Reported Speech

Reported Speech

Reported speech is used to convey what someone said or thought in indirect form. It's often used to report conversations, news, or other information.

Key Changes in Reported Speech

When changing direct speech to reported speech, the following changes typically occur:

1. Tense Shift:

   • Present Simple: Past Simple
   • Present Continuous: Past Continuous
   • Present Perfect: Past Perfect
   • Past Simple: Past Perfect
   • Past Continuous: Past Perfect Continuous
   • Past Perfect: Past Perfect
   • Will: Would
   • Can: Could
   • May: Might
   • Must: Had to

2. Pronouns:

   • First person: Third person (e.g., I becomes he/she/it)
   • Second person: Third person (e.g., you becomes he/she/it)
   • Third person: Remains the same

3. Time and Place Expressions:

   • Now: Then
   • Today: That day
   • Yesterday: The day before
   • Tomorrow: The next day
   • Here: There

4. Modal Verbs:

   • Can: Could
   • May: Might
   • Must: Had to
   • Should: Should
   • Ought to: Ought to

Example

Direct Speech: 

        "I am going to the market," she said. 

Reported Speech: 

        She said she was going to the market.

Table of Tense Shifts

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Present Simple	Past Simple
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
Past Simple	Past Perfect
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect	Past Perfect
Will	Would
Can	Could
May	Might
Must	Had to

If the reporting verb is in the present tense (e.g., says, tells), the tense of the reported speech may or may not change. This depends on the context and the speaker's intention.

If the reporting verb is in the past tense (e.g., said, told), the tense of the reported speech typically shifts to a more past-oriented tense. 

Direct Speech: 

        "I am going to the park," she says.

Reported Speech:

        She says she is going to the park. (No tense shift)

The rules for reported speech, including questions, imperatives, and exclamatory sentences, are as follows:

• Reported Questions:
  • Use "if" or "whether" for yes/no questions.
  • Change the word order to a statement form.
  • Direct question: "Where are you going?" she asked.
  • Reported question: She asked where I was going.
  • Direct question: "Do you like coffee?" he asked me.
  • Reported question: He asked me if I liked coffee.
• Reported Imperatives:
  • Use "told" or "ordered" as the reporting verb.
  • Use the infinitive form of the verb.
  • Direct imperative: "Close the door," he said.
  • Reported imperative: He told me to close the door.
  • Direct imperative: "Don't touch that," she said.
  • Reported imperative: She told me not to touch that.
• Reported Exclamatory Sentences:
  • Use "that" and a statement form.
  • Direct exclamatory sentence: "What a beautiful day!" she exclaimed.
  • Reported exclamatory sentence: She exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.
  • Direct exclamatory sentence: "How delicious this cake is!" he said.
  • Reported exclamatory sentence: He said that the cake was delicious.

Exceptions:

• General Truths and Habitual Actions: The tense of the reported speech may not change if it expresses a general truth or a habitual action.
• Direct Quotes and Recent Events: The tense of the reported speech may not change if it is a direct quote or a very recent event.