REPORTED SPEECH

What is a reported Speech?:

Reported speech is other name of the Indirect
speech.
It is used to communicate what someone else
said, but without using the exact words.
We remove the inverted commas in indirect
speech and replace it with that.
For example:
Direct Speech: She says “I am ill.”
Indirect Speech: She says that she is ill.
Direct Speech: She said “I can swim.”
Indirect Speech: She said that she could swim.
What is a Reporting Clause , Reporting Verb and
Reporting Speech ?
The words which generally come before the
inverted commas are called the reporting
clause.
The verb ‘said’ is called the reporting verb.
The words put within inverted commas are
called the reported speech.
For Example:
Abhinav said to Prakash, “I am going to the
market.”
What we will study today:
Rules of Tenses – Reported Speech
Simple Present – Simple Past:
Simple Present- Subject + v1 + s/es
+ Object

Simple Past- Subject + v2 +

Object

For Example:
She said, “ I play football.”
She said that she played football.
Present Continuous – Past Continuous
Present Continuous – Subject + is/am/are + v1 ing+ Object

Past Continuous- Subject + was/were + v1 ing + Object

• For Example:
-She said,”I am playing with ball.”
She said that she was playing with ball.
Present Perfect – Past Perfect:
Present Perfect- Subject + has/have +v3 + Object

Past Perfect- Subject + had +v3 + Object

•For Example:
- She said,”I have done the homework.”
She said that she had done the homework.
Present Perfect Continuous-Past Perfect
Continuous:
Present Perfect Continuous- Subject + has/have+been+v1
ing + Object

Past Perfect Continuous- Subject+had+been+v1 ing+Object

•For Example:
- She said,”I have been playing football since 2015.”
She said that she had been playing football since 2015.
Simple past – Past Perfect:
Simple Past- Subject+v2+Object

Past Perfect- Subject+had+v3+Object

•For Example:
They said,”We bought a new house.”
They said that they had bought a new house.
Past Continuous – Past Perfect Continuous:
Past Continuous- Subject+was /were+v1 ing+Object

Past Perfect Continuous- Subject+had+been+v1 ing+Object

• For Example:
The children said,”We were playing in the playground.”
The children said that they had been playing in the
playground.
Past Perfect-Past Perfect
Past Perfect- Subject+had+v3+Object

Past Perfect- Subject+had+v3+Object

•For Example:
- She said,”I had gone to the market.”
She said that she had gone to the market.
Simple Future(will) - Simple Future(would)
Simple Future- Subject+will+v1+Object

Simple Future- Subject+would+v1+Object

• For Example:
- She said,”I will go to London.”
She said that she would go to London.
Future Continuous(will be)- Future
Continuous(would be):
Future Continuous- Subject+will+be+v1 ing+Object

Future Continuous- Subject+would+be+v1 ing+Object

• For Example:
She said,”I will be going to London.”
She said that she would be going to London.
Future Perfect(will have)-Future
Perfect(would have):
Future Perfect- Subject+will+have+v3+Object

Future Perfect- Subject+would+have+v3+Object

• For Example:
She said, “I will have gone to the market.”
She said that she would have gone to the market.
Rules of Modals:
Can Could

May Might

Will Would

Must Had to
Rules of Modals:
Could Could

Should Should

Would Would

Might Might

Ought to Ought to
Can-Could:

• For Example:
He said, “I can dance.”
He said that he could
dance.
May-Might:

• For Example:
-They said, “We may go to
London.”
They said that they might go to
London.
Will-Would:

• For Example:
- She said, “I will wait for her.”
She said that she would wait for her.
Must-Had to:

• For Example:
- He said, “I must read this book.”
He said that he had to read this book.
Could-Could:

• For Example:
He said, “I could buy a new phone.”
He said that he could buy a new phone.
Should-Should:

• For Example:
They said, “We should not waste our time.”
They said that they should not waste their time.
Would-Would:

• For Example:
- She said, “I would wait for her.”
She said that she would wait for her.
Might-Might:

• For Example:
- They said, “We might attend the function.”
They said that they might attend the function.
Ought to-Ought to:

• For example:
They said, “We ought to attend the meeting.”
They said that they ought to attend the
meeting.
Pronoun- Direct/Indirect Speech:
Direct Speech Indirect Speech

I He/She

You He/She/They

We They

They They

He He

She She
Pronoun- Direct/Indirect Speech:
My His/Her

It It

Us Them

Our Their

His His

Her Her

Its Its
Pronoun Rule A:

•The first person pronoun of reported speech

is changed according to the pronoun of the
reporting verb if it is a third person pronoun.
• For example:
-She said, “I am singing a song.”
She said that she was singing a song.
Pronoun- Rule B:

•The first person pronoun of reported

speech is not changed according to the
pronoun of the reporting verb if it is a first
person pronoun.
• For Example:
- I said, “I am singing a song.”
I said that I was singing a song.
Pronoun- Rule C:

• The second person pronoun of reported

speech is changed according to the
object of the reporting verb.
• For Example:
-He said to me, “You are a nice person.”
He said to me that I was a nice person.
Pronoun- Rule C:
Object Subject

Me I(you)

Me My(your)

You You

Him He

Her She

It It

Us We

Them Their
Changes according to the reporting verb:

•Reported speech is changed according

to the reporting verb present before it.
Reporting Verb- Rule 1:

•If the reporting verb is in the past tense,

then the tense of the direct speech is
changed accordingly.
• For Example :
-Rahul said, “I ate the cake.”
Rahul said that he had eaten the cake.
Reporting Verb- Rule 2:

•The tense of direct speech remains

unchanged when the reporting verb is in the
present or future tense.
• For Example:
Rahul says, “I am a good dancer.”
Rahul said that he is a good dancer.
Rule 3:

•If the reported speech in direct speech

contains a general/universal truth or a
continuing habitual action then it remains
unchanged in the indirect speech.
• For Example:
-They said, “The sun sets in the west.”
They said that the sun sets in the west.
Change of Adverbs:

•When we convert direct

speech to indirect speech
the words that express
time or place (nearness)
are changed.
Changes of Adverbs:
Now Then
( She said, “I am playing ( She said that she was playing
outside now.”) outside then.)

Today That day

(He said, “ I am going out (He said that he was going out
today.”) that day.)
Changes of Adverbs:
Tomorrow The next day/the
following day/the day
after
Yesterday The previous day/the
day before
Last night The previous night
The day after tomorrow In two days time/two
days later
Ago Before
Next The following
Next week The following week
This Week That week
This That
Here There
These Those
Interrogative Sentences:
Interrogative
sentence

Yes/No ‘Wh’
Questions Questions

Am I your best friend ? What is your name ?

Rules of changing Yes/No Questions to
Indirect Speech:
1. Reporting Verb is changed to ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’
without to.
2. ‘that’ is not used.
3. We use if/whether instead of that.
4. The changes in the tense, pronoun, modals and
adverbs are made.
5. Subject + asked/inquired + if/whether + subject +
subject before the verb + change of tenses, modals,
pronouns, and Adverbs + removal of Questions
mark.
6. The words like do, does and did are not used in
positive sentence. We can use did in negative
sentence.
Yes/No Questions to Indirect Speech:

• For Example:
- She said to me, “Are you playing in the
garden ?”
She asked me if I was playing in the garden.

- He said to her, “You are going to the

station ?”
He asked her if she was going to the station.
Rules of ‘Wh’ Questions:
1. Reporting verb is changed to ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’
without to.
2. ‘That’ is not used.
3. If/whether is not used instead the ‘wh’ word is
used.
4. The changes in the tense, pronoun, modals and
adverbs are made.
5. Subject + asked + wh words + subject before the
verb + removal of question mark.
6. The words like do, does and did are not used in
positive sentence. We can use did in negative
sentence.
‘Wh’ Questions:
• For Example:
- He said to me, “Where do you live ?”
He asked me where I lived.

- He said to me, “How do you write

books ?”
He asked me how I wrote book.
Imperative Sentence:
• Imperative Sentences:

Issue a command or instruction

Make a request
Offer advice
Give suggestion
• For Example:

Shut the door.

Practice whenever you get a chance.
Rules of Imperative Sentences:
1. The reporting verb is changed to
ordered/commanded/advised/told/requested/suggested/forb
ade etc. as per the meaning of the sentence.
2. The tense remains unchanged.
3. We use ‘to’ before the verb.
4. In case of negative sentences, ‘do’ is removed and ‘to’ is
placed after ‘not’:

• For Example:
- He said, “Give me some money, please.”
He requested me to give him some money.
Imperative Sentences to Indirect Speech:

• She said to me, “Open the door.”

She ordered me to open the door.
•She said to him, “Don’t waste your
time.”
She advised him not to waste his time.
Use of forbade in Indirect Speech:

• Forbade is the past of forbid.

• The verb forbade conveys a negative sense.
• Therefore, we do not use ‘not’ with forbade.
• For Example:
-The teacher said to the children, “Do not make a
noise.”
The teacher forbade the children to make a
noise.
Exclamatory Sentences:
•Exclamatory Sentence makes a statement that conveys
strong emotion or excitement.
•Wow ! She is looking gorgeous.

Hurray ! Exclaimed with joy

Alas ! Exclaimed with sorrow

What ! Exclaimed with surprise

How!
Bravo! Exclaimed with Applause

Oh ! Exclaimed with regret

Rules for changing Exclamatory Sentence
to Indirect Speech:
• In Exclamatory sentences the
reporting verb is changed into
exclaimed with
joy/sorrow/anger/surprise etc.
• Interjections are not used.
• We use ‘that’.
• ! Mark is removed.
• The changes in the tense, pronoun,
modals and adverbs are made
accordingly.
Exclamatory Sentences to Indirect Speech:

 She said, “Hurray! We won the match.”

She exclaimed with joy that they had won the
match.
 He said. “How beautiful a place !”
He exclaimed with surprise that it was a very
beautiful place.
 Rohan said, “Alas ! His uncle died.”
Rohan exclaimed with sorrow that his uncle
had died.
Sentences with ‘Let’:
•Let is used with different
meanings.
•Reporting verb ‘said to’ is
replaced according to the
meaning of the sentence with
words like, suggested,
requested, proposed, ordered,
wished, told etc
When meaning of ‘Let’ is a suggestion,
proposal or wish:

• The reporting verb ‘said to’ is replaced with

proposed to/ suggested to/ wished to.
•Let is replaced with ‘Should’.
• ‘should’ will be placed after the subject of the
reported speech.
•We use ‘that’ to join both the parts of the sentence.
• For Example:
She said to her, “Let’s go to see a show.”
She proposed her that they should go to see
a show.