There are two ways in which we can talk about what others have said.

 

When we want to describe what someone said, one option is to use direct speech. We use direct speech when we simply repeat what someone says, putting the phrase between speech marks.

 

Whereas when we want to report what someone said without speech marks and without necessarily using exactly the same words, we can use indirect or reported speech.

For example:

Reema - “I have completed all my tasks for today”. (direct speech)

 

Now, if someone asks, “What did Reema say?” 

One would reply,

 

Reema said (that) she had completed all her tasks for the day. (Indirect speech)

Now if we compare both the statements in the above example, the following things have changed,

1. The pronoun has changed to indicate the person who spoke. 

2. The tense of the verb has changed it’s tense.

3. The two parts of the sentence, the reported verb, and the reported sentence can be connected by using ‘that’ or without using ‘that’.

 

Note: If the reporting verb is in the present tense, there is no change in the tense of the verb.

Example: Reema is saying that she has completed all her tasks for today.

The following are examples of conversion of direct speech into reported speech.

• Ram says,” I have sent all the emails.”

• Ram said he had sent all the emails.

 

• She says, “My talent will help me grow.”

• She said that her talent would help her grow.

 

• She said, “My boss keeps motivating us to work better.”

• She said that her boss kept motivating them to work better.

 

• They asked us’ “where will you be?”

• They asked us where we would be.

 

Note: There are various reporting verbs that are used but the most common ones are ‘say’, ‘tell’, ‘ask’, and ‘explain’.

 

With ‘tell’ and ‘ask’, we need to specify the person

Example:

She told her….

She told him…

 

They told Neha…

 

With ‘say’ and ‘explain’, to specify the person ‘to’ is used after the reported verb

Example:

She said to her...

She explained to him...

They said to Neha...

 

Common examples of changes in reported speech.