Direct Speech and Indirect (Reported) Speech

We use direct speech to quote someone’s exact words, and indirect (reported) speech to report the idea without quotation marks. When reporting, we often change pronouns, verb tense, and time/place words.

Direct: Maria said, “I am tired.”
Indirect: Maria said (that) she was tired.

1) Direct Speech: Form & Punctuation

FeatureRule (US style)Example
Quotation Marks Put the speaker’s exact words inside “ ”. She said, “I’m ready.”
Comma Use a comma before the opening quote when the reporting clause comes first. He said, “Let’s go.”
Capitalization Capitalize the first word inside the quotation marks. They asked, “Where are you from?”
Punctuation Inside Commas and periods go inside quotes in US English. “It’s late,” she whispered.
Reporting Clause Position It can be before, after, or in the middle of the quote. “I’m hungry,” she said. / “I,” she said, “am hungry.”

2) Indirect Speech: Core Changes

When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told, asked), we usually “shift” the tense back (backshift):

Direct Speech→ Indirect SpeechExample
Present Simple Past Simple “I like tea.” → He said he liked tea.
Present Continuous Past Continuous “I’m working.” → She said she was working.
Present Perfect Past Perfect “I’ve finished.” → He said he had finished.
Past Simple Past Perfect (often) “I saw him.” → She said she had seen him.
Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous “I was waiting.” → He said he had been waiting.
will would “I’ll call.” → She said she would call.
can could “I can help.” → He said he could help.
may might “It may rain.” → They said it might rain.
Past Perfect (no change) “I had left.” → She said she had left.
No backshift is common if the reporting verb is in the present (e.g., He says) or if the reported fact is still true: “The sun is hot.” → The teacher says (that) the sun is hot.

Pronouns & Time/Place Words

Direct→ IndirectNotes
I / wehe, she / theyChange to match the reporter’s perspective.
my / ourhis, her / theirPossessives change similarly.
nowthen
today / tonightthat day / that night
yesterdaythe day before
tomorrowthe next / following day
last night/weekthe night/week before
next week/monththe following week/month
herethere
this / thesethat / those
… ago… before“two days ago” → “two days before”

3) Reporting Statements, Questions, and Commands

A) Statements

Use say (that) or tell + object (that). “That” is optional in spoken English.

Direct: “We are late.”
Indirect: She said (that) they were late. / She told me (that) they were late.

B) Yes/No Questions

Use ask + if / whether + subject + verb (no question word order).

Direct: “Do you like sushi?”
Indirect: He asked if I liked sushi.

C) Wh- Questions

Keep the wh-word, use normal statement order (no auxiliary inversion).

Direct: “Where are you going?”
Indirect: She asked where I was going.

D) Requests, Advice, and Commands

Use tell/ask + object + to + base verb. For negatives, use not to.

Direct: “Please close the door.” / “Don’t be late.”
Indirect: She asked me to close the door. / He told me not to be late.

4) Common Reporting Verbs

VerbPatternExample
say say (that) + clause She said (that) she was busy.
tell tell + object + (that) + clause He told me (that) it was late.
ask ask + object + to V / ask + if/whether + clause / ask + wh- They asked if I could stay.
advise / remind / warn verb + object + to V / not to V She advised me to rest.
promise / refuse / agree verb + to V He promised to help.
suggest / recommend verb + that + clause / verb + V-ing She suggested that we leave early.

5) At-a-Glance Timeline

Direct time → Indirect time (when reporting from the past)
now  → then
today → that day
yesterday → the day before
tomorrow → the next/following day
here → there
this/these → that/those
...ago → ...before

6) Common Mistakes

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