EnglishGrammardirectspeechquotedspeechand

indirectspeechreportedspeech
Weoftenhavetogiveinformationaboutwhatpeoplesayorthink.Inordertodothisyoucanusedirector
quotedspeech,orindirectorreportedspeech.
DirectSpeech/QuotedSpeech
Sayingexactlywhatsomeonehassaidiscalleddirectspeech(sometimescalledquotedspeech)
Herewhatapersonsaysappearswithinquotationmarks("...")andshouldbewordforword.
Forexample:
Shesaid,"Today'slessonisonpresentations."
or
"Today'slessonisonpresentations",shesaid.
IndirectSpeech/ReportedSpeech
Indirectspeech(sometimescalledreportedspeech),doesn'tusequotationmarkstoenclosewhattheperson
saidanditdoesn'thavetobewordforword.
Whenreportingspeechthetenseusuallychanges.Thisisbecausewhenweusereportedspeech,weare
usuallytalkingaboutatimeinthepast(becauseobviouslythepersonwhospokeoriginallyspokeinthepast).
Theverbsthereforeusuallyhavetobeinthepasttoo.
Forexample:
Directspeech
"I'mgoingtothecinema",hesaid.

Indirectspeech
Hesaidhewasgoingtothecinema.

Tensechange
Asarulewhenyoureportsomethingsomeonehassaidyougobackatense:(thetenseontheleftchangesto
thetenseontheright):
Directspeech
Presentsimple
Shesaid,"It'scold."

Presentcontinuous
Shesaid,"I'mteachingEnglishonline."
Presentperfectsimple
Shesaid,"I'vebeenonthewebsince1999."

Pastsimple

Pastcontinuous

Pastperfectsimple

Presentperfectcontinuous
Shesaid,"I'vebeenteachingEnglishforseven

Shesaid,"Itaughtonlineyesterday."
Pastcontinuous
Shesaid,"Iwasteachingearlier."

Shesaiditwascold.

ShesaidshewasteachingEnglishonline.

Shesaidshehadbeenonthewebsince1999.
Pastperfectcontinuous

years."
Pastsimple

Indirectspeech

ShesaidshehadbeenteachingEnglishforseven
years.

Pastperfect

Pastperfectcontinuous

Shesaidshehadtaughtonlineyesterday.

Shesaidshehadbeenteachingearlier.

Pastperfect

Pastperfect

Shesaid,"Thelessonhadalreadystarted

NOCHANGEShesaidthelessonhadalreadystarted

whenhearrived."

whenhearrived.

Pastperfectcontinuous

Pastperfectcontinuous

Shesaid,"I'dalreadybeenteachingforfive

NOCHANGEShesaidshe'dalreadybeenteachingfor

minutes."

fiveminutes.

Modalverbformsalsosometimeschange:
Directspeech

will
Shesaid,"I'llteachEnglishonlinetomorrow."
can
Shesaid,"IcanteachEnglishonline."

Indirectspeech

would

could

must

ShesaidshewouldteachEnglishonlinetomorrow.

ShesaidshecouldteachEnglishonline.
hadto

Shesaid,"Imusthaveacomputertoteach
Englishonline."

Shesaidshehadtohaveacomputertoteach
Englishonline.

shall
Shesaid,"Whatshallwelearntoday?"
may
Shesaid,"MayIopenanewbrowser?"

should

might

Sheaskedwhatweshouldlearntoday.

Sheaskedifshemightopenanewbrowser.

!NoteThereisnochangetocould,would,should,mightandoughtto.
Directspeech

Indirectspeech

"Imightgotothecinema",hesaid.

Hesaidhemightgotothecinema.

Youcanusethepresenttenseinreportedspeechifyouwanttosaythatsomethingisstilltruei.e.myname
hasalwaysbeenandwillalwaysbeLynneso:
Directspeech

Indirectspeech
ShesaidhernamewasLynne.

"MynameisLynne",shesaid.

or
ShesaidhernameisLynne.

Youcanalsousethepresenttenseifyouaretalkingaboutafutureevent.
Directspeech(exactquote)
"Nextweek'slessonisonreported
speech",shesaid.

Indirectspeech(notexact)
Shesaidnextweek'slessonwillbeonreported
speech.

Timechange
Ifthereportedsentencecontainsanexpressionoftime,youmustchangeittofitinwiththetimeofreporting.
Forexampleweneedtochangewordslikehereandyesterdayiftheyhavedifferentmeaningsatthetimeand

placeofreporting.
Now

+24hoursIndirectspeech
Shesaidyesterday'slessonwasonpresentations.
or

"Today'slessonisonpresentations."
Shesaidyesterday'slessonwouldbeon
presentations.

Expressionsoftimeifreportedonadifferentday
this(evening)

that(evening)

today

yesterday...

these(days)

those(days)

now

then

(aweek)ago

(aweek)before

lastweekend

theweekendbeforelast/thepreviousweekend

here

there

next(week)

thefollowing(week)

tomorrow

thenext/followingday

Inadditionifyoureportsomethingthatsomeonesaidinadifferentplacetowhereyouheardityoumust
changetheplace(here)totheplace(there).
Forexample:
Atwork
"Howlonghaveyouworkedhere?"

Athome
SheaskedmehowlongI'dworked
there.

Pronounchange
Inreportedspeech,thepronounoftenchanges.
Forexample:
Me

You
DirectSpeech
Shesaid,"IteachEnglishonline."
"IteachEnglishonline",shesaid.

"IteachEnglishonline."

ReportedSpeech
ShesaidsheteachesEnglishonline.
or
ShesaidshetaughtEnglishonline.

ReportingVerbs
Said,toldandaskedarethemostcommonverbsusedinindirectspeech.
Weuseaskedtoreportquestions:
Forexample:IaskedLynnewhattimethelessonstarted.
Weusetoldwithanobject.
Forexample:Lynnetoldmeshefelttired.
!NoteHeremeistheobject.
Weusuallyusesaidwithoutanobject.
Forexample:Lynnesaidshewasgoingtoteachonline.
Ifsaidisusedwithanobjectwemustincludeto
Forexample:Lynnesaidtomethatshe'dneverbeentoChina.
!NoteWeusuallyusetold.
Forexample:Lynnetoldme(that)she'dneverbeentoChina.
Therearemanyotherverbswecanuseapartfromsaid,toldandasked.
Theseinclude:
accused,admitted,advised,alleged,agreed,apologised,begged,boasted,complained,denied,explained,
implied,invited,offered,ordered,promised,replied,suggestedandthought.
Usingthemproperlycanmakewhatyousaymuchmoreinterestingandinformative.
Forexample:Heaskedmetocometotheparty:Heinvitedmetotheparty.Hebeggedmetocometothe
party.Heorderedmetocometotheparty.Headvisedmetocometotheparty.HesuggestedIshouldcometo
theparty.
Useof'That'inreportedspeech
Inreportedspeech,thewordthatisoftenused.
Forexample:HetoldmethathelivedinGreenwich.
However,thatisoptional.
Forexample:HetoldmehelivedinGreenwich.
!NoteThatisneverusedinquestions,insteadweoftenuseif.
Forexample:HeaskedmeifIwouldcometotheparty.
Thesneakycomma
I'mBritish,soIonlytendtoplacethecommainsidequotationmarkswhenit'spartofthesentencebeing
quoted.
"Ididn'tnoticethatthecommawasinsidethequotationmarks,"Lynnesaid,"butHeknerdid."
Thatsaid,IreadsomuchAmericanliterature,thatevenItuckthemawaysometimes.

Really,noonehassetinstonewhattherulesoftheEnglishlanguageare.It'sadiverselanguage,andtherules
thatexisthavearisenthroughusage,andtheycanchangeinexactlythesameway,somaybeitdoesn'tmatter,
butit'sbesttobeconsistent.(ThanksHekner.)