Reporting What’s Said – Mastering Reported Speech
Welcome back to EngDrive, where we’re driving full speed ahead on the road to better English! Today, we’re going to explore reported speech — a super useful tool when you want to tell someone what someone else said, but without quoting their words exactly. Ready? Let’s hit the road!
What is Reported Speech?
Reported speech (also known as indirect speech) is when you tell someone what another person has said, but you don’t use their exact words. You’re essentially giving a summary or report of the conversation!
How Does Reported Speech Work?
When using reported speech, there are a few key things to keep in mind:
- Tense Changes: Usually, you’ll need to shift the tense of the reported speech back in time.
- Pronoun Changes: You’ll often change the pronouns, like “I” becomes “he” or “she,” depending on who’s talking.
- No Quotation Marks: Instead of using direct quotes, you paraphrase what was said.
Example:
Direct Speech (quoted exactly):
- John said, “I’m going to the store.”
Reported Speech:
- John said (that) he was going to the store.
Notice how:
- “I” (the pronoun) changes to “he” because we’re now talking about John.
- The verb “am going” changes to “was going” because the reporting is in the past tense.
1. Present Simple → Past Simple
-
Direct: She says, “I like ice cream.”
Reported: She said she liked ice cream. -
Explanation: The present simple (like) changes to the past simple (liked).
2. Present Continuous → Past Continuous
-
Direct: He says, “I am reading a book.”
Reported: He said he was reading a book. -
Explanation: The present continuous (am reading) changes to the past continuous (was reading).
3. Present Perfect → Past Perfect
-
Direct: They say, “We have finished the project.”
Reported: They said they had finished the project. -
Explanation: The present perfect (have finished) changes to the past perfect (had finished).
4. Past Simple → Past Perfect
-
Direct: John said, “I went to the store.”
Reported: John said he had gone to the store. -
Explanation: The past simple (went) changes to the past perfect (had gone).
5. Future Simple → “Would” or “Was/Were Going to”
-
Direct: She says, “I will call you later.”
Reported: She said she would call me later. -
Explanation: The future simple (will call) changes to would (would call).
6. Modals: “Can” → “Could”, “May” → “Might”, “Will” → “Would”
-
Direct: “I can swim,” she says.
Reported: She said she could swim. -
Explanation: Modals like can change to could, may to might, and will to would.
Quick Tips for Tense Changes:
-
No Change in the Reported Speech for:
- If the reporting verb is in the present or the future.
- If the information is still true or a general fact.
Example:
- Direct: “The sun rises in the east,” she says.
- Reported: She says that the sun rises in the east.
-
Keep Track of Time Expressions:
- Words like today, now, this year may also need to change when moving to reported speech.
Why Do We Use Reported Speech?
- To share information without quoting someone word for word.
- To summarize conversations.
- To report on what was said by others without repeating it exactly.
Fun Tip: The “Message Relay” Game! 🏎️
Think of reported speech as a game of telephone or message relay. Just like in the game where you whisper a message to someone else and they pass it along, reported speech lets you pass along what someone said, but you don’t need to repeat it exactly