Direct and Reported Speech

Direct and reported speech are two ways we can share what someone else has said. Let’s go through their differences and some of the rules using them.

Direct Speech vs Reported Speech

Imagine you’re telling a friend a story. You can quote someone exactly, word for word. That’s direct speech. For example, if your friend said, “I love ice cream,” you tell it exactly as it is.

On the other hand, reported speech is like playing a game of telephone. You don’t use the exact words but share the main idea. So, if your friend loves ice cream, you might say, “He said he loves ice cream.”

Direct Speech: Sean said, “I’m going to the store.”
Reported Speech: Sean said that he was going to the store.

Now, that you have some background on these two types of speech, let’s go through some of the grammar rules using them.

Rule #1. Tense

In reported speech, the tense of the verb in the direct speech reflects the time of reporting.

Direct Speech: He said, “I am reading a book.”
Reported Speech: He said that he was reading a book.

In this case, the present continuous tense “am reading” changes to the past continuous “was reading” in reported speech. This happens because the action was ongoing at the time it was spoken about, but is being reported at a later time.

Rule #2 Simple Present

When converting simple present tense verbs from direct speech to reported speech, you need to make changes to the verb tense.

Direct Speech: She said, “It is a great dessert.”
Reported Speech: She said that it was a great dessert.

This change from “is” to “was” shows that what was stated in the present is now being relayed in the past tense. This helps indicate that the conversation happened earlier.

Rule #3 Simple Present

When a statement in direct speech is a hobby, truth, or routine, we keep it in the present simple tense.

Direct Speech: She said, “I skate every Sunday.”
Reported Speech: She said she skates every Sunday.

This happens because the action is a regular activity or a fact. Its timelessness means the tense doesn’t need to change.

Rule #4 Present Continuous

To convert present continuous direct speech to reported speech, you can change it to the past continuous tense verb.

Direct Speech: She said, “I am studying for my exam.”
Reported Speech: She said that she was studying for her exam.

This tense change from “am studying” to “was studying” shows the action was ongoing but happened before the current moment.

Rule #5 Present Perfect

To convert present perfect direct speech to reported speech, change the been tense to past perfect tense.

Direct Speech: He said, “I have gone shopping.”
Reported Speech: He said that he had gone shopping.

By shifting from “have gone” to “had gone,” we indicate that the shopping happened before the current moment. This shift helps clarify the sequence of events using past perfect tense.

Rule #6 Present Perfect Continuous

To convert present perfect continuous direct speech to reported speech, we change it to past perfect continuous.

Direct Speech: She said, “I have been modeling for a year.”
Reported Speech: She said that she had been modeling for a year.

When we switch “have been modeling” to “had been modeling,” we’re moving from present perfect continuous to past perfect continuous. This highlights that the modeling started in the past. It was ongoing up until another point in the past, as reported.

Rule #7 Simple Past

To convert simple past direct speech, change the simple past tense to past perfect.

Direct Speech: They said, “We finished our project.”
Reported Speech: They said that they had finished their project.

When we change “finished” to “had finished,” we’re moving from simple past to past perfect in reported speech. This indicates that the project was completed before the current point in time being discussed.

Rule #8 Past Continuous

To convert past continuous direct speech to reported speech, use the past perfect continuous verb.

Direct Speech: He said, “I was drinking coffee “
Reported Speech: He said that he had been drinking coffee.

By changing “was drinking” to “had been drinking,” we’re moving from past continuous to past perfect continuous in reported speech. This shows the action was in progress before a certain point in the past.

Rule #9 Future Simple

To convert future simple direct speech to reported speech, change the future simple verb “will” to the modal verb “would”.

Direct Speech: She said, “I will decorate the room.”
Reported Speech: She said that she would decorate the room.

Switching “will” to “would” changes the verb from future simple to a form that fits reported speech. It indicates a future action from a past perspective. It’s like making a promise yesterday about what you’re going to do tomorrow.

Rule #10 Pronouns

You might need to change the pronouns in direct speech to reported speech depending on the listener and speaker.

Direct Speech: She said, “I will meet you at the mall.”
Reported Speech: She said that she would meet me at the mall.

Changing “I” to “she” adjusts the pronoun to match the perspective of the speaker in reported speech. It keeps the story clear about who is doing what. Similarly, “you” might also remain unchanged if it still refers to the same person.

Rule #11 Reporting Verbs

We use reporting verbs like “say”, “ask”, “tell”, “exclaim”, and “whisper”. This helps indicate who is speaking and the tone of a conversation.

Direct Speech: “I won the game!”
Reported Speech: He exclaimed that he had won the game.

Using “exclaimed” instead of “said” in reported speech adds emotion, showing excitement about winning the game. There are lots of examples of changing the reported verbs.

Rule #12 Time and Place

You may also need to change expressions for time and place. Here is an example of this.

Direct Speech: She said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Reported Speech: She said that she would see me the next day.

Changing “tomorrow” to “the next day” in reported speech adjusts the time expression to fit the context of when the speech is reported. This keeps the timing accurate, regardless of when the conversation is recounted.

Rule #13 Reporting Clauses

In reported speech, the reporting verb is often followed by a reporting clause. This includes words like “that”, “if”, or “whether”.

Direct Speech: “Do you like pizza?”
Reported Speech: She asked if I liked pizza.

In this transformation, “asked if” introduces the question in reported speech. This shifts from a direct question to a statement about the question. This structure helps clarify what was asked without directly quoting the question.

Rule #14 Verb Modals

You may need to change modal verbs like “can”, “will”, “shall”, “may”, and “must” in reported speech.

Direct Speech: He said, “I can cook tomato soup.”
Reported Speech: He said that he could cook tomato soup.

Switching “can” to “could” in reported speech shifts the modal verb to reflect a statement made in the past. This change keeps the meaning intact while adjusting the tense.