Ever found yourself recounting a conversation to a friend or your parents, but struggled with how to phrase it? You know, when you want to tell someone what someone else said, but not necessarily use their exact words? If so, you're in the right place! Welcome to your master class on Reported Speech, also known as Indirect Speech. This isn't just about passing exams; it's about making your conversations clearer and more natural. Grab a pen and notebook, and let's dive in!
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What is Reported Speech, Anyway?
Imagine your teacher says, "Children, please study hard for your exams". This is direct speech – the exact words spoken, usually put in quotation marks when written.
Now, what if you want to tell your mom what the teacher said? You wouldn't use quotation marks when speaking, right? You'd probably say, "The teacher told us to study hard for the exams". That, my friends, is indirect or reported speech! It's how we convey information or statements made by someone else in the past, without using their precise words. It’s perfect for telling stories or sharing what others have communicated.
Think of yourself as a journalist, reporting on what someone said, but putting it in your own words. Ready to learn how to do it perfectly? Let's break down the five golden rules!
The 5 Golden Rules of Changing Direct to Reported Speech
These rules are your roadmap to mastering reported speech. Let's explore each one in detail.
Rule #1: Add a Reporting Verb Clause
The first step is always to add a reporting verb clause, or what's sometimes called the "reporting speech". This part introduces who said what.
Example:
Direct: Naisha says, "I love chocolate".
Reported: Naisha said that she loved chocolate.
Here, "Naisha said" is our reporting verb clause. The word "said" is the reporting verb.
The most common reporting verbs are say, tell, and ask. However, to sound like an advanced speaker, you can use a host of other verbs like admitted, claimed, informed, or warned. For instance, "Tuisha admitted that she was happy" or "The Met Department warned us about the Cyclone".
Say vs. Tell: A Crucial Distinction
"Say" and "tell" are super common, but they have key differences.
1. "Say" is used when you don't need to specify who the message was conveyed to.
Direct: "I'm going to the movies," Amira said.
Reported: Amira said that she was going to the movies.
(We don't know who she was talking to). You cannot say "she said me".
2. "Say" is used for general information, facts, or universal opinions without a specific addressee.
Direct: "Dogs are loyal animals," Shlok said.
Reported: Shlok said that dogs are loyal animals.
3. "Tell" is a transitive verb, meaning it always needs an object (usually a person) to receive the action.
Direct: "Give me your book," she said.
Reported: She told me to give her my book. Notice "told me" – 'me' is the object.
You can say "She said good morning to her neighbor" (object optional with 'say'), but with 'tell', the object is mandatory and follows immediately: "tell him," "told them".
4. "Tell" is also used when reporting instructions, commands, or requests.
Direct: "Be quiet," your teacher says.
Reported: The teacher told us to be quiet. Again, "told us" – 'us' is the object.
The conjunction "that" is often used to connect the reporting clause to the reported speech, but it's optional and can be skipped depending on the context. For example, "Naisha said she loved chocolate" is perfectly correct.
Rule #2: Change the Pronouns
This rule is vital to avoid confusion! If your friend says, "You should study for that test," and you tell your mom, "Sammy said that you should study for that test," your mom might think she needs to study! To prevent this, pronouns often need to change.
Here's how:
1. First-person pronouns (I, we, me) usually change to third-person (he, she, they, them, her) to match the subject of the original speech.
Direct: "I am tired," she said.
Reported: She said that she was tired. (I becomes she).
Direct: "Kritika helped me," she said.
Reported: She said that Kritika helped her. (Me becomes her).
2. Second-person pronouns (you) may change to third-person (he, she, they) to match the object in the reporting clause, or they might become gender-neutral.
Direct: "You are invited," he said.
Reported: He said that she was invited. (You becomes she).
Direct: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow and learn as if you were to live forever," Mahatma Gandhi said.
Reported: Mahatma Gandhi said that one should live as if they were to die tomorrow and learn as if they were to live forever. (Here, 'one' is added as a gender-neutral, third-person singular indefinite pronoun, meaning "a person").
3. Third-person pronouns (he, she, they) generally remain the same.
Direct: "He is tall," she said.
Reported: She said that he is tall.
Direct: "He has won the match," they exclaimed.
Reported: They exclaimed that he had won the match.
Rule #3: Change Time and Place Words
Time and place expressions often need to shift, especially if some time has passed or the location has changed since the original words were spoken.
Examples of changes:
Today / Now / Tonight become that day / that moment / that night.
Direct: "She is coming to my house tonight," he said.
Reported: He said that she was coming to his house that night.
Yesterday / Two days ago / Last week become the previous day / two days before / the previous week.
Direct: "We went to that restaurant yesterday," they said.
Reported: They said that they had gone to the restaurant the day before.
Direct: "I took a train last week," Chetna said.
Reported: Chetna said that she had taken a train the previous week.
Tomorrow / Next month / Next week become the next day / the following month / the following week.
Direct: "I will meet you here tomorrow," he said.
Reported: He said that he would meet me there the next day.
Here becomes there.
This becomes that.
Important note: Be judicious! If you're reporting speech immediately and in the same place, sometimes "today" can remain "today" and "this" can remain "this". Common sense is key here! Also, time words referring to a specific point in the past often remain the same, like "Akbar died in 1605 A.D.".
Rule #4: Back-Shift Tenses
This is where many students get tripped up, but I'm going to make it super simple! Back-shifting means moving the tense of the reported speech one step back in time.
Step 1: Decide if you need to change the tense at all.
You do NOT need to change the tense if:
1. The reporting verb is in the present tense (simple present or present continuous).
Direct: He says, "He loves his job".
Reported: He says that he loves his job. (No change to "loves").
Direct: She says, "I love mangoes".
Reported: She says that she loves mangoes.
This is because the information is likely still true, or the meaning would change if you shifted to the past.
2. The reporting verb is in the future tense.
Direct: Adi will say, "Reena is brilliant at her work".
Reported: Adi will say that Rina is brilliant at her work. ("is brilliant" remains unchanged).
You DO need to change the tense if:
1. The reporting verb is in the past tense (e.g., said, asked, told).
Direct: She said, "I have finished the project".
Reported: She said that she had finished the project.
Step 2: How do tenses back-shift when the reporting verb is in the past?
Generally, present tenses shift to their corresponding past tenses, and past tenses shift to past perfect tenses.
Present Simple → Past Simple
Direct: "I love chocolate".
Reported: She said that she loved chocolate.
Present Continuous → Past Continuous
Direct: "I am studying for my exams".
Reported: He said that he was studying for his exams.
Present Perfect → Past Perfect
Direct: "She said, 'I have finished the project'".
Reported: She said that she had finished the project.
Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
Direct: "We have been waiting for hours".
Reported: He said that they had been waiting for hours.
Past Simple → Past Perfect
Direct: "We saw a beautiful rainbow".
Reported: They reported that they had seen a beautiful rainbow.
Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
Direct: "They were watching a movie".
Reported: He said that they had been watching a movie.
Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous usually remain as they are (they can't go any further back!).
Direct: "I had already eaten," she said.
Reported: She said that she had already eaten.
Future Tenses:
Will → Would
Direct: "I will call you later".
Reported: She said that she would call me later.
Shall → Should or Would
Direct: "We shall meet at the park".
Reported: They insisted that they should meet at the park.
Be going to → Was/Were going to
Direct: "I am going to send you the documents tomorrow".
Reported: She promised that she was going to send me the documents the next day.
Rule #5: Change Modal and Auxiliary Verbs
Modal verbs (like can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) and some semi-modals also change when reporting speech.
Can → Could
Direct: "I can swim across the river," she said.
Reported: She said that she could swim across the river.
Shall → Should or Would
Direct: "Shall we meet at the coffee shop tomorrow?" he suggested.
Reported: He suggested that they should meet at the coffee shop the next day.
May (for possibility) → Might
Direct: "We may arrive late," they mentioned.
Reported: They mentioned that they might arrive late.
May (for permission) → Could
Direct: "May I borrow your pen?" she asked.
Reported: She asked if she could borrow my pen.
Must (for obligation) → Had to
Direct: "I must finish the report by tomorrow," he said.
Reported: He said that he had to finish the report by the following day.
Must (for speculation) → Remains the same
Direct: "She must be tired," he said.
Reported: He said that she must be tired.
Important Exceptions to the Rules!
Even with rules, there are always exceptions to keep things interesting!
1. Do NOT back-shift tenses if the information is ongoing or a universal truth.
Ongoing Information: If your friend says "She loves her dog," and you report it, "She said she loves her dog". Changing it to "loved" might imply she no longer loves her pet, which changes the meaning.
Universal Truths/Facts: "The sun rises in the east," she said. You would report it as "She said that the sun rises in the East" (not "rose"). Similarly, "Honesty is the best policy" remains "honesty is the best policy".
2. Back-shift to past tense if the situation changed or has finished.
If a friend says, "We're just finishing dinner," but by the time you report it, their dinner is clearly over, you'd say, "Ellie said that they were finishing dinner and were stepping out of the restaurant". You can't say "are finishing" if it's already done.
3. Go to past tense if what was said is no longer true or is different from what is true now.
If Rachel said, "Ravi was in the hospital," but you later see Ravi on the street, you'd report, "Rachel said that you were in the hospital". Using "are" would be incorrect because he's clearly out of the hospital now.
Reporting Different Types of Sentences
Reported speech isn't just for statements; you can report questions, commands, and even exclamations!
Reporting Questions
When you report a question, the word order changes to that of a statement, because you're no longer asking the question, just reporting it.
1. Closed-ended questions (Yes/No questions): These use "if" or "whether" as conjunctions.
Direct: "Are you coming?" he asked.
Reported: He asked if she was coming. (Notice "if" and the statement order "she was coming" instead of "was she coming").
Reporting verbs like "wondered" or "asked" are used.
2. Open-ended questions (Wh- questions: why, where, how, who, what, which): The wh-word itself becomes the conjunction.
Direct: "What are your plans this weekend?" she asked.
Reported: She asked me what my plans were for the weekend. (Notice "what" is the conjunction, and it's followed by statement order "my plans were").
Words like "do" and "did" in the original question are typically not included in the reported speech.
Direct: "How did they solve the problem?" he inquired.
Reported: He inquired about how they had solved the problem.
Reporting Commands or Imperatives
Commands, instructions, orders, or requests change from a command form to a statement form, often using a "to-infinitive".
Direct: "Clean your room," she told me.
Reported: She told me to clean my room.
Direct: "Don't forget to call me," she reminded me.
Reported: She reminded me not to forget to call her. (Notice "not" comes before the "to-infinitive").
Common reporting verbs: told, ordered, instructed, reminded.
Reporting Advice, Instructions, Requests, Offers, and Promises
For these, you'll use specific reporting verbs followed by an indirect object and the main verb in infinitive form.
Advice/Instructions: Use verbs like advised, recommended, or explained.
Direct: "You should study hard and crack the exam," she said.
Reported: She advised me to study hard and crack the exam.
Direct: "Add the ingredients and stir well," he instructed.
Reported: He instructed them to add the ingredients and stir well.
Requests/Offers/Promises: Use verbs such as asked, offered, promised, suggested.
Direct: "I'll help you with your assignment," he said.
Reported: He offered to help me with my assignment.
Direct: "I promise I will be there on time," she said.
Reported: She promised that she would be there on time.
Reporting Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory sentences express strong emotions like grief, sorrow, happiness, or applause. When reporting them, interjections are removed, and the sentence changes into an assertive (statement) form.
Direct: "What a beautiful sunset!" she exclaimed.
Reported: She exclaimed how beautiful the sunset was.
Direct: "I can't believe it!" he exclaimed.
Reported: He exclaimed that he couldn't believe it.
Choose reporting verbs like exclaim, cry out, shout, or remark based on the speaker's emotion.
Time to Test Your Knowledge!
Alright, you've made it through the rules and exceptions! How about a quick quiz to see what you've learned? Try converting these direct speech sentences into reported speech:
1. "I love pizza," she said.
2. "We are going to the park," they said.
3. "I have finished my homework," he said.
4. "I can't come to the party," she said.
5. "Will you help me?" he asked.
6. "Don't touch that!" the teacher said.
Think about the reporting verbs, pronoun changes, time/place word shifts, tense back-shifting, and modal verb changes for each.
Keep Practicing!
Reported speech might seem intense at first, with all these rules and exceptions. But like any skill, practice makes perfect! Save this guide, revisit it whenever you need a refresher, and try to incorporate reported speech into your daily conversations and writing. The more you use it, the more natural it will become.
You've got this, future grammar whizzes! Keep learning, keep practicing, and soon you'll be reporting like a pro!
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