Reported Speech: A Comprehensive Guide with Clear Examples

Reported speech is the way we communicate what someone else has said. It allows us to convey information from other speakers, either by using their precise wording (Direct Speech) or by modifying it to suit our context (Indirect Speech).

Understanding the difference between direct and indirect speech is essential for clear communication in both written and spoken language.

This guide will explore both forms, key rules for changing tenses, pronouns, and time expressions, and provide examples for reporting statements, questions, commands, and modal verbs.

Direct Speech

Direct Speech involves quoting the speaker’s exact words, enclosed in quotation marks. A reporting verb such as said, told, or asked introduces the speech. This method is typically used when we want to capture the speaker’s original tone, phrasing, or emotion.

Structure of Direct Speech:

• Subject + Reporting Verb + Quotation Marks (” “)
• The first letter inside the quotation marks is always capitalized.

Examples:

1. Mwansa said, “I didn’t find the house I was looking for in Mansa.”
2. “I’m going to the cinema tonight,” John said.
3. The teacher said, “You have done a great job in your assignments.”

In the above examples, the original words are preserved exactly, including tense and pronouns. This makes it useful for storytelling, dialogue, or quoting someone verbatim.

Positions of Reporting Verbs in Direct Speech

In direct speech, reporting verbs such as say, ask, reply, shout, and explain indicate the action of speaking.

The placement of these verbs can vary, appearing at the beginning, middle, or end of the quoted text.

Each position affects the flow and rhythm of the sentence. Below is a detailed explanation of the three positions, along with more examples.

1. Beginning Position

The reporting verb introduces the quoted speech, establishing the context before the words are spoken. This position is formal and common in narrative writing.

Examples:

• He said, “We need to leave early tomorrow.”
• She explained, “The project must be submitted by Friday.”
• The teacher asked, “Did you finish your homework?”
• They shouted, “Watch out for the car!”

This structure helps the reader or listener understand who is speaking before they focus on the actual words spoken.

2. Middle Position

The reporting verb appears between two parts of the speech, breaking the quote into two segments. This structure mimics natural dialogue, creating pauses and maintaining a conversational tone.

Examples:

• “I think,” he said, “that we should go to the meeting.”
• “This is wonderful news,” she exclaimed, “and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
• “If you need help,” the teacher offered, “feel free to ask me.”
• “We can’t continue like this,” she added, “unless we get more support.”

Using this position can convey emotions like hesitation, excitement, or interruption, adding depth to the speech.

3. End Position

In this structure, the quoted speech comes first, followed by the reporting verb. This format is often used in brief dialogues to keep the focus on the words spoken. It is common in informal writing or when the speaker’s identity is already implied.

Examples:

• “Let’s meet at 3 PM,” John suggested.
• “I don’t agree with that,” she replied.
• “I’m sorry for being late,” he apologized.
• “Are you coming with us?” they asked.

This position emphasizes the speech itself, with the reporting verb confirming who said it after the fact.

Indirect Speech

Indirect Speech is a way of reporting what someone said without quoting them directly. Instead of repeating the exact words, we convey the meaning by paraphrasing or rephrasing the original statement to fit the perspective of the new speaker.

This often involves changes to pronouns, verb tenses, and expressions of time or place to reflect the new context in which the speech is reported. Understanding these transformations is essential to accurately convey the speaker’s intended meaning in indirect speech.

Key Characteristics of Indirect Speech

No Quotation Marks Are Used

Unlike direct speech, indirect speech does not use quotation marks. Instead, it embeds the reported statement within a sentence using a conjunction like “that” or phrases such as “if” or “whether” for reported questions.

1. Direct Speech: Sarah said, “I am happy.”
2. Indirect Speech: Sarah said that she was happy.

Tense Changes (Backshifting)

In most cases, the tense of the verbs in the original statement is shifted backwards (backshifting) to reflect that the speech occurred in the past. This ensures consistency between the time of speaking and the time of reporting.

1. Present simple → Past simple
   “I work hard,” she said. → She said that she worked hard.
2. Present continuous → Past continuous
   “I am studying,” he said. → He said that he was studying.
3. Past simple → Past perfect
   “I visited Paris,” he said. → He said that he had visited Paris.
4. Will → Would
   “I will call you,” she said. → She said that she would call me.

Exceptions:
If the reported speech refers to a general truth or fact, the tense may not change.

“The sun rises in the east,” the teacher said. → The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.

Pronoun Change

Pronouns in indirect speech must be adjusted to fit the new speaker or subject’s point of view. The reporting speaker must alter first and second-person pronouns to third person (unless the new subject remains the same).

Therefore, pronouns change depending on the speaker and listener involved in the conversation. Below is an example to illustrate:

Direct: “I am happy to help you,” he said.
Indirect: He said that he was happy to help me.

In the indirect version, I changes to he to reflect the new perspective, and you becomes me because the speech is now reported to a different person.

Time and Place Expressions

Time and place expressions often change to reflect the shift from the original moment of speech to the time of reporting. Here are common transformations:

1. Now → Then
   “I am leaving now,” he said. → He said that he was leaving then.
2. Today → That day
   “We will meet today,” she said. → She said that they would meet that day.
3. Tomorrow → The next day / The following day
   “I will call you tomorrow,” he said. → He said that he would call me the next day.
4. Yesterday → The day before / The previous day
   “I saw him yesterday,” she said. → She said that she had seen him the day before.
5. Here → There
   “I am staying here,” he said. → He said that he was staying there.
6. This → That
   “This is my favorite book,” she said. → She said that that was her favorite book.

Reporting Questions

When reporting questions, we need to follow these specific rules:

1. The question format changes to a statement structure.
2. We use if or whether to report yes/no questions.
3. Wh- questions retain the question word but are converted into statements.

Reporting Yes/No Questions

When a yes/no question is reported, we introduce the reported speech with if or whether.

Examples:
Direct: “Do you live in Lusaka?” he asked.
Indirect: He asked if I lived in Lusaka.

Direct: “Can you help me with this problem?” he asked.
Indirect: He asked if I could help him with that problem.

Reporting Wh- Questions

For wh- questions, we keep the question word (e.g., where, why, how), but the sentence structure becomes declarative.

Examples:
Direct: “Where are you going?” she asked.
Indirect: She asked where I was going.

Direct: “Why did you miss the class?” the teacher asked.
Indirect: The teacher asked why I had missed the class.

Reporting Imperatives and Requests

When reporting commands, orders, or requests, we typically use the verbs told or asked followed by the infinitive form of the verb.

Positive Imperatives

Examples:
Direct: “Close the door!” she said.
Indirect: She told me to close the door.

Direct: “Please help me with this task,” he said.
Indirect: He asked me to help him with that task.

Negative Imperatives

For negative commands or requests, we use not before the infinitive.

Examples:
Direct: “Don’t talk during the movie,” she said.
Indirect: She told us not to talk during the movie.

Direct: “Don’t touch the exhibits,” the guide said.
Indirect: The guide told us not to touch the exhibits.

Reporting Modal Verbs

When reporting sentences with modal verbs, some modals change, while others remain the same. Below are common changes:

Conclusion

Mastering reported speech requires a clear understanding of how to change tenses, pronouns, and time expressions to fit the context of the reporting.

Whether conveying statements, questions, commands, or requests, these adjustments ensure accurate communication of what was originally said.

By applying these rules, we can effectively relay information without ambiguity, maintaining both clarity and precision in our speech.