
6. Finally, you will learn how English reports commands, requests, advice, warnings, suggestions, promises, and similar meanings through different reporting verbs.

If you treat the chapter as a system instead of a list of rules, the topic becomes much easier to control.

Full Definitions

Direct speech

Direct speech gives the speaker’s exact words, usually inside quotation marks.

Example:

• Maya said, “I need more time.”

Reported speech

Reported speech gives the message, but not necessarily the exact words.

Example:

• Maya said that she needed more time.

Reporting verb

A reporting verb introduces the message.

Common reporting verbs:

• say
• tell
• ask
• explain
• admit
• deny
• promise
• advise
• warn
• suggest
• recommend

Backshift

Backshift is the common movement to a “more distant” tense when you report a message from a later past point of view.

Example:

• Direct: “I am tired.”
• Reported: She said that she was tired.

Perspective shift

Perspective shift means changing words so they fit the new speaker, listener, time, and place.

Example:

• Direct: “I will bring you this book tomorrow.”
• Reported: He said that he would bring me that book the next day.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the full system of reported speech, not only the tense changes.
• Convert direct statements into reported statements accurately.
• Report yes/no questions and wh-questions with correct word order.
• Report commands, requests, advice, warnings, promises, and suggestions using natural verb patterns.
• Decide when backshift is needed, optional, or unnecessary.
• Shift pronouns, time expressions, place expressions, and reference words correctly.
• Avoid the most common learner mistakes with say, tell, ask, suggest, and reported question order.

The Big Idea

Every time you convert direct speech into reported speech, ask four questions:

1. What type of message is this? Is it a statement, question, request, order, warning, promise, suggestion, or explanation?

2. From what time perspective am I reporting it? Am I reporting it later from a past point of view, or am I reporting it immediately or in the present?

3. Whose point of view am I using now? Do the pronouns, time words, and place words still fit?

4. What pattern does the reporting verb need? Does it take a that-clause, an object + clause, an object + to-infinitive, or an -ing form?

If you answer those four questions correctly, most of reported speech becomes manageable.

Direct Speech vs Reported Speech

Compare the following pair carefully:

• Direct: Anika said, “I am working late tonight.”
• Reported: Anika said that she was working late that night.

What changed?

• I -> she
• am working -> was working
• tonight -> that night

Now compare this:

• Direct: Anika says, “I am working late tonight.”
• Reported: Anika says that she is working late tonight.

Here the reporting verb is in the present, so backshift is normally unnecessary.

Section 1: Reporting Statements

Statements are the most common type of reported speech.

The basic patterns are:

• say + (that) clause
• tell + object + (that) clause

Example 1

• Direct: Rina said, “I am tired.”
• Reported: Rina said that she was tired.

Explanation:

• The message is a statement.
• The reporting verb is past (said).
• I changes to she.
• am backshifts to was.

Example 2

• Direct: Rina told me, “I am tired.”
• Reported: Rina told me that she was tired.

Explanation:

• tell needs an object, so me is required.
• The rest of the clause changes in the same way as Example 1.

Example 3

• Direct: Arjun said, “We have finished the design.”
• Reported: Arjun said that they had finished the design.

Explanation:

• we becomes they from the reporter’s point of view.
• have finished backshifts to had finished.

Example 4

• Direct: Leena said, “I saw Ravi last night.”
• Reported: Leena said that she had seen Ravi the night before.

Explanation:

• I becomes she.
• saw often backshifts to had seen when reported later from a past point of view.
• last night becomes the night before.

Example 5

• Direct: Tara said, “I will call you tomorrow.”
• Reported: Tara said that she would call me the next day.

Explanation:

• will becomes would.
• you becomes me because the original listener is now the reporter.
• tomorrow becomes the next day.

Example 6

• Direct: Vikram said, “This room is too noisy.”
• Reported: Vikram said that that room was too noisy.

Explanation:

• this often becomes that when the reference point changes.
• is backshifts to was.

Section 2: Say and Tell

This contrast causes many learner errors.

Basic rule

• say usually does not take a direct object
• tell usually does take a direct object

Correct:

• She said that she was busy.
• She told me that she was busy.

Incorrect:

• She said me that she was busy.
• She told that she was busy.

Example 7

• Direct: “The office is closed,” she said.
• Reported: She said that the office was closed.

Why it is correct:

• say + clause is fine without an object.

Example 8

• Direct: “The office is closed,” she told us.
• Reported: She told us that the office was closed.

Why it is correct:

• tell + object + clause is the natural pattern.

Is “that” necessary?

Not always.

These are both correct:

• He said that he was ready.
• He said he was ready.

In careful writing, that often improves clarity. In speech and informal writing, it is often omitted.

What about say to?

English can use say to + object, but it is much less common than tell + object when the focus is on passing information.

Compare:

• She said to me, “Please be careful.”
• She told me to be careful.

The first sentence keeps the original speaking event in focus. The second sentence is the normal reported form for an instruction.

Example 9

• Direct: “Good luck,” he said to me.
• Reported: He wished me luck.
• Reported: He said to me that he hoped I would do well.

Explanation:

• Sometimes literal reporting is grammatically possible but not stylistically natural.
• In real English, speakers often choose a more precise reporting verb such as wish, warn, advise, or remind instead of forcing everything into say.

Section 3: Backshift in Detail

Backshift is one of the central features of reported speech, but it is not a blind mechanical rule. It is a way of showing distance between the original words and the later report.

Common backshift patterns

Direct form	Common reported form	Example
present simple	past simple	”I work here.” -> She said that she worked there.
present continuous	past continuous	”I am working.” -> She said that she was working.
present perfect	past perfect	”I have finished.” -> He said that he had finished.
past simple	past perfect	”I left early.” -> She said that she had left early.
will	would	”I will help.” -> He said that he would help.
can	could	”I can swim.” -> She said that she could swim.
may	might	”It may rain.” -> They said that it might rain.
must	had to / must	”I must go.” -> He said that he had to go.

Forms that often stay the same

Some forms do not usually change, or they change less often, because they are already distant in meaning or already grammatically “backshifted.”

Direct form	Often reported as	Why
past perfect	past perfect	it is already the earlier past
would	would	it is already the reported form of will in many contexts
could	could	often already expresses ability/politeness at a distance
should	should	often kept for advice, expectation, or duty
might	might	already distant and often unchanged

This does not mean such forms can never change in meaning, but it does mean you should not force a second shift when English normally leaves the form as it is.

Example 10

• Direct: “I can solve this problem.”
• Reported: He said that he could solve that problem.

Explanation:

• can becomes could
• this becomes that

Example 11

• Direct: “I may be late.”
• Reported: She said that she might be late.

Explanation:

• may commonly backshifts to might

Example 12

• Direct: “I must leave now.”
• Reported: He said that he had to leave then.

Explanation:

• Here must expresses obligation, so had to is the usual reported form.
• now becomes then.

Example 13

• Direct: “She must be exhausted.”
• Reported: He said that she must be exhausted.

Explanation:

• Here must expresses deduction, not obligation.
• Because the speaker’s deduction can still be valid, must often stays must.

Example 14

• Direct: “I had already sent the email.”
• Reported: She said that she had already sent the email.

Explanation:

• The direct form is already in the past perfect.
• English normally does not push it into another form.

Example 15

• Direct: “You should see a doctor.”
• Reported: He said that I should see a doctor.

Explanation:

• should is often kept unchanged because it already expresses advice rather than a simple time relationship.

Section 4: When Backshift Is Not Necessary

Many textbooks teach backshift strongly, but advanced accuracy requires a more flexible understanding.

Backshift is often unnecessary when:

• the reporting verb is in the present
• the fact is still true
• the information is still current
• the speaker wants to keep the message strongly connected to the present

Example 16

• Direct: The teacher said, “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.”
• Reported: The teacher said that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

Explanation:

• The statement is still true now.
• Many speakers keep the present simple for permanent truths.

Example 17

• Direct: The guide said, “The museum opens at 9 a.m.”
• Reported: The guide said that the museum opens at 9 a.m.

Explanation:

• Schedules and timetables may stay in the present if they are still valid.

Example 18

• Direct: Nisha says, “I need help.”
• Reported: Nisha says that she needs help.

Explanation:

• The reporting verb is present (says), so no backshift is normally needed.

Important principle

Backshift is common, but meaning comes first. If keeping the original tense better expresses a fact that is still true, that choice can be more natural than automatic backshift.

Section 5: Pronoun, Time, and Place Shifts

Reported speech often fails because the tense changes are correct but the reference words remain wrong.

Pronoun shift

You must ask:

• Who was the original speaker?
• Who was the original listener?
• Who is the reporter now?

Example 19

• Direct: “I will bring you my notes tonight.”
• Reported: She said that she would bring me her notes that night.

Explanation:

• I -> she
• you -> me
• my -> her
• tonight -> that night

Common time and place shifts

Direct word	Common reported shift
now	then
today	that day
tonight	that night
yesterday	the day before / the previous day
tomorrow	the next day / the following day
last week	the week before / the previous week
next month	the following month
ago	before
here	there
this	that
these	those

Example 20

• Direct: “I left these files here yesterday.”
• Reported: He said that he had left those files there the day before.

Explanation:

• these -> those
• here -> there
• yesterday -> the day before
• left often backshifts to had left

Caution

Do not change words mechanically. Always ask whether the new form really matches the new perspective.

Section 6: Reporting Questions

Reported questions are not real direct questions anymore. They become embedded clauses.

This means:

• no quotation marks
• no direct question order
• no question mark inside the reported clause
• no do-support inside the reported clause

Yes/no questions

Use if or whether.

Example 21

• Direct: “Do you need help?”
• Reported: He asked if I needed help.

Explanation:

• yes/no question -> if
• you -> I
• do need becomes needed in the reported clause

Example 22

• Direct: “Have you finished the assignment?”
• Reported: She asked whether I had finished the assignment.

Explanation:

• yes/no question -> whether
• question order disappears
• present perfect becomes past perfect in the later report

If and whether: are they always the same?

In many ordinary reported questions, if and whether are both possible:

• She asked if I was ready.
• She asked whether I was ready.

However, whether is often better in more formal English and in a few specific patterns:

• before or not
• before an infinitive
• after some prepositions

Examples:

• He asked whether we were staying or not.
• We discussed whether to postpone the meeting.

For everyday conversation, if is very common. For careful writing and certain structures, whether is often the safer choice.

Wh-questions

Keep the wh-word.

Example 23

• Direct: “Where are you staying?”
• Reported: He asked where I was staying.

Explanation:

• keep where
• use statement order, not question order

Example 24

• Direct: “Why did you leave early?”
• Reported: She asked why I had left early.

Explanation:

• do not keep did in the reported clause
• the clause becomes why I had left, not why did I leave

Example 25

• Direct: “When does the class start?”
• Reported: He asked when the class started.

Explanation:

• does start becomes started in the reported clause
• the order is statement order

Section 7: Reporting Commands, Requests, Instructions, Advice, and Warnings

Not every report uses a that-clause. For many directive meanings, English uses:

• verb + object + to-infinitive
• verb + object + not to-infinitive

Example 26

• Direct: “Close the window.”
• Reported: She told me to close the window.

Explanation:

• command -> told + object + to-infinitive

Example 27

• Direct: “Please wait outside.”
• Reported: He asked us to wait outside.

Explanation:

• request -> asked + object + to-infinitive

Example 28

• Direct: “Do not touch the wire.”
• Reported: The technician warned us not to touch the wire.

Explanation:

• negative instruction -> warned + object + not to-infinitive

Example 29

• Direct: “You should revise chapter 6 again.”
• Reported: The teacher advised us to revise chapter 6 again.

Explanation:

• advice is often reported with advise + object + to-infinitive

Section 8: Reporting Verbs and Their Patterns

This is one of the most important parts of advanced reported speech. The meaning of the reporting verb controls the grammar after it.

Reporting verb	Common pattern	Example
say	say + (that) clause	She said that she was ready.
tell	tell + object + (that) clause	She told me that she was ready.
ask	ask + if/whether clause / wh-clause / object + to-infinitive	He asked if I was free. / He asked me to wait.
advise	advise + object + to-infinitive	The doctor advised him to rest.
warn	warn + object + not to-infinitive / about	She warned us not to be late.
remind	remind + object + to-infinitive	He reminded me to call.
promise	promise + to-infinitive / that clause	She promised to help.
suggest	suggest + -ing / that clause	He suggested leaving early.
recommend	recommend + -ing / that clause	They recommended taking a taxi.
admit	admit + (that) clause / -ing	She admitted taking the file.
deny	deny + (that) clause / -ing	He denied breaking the vase.
explain	explain + (that) clause	She explained that the system was down.

Example 30

• Direct: “Let’s leave early.”
• Reported: He suggested leaving early.
• Reported: He suggested that we leave early.

Explanation:

• suggest does not usually take object + to-infinitive in this meaning
• not: He suggested me to leave early.

Example 31

• Direct: “I will help you tomorrow.”
• Reported: She promised to help me the next day.
• Reported: She promised that she would help me the next day.

Explanation:

• promise can take to-infinitive or a that-clause

Example 32

• Direct: “You forgot to attach the file.”
• Reported: He reminded me to attach the file.

Explanation:

• remind + object + to-infinitive is the natural pattern

Example 33

• Direct: “I took the money.”
• Reported: He admitted taking the money.
• Reported: He admitted that he had taken the money.

Explanation:

• admit can take an -ing form or a that-clause

Section 9: Worked Transformations

Worked Transformation A: statement

Direct:

• Priya said, “I have completed the application.”

Steps:

1. Message type = statement
2. Reporting verb = said
3. Reporting perspective = later past
4. Pronoun shift: I -> she
5. Tense shift: have completed -> had completed

Reported:

• Priya said that she had completed the application.

Worked Transformation B: yes/no question

Direct:

• “Did you call the client?”

Steps:

1. Message type = yes/no question
2. Reporting verb = asked
3. Add if or whether
4. Remove question order
5. Shift pronouns if needed

Reported:

• She asked whether I had called the client.

Worked Transformation C: wh-question

Direct:

• “Why are you leaving early?”

Steps:

1. Keep the wh-word why
2. Remove question order
3. Shift pronouns and tense if needed

Reported:

• He asked why I was leaving early.

Worked Transformation D: request

Direct:

• “Please send me the report by Friday.”

Steps:

1. Message type = request
2. Reporting verb = asked
3. Use object + to-infinitive
4. Shift pronouns if needed

Reported:

• She asked me to send her the report by Friday.

Section 10: Common Mistakes and Why They Happen

Mistake 1

• WRONG: He asked where was I.
• RIGHT: He asked where I was.

Why learners make it:

• They keep direct question order instead of using statement order.

Mistake 2

• WRONG: She said me that she was busy.
• RIGHT: She told me that she was busy.

Why learners make it:

• They confuse say and tell.

Mistake 3

• WRONG: He told that he was tired.
• RIGHT: He said that he was tired. / He told me that he was tired.

Why learners make it:

• They forget that tell normally needs an object.

Mistake 4

• WRONG: She asked me where did I live.
• RIGHT: She asked me where I lived.

Why learners make it:

• They wrongly keep did inside the reported clause.

Mistake 5

• WRONG: He suggested me to wait.
• RIGHT: He suggested waiting. / He suggested that I wait.

Why learners make it:

• They overuse object + to-infinitive with verbs that do not take that pattern.

Mistake 6

• WRONG: She said that she had been here yesterday.
• RIGHT: She said that she had been there the day before.

Why learners make it:

• They change the tense but forget the time and place words.

Mistake 7

• WRONG: He asked if I was needing help.
• RIGHT: He asked if I needed help.

Why learners make it:

• They copy the original form too mechanically or misuse continuous aspect.

Mistake 8

• WRONG: The teacher advised that we to revise more.
• RIGHT: The teacher advised us to revise more. / The teacher advised that we revise more.

Why learners make it:

• They mix two valid patterns into one incorrect sentence.

Section 11: Short Direct-to-Reported Dialogue

Direct dialogue:

Mira said, “I can’t stay long today.”

Rahul asked, “Why are you leaving so early?”

Mira replied, “My sister is arriving tonight, so I have to meet her.”

Rahul said, “Call me tomorrow and tell me how it went.”

Reported version:

Mira said that she could not stay long that day. Rahul asked why she was leaving so early. Mira replied that her sister was arriving that night and that she had to meet her. Rahul told her to call him the next day and tell him how it had gone.

What changed?

• can -> could
• today -> that day
• tonight -> that night
• tomorrow -> the next day
• command -> told + object + to-infinitive

Common Exam Traps

• keeping direct question order after asked
• forgetting that tell needs an object
• using suggest + object + to-infinitive
• shifting tense but not shifting time or place words
• backshifting even when the fact is still true without thinking about meaning
• failing to distinguish statements from requests or warnings

Practice Plan

1. Exercise 1 - Statement Conversion: Convert ten direct statements into reported speech and explain each tense and pronoun change.
2. Exercise 2 - Backshift Decision: Read ten short reporting contexts and decide whether backshift is required, optional, or unnecessary.
3. Exercise 3 - Question Reporting: Convert five yes/no questions and five wh-questions into reported speech with correct clause order.
4. Exercise 4 - Directive Reporting: Convert commands, requests, advice, reminders, and warnings into reported form with the correct verb pattern.
5. Exercise 5 - Verb Pattern Sorting: Group reporting verbs into clause verbs, object + clause verbs, object + to-infinitive verbs, and -ing / that-clause verbs.
6. Exercise 6 - Perspective Shift Drill: Rewrite a short conversation from the point of view of a third person one day later.
7. Exercise 7 - Error Correction: Correct sentences that contain mistakes with say/tell, reported questions, tense shifts, and time-word changes.
8. Exercise 8 - Narrative Writing: Write a short paragraph reporting a meeting, interview, or family conversation using at least eight different reporting verbs.

Story Lab

”Story Lab: The Scholarship Interview”

This story shows reported speech in a realistic setting where statements, questions, instructions, and encouragement all need different reporting patterns.

“During the scholarship interview, the panel chair began kindly. ‘We have read your application carefully,’ she said. She told Aisha that the committee had been impressed by her academic record and community work.”

“Another interviewer asked, ‘Why do you want to study environmental engineering?’ Later, Aisha told her parents that the interviewer had asked why she wanted to study environmental engineering and that she had answered with confidence.”

“At the end, the chair said, ‘Do not lose contact with your local mentors, and send us the missing document by Friday.’ Aisha later reported that the chair had warned her not to lose contact with her mentors and had asked her to send the missing document by Friday.”

“Before leaving, one panel member smiled and said, ‘If you continue working like this, you will do well wherever you go.’ Aisha said that the comment had encouraged her and that she felt calmer after the interview than before it.”

Analysis

• said introduces ordinary statements
• told + object + clause reports a message directed to a person
• asked + wh-clause reports a wh-question
• warned + object + not to-infinitive reports a negative instruction
• asked + object + to-infinitive reports a request
• the whole story shows that reported speech is really a set of different grammar patterns, not one single formula

Final Summary

Reported speech is the grammar of changing viewpoint. To use it well, do not ask only “What tense should I use?” Ask these fuller questions:

1. What kind of message am I reporting?
2. What reporting verb fits that message?
3. Am I reporting from a later past point of view?
4. Do the pronouns still fit?
5. Do the time and place words still fit?
6. What grammar pattern does this reporting verb require?

If you can answer those six questions consistently, you can report statements, questions, instructions, advice, promises, warnings, and suggestions with confidence.

Mastery Checklist

You are ready to move on when you can do all of the following:

• convert statements into reported speech without losing meaning
• report yes/no and wh-questions using statement order
• distinguish say from tell
• choose the correct verb pattern after ask, advise, warn, promise, suggest, and similar verbs
• shift pronouns, time words, and place words naturally
• decide when backshift is necessary and when it is not