reporting clause
reported clause
Direct speech.
In direct speech we usually put a comma between the reporting clause and the reported clause. The words of the original speaker are enclosed in inverted commas, either single (‘…’) or double (“…”). If the reported clause comes first, we put the comma inside the inverted commas:
“ I couldn’t sleep last night, ” he said.
Rita said, ‘ I don’t need you any more. ’
If the direct speech is a question or exclamation, we use a question mark or exclamation mark, not a comma:
‘Is there a reason for this ? ’ she asked.
“I hate you ! ” he shouted.
We sometimes use a colon (:) between the reporting clause and the reported clause when the reporting clause is first:
The officer replied: ‘It is not possible to see the General. He’s busy.’
Punctuation
In indirect speech it is more common for the reporting clause to come first. When the reporting clause is first, we don’t put a comma between the reporting clause and the reported clause. When the reporting clause comes after the reported clause, we use a comma to separate the two parts:
She told me they had left her without any money.
Not: She told me, they had left her without any money .
Nobody had gone in or out during the previous hour, he informed us.
We don’t use question marks or exclamation marks in indirect reports of questions and exclamations:
He asked me why I was so upset.
Not: He asked me why I was so upset?
Say and tell.
We can use say and tell to report statements in direct speech, but say is more common. We don’t always mention the person being spoken to with say , but if we do mention them, we use a prepositional phrase with to ( to me, to Lorna ):
‘I’ll give you a ring tomorrow,’ she said .
‘Try to stay calm,’ she said to us in a low voice.
Not: ‘Try to stay calm,’ she said us in a low voice .
With tell , we always mention the person being spoken to; we use an indirect object (underlined):
‘Enjoy yourselves,’ he told them .
Not: ‘Enjoy yourselves,’ he told .
In indirect speech, say and tell are both common as reporting verbs. We don’t use an indirect object with say , but we always use an indirect object (underlined) with tell :
He said he was moving to New Zealand.
Not: He said me he was moving to New Zealand .
He told me he was moving to New Zealand.
Not: He told he was moving to New Zealand .
We use say , but not tell , to report questions:
‘Are you going now?’ she said .
Not: ‘Are you going now?’ she told me .
We use say , not tell , to report greetings, congratulations and other wishes:
‘Happy birthday!’ she said .
Not: Happy birthday!’ she told me .
Everyone said good luck to me as I went into the interview.
Not: Everyone told me good luck …
Say or tell ?
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The reporting verbs in this list are more common in indirect reports, in both speaking and writing:
Simon admitted that he had forgotten to email Andrea.
Louis always maintains that there is royal blood in his family.
The builder pointed out that the roof was in very poor condition.
Most of the verbs in the list are used in direct speech reports in written texts such as novels and newspaper reports. In ordinary conversation, we don’t use them in direct speech. The reporting clause usually comes second, but can sometimes come first:
‘Who is that person?’ she asked .
‘It was my fault,’ he confessed .
‘There is no cause for alarm,’ the Minister insisted .
Verb patterns: verb + that -clause
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13th June 2020 By Edify English Leave a Comment
Any word spoken by a speaker can be written in two different ways. Those two are direct and indirect speech. Direct Speech is when the speaker’s actual words are quoted and these words are put in inverted commas (“…..”) while Indirect Speech is when the speaker’s words are said indirectly with the same meaning without repeating the exact words. For Example, the statement in direct speech She said to me, “I am going to the park” changes into She told me that she was going to the park in indirect speech.
Basic Changes while changing from Direct speech to indirect speech
Example: He said to me, “I am happy” becomes He told me that he was happy
(The verb in the direct speech ‘am’ is converted into ‘was’.)
Example: He said to me, “I was happy” changes into He told me that he had been happy
Example: The peon said, “The professor is teaching in that classroom” changes into The peon said that the professor was teaching in that classroom.
Example: She said, “I have passed the test” becomes She said that she had passed the test.
Example: The teacher said, “The sun rises in the East” becomes The teacher said that the sun rises in the east in indirect speech.
Example: Samuel said, “I know the university’s address.” and the indirect speech for that is Samuel said that he knows the university’s address
Rules for converting Interrogatory sentences
Example: He said to her, “Will you marry me?” changes into He asked her whether she would marry him in the indirect speech.
Rules for Converting Imperative Sentences
Example: My father said to me, “prepare well for your examination” . It can be converted to My father advised me to prepare well for my examination.
Rules for Converting Exclamatory Sentences
Example: The coach said, “Hurrah! we won the match!” is changed as The coach exclaimed with joy that we had won the match.
These are the changes in helping verbs while changing from Direct and Indirect Speech
Am/ Is | Was |
Are | Were |
Have/ Had/ Did | had |
Do/ Does | Did |
Will | Would |
Shall | Should |
Can | Could |
May | Might |
Must | Had to |
Was/ Were | had been |
Should | Should |
Had | Had |
Would | Would |
Could | Could |
Note: There is no change in the helping verbs “would, should, could, might, had” in the direct speech and they remain the s ame in indirect speech as well.
Changes in Time and Place
This | That |
These | Those |
Here | There |
Now | Then |
Today | That Day |
Tonight | That Night |
Tomorrow | The next day/ The following day |
The Day after tomorrow | In two days |
The Day before yesterday | Two days before |
Ago | Before |
Next | The following |
Last | The previous |
Thus | So |
This Evening | That Evening |
Hence | Thence |
Cha nges in pronoun s
The changes in pronouns in indirect speech depends on the subject and the object of the reporting verb.
Example: She said, “I watched a movie” can be converted into She said that she had watched a movie . Hence, the first person in the direct speech “I” has become “she” based on the subject.
Had there been “he” instead of “she”, the first person in reported speech changes accordingly into “he”.
Example: She said to me, “You watched a movie” can be converted into She told me that I had watched a movie.
Example: I said to her, “He will play Chess” can be converted into I told her that he would play Chess.
Stay tuned for more examples of direct and indirect speech.
For an extensive material on tenses, Click here
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There are two main ways of reporting people’s words, thoughts, beliefs etc.
Direct speech
We can give the exact words that were said. This kind of reporting is called direct speech.
She said, ‘What do you want?’ Peter said, ‘It is not my fault.’ Jane said, ‘Are you coming with me?’ He said, ‘I don’t want to talk to you.’ Monica says, ‘You look beautiful.’ Mother said, ‘Stop talking.’
Indirect speech
We can report a speaker’s thoughts and words in our own words, using conjunctions and changing pronouns, tenses and other words where necessary. This kind of reporting is called indirect speech.
She asked what I wanted. Peter said that it was not his fault. Jane asked me if was going with her? He said that he didn’t want to talk to me. Monica says that I look beautiful. Mother asked her children to stop talking.
Basic rules for indirect speech
In indirect speech, words spoken by one person is reported in another place at a different time by a different person. Because of this, there are many grammatical differences between direct and indirect speech. It is not necessary to learn complicated rules about indirect speech in English, because most of the changes are natural and logical.
by Andrea Byaruhanga
Updated on December 12, 2022
If you’ve been wondering ‘What is indirect speech in English , and how do I use it?’ you’ve come to the right place!
Indirect speech can be confusing at first, but you’ll see plenty of explanations and examples below to get you on the right track.
In order to understand what indirect speech is, it’s important to first understand its counterpart: direct speech.
Direct speech refers to repeating, or quoting, what someone said, word for word.
Direct speech can be useful – and even important – in some scenarios, such as these:
The US president said, ‘I will end this pandemic’.
The man said, ‘If you give me all your money, no one will get hurt!’
Yesterday night, before we went to bed, you said to me (and I quote): ‘Honey, I promise I will take out the rubbish bin first thing in the morning’.
But in reality, indirect speech is more common in most everyday situations.
When and how to use a hyphen in English
Indirect speech is also known as reported speech . We use it to report on what someone has said, much like direct speech, but not as a direct quote.
To show you what we mean, let’s take one of the examples from above and turn it into an indirect statement:
While the message is the same, you can see that the indirect speech is no longer directly quoting the US president’s words.
Here’s another one:
Now, let’s discuss how to change direct speech into indirect speech!
How to use affect and effect in English
First, we’ll look at the most common forms of indirect speech, which most commonly use the reporting verbs say and tell . A reporting verb is the verb you use to introduce what someone said.
subject + reporting verb + (that) + clause
Direct: Brother: I’ve quit my job.
Indirect: My brother said (that) he had quit his job.
subject + reporting verb + direct object** + (that) + clause
Direct: Carmel: I am leaving.
Indirect: Carmel told me (that) she was leaving.
**While the verb ‘say’ can stand alone, the verb ‘tell’ must use a direct object (in the example above that’s ‘me’).
You’ll see in the forms above, the word ‘ that ’ is in parenthese. That’s because you can decide to use it or not – it doesn’t usually make much difference.
The main reason you’d add the word ‘that’ is to give a bit of extra clarity to a sentence whose meaning could otherwise be a bit confusing.
Use and used to in English
When we report on something someone tells or asks you to do, or something that they’ve promised or offered, the form is different. A variety of reporting verbs can be used, such as promise , offer , ask , and order . Sometimes you should use a direct object, whereas other times, you shouldn’t.
subject + reporting verb + infinitive
Direct: Brother: ‘I will pay you back in one month’.
Indirect: My brother promised to pay me back in one month.
Direct: Sister: I can help you with your homework, if you’d like.
Indirect: My sister offered to help me with my homework.
subject + reporting verb + direct object + infinitive
Direct: Uncle: ‘Can you please watch the movie with us?’
Indirect: My uncle asked me to watch the movie with them.
Direct: Grandmother: Wash the dishes before the party!
Indirect: My grandmother ordered me to wash the dishes before the party.
How to confidently use reported speech in English
When you change a sentence from direct to indirect, the verb tenses change. Let’s look at some general rules:
Karen: ‘I’m tired’. | → | Karen said she was tired. | ||
Bob and Mark: ‘They are travelling’. | → | Bob and Mark said that they were travelling. | ||
Mom: ‘Kara was nervous’. | → | Mom told me Kara had been nervous. | ||
Friends: ‘We’ve worked out every day’. | → | My friends said that they had worked out every day. | ||
Daughter: ‘I will help you cook’. | → | My daughter told me she would help me cook. |
In addition to the verb tense changes above, there are other words you need to change, such as time markers and modal verbs.
Lily: ‘I come to the party’. | → | Lily said she come to the party. |
Parents: ‘We get a new car soon’. | → | My parents told me they get a new car soon. |
Customer: ‘We’ll buy shoes’. | → | The customer said they would buy shoes. |
Little girl: ‘I want one’ | → | The little girl said she wanted one. |
Me: ‘He has to leave right ’. | → | I said he had to leave right . |
Friends: ‘It would be nice to walk in the park ’. | → | My friends told me it would be nice to walk in the park . |
Neighbour: ‘We just saw them ’. | → | My neighbour said they had just seen them . |
Nico: ‘I want to visit them ’. | → | Nico told me he wanted to visit them |
Alana: I might go shopping . | → | Alana said she might go shopping . |
When you’re reporting on what someone else has said, it’s important that you modify the pronouns accordingly. Check out the following rules:
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Andrea is a Canadian freelance writer and editor specializing in English, e-learning, EdTech, and SaaS. She has a background as an ESL teacher in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. In her free time, Andrea loves hanging out with her husband and children, creating recipes in the kitchen, and reading fiction. She also loves camping and jumping into lakes whenever possible. Learn more about Andrea on LinkedIn or check out her website .
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Reported speech
Direct and indirect speech can be a source of confusion for English learners. Let's first define the terms, then look at how to talk about what someone said, and how to convert speech from direct to indirect or vice-versa.
You can answer the question What did he say? in two ways:
Direct speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between quotation marks (" ") and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or telling someone later about a previous conversation.
Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.
She said, "I saw him." (direct speech) = She said that she had seen him . (indirect speech)
'That' may be omitted: She told him that she was happy. = She told him she was happy.
Use 'say' when there is no indirect object: He said that he was tired.
Always use 'tell' when you say who was being spoken to (i.e. with an indirect object): He told me that he was tired.
Use these verbs to describe the action of communicating: He talked to us. She was speaking on the telephone.
Use these verbs with 'about' to refer to what was said: He talked (to us) about his parents.
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Reported speech: indirect speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Indirect speech: Mary said that she loved ice cream. Step 3: Change the Tense of the Verb. When you use indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting verb. For example: Direct speech: "I am going to the store," said John. Indirect speech: John said that he was going to ...
Watch my reported speech video: Here's how it works: We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. ( Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell' .) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence: Direct speech: I like ice cream. Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.
In nonfiction writing or journalism, direct speech can emphasize a particular point, by using a source's exact words. Indirect speech is paraphrasing what someone said or wrote. In writing, it functions to move a piece along by boiling down points that an interview source made. Unlike direct speech, indirect speech is not usually placed inside ...
5. Conversion of expressions of time and place. If there is an expression of time/place in the sentence, it may be changed, depending on the situation. Direct Speech → Peter, "I worked in the garden yesterday .". Reported Speech → Peter said (that) he had worked in the garden the day before. Direct Speech.
Indirect Speech is a way of expressing the words or utterances of a speaker in a reported manner. In contrast to direct speech, where the original speaker's words are quoted verbatim, indirect speech is more about reporting the essence or meaning of what the speaker said rather than quoting them exactly. For example:
1. We use direct speech to quote a speaker's exact words. We put their words within quotation marks. We add a reporting verb such as "he said" or "she asked" before or after the quote. Example: He said, "I am happy.". 2. Reported speech is a way of reporting what someone said without using quotation marks.
Introduction. In English grammar, we use reported speech to say what another person has said. We can use their exact words with quotation marks, this is known as direct speech, or we can use indirect speech. In indirect speech, we change the tense and pronouns to show that some time has passed. Indirect speech is often introduced by a reporting ...
Direct speech: Elisabeth said, "I like coffee.". As indirect reported speech, it looks like this: Indirect speech: Elisabeth said she liked coffee. You can see that the subject ("I") has been changed to "she," to show who is being spoken about. If I'm reporting the direct speech of someone else, and this person says "I," I'd ...
Reported speech: She said she was going to the store then. In this example, the pronoun "I" is changed to "she" and the adverb "now" is changed to "then.". 2. Change the tense: In reported speech, you usually need to change the tense of the verb to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here's an example:
For example: Direct speech: I dislike fried chicken. Reported speech: She said she disliked fried chicken. Note how the main verb in the reported statement is also in the past tense verb form. Use the simple present tense in your indirect speech if the initial words remain relevant at the time of reporting.
Direct speech gives the actual words that a speaker has used. It is common in novels and other writing where the actual words of a speaker are quoted. The reporting verb may come before the words that were actually spoken, or after them, or at a natural pause inside the reported sentence. Read More
Direct speech: Aslam said, "Do not beat him". Indirect speech: Aslam ordered to not beat him. The direct verb is changed according to indirect speech in case order the speaker gives a direct command. Then said will be changed into ordered For example: Direct Speech: The father said to me, "Sit down.".
Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message. Q2.
To translate direct speech into indirect speech, we use certain rules that you should know. Let's take a look at these rules and formulas in order. Quotation marks and comma. In direct speech, we use a comma to separate the speaker from what he is saying. Direct speech (what the speaker says) is in quotation marks.
Direct: "I will help you," she promised. Reported: She promised that she would help me. Direct: "You should study harder," he advised. Reported: He advised that I should study harder. Direct: "I didn't take your book," he denied. Reported: He denied taking my book. Direct: "Let's go to the cinema," she suggested.
REPORTED SPEECH! https://7esl.com/reported-speech/Reported speech is often also called indirect speech in English.Direct Speech: https://7esl.com/direct-spee...
Reported speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Rule 1: The Verb in the simple present tense in the direct speech changes into the simple past tense in indirect speech. Example: He said to me, "I am happy" becomes He told me that he was happy. (The verb in the direct speech 'am' is converted into 'was'.) Rule 2: The verb in the simple past tense becomes past perfect tense in ...
In indirect speech, words spoken by one person is reported in another place at a different time by a different person. Because of this, there are many grammatical differences between direct and indirect speech. It is not necessary to learn complicated rules about indirect speech in English, because most of the changes are natural and logical.
If the direct speech uses a second-person pronoun as an object, report it using a first-person pronoun: Direct: Michael: 'I'm going to miss you so much.'. Indirect: Michael said he was going to miss me so much. Third-person pronouns in direct speech don't change in indirect speech: Direct: Cousin: 'They are going to love their new ...
In linguistics, speech or indirect discourse is a grammatical mechanism for reporting the content of another utterance without directly quoting it. For example, the English sentence Jill said she was coming is indirect discourse while Jill said "I'm coming" would be direct discourse.In fiction, the "utterance" might amount to an unvoiced thought that passes through a stream of consciousness ...
INDIRECT SPEECH. Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used. She said, "I saw him." (direct speech) = She said that she had ...