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Unit 15
Reported Speech
statements, questions & commands
What is Reported Speech?
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) is used when we tell someone what another person said — without quoting their exact words. We usually shift the tense one step back and change pronouns and time expressions.
Direct: She said, "I'm tired." → Reported: She said (that) she was tired.
Tense Changes
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Present Simple → "I work here." | Past Simple → He said he worked there. |
| Present Continuous → "She's watching TV." | Past Continuous → He said she was watching TV. |
| Present Perfect → "They've finished." | Past Perfect → She said they had finished. |
| Past Simple → "I called you." | Past Perfect → He said he had called me. |
| Will → "I'll call you." | Would → He said he would call me. |
| Can → "I can help." | Could → She said she could help. |
| May → "It may rain." | Might → He said it might rain. |
| Must → "You must go." | Had to → She said I had to go. |
Pronoun & Time Expression Changes
| Direct | Reported | Direct | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | he / she | now | then |
| we | they | today | that day |
| my | his / her | yesterday | the day before |
| you | I / we | tomorrow | the next day |
| this | that | next week | the following week |
| here | there | ago | before |
Reporting Statements — Say vs Tell
Say does not take a personal object. Tell always needs one.
| Say (no object) | Tell (needs object) |
|---|---|
| She said she was tired. ✅ | She told me she was tired. ✅ |
| She said me she was tired. ❌ | She told she was tired. ❌ |
Reporting Questions
Yes/No questions → use if / whether. Wh- questions → use the wh-word. Both use subject + verb order (no inversion), and do/does/did are removed.
| Type | Direct | Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Yes/No | "Are you coming?" | She asked if I was coming. |
| Yes/No | "Did they call?" | He asked whether they had called. |
| Wh- | "Where do you live?" | She asked where I lived. |
| Wh- | "What are you doing?" | He asked what I was doing. |
| Wh- | "When did you arrive?" | She asked when I had arrived. |
Reporting Commands & Requests
Use tell / ask / order / advise + object + (not) to + base verb.
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| "Open the window!" (command) | He told me to open the window. |
| "Don't be late." (command) | She told me not to be late. |
| "Please help me." (request) | She asked me to help her. |
| "Don't touch that." (warning) | He warned me not to touch that. |
When NOT to Change the Tense
- Reporting verb in the present tense: She says she loves her job. (no shift)
- Still-true facts: He said the Earth is round. (no shift — always true)
- General scientific truths: She said water boils at 100°C.
Other Reporting Verbs
Instead of always using said, choose a verb that shows the speaker's purpose. Each verb has its own pattern:
| Pattern | Verbs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb + to + verb | offer, promise, refuse, agree, threaten | "I'll help you." → She offered to help me. |
| verb + object + to + verb | tell, ask, advise, warn, remind, invite | "Don't forget your passport." → He reminded me to take my passport. |
| verb + -ing | suggest, deny, admit, recommend | "Let's take a taxi." → She suggested taking a taxi. |
| verb + for + -ing | apologise, thank (someone) | "Sorry I'm late." → He apologised for being late. |
Annotated Examples
Subject
Verb
Auxiliary
Object
Adjective
Adverb
Preposition
Hover over any word to see its role.
verbShe said(that)subjectsheverbwas tired.
↳ Statement: "I am tired" → tense shifts back one step.
verbHe askedifsubjectIverblikedobjectcoffee.
↳ Yes/No question: "Do you like coffee?" → if + subject + verb.
verbShe toldobjectmeverbnot to beadjectivelate.
↳ Command: "Don't be late" → tell + object + not to + verb.
Common Mistakes
He said me he was tired.
→
He told me he was tired.
"Say" has no personal object — use "tell" when naming who was spoken to.
She asked me where was I.
→
She asked me where I was.
No inversion in reported questions — subject + verb order.
He said that he will come.
→
He said that he would come.
"Will" shifts to "would" in reported speech.
She told to me to go.
→
She told me to go.
No "to" after "told" — told + object + infinitive.
He asked me if did I like it.
→
He asked me if I liked it.
Remove "did" and use subject + verb order in reported questions.
She suggested me to take a taxi.
→
She suggested taking a taxi. / She suggested that I (should) take a taxi.
"Suggest" doesn't take object + to.