Understanding Reported Speech

Reported speech is a fundamental grammatical concept used to relay what others have said or asked. This page provides comprehensive information about forming and using reported speech correctly.

Definition: Reported speech (indirect speech) is used to convey someone else's words without quoting them directly.

Vocabulary: Key reporting verbs include:

• to add
• to agree
• to answer
• to ask
• to say
• to tell
• to think
• to want to know

Example: Direct: Jim says, "I love dancing." Indirect: Jim says (that) he loves dancing.

Highlight: When converting from direct to indirect speech, several key transformations occur:

• Simple present → Simple past
• Simple past → Past perfect
• Present perfect → Past perfect
• Will-future → Conditional I

Example: Time and place references change as follows:

• now → then
• today → that day
• yesterday → the day before
• tomorrow → the next day
• here → there

Quote: "Peter said (that) he worked in the garden." - This demonstrates how the original direct speech "I work in the garden" changes in reported form.