Reporting Statements
Direct vs. Reported Speech
Direct Speech
Uses the speaker’s exact words with quotation marks:
- She said, “I am tired.”
- He told me, “I will call you.”
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
Reports what was said without quotation marks:
- She said (that) she was tired.
- He told me (that) he would call me.
The Backshift of Tenses
When the reporting verb is in the past, tenses move “back”:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| ”I am happy.” | She said she was happy. |
| ”I have finished.” | She said she had finished. |
| ”I will come.” | She said she would come. |
| ”I can help.” | She said she could help. |
Complete Tense Backshift Table
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| Present Simple → | Past Simple |
| Present Continuous → | Past Continuous |
| Present Perfect → | Past Perfect |
| Past Simple → | Past Perfect |
| Past Continuous → | Past Perfect Continuous |
| will → | would |
| can → | could |
| may → | might |
Changing Pronouns
Pronouns change based on context:
Direct: “I love my job.” Reported: She said she loved her job.
Direct: “We will help you.” Reported: They said they would help me.
Changing Time and Place
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| now | then |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| ago | before / earlier |
Examples
Direct: “I will see you tomorrow.” Reported: He said he would see me the next day.
Direct: “I bought this yesterday.” Reported: She said she had bought that the day before.
Say vs. Tell
Say (+ that clause)
- She said (that) she was busy.
- He said he couldn’t come.
Tell (+ person + that clause)
- She told me (that) she was busy.
- He told his mother he couldn’t come.
Practice Examples
Direct: “I have been waiting for two hours,” she said.
Reported: She said that she had been waiting for two hours.
Direct: “We will arrive tomorrow,” they said.
Reported: They said that they would arrive the next day.
Backshift in reported speech moves tenses one step into the past. However, backshift is optional when the reported information is still true: “She said she is (or was) a doctor” — both are acceptable if she is still a doctor.