Reported Speech: Mastering Indirect Speech in English (B2 Level)

Welcome to your B2 English grammar lesson on reported speech, also known as indirect speech! Understanding and using reported speech is crucial for fluent and natural English conversation, especially when you want to share what someone else said. This lesson will break down the rules of reported speech in English, focusing on practical usage and how you can use it to improve your spoken English. Let’s dive in and learn how to master this important grammar point!

What is Reported Speech?

Imagine you’re chatting with a friend and you want to tell them something someone else said earlier. That’s where reported speech comes in! Simply put, reported speech is how we communicate what someone else said, but without using their exact words. Instead of quoting them directly, we report their message indirectly, often making changes to the original sentence. This is a fundamental part of everyday communication and essential for advanced English speakers.

Let’s look at a simple example:

Direct Speech: She said, “I am happy.”
Reported Speech: She said that she was happy.

Notice the changes? “I am” becomes “she was”. These changes are key to understanding and correctly using reported speech. We’ll explore these changes in detail.

Why is Reported Speech Important for English Speakers?

Learning reported speech isn’t just about grammar rules; it’s about becoming a more effective and confident English speaker. Here’s why it’s so important:

Natural Conversations: Reported speech is used constantly in everyday conversations. Think about how often you say things like “He told me…”, “She mentioned…”, or “They said…”. Mastering reported speech makes your spoken English sound much more natural and fluent.
Understanding Complex Information: When listening to news, lectures, or even casual conversations, you’ll frequently encounter reported speech. Understanding it allows you to follow complex narratives and grasp the full meaning of what’s being communicated.
Avoiding Misunderstandings: Using reported speech correctly ensures you accurately convey the original message without changing its meaning. Incorrectly using it can lead to confusion or misrepresentation of what was actually said.
Advanced English Proficiency: Fluency in reported speech is a hallmark of advanced English proficiency. It demonstrates a strong command of grammar and the ability to handle more complex sentence structures.
Improved Spoken English Practice: Consciously practicing reported speech will enhance your overall speaking skills. It forces you to think about sentence structure, verb tenses, and pronoun usage in a dynamic way.

Key Grammar Rules for Reported Speech: Transforming Direct Speech

The main challenge of reported speech in English lies in understanding the grammatical transformations that occur when we change direct speech to indirect speech. Let’s break down the most important rules:

Tense Changes (Backshifting)

When the reporting verb (like ‘said’, ‘told’, ‘explained’) is in the past tense, the tense in the reported clause usually shifts back in time. This is called backshifting. Here’s a breakdown of common tense changes:

Present Simple in direct speech becomes Past Simple in reported speech.
- Direct: He said, “I like coffee.”
- Reported: He said that he liked coffee.
Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous.
- Direct: She said, “I am watching TV.”
- Reported: She said that she was watching TV.
Past Simple becomes Past Perfect.
- Direct: They said, “We went to the beach.”
- Reported: They said that they had gone to the beach.
Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect.
- Direct: He said, “I have finished my work.”
- Reported: He said that he had finished his work.
Past Continuous becomes Past Perfect Continuous.
- Direct: She said, “I was studying all day.”
- Reported: She said that she had been studying all day.
Future Simple (will) becomes Conditional Simple (would).
- Direct: He said, “I will call you later.”
- Reported: He said that he would call me later.
can becomes could.
- Direct: She said, “I can swim.”
- Reported: She said that she could swim.
may becomes might.
- Direct: He said, “I may be late.”
- Reported: He said that he might be late.
must often becomes had to, or remains must (depending on the meaning).
- Direct: She said, “I must go.”
- Reported: She said that she had to go. (or She said that she must go – if the obligation is still present)

Important Note: If the reporting verb is in the present tense (e.g., “He says”), we usually do not change the tense in the reported clause.

Direct: He says, “I am tired.”
Reported: He says that he is tired.

Also, if you are reporting something that is still true at the time of reporting, you might not backshift the tense, especially in informal speech.

Direct: Yesterday, she said, “The Earth is round.”
Reported: Yesterday, she said that the Earth is round. (or was round – both are acceptable, but ‘is’ is more common when the fact is still universally true)

Pronoun Changes

Pronouns usually change in reported speech to reflect the change in perspective. You need to think about who is speaking and who is being spoken about.

“I” often changes to “he” or “she” depending on the speaker.
“We” can change to “they” or remain “we” depending on context.
“You” can change to “I“, “we“, “he“, “she“, “they“, or “you” depending on who ‘you’ refers to in the original sentence and who is listening to the reported speech.
“My” changes to “his” or “her“.
“Our” changes to “their” or “our“.
“Your” changes depending on who ‘your’ refers to.

Examples:

Direct: She said to me, “I like your car.”
Reported: She told me that she liked my car. (Here, ‘I’ becomes ‘she’ as the speaker is ‘she’, and ‘your’ becomes ‘my’ because ‘your’ referred to ‘my’ car in the direct speech.)
Direct: I said to them, “We are going to your house.”
Reported: I told them that we were going to their house. (Here ‘we’ remains ‘we’ if the speaker is including themselves in the ‘we’, and ‘your’ changes to ‘their’ as it refers to ‘their’ house.)

Changes to Time and Place Adverbials

Words referring to time and place often change in reported speech to maintain the correct context from the time of reporting.

now becomes then
today becomes that day
tonight becomes that night
yesterday becomes the day before or the previous day
tomorrow becomes the next day or the following day
last week becomes the week before or the previous week
next week becomes the week after or the following week
ago becomes before
here becomes there
this becomes that

Examples:

Direct: He said, “I will see you tomorrow.”
Reported: He said that he would see me the next day.
Direct: She said, “I was here yesterday.”
Reported: She said that she had been there the day before.

Reporting Verbs: More Than Just ‘Said’ and ‘Told’

While ‘said’ and ‘told’ are common reporting verbs, there are many others that can add nuance and detail to your reported speech. Using a variety of reporting verbs can make your English sound more sophisticated and precise. Some examples include:

explained
mentioned
stated
claimed
suggested
warned
promised
admitted
denied
agreed
refused
complained
asked (for questions)
ordered (for commands)
advised (for advice)

Using different reporting verbs helps to convey not just what was said, but also how it was said and the speaker’s intention. For example:

“He said he was tired.” (Neutral reporting)
“He complained that he was tired.” (Shows negative feeling)
“He admitted he was tired.” (Shows reluctant confession)

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Reported Speech

Even advanced learners sometimes make mistakes with reported speech. Here are some common pitfalls to watch out for:

Forgetting to backshift tenses: This is the most frequent error. Always remember to backshift the tense when the reporting verb is in the past tense.
Incorrect pronoun changes: Carefully consider who ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘we’ etc. refer to in both direct and reported speech.
Not changing time and place adverbials: Forgetting to change ‘now’ to ‘then’, ‘tomorrow’ to ‘the next day’ etc. can lead to confusion.
Using ‘say’ and ‘tell’ incorrectly: Remember that ‘tell’ usually takes an object (the person being told), while ‘say’ does not, or uses ‘to’ before the object. (e.g., He told me that… He said that… He said to me that… )
Over-complicating sentences: Keep your reported speech sentences clear and concise. Don’t try to make them overly complex.

Reported Speech in Everyday Speaking: Practical Tips

To truly master reported speech for speaking, practice is key! Here are some practical tips to help you:

Listen actively for reported speech: Pay attention to how native English speakers use reported speech in conversations, podcasts, and movies. Notice the tense changes, pronoun changes, and reporting verbs they use.
Practice transforming sentences: Take simple sentences in direct speech and practice converting them into reported speech. Start with simple examples and gradually increase the complexity.
Speak aloud: Don’t just write out reported speech sentences; practice saying them aloud. This will help you get comfortable with the changes and improve your fluency.
Use reported speech in your conversations: Make a conscious effort to use reported speech when you’re speaking English. Try to summarize what someone said earlier in the conversation or what you heard someone else say.
Record yourself: Record yourself speaking and using reported speech. Listen back and identify areas where you can improve.
Use language learning apps: Apps like Lingofrnd.com can be fantastic tools for practicing grammar points like reported speech. Lingofrnd offers AI-powered spoken English practice, allowing you to get real-time feedback on your grammar and pronunciation, making it perfect for mastering spoken English practice including reported speech. Download App to start practicing today!

Let’s Practice! Reported Speech Exercises

Ready to put your knowledge to the test? Transform these sentences from direct speech into reported speech. Pay attention to tense changes, pronoun changes, and time adverbials.

Direct: He said, “I am going to the gym now.”
Reported: He said that he ___ going to the gym ___.
Direct: She said, “I visited my parents yesterday.”
Reported: She said that she ___ her parents ___.
Direct: They said, “We will travel to Italy next summer.”
Reported: They said that they ___ travel to Italy ___.
Direct: “I can help you,” he said to her.
Reported: He told her that he ___ help ___.
Direct: She said, “I have finished reading this book.”
Reported: She said that she ___ reading ___ book.
Direct: “We are happy to be here today,” they said.
Reported: They said that they ___ happy to be ___ day.
Direct: He asked, “Are you coming to the party?”
Reported: He asked ___ I ___ coming to the party.
Direct: She said, “My car is being repaired this week.”
Reported: She said that ___ car ___ being repaired ___ week.
Direct: “I don’t like spicy food,” he mentioned.
Reported: He mentioned that he ___ like spicy food.
Direct: “I might be late,” she said.
Reported: She said that she ___ be late.

Answers to Practice Exercises

Reported: He said that he was going to the gym then.
Reported: She said that she had visited her parents the day before/the previous day.
Reported: They said that they would travel to Italy the following summer/the next summer.
Reported: He told her that he could help her.
Reported: She said that she had finished reading that book.
Reported: They said that they were happy to be there that day.
Reported: He asked if/whether I was coming to the party.
Reported: She said that her car was being repaired that week.
Reported: He mentioned that he didn’t like spicy food.
Reported: She said that she might be late.

Congratulations on completing this lesson on reported speech in English! Remember, practice is key to mastering any grammar point. Keep practicing, listen for reported speech in real conversations, and don’t be afraid to use it yourself. For more spoken English practice and to further enhance your English grammar skills, visit Lingofrnd.com and Download the Lingofrnd App today. Keep learning and keep speaking!