This article is part of our Complete English Grammar Practice Guide — explore all grammar topics with interactive exercises.
Every day we report what other people have said — in conversation, in writing, in exams. Knowing how to move between direct speech (the exact words) and indirect speech (also called reported speech) is essential for B1 and above. It involves tense backshift, pronoun shifts, and time expression changes — and once you understand the logic behind these rules, the whole system clicks into place. This guide explains every rule with examples and ends with 10 practice exercises you can do right now.
1. Direct vs Indirect Speech: The Basics
Direct speech quotes the exact words a person said. It uses quotation marks and keeps the original tense, pronouns, and time expressions.
Indirect speech (reported speech) conveys the meaning of what was said without quoting it word for word. Quotation marks are dropped, and several changes are usually needed.
Direct: She said, "I am very tired today."
Indirect: She said that she was very tired that day.
Three things changed above: the tense (am → was), the pronoun (I → she), and the time expression (today → that day). These three types of change are the heart of reported speech.
2. Tense Backshift
When the reporting verb is in a past tense (said, told, asked, etc.), the verb in the reported clause shifts one step back in time. This is called tense backshift. Think of it as moving everything one position further into the past.
| Direct Speech (original tense) | Indirect Speech (backshifted) |
|---|---|
| present simple: "I work here." | past simple: He said he worked there. |
| present continuous: "We are leaving." | past continuous: She said they were leaving. |
| present perfect: "I have seen it." | past perfect: He said he had seen it. |
| past simple: "She called me." | past perfect: He said she had called him. |
| past continuous: "I was reading." | past perfect continuous: She said she had been reading. |
| will: "It will rain." | would: She said it would rain. |
| can: "I can help." | could: He said he could help. |
| may: "We may be late." | might: She said they might be late. |
| must: "You must leave." | had to / must: He said I had to leave. |
| shall: "I shall return." | would: He said he would return. |
When backshift is NOT required: Backshift is optional if the reported statement is still true at the time of reporting, especially for general facts, permanent truths, or habitual actions that have not changed.
She said the Earth revolves around the Sun. (permanent truth — no backshift needed)
He told me he lives in Manchester. (still true now — backshift optional)
Modal verbs would, could, might, should, ought to do not backshift further — they remain the same in reported speech.
3. Pronoun Changes
Because the perspective shifts from the original speaker to the person reporting, pronouns must change to avoid confusion. The key principle: pronouns reflect the relationship between the reporter and the people involved.
| Direct Speech pronoun | Typical change in indirect speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | he / she | "I am ready." → She said she was ready. |
| me | him / her | "Help me." → He asked her to help him. |
| my / mine | his / her / hers | "It's my book." → She said it was her book. |
| we / us / our | they / them / their | "We are busy." → They said they were busy. |
| you (addressed to reporter) | I / me / my | "I love your work." → He said he loved my work. |
| you (addressed to someone else) | he/she / him/her | "Tell her the news." → He told me to tell her the news. |
Context is everything with pronoun changes. Always ask yourself: who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and who is doing the reporting?
4. Time Expression Changes
Time expressions that are relative to the moment of speaking must shift when that moment is now in the past.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| now | then / at that moment |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| this week | that week |
| last week | the week before / the previous week |
| next month | the following month / the month after |
| two days ago | two days before / two days earlier |
| here | there |
| this (demonstrative) | that |
| these | those |
Again, if reporting is happening immediately or in the same context, these changes are sometimes not needed. But in formal writing and exams, it is safer to apply them consistently.
5. Reporting Verbs: Say, Tell, Ask, and More
The verb used to introduce reported speech is called the reporting verb. Choosing the right one makes your reporting more precise and natural.
Say vs Tell
Say does not take a personal object directly. Tell requires a personal object (the listener). This is one of the most common mistakes.
She said (that) she was tired.
She said me that she was tired.
She told me (that) she was tired.
She told that she was tired.
Ask — for Questions and Requests
Ask is used to report questions: He asked where I lived. It is also used to report polite requests with a to-infinitive: She asked me to open the window.
Order, Tell, Warn, Advise — for Commands
Commands in direct speech use an imperative. In reported speech, they become a to-infinitive construction with an appropriate reporting verb.
Direct: "Stop talking!" (teacher to students)
Reported: The teacher told the students to stop talking.
Direct: "Don't touch that wire!"
Reported: He warned us not to touch that wire.
Promise, Offer, Agree, Refuse
These reporting verbs convey the illocutionary force — the communicative intent — of the original words. They are followed by a to-infinitive.
- "I'll call you back." → He promised to call back.
- "Shall I help you?" → She offered to help.
- "Yes, I'll come." → He agreed to come.
- "No, I won't do it." → She refused to do it.
Other Useful Reporting Verbs
| Verb | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| admit | verb + -ing or that-clause | He admitted making a mistake. |
| deny | verb + -ing | She denied stealing the money. |
| suggest | verb + -ing or that-clause | He suggested going by train. |
| recommend | verb + -ing or that-clause | She recommended checking in early. |
| apologise | verb + for + -ing | He apologised for being late. |
| insist | verb + on + -ing or that-clause | She insisted on paying the bill. |
| claim | verb + that-clause | He claimed that he had never met her. |
| complain | verb + about + -ing / that-clause | She complained about waiting so long. |
6. Reporting Yes/No Questions
Yes/no questions (those that can be answered with yes or no) are reported using if or whether. The word order changes to subject + verb (statement order), and the question mark is dropped.
Direct: "Are you ready?"
Reported: She asked if / whether I was ready.
Direct: "Have you ever been to Paris?"
Reported: He asked whether I had ever been to Paris.
Whether is slightly more formal and can be followed by or not: She asked whether I was ready or not. Both if and whether are correct in most contexts, but whether is preferred in formal writing.
7. Reporting Wh- Questions
Wh- questions (who, what, where, when, why, how, which) are reported by keeping the question word, but switching to statement word order and removing auxiliary do/does/did.
Direct: "Where do you live?"
Reported: He asked where I lived. (not: where did I live)
Direct: "What time does the train leave?"
Reported: She asked what time the train left.
Direct: "Why are you crying?"
Reported: He asked why she was crying.
✗ He asked where did I live.
✓ He asked where I lived.
Remember: no question word order, no question mark, and no auxiliary inversion in reported questions.
8. Practice Exercises
Test your understanding with these exercises. Check your answers against the key below each set. For more interactive practice, try Complete the Sentence or Cloze Dropdown on LexFizz.
Exercise 1 — Tense Backshift (rewrite in indirect speech)
- "I work in a hospital." — She said that she _____ in a hospital.
- "We are watching a film." — He said that they _____ a film.
- "I have lost my keys." — She said that she _____ her keys.
- "They left early." — He said that they _____ early.
- "It will be cold tomorrow." — She said that it _____ cold the next day.
Exercise 2 — Say or Tell? (choose the correct verb)
- He _____ me that he was going to be late. (said / told)
- She _____ that she didn't understand. (said / told)
- They _____ us to wait outside. (said / told)
- He _____ goodbye and left. (said / told)
- She _____ the manager that the machine was broken. (said / told)
Exercise 3 — Reporting Questions (convert to indirect speech)
- "Do you speak French?" — She asked me _____ I spoke French.
- "Where is the station?" — He asked _____ the station was.
- "Have you finished?" — She asked _____ I had finished.
- "Why did you leave?" — He asked me _____ I had left.
- "Can you swim?" — She asked _____ I could swim.
Exercise 4 — Reporting Commands (choose the correct reporting verb)
- "Please sit down." — She _____ them to sit down. (asked / warned)
- "Don't open that door!" — He _____ me not to open that door. (suggested / warned)
- "Finish the report by Friday." — The manager _____ her to finish the report by Friday. (told / asked)
- "Shall I carry your bag?" — He _____ to carry her bag. (promised / offered)
- "I'll definitely come." — She _____ to come. (promised / refused)
Exercise 5 — Time Expression Changes
Convert the underlined time expressions to their reported speech equivalents.
- "I'll call you tomorrow." → He said he would call me _____.
- "We arrived yesterday." → She said they had arrived _____.
- "I saw her last week." → He said he had seen her _____.
- "The meeting is today." → She said the meeting was _____.
- "I'm busy now." → He said he was busy _____.
For further practice using all these rules in authentic sentence contexts, use LexFizz's Complete the Sentence, Cloze Dropdown, and Grammar Quiz exercises. You can also read our companion article Reported Speech Exercises for additional drills, or visit the grammar reference on reported speech for a concise summary table.
9. Common Mistakes in Reported Speech
These are the errors that appear most frequently in learner writing and on English exams:
| Mistake | Wrong | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| No backshift after past reporting verb | He said he is hungry. | He said he was hungry. |
| Question word order in reported question | She asked where did I live. | She asked where I lived. |
| Question mark after indirect question | He asked if I was ready? | He asked if I was ready. |
| Using "say" with personal object | She said me the answer. | She told me the answer. |
| No pronoun change | She said "I am tired" → She said I was tired. | She said she was tired. |
| Keeping time expression unchanged | He said he would come tomorrow. | He said he would come the next day. |
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