reporting verb and reported speech in narration

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Narration: reported to reporting speech.

David said, “I’m baking a chocolate cake for you.’’

David said that he was baking a chocolate cake for me.

If we consider these two sentences, we might notice that both of them convey the same message, but there is a difference if we look closely. In the first sentence, I am conveying the activities of David in his (D) own words without changing it; it is called direct speech or we can say reporting speech . In the second sentence, I am using my own words to convey the activities of the speaker (D) to the audience. This we can say indirect speech or reported speech .

There are some major rules to change these speeches from direct to indirect. We need to consider the tense , pronoun , words that describe time, place, distance, types of sentences, etc. let’s have a glance at the following rules:

1. Pronoun:

In an indirect speech the pronoun changes according to the speaker whether s/he is referring himself/herself or a third person . We can make this clearer if we learn this with some examples:

• Direct: George said, “ I cannot be with you .”
• Indirect: George said that he could not be with me .
• Direct: I said, “Leave me ”
• Indirect: I ordered to leave me alone. (Note: in this sentence the speaker is same, so there is no change in the indirect speech.)
• Direct: They said, “ We will be partying tonight.”
• Indirect: They said that they would be partying that night.
• Direct: I told George, “ You should stay.”
• Indirect: I told George that he should stay.
• Direct: She asked, “How are you doing today?”
• Indirect: She asked me how I was doing that day.
• Direct: Robert said, “Can you pull me up?”
• Indirect: Robert asked if I could pull him up.

2. Type of sentences:

a. Reporting Interrogative sentences:

I) If there is a  yes-no question in the direct speech, then the reported speech will start with whether/if and the reported clause form will be (subject+verb).

• Direct: Peter said, “Are you from Australia?”
• Indirect: Peter asked if I was from Australia.
• Direct: Tom asked, “Do you want to sit here?”
• Indirect: Tom asked whether I wanted to sit there.

II) In indirect speech questions starting with who, whom, when, how, where and what the wh-word would be the subject or the object of the reported clause:

• Direct: Brad said, “Who will come with me?”
• Indirect: Brad asked who would go with him.
• Direct: Tina said, “What will be the charges?”
• Indirect: Tina inquired what the charges would be.
• Direct: I said the man, “Where is the hotel?”
• Indirect: I asked the man where the hotel was.
• Direct: Mother said, “How is the chicken?”
• Indirect: Mother asked me how the chicken was.

b. Reporting statement sentences:

In a statement speech, we will use ‘that’ before the reported statement and the reported verb will be ‘told’ (followed by an object) or ‘said’ (will not be followed by an object).

• Direct: Edward said, “I like the book.”
• Indirect: Edward said that he liked the book.
• Direct: Alice said, “I want you to sing.”
• Indirect: Alice told me to sing.

c. Reporting imperative sentences:

We will use ‘to’ as joining clause before the reported command or request, and the reported verb will be changed according to the moods of the sentence (e.g., ordered, requested, urged, advised, forbade or begged)

• Direct: The man said, “Please, bring me a chair.”
• Indirect: The man requested to bring him a chair.
• Direct: The officer said, “Fall back!”
• Indirect: The officer ordered to fall back.
• Direct: Mother said, “Listen to your elders.”
• Indirect: Mother advised me to listen to my elders.
• Direct: Mr. Murphy said, “Do not go near the house.”
• Indirect: Mr. Murphy forbade going near the house.

d. Reporting exclamatory sentences:

To change direct exclamatory speeches to the indirect one we need to replace interjection (hurrah, wow, alas, oh, etc.) with joining clause ‘that’ and the exclamatory wh-words (what, how) will be replaced by ‘very’ before the adjective in the reported clause.

• Direct: Clare said, “Hurrah! Barcelona won the match!”
• Indirect: Clare exclaimed with joy that Barcelona had won the match.
• Direct: I said, “Alas! My pet died.”
• Indirect: I exclaimed with grief that my pet had died.

Usually, the present changes to past tense while we change direct speech to indirect.  

a. Simple present tense to simple past tense:

• Direct: She said, “I work in New York Times.”
• Indirect: She said that she worked in New York Times.
• Direct: Jim said, “Bill loves to drink Wine.”
• Indirect: Jim said that Bill loved to drink Wine.

Exceptions : If the content is still true or happening then we do not need to change the tense in the reported speech. Like;

• Direct: She said, “I live in Paris.”
• Indirect: She said that she lives in Paris.

b. Present continuous to past continuous tense

• Direct: Mother said, “Bob is taking a nap.”
• Indirect: Mother said that Bob was taking a nap.
• Direct: He asked, “Are they writing the paper?”
• Indirect: He asked if they were writing the paper.

c. Present perfect to past perfect tense:

Example: 

• Direct: Nicolas said, “I have made a donut.”
• Indirect: Nicolas said that he had made a donut.
• Direct: The teacher said, “The dates have been decided.”
• Indirect: The teacher announced that the dates had been decided.

d. Present perfect continuous to past perfect continuous tense:

• Direct: Mr. Parson asked, “How long have you been working here?”
• Indirect: Parson asked me how long I had been working there?”
• Direct: The boy said, “I have been waiting for my mother since morning.”
• Indirect: The boy said that he had been waiting for his mother since morning.

e. Simple past to past perfect tense

• Direct: Robert Langdon said, “My mother gave me the Mickey watch.”
• Indirect: Robert Langdon said that his mother had given the Mickey watch to him.
• Direct: The teacher said, “Shakespeare’s playing company built Globe Theatre in 1599.”
• Indirect: The teacher said that Shakespeare’s playing company had built the Globe Theatre in 1599.

f. Past Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous tense;

• Direct: Jenny said, “Marlow was leaving Belgium.”
• Indirect: Jenny told me that Marlow had been leaving Belgium.
• Direct: Maria said, “I was dialing your number, and you called.”
• Indirect: Maria said that she had been dialing my number and I had called.

Note: If two sentences are combined with a conjunction, and both sentences have different tenses then we need to change the tenses of both sentences according to the rule.

g. Past perfect tense does not change in the indirect speech;

• Direct: Alex said, “I had stopped to visit you.”
• Indirect: Alex said that he has stopped to visit me.
• Direct: She said, “Greece had tried to uphold their economy.”
• Indirect: She said that Greece had tried to uphold their economy.

h Simple future tense to present conditional;

• Direct: Smith said, “My parents will be there at 9am.”
• Indirect: Smith said that his parents would be there at 9am.
• Direct: Barbara asked, “Will you be my partner in the coming Summer Ball?”
• Indirect: Barbara asked if I would be her partner in the coming Summer Ball.
• Direct: John said, “I will be doing my CELTA next year.”
• Indirect: John said that he would be doing his CELTA next year. (Continuous conditional)

a. Modal verbs like shall, will, can, may change in reported speech. Let’s follow some examples:

• Direct: John said, “I will be there.”
• Indirect: John promised that he would be there.
• Direct: The boy said, “ May I come in?”
• Indirect: The boy asked if he could come in. (note: may becomes could when it implies permission)
• Direct: “I may not call you.” Said Boby.
• Indirect: Boby said that she might not call me.
• Direct: “I shall practice more.” said Barbara.
• Indirect: Barbara said that she would practice more.
• Direct: Joseph said, “ Shall I buy the car?”
• Indirect: Joseph asked if he should buy the car.

Note: shall becomes should if it implies a question.

b. Modal verbs like could, should, need, must, might, used to do not change in reported speech.

• Direct: she said, “I would not be the victim.”
• Indirect: she said that she would not be the victim.
• Direct: David said, “You need to repair the car.”
• Indirect: David said that I need to repair the car.
• Direct: Mary said, “I used to love dancing.”
• Indirect: Mary said she used to love dancing.

5. Adverbs and demonstratives:

Indirect speech differs from the direct speech’s time and place. When someone is conveying the message to the listener, the speaker might not be on the same day or place. So the demonstrative (this, that etc.) and the adverb of time and place (here, there, today, now, etc.) change. We can look into the following chart for the usual changes:

  Examples:

• Direct: I said, “Simon read Wordsworth yesterday .”
• Indirect: I said that Simon read Wordsworth the day before .
• Direct: Mother said, “ Come home now .”
• Indirect: Mother ordered me to go home at that moment .
• Direct: “ Bring the money with you.” Said Jessie.
• Indirect: Jessie demanded to take the money with me.
• Direct: The lovers said, “We will meet here tomorrow .”
• Indirect: The lovers promised to meet there the next day .

Avoid Redundancy to Improve Your Writing

• Parts of Speech
• Preposition
• Conjunction
• Interjection
• Conditionals
• How to Use "Therefore" in Sentences Avoiding Common Mistakes
• How to Use "Whereas" with Examples and Avoid Common Mistakes
• When and How to Use "Thus" Correctly Without Common Mistakes
• How to Use "On the Contrary" Properly with Meaning and Examples
• When and How to Use "Either/Or" with Examples and Common Mistakes to Avoid
• How to Use "On the Other Hand" Effectively without Mistakes
• How to Use "Respectively" with Example and Common Errors to Avoid
• How and When to Use "Moreover" Without Mistakes
• How to Use "Likewise" in Sentences Based on Context & When not to Use
• When & How to Use "Although" in Sentences to Avoid Mistake

Digital English

Narration rules all with example [direct and indirect speech], narration rules with example and table.

Table of Contents

Narration rules (from direct to indirect) are a nice topic for learning English grammar. Here I have presented all the narration rules step by step in an easy way that will help you to learn narration change. After reading the article you can also teach someone.

What is Narration?

Narration is the way of presenting sentences spoken by somebody.

Narration Rules

Narration rules for tense.

When we change direct speech into indirect speech, we must have to change the tense in some cases. I have explained all the rules thoroughly and given examples so that the learners can understand the narration rules in a very easy way.

Indirect: The girls tell me that I have supported them there.

Rule No. 03

Direct: Mitali said, “I am doing the sums now.”

Indirect: Mother said that she had cooked fish the previous day.

Indirect: Liton said that he had been playing football in the field.

Indirect: Your father told me that Kakoli would pass the examination.

Indirect: He told me that I would fail the test.

Direct: He said to me, “You can solve the problem.”

Direct: Ratan said to the girl, “You could pass the exam.”

Indirect: Ratan told the girl that she could pass the exam.

Direct: The old man said to the player, “It might rain today.”

Indirect: My grandfather told me that they should respect their national flag.

Direct: Father said to the student, “You must come to school in dress.”

Narration Rules  For Tense In Table

Narration Rules For Persons (Person/ Noun/ Pronoun)

Rules No.01

Direct: Sujata said to me, “I have gone to this office with my elder brother.”

Indirect: The boys told me that they had completed their homework.

Direct: She said to the boy, “Your friend insulted you there”

Indirect: Rina told me that it was a fresh mango.

Indirect: I told you that he was not a good boy.

Direct: You said to us, “Ratan took a cup of tea.”

Direct: He said to you, “They do not study in the school.”

Narration Rules For Time & Place

There are some words and phrases that are time and place. We must have to change them in indirect speech. The words and phrases are given below. 

Indirect: Gobindo said that he had seen that ox the previous day.

Narration Rules For Assertive Sentences

We change the “Reporting Verb” of direct speech into indirect speech according to the tense at the time of narration change. I have mentioned the reporting verb below.

Indirect: Dipa says that she has finished her homework.

Indirect: Father said that the sun rises in the east.

Direct: Rahit said to me, “I practice batting in this field daily.”

Indirect: Your brother told him that his grandfather reads the Mahabharat every day.

Indirect: The grandfather said that his daughter was good and kind and she respected everyone.

Narration Rules For Interrogative Sentences

Interrogative Sentence

Direct: The man said to me, “Do you know the address?”

Direct: Rahim said to the girl, “Why are you shouting?’’

Direct: I said to Rabin, “When will you join the service?”

Direct: The teacher said to the student, “Why were you absent yesterday?”

Indirect: The teacher wanted to know the student why he had been absent the previous day.

Narration Rules For Imperative Sentences

Direct: Mother said to me, “Do not wet in the rain.“

Narration Rules For Negative Imperative Sentences

Narration Rules For Imperative sentence with ‘Let’

If we find “Us” after “Let” we should follow the below rules.

Direct: Our friends said to me, “Let us arrange a party.”

Narration Rules For Imperative sentence with ‘Let’ but ‘Us’ not follow ‘Let’

Direct: The boy said to the man, “Let me write the answer.”

Indirect: I told you that she might dance on the stage.

Narration Rules For Optative Sentences

Indirect: She prayed that God might show you the right path.

Narration Rules For Exclamatory Sentences

Indirect: He exclaimed with sorrow that I was a great fool.

Indirect: The boy exclaimed with surprise me that the girl was very smart.

Narration Rules For The Vocative Sentence

Narration Rules For The Sentences with “Sir” or “Madam”

Direct: The boy said to the teacher, “Sir, I can answer to this question.”

Indirect: The girl respectfully told the madam that she could not understand it.

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What is Reported Speech and how to use it? with Examples

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Olivia Drake

Reported speech and indirect speech are two terms that refer to the same concept, which is the act of expressing what someone else has said.

On this page:

Reported speech is different from direct speech because it does not use the speaker’s exact words. Instead, the reporting verb is used to introduce the reported speech, and the tense and pronouns are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. There are two main types of reported speech: statements and questions.

1. Reported Statements: In reported statements, the reporting verb is usually “said.” The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and any pronouns referring to the speaker or listener are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. For example, “I am going to the store,” becomes “He said that he was going to the store.”

2. Reported Questions: In reported questions, the reporting verb is usually “asked.” The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and the word order changes from a question to a statement. For example, “What time is it?” becomes “She asked what time it was.”

It’s important to note that the tense shift in reported speech depends on the context and the time of the reported speech. Here are a few more examples:

• Direct speech: “I will call you later.”Reported speech: He said that he would call me later.
• Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?”Reported speech: She asked if I had finished my homework.
• Direct speech: “I love pizza.”Reported speech: They said that they loved pizza.

When do we use reported speech?

Reported speech is used to report what someone else has said, thought, or written. It is often used in situations where you want to relate what someone else has said without quoting them directly.

Reported speech can be used in a variety of contexts, such as in news reports, academic writing, and everyday conversation. Some common situations where reported speech is used include:

News reports:  Journalists often use reported speech to quote what someone said in an interview or press conference.

Business and professional communication:  In professional settings, reported speech can be used to summarize what was discussed in a meeting or to report feedback from a customer.

Conversational English:  In everyday conversations, reported speech is used to relate what someone else said. For example, “She told me that she was running late.”

Narration:  In written narratives or storytelling, reported speech can be used to convey what a character said or thought.

How to make reported speech?

1. Change the pronouns and adverbs of time and place: In reported speech, you need to change the pronouns, adverbs of time and place to reflect the new speaker or point of view. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I’m going to the store now,” she said. Reported speech: She said she was going to the store then.

In this example, the pronoun “I” is changed to “she” and the adverb “now” is changed to “then.”

2. Change the tense: In reported speech, you usually need to change the tense of the verb to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I will meet you at the park tomorrow,” he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet me at the park the next day.

In this example, the present tense “will” is changed to the past tense “would.”

3. Change reporting verbs: In reported speech, you can use different reporting verbs such as “say,” “tell,” “ask,” or “inquire” depending on the context of the speech. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked if I had finished my homework.

In this example, the reporting verb “asked” is changed to “said” and “did” is changed to “had.”

Overall, when making reported speech, it’s important to pay attention to the verb tense and the changes in pronouns, adverbs, and reporting verbs to convey the original speaker’s message accurately.

How do I change the pronouns and adverbs in reported speech?

1. Changing Pronouns: In reported speech, the pronouns in the original statement must be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. Generally, the first person pronouns (I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours) are changed according to the subject of the reporting verb, while the second and third person pronouns (you, your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs) are changed according to the object of the reporting verb. For example:

Direct speech: “I love chocolate.” Reported speech: She said she loved chocolate.

Direct speech: “You should study harder.” Reported speech: He advised me to study harder.

Direct speech: “She is reading a book.” Reported speech: They noticed that she was reading a book.

2. Changing Adverbs: In reported speech, the adverbs and adverbial phrases that indicate time or place may need to be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. For example:

Direct speech: “I’m going to the cinema tonight.” Reported speech: She said she was going to the cinema that night.

Direct speech: “He is here.” Reported speech: She said he was there.

Note that the adverb “now” usually changes to “then” or is omitted altogether in reported speech, depending on the context.

It’s important to keep in mind that the changes made to pronouns and adverbs in reported speech depend on the context and the perspective of the new speaker. With practice, you can become more comfortable with making these changes in reported speech.

How do I change the tense in reported speech?

In reported speech, the tense of the reported verb usually changes to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here are some guidelines on how to change the tense in reported speech:

Present simple in direct speech changes to past simple in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I like pizza.” Reported speech: She said she liked pizza.

Present continuous in direct speech changes to past continuous in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I am studying for my exam.” Reported speech: He said he was studying for his exam.

Present perfect in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I have finished my work.” Reported speech: She said she had finished her work.

Past simple in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I visited my grandparents last weekend.” Reported speech: She said she had visited her grandparents the previous weekend.

Will in direct speech changes to would in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I will help you with your project.” Reported speech: He said he would help me with my project.

Can in direct speech changes to could in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I can speak French.” Reported speech: She said she could speak French.

Remember that the tense changes in reported speech depend on the tense of the verb in the direct speech, and the tense you use in reported speech should match the time frame of the new speaker’s perspective. With practice, you can become more comfortable with changing the tense in reported speech.

Do I always need to use a reporting verb in reported speech?

No, you do not always need to use a reporting verb in reported speech. However, using a reporting verb can help to clarify who is speaking and add more context to the reported speech.

In some cases, the reported speech can be introduced by phrases such as “I heard that” or “It seems that” without using a reporting verb. For example:

Direct speech: “I’m going to the cinema tonight.” Reported speech with a reporting verb: She said she was going to the cinema tonight. Reported speech without a reporting verb: It seems that she’s going to the cinema tonight.

However, it’s important to note that using a reporting verb can help to make the reported speech more formal and accurate. When using reported speech in academic writing or journalism, it’s generally recommended to use a reporting verb to make the reporting more clear and credible.

Some common reporting verbs include say, tell, explain, ask, suggest, and advise. For example:

Direct speech: “I think we should invest in renewable energy.” Reported speech with a reporting verb: She suggested that they invest in renewable energy.

Overall, while using a reporting verb is not always required, it can be helpful to make the reported speech more clear and accurate

How to use reported speech to report questions and commands?

1. Reporting Questions: When reporting questions, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “asked” or “wondered” followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “What time is the meeting?” Reported speech: She asked what time the meeting was.

Note that the question mark is not used in reported speech.

2. Reporting Commands: When reporting commands, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “ordered” or “told” followed by the person, to + infinitive, and any additional information. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “Clean your room!” Reported speech: She ordered me to clean my room.

Note that the exclamation mark is not used in reported speech.

In both cases, the tense of the reported verb should be changed accordingly. For example, present simple changes to past simple, and future changes to conditional. Here are some examples:

Direct speech: “Will you go to the party with me?”Reported speech: She asked if I would go to the party with her. Direct speech: “Please bring me a glass of water.”Reported speech: She requested that I bring her a glass of water.

Remember that when using reported speech to report questions and commands, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately.

How to make questions in reported speech?

To make questions in reported speech, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “asked” or “wondered” followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here are the steps to make questions in reported speech:

Identify the reporting verb: The first step is to identify the reporting verb in the sentence. Common reporting verbs used to report questions include “asked,” “inquired,” “wondered,” and “wanted to know.”

Change the tense and pronouns: Next, you need to change the tense and pronouns in the sentence to reflect the shift from direct to reported speech. The tense of the verb is usually shifted back one tense (e.g. from present simple to past simple) in reported speech. The pronouns should also be changed as necessary to reflect the shift in perspective from the original speaker to the reporting speaker.

Use an appropriate question word: If the original question contained a question word (e.g. who, what, where, when, why, how), you should use the same question word in the reported question. If the original question did not contain a question word, you can use “if” or “whether” to introduce the reported question.

Change the word order: In reported speech, the word order of the question changes from the inverted form to a normal statement form. The subject usually comes before the verb, unless the original question started with a question word.

Here are some examples of reported questions:

Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?”Reported speech: He wanted to know if I had finished my homework. Direct speech: “Where are you going?”Reported speech: She wondered where I was going.

Remember that when making questions in reported speech, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately.

Here you can find more examples of direct and indirect questions

What is the difference between reported speech an indirect speech?

In reported or indirect speech, you are retelling or reporting what someone said using your own words. The tense of the reported speech is usually shifted back one tense from the tense used in the original statement. For example, if someone said, “I am going to the store,” in reported speech you would say, “He/she said that he/she was going to the store.”

The main difference between reported speech and indirect speech is that reported speech usually refers to spoken language, while indirect speech can refer to both spoken and written language. Additionally, indirect speech is a broader term that includes reported speech as well as other ways of expressing what someone else has said, such as paraphrasing or summarizing.

Examples of direct speech to reported

• Direct speech: “I am hungry,” she said. Reported speech: She said she was hungry.
• Direct speech: “Can you pass the salt, please?” he asked. Reported speech: He asked her to pass the salt.
• Direct speech: “I will meet you at the cinema,” he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet her at the cinema.
• Direct speech: “I have been working on this project for hours,” she said. Reported speech: She said she had been working on the project for hours.
• Direct speech: “What time does the train leave?” he asked. Reported speech: He asked what time the train left.
• Direct speech: “I love playing the piano,” she said. Reported speech: She said she loved playing the piano.
• Direct speech: “I am going to the grocery store,” he said. Reported speech: He said he was going to the grocery store.
• Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?” the teacher asked. Reported speech: The teacher asked if he had finished his homework.
• Direct speech: “I want to go to the beach,” she said. Reported speech: She said she wanted to go to the beach.
• Direct speech: “Do you need help with that?” he asked. Reported speech: He asked if she needed help with that.
• Direct speech: “I can’t come to the party,” he said. Reported speech: He said he couldn’t come to the party.
• Direct speech: “Please don’t leave me,” she said. Reported speech: She begged him not to leave her.
• Direct speech: “I have never been to London before,” he said. Reported speech: He said he had never been to London before.
• Direct speech: “Where did you put my phone?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked where she had put her phone.
• Direct speech: “I’m sorry for being late,” he said. Reported speech: He apologized for being late.
• Direct speech: “I need some help with this math problem,” she said. Reported speech: She said she needed some help with the math problem.
• Direct speech: “I am going to study abroad next year,” he said. Reported speech: He said he was going to study abroad the following year.
• Direct speech: “Can you give me a ride to the airport?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked him to give her a ride to the airport.
• Direct speech: “I don’t know how to fix this,” he said. Reported speech: He said he didn’t know how to fix it.
• Direct speech: “I hate it when it rains,” she said. Reported speech: She said she hated it when it rained.

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Reporting Verbs in Direct and Indirect Speech

Table of Contents

Introduction

In narration change verbs are very important. In narration, verb that is used to convey the speech of the speaker is called reporting verb . In reported clause also verbs are of great importance. We use auxiliary verb or main or principal verb to form the speech and by changing the tense of the verb in reported clause we convert speech from direct to indirect or vice versa. 

 Most of the time, we use say, tell and ask as reporting verb. Usually these reporting verbs are used in past forms. 

‘Say’ and ‘tell’ are the most common used verbs. Although the meaning of ‘say’ and ‘tell’ is almost similar, there is a bit difference between the two reporting verbs. 

Rita says , “The world is full of wonder.” Rita says to me, “the world is full of wonder.”

‘Ask’ is used in case of interrogative sentence. We use ask to question or to inquire. We can also use to after ‘ask’. 

• English Grammar
• Reported Speech

Reported Speech - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Reported speech or indirect speech is the form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time. This article will help you with all that you need to know about reported speech, its meaning, definition, how and when to use them along with examples. Furthermore, try out the practice questions given to check how far you have understood the topic.

Table of Contents

Definition of reported speech, rules to be followed when using reported speech, table 1 – change of pronouns, table 2 – change of adverbs of place and adverbs of time, table 3 – change of tense, table 4 – change of modal verbs, tips to practise reported speech, examples of reported speech, check your understanding of reported speech, frequently asked questions on reported speech in english, what is reported speech.

Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message.

Now, take a look at the following dictionary definitions for a clearer idea of what it is.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

Reported speech is a little different from direct speech . As it has been discussed already, reported speech is used to tell what someone said and does not use the exact words of the speaker. Take a look at the following rules so that you can make use of reported speech effectively.

• The first thing you have to keep in mind is that you need not use any quotation marks as you are not using the exact words of the speaker.
• You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech.

• You can use verbs like said, asked, requested, ordered, complained, exclaimed, screamed, told, etc. If you are just reporting a declarative sentence , you can use verbs like told, said, etc. followed by ‘that’ and end the sentence with a full stop . When you are reporting interrogative sentences, you can use the verbs – enquired, inquired, asked, etc. and remove the question mark . In case you are reporting imperative sentences , you can use verbs like requested, commanded, pleaded, ordered, etc. If you are reporting exclamatory sentences , you can use the verb exclaimed and remove the exclamation mark . Remember that the structure of the sentences also changes accordingly.
• Furthermore, keep in mind that the sentence structure , tense , pronouns , modal verbs , some specific adverbs of place and adverbs of time change when a sentence is transformed into indirect/reported speech.

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

As discussed earlier, when transforming a sentence from direct speech into reported speech, you will have to change the pronouns, tense and adverbs of time and place used by the speaker. Let us look at the following tables to see how they work.

Here are some tips you can follow to become a pro in using reported speech.

• Select a play, a drama or a short story with dialogues and try transforming the sentences in direct speech into reported speech.
• Write about an incident or speak about a day in your life using reported speech.
• Develop a story by following prompts or on your own using reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written. Check them out.

• Santana said that she would be auditioning for the lead role in Funny Girl.
• Blaine requested us to help him with the algebraic equations.
• Karishma asked me if I knew where her car keys were.
• The judges announced that the Warblers were the winners of the annual acapella competition.
• Binsha assured that she would reach Bangalore by 8 p.m.
• Kumar said that he had gone to the doctor the previous day.
• Lakshmi asked Teena if she would accompany her to the railway station.
• Jibin told me that he would help me out after lunch.
• The police ordered everyone to leave from the bus stop immediately.
• Rahul said that he was drawing a caricature.

Transform the following sentences into reported speech by making the necessary changes.

1. Rachel said, “I have an interview tomorrow.”

2. Mahesh said, “What is he doing?”

3. Sherly said, “My daughter is playing the lead role in the skit.”

4. Dinesh said, “It is a wonderful movie!”

5. Suresh said, “My son is getting married next month.”

6. Preetha said, “Can you please help me with the invitations?”

7. Anna said, “I look forward to meeting you.”

8. The teacher said, “Make sure you complete the homework before tomorrow.”

9. Sylvester said, “I am not going to cry anymore.”

10. Jade said, “My sister is moving to Los Angeles.”

Now, find out if you have answered all of them correctly.

1. Rachel said that she had an interview the next day.

2. Mahesh asked what he was doing.

3. Sherly said that her daughter was playing the lead role in the skit.

4. Dinesh exclaimed that it was a wonderful movie.

5. Suresh said that his son was getting married the following month.

6. Preetha asked if I could help her with the invitations.

7. Anna said that she looked forward to meeting me.

8. The teacher told us to make sure we completed the homework before the next day.

9. Sylvester said that he was not going to cry anymore.

10. Jade said that his sister was moving to Los Angeles.

What is reported speech?

What is the definition of reported speech.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

What is the formula of reported speech?

You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech. Subject said that (report whatever the speaker said)

Give some examples of reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written.

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Reporting Verbs in English: List with Examples & Exercises

Reporting verbs are used when you want to tell someone about another conversation. We also call this reported speech or indirect speech. Two examples of reporting verbs are say and tell. There are many others and these have different meanings and grammar structures. In this study guide, we’ll look at examples of these verbs and show you how to use them correctly. We’ll also look at reporting verbs to improve your academic writing. Let’s go!

What are reporting verbs?

Reporting verbs list.

• How do I use them?

Reporting verbs in academic writing

• Test your knowledge: exercises

What you will learn: 

Reporting verbs (or referring verbs) are words used to report about (or refer to) what another person has said, written or done. These verbs are used in reported speech, which can be direct or indirect.

The first reporting verbs that English students learn are usually say and tell . For example compare i) and ii) below:

• “It’s my birthday next weekend. Please, make a birthday cake for me!” Charlotte said to her mum ( direct speech)

Charlotte told her mum to make a birthday cake for her. ( indirect speech)

There are many other reporting verbs in English. These can be particularly useful in formal and academic writing.

General reporting verbs

In this table, we have listed out some common reporting verbs that are used in everyday English. To help you understand how to correctly place them in a sentence, we have put them into approximate categories based on their most common usage. However, you should remember that some of these reporting verbs can be used in difference contexts and sometimes with different grammar structures.

Academic reporting verbs

In the table below, we’ve listed out the reporting verbs in groups based on their general meanings. We have also indicated the relative “strength” of each verb. For example, if I imply (suggest/hint, weak) that you are wrong, this is very different from if I assert (state/say, strong) that you are wrong. Remember that English is seldom “black vs. white” – there are often several degrees of meaning.

How do I use reporting verbs?

Understanding what the verbs mean is generally the easiest step. You see a new word, you learn what the word means in your own language and you learn how to pronounce it in English. In actual fact, you can only really say you’ve learnt a word when you also know how to accurately use it in a sentence.

Let’s return to our example with Charlotte’s birthday cake:

 “It’s my birthday next weekend. Make a birthday cake for me,” Charlotte said to her mum ( direct speech)

Easy, right? Now let’s consider that there are many other ways that Charlotte could say this in English. Depending on what she said and how she said it, you might need to use a different reporting verb, not just say or tell . For example:

• If you want to express the idea of “ Don’t forget ” “ Don’t forget to make a birthday cake for me.” Charlotte reminded her mum to make a cake.
• If you want to express the idea of “ No, I don’t want to do something ” (i) “ I’m not going to make my own birthday cake!” Charlotte said that she wouldn’t make her own cake.(ii) “ I’m not going to make my birthday cake. You can do it!” Charlotte refused to make a cake. (iii) “I’ve got lots of work to do this weekend and I might be too busy for other things”Charlotte hinted that she wouldn’t make the cake.  

In these sentences, there are three different verbs (say, hint, refuse). They all mean “no” but say is a neutral verb, hint is a weak verb, and refuse is much stronger .

• If you want to express the idea of “Please do this!” “ Can you make a birthday cake for me, please ?” Charlotte asked her mum to make a cake. “ Please, please, please, can you make a cake for my birthday?” Charlotte begged her mum to make a cake (or) Charlotte pleaded with her mum to make a birthday cake. Ask, plead and beg all have a similar meaning, but plead and beg are much stronger than ask.

Learning words in English is like collecting bricks to build a house. It’s not enough just to get the bricks. You also need to learn how to arrange them correctly so that your house is solid! You can’t build a good house from just a couple of bricks (e.g. say and tell). That’s why you need to learn more vocabulary – like reporting verbs. We don’t want the Big Bad Wolf to blow your house down!

Let’s take a look at HOW to use reporting verbs in real sentences. Below, we have divided the verbs into their different grammar structures so they are easier for you to learn.

1. Reporting verb + infinitive

Verbs: Refuse, decide, promise, demand, agree, threaten, plead with Examples:

• Charlotte refused to make a cake. ( NOT : Charlotte refused making a cake)
• My boss decided to give me a promotion.
• The teacher demanded to know who was responsible for the mess.
• We agreed to keep quiet and not tell anyone the news. (or) We agreed that we would keep quiet.
• We threatened to go to the police.
• They pleaded with the man to release the hostage.

2. Reporting verb + somebody + (not) infinitive

Verbs : remind, ask, beg, warn , order, encourage, persuade, advise, urge, agree Examples :

• Charlotte reminded her mum to make a cake.
• They asked me to cook
• He begged his friend not to tell
• They warned me not to go there by myself.
• The government has ordered everybody to stay at home.
• Her parents always encourage her to work
• They persuaded me to stay for another drink.
• The doctor advised me to stop
• Our new neighbours have invited us to have dinner with them tomorrow.

3. Reporting verb + verb +ing

Verbs: Deny, suggest, recommend, report, propose, admit

These verbs can be used with +ing or with that , but it’s generally better to be concise and use the +ing verb. Short and sweet! Examples :

• They denied taking the last biscuit. (short) (or) They denied that they had taken the last biscuit. (long)
• She admitted stealing the money. (or) She admitted that she had stolen the money. / She admitted to me that she had stolen the money.
• She suggested taking a taxi because it would be quicker. (or) She suggested that we took a taxi.
• I recommend going in the morning when the weather isn’t so hot. (or) I recommend ( that) we go in the morning.
• I propose cancelling the next meeting until we have made a decision. (or) I propose that we cancel the next meeting.

4. Reporting verb + preposition + verb + ing

Verbs: Blame smbd for, accuse smbd of, insist on, apologise for, complain about, confess to, forbid smbd from, agree to, think about Examples :

• They blamed me for missing the train.
• She accused her friend of
• He apologised for breaking the window.
• She is thinking about moving to France.
• He insisted on paying for everybody. / He insisted that he paid for everybody.
• They complained about not having a small hotel room. / They complained that they didn’t have a bigger room.

The reporting verbs we use in academic writing also follow specific grammatical patterns. Again, it is important to know whether the verb needs +ing, the infinitive , or that after it.

5. Academic reporting verb + that

Verbs: Point out, find, observe , state, agree, believe, assert, claim, contend, explain, guess, assert, imply, reason, prove, note, report, reveal.

• Bosley (2017) found that elderly patients experience fewer symptoms of pain when they have regular access to some form of nature. (or) Bosley (2017) found a link between symptoms and access to nature. ( find smth )
• Martinez (2008) and Zhang (2009) agree that … (or) Martinez (2008) and Zhang (2009) agree with this theory . ( agree with + smth/smbd )
• Persson (2003) claims that a community is impossible without a shared aim.
• Research conducted by Bradwell in 2017 revealed that there was a considerable difference in the amount of time UK and US teenagers spent with their families. (or) Research conducted by Bradwell in 2017 revealed a considerable difference in the amount of time UK and US teenagers spent with their families.

6. Academic reporting verb + smth

Verbs: Develop, study, focus on, acknowledge, doubt, contribute to, echo, subscribe to, question, disapprove of, dispute, reject, discuss, investigate, illustrate, present, outline, put forward, consider, support, emphasise, challenge, analyse, discard, identify, explore, propose, highlight, stress. Examples:

• Wang (2016) supports the idea that there is a significant link between play and child development. NOT : Wang (2016) supports that there is a significant link between play and child development.  
• Roberts (2018) identifies three possible factors in early diagnosis.
• Solara (2015) questions the importance of this approach. (or) Solara (2015)  questions whether this approach is important.
• Barboza (2018) rejects the three factors presented by Solara.
• Miller (2016) discusses this theory in detail. NOT : Miller (2016) discusses about this theory in detail

In academic writing, reporting verbs are used when you want to refer to what another person has said. You do this to strengthen your own argument and to show that other academics think the same as you.

It would be easy to just learn the verb “to state”, and use this all the time. However, using a range of other verbs can allow you to express your opinion about the author’s idea more precisely. For example, “to state” is quite neutral , but “to claim” implies that there is no proof behind what the author is saying.

Past or present tense?

You can use both the past and the present tense in academic writing.

If you are talking about recent research, use the present. This makes a connection between past research and now, which adds weight to your argument.

• Wang (2016) support s the idea that there is a significant link between play and child development. (present simple)

If you are talking about how research was conducted, you will need to use the past simple (either active or passive voice).

• Wang (2016) examin ed fifty groups of siblings. (past simple) The siblings were asked the following questions. (passive voice)

Avoid these common mistakes!

• It’s possible to express someone’s opinion using “According to…”. This does not need a reporting verb. “According to” does the job of a reporting verb already. e.g. “According to Covey (2017)…” (Not: “ According to Covey (2017) states that… ”)
• A source written by one author will need a singular verb with “-s” at the end e.g. “Liu (2016) suggest s that…” (Not: “ Liu (2016) suggest that… ”)
• A source written by more than one author will need a plural verb. e.g. “Liu and Helzer (2016) suggest that…” (Not: “ Liu and Helzer (2016) suggests that… ”)
• If you use “et al.” to indicate multiple authors, this will also require a plural verb as it means “they”. e.g. “Rosenberg et al. (2018) argue that…” (Not: “ Rosenberg et al. (2018) argues that…” )

Reporting verbs: Exercises

• Why didn’t you _____________ me that you don’t eat meat? a) say.  b) tell
• I didn’t ____________ anything to you, because I was too worried. a) tell.    b) say
• We __________ them to meet us in the main square at half past eleven. a) told.  b) said
• You should ________ her that you don’t want to go on holiday. a) say.  b) tell
• Are you going to ___________ anything to Sue about your good news? a) say.  b) tell
• They have ________ that we will need to bring our own bed linen and towels. a) told.    b) said

Which of these sentences are right and which are wrong? Choose correct or incorrect.

• She suggested to study together for the exam. a . Correct    b. Incorrect
• I said you not to do that. a. Correct    b. Incorrect
• I didn’t tell anyone anything. a . Correct.  b . Incorrect
• We have decided live in the countryside. a. Correct    b. Incorrect
• My grandmother always encouraged to learn to cook. a. Correct    b. Incorrect

Choose the correct verb to complete the sentences.

• She invited me ________ to her house for a drink after work. a. go    b. going  c. to go
• She asked me _________ some money. a. lending    b. to lend    c . to lend her
• They persuaded me _________ to London with them. a. go    b. to go    c. of going
• He advised _______ more exercise. a. I do    b. me to do    c. me doing
• He begged me not _______ anybody about the accident. a. of telling    b. tell    c. to tell
• He reminded ________ to renew the car insurance. a . to me    b. me    c. of me
• She refused _______ the washing-up again! a. me to do    b. to do.  c. doing
• She apologised _________ me an angry text message. a. of sending. b. for sending    c. sending
• He admitted ________ the red wine on the sofa. a. spilling    b. to spill    c. spill of
• He suggested _________ on a cycling holiday next year. a. go    b . going c. we going
• He denied _________ my car. a. taking    b . to take    c. taking of
• She decided __________ the risotto. a. having.  b. to have    c. to having

Exercise 1:

Exercise 2:

• b. Incorrect (She suggested studying together for the exam.)
• b. Incorrect (I told you not to do that.)
• b. Incorrect (We have decided to live in the countryside.)
• b. Incorrect (My grandmother always encouraged me to learn to cook.)

Exercise 3:

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Home / English Grammar / Narration Change Class 8 Rules with Examples and Exercises

Narration Change Class 8 Rules with Examples and Exercises

Discover the narration change class 8 rules with examples and exercises and learn how to change from Direct speech to Indirect Speech . Class 8   Narration rules with examples and exercises have been arranged in the following with our comprehensive guide, complete with examples and exercises.

Narration Change Class 8

Narration Change means to change the speech of the speaker either from  Direct to Indirect  or from  Indirect to Direct . When we quote the actual words of the speaker, it is called  Direct Narration.  But when someone narrates the speaker’s speech indirectly keeping the meaning the same, it is called  Indirect Narration. For examples,

• Direct: Debi says, “I pray to God.”
• Indirect: Devi says that she prays to God.

We sometimes need to change the speaker’s actual words indirectly keeping the meaning the same or vice versa. This needs to change Direct Narration to Indirect Narration or Indirect to Direct. In order that we must know some rules to keep meaning the same.

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Rules of Narration Change Class 8

The following Narration Change Rules must be observed carefully.

Rule 1: Change of Tense

1. If the reporting verb is in the Present or Future tense (e.g. say , will say ) there is no change in the tense of the verb in the Indirect Speech . For Example,

• Direct: Sabita says ( present ), ” I can do ( present ) the sum.”
• Indirect: Sabita says ( present ) that she can do ( present ) the sum.
• They will say ( Future ), “He could drive ( Past ) the car”
• They will say ( Future ) that he could drive ( Past ) the car.

2. If the Reporting verb is in the Past Tense , the tense of the verb in the reported speech or indirect speech must be generally changed.

Present Tense in the direct becomes Past Tense .

• Direct: He said, “I write a letter.”
• Indirect: He said that he wrote a letter

Past Tense becomes Past Perfect or remains Unchanged

• Direct: Ruby said, “I bought a pen yesterday.”
• Indirect: Ruby said that he had bought a pen the previous day.

Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous

• Direct: He said, “I am going to church.”
• Indirect: He said that he was going to church.

Past Continuous becomes Past Perfect Continuous

• Direct: Mohan said I was playing cricket
• Indirect: Mohan said that he had been playing cricket

Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect

• Direct: Kunal said, “I have done my homework.”
• Indirect: Kunal said that he had done his homework.

Present Perfect Continuous becomes Past Perfect Continuous

• Direct: Anita said I have been reading a novel
• Indirect: Anita said that she had been reading a novel

“ will ” and “ shall ” becomes ‘ would’ “ May ”, becomes “ might ” “ Can ”, becomes “ Could” “ Must ” becomes “ must ” or “ had to”

Rule 2: Change of Pronouns

The First Person Pronouns in the “ reported speech ” or “ Quoted Speech ” are put into the same person as “ the subject of the reporting Verb.”

• He said, “ I worked hard.”
• He said that he had worked hard.

The Second Person Pronouns in the “ reported speech ” or “ Quoted Speech ” are put into the same person as “ the indirect object of the reporting Verb.”

• I said to her , “ You are idle in your office.”
• I told her that she was idle in her office.

The Third Person Pronouns in the “ reported speech ” or “ Quoted Speech ” remain in the “Third Person.”

• I said, “ He will not wait for his friend.”
• I said that he would not wait for his friend.

Narration Change Class 8 Rules for Assertive Sentence:

1. No comma (, ) after the Reporting verb in Indirect Speech.

2. The full stop ( . ) at the end of the sentence in indirect speech.

3. Reporting verbs in Direct Speech (say/said/say to you / said to me) will be changed into (say/said/tell you / told me) in Indirect Speech.

4. Connective ‘that’ is to add between Reporting Verb and Direct Speech in Indirect Narration.

Examples of Narration Change Class 8 Assertive Sentences

Direct Speech: He said to me, “You are ill”

Indirect Speech: He told me that I was ill.

Assertive Sentence Workout Examples

Change the mode of Narration of the following sentences.

1. He says, “I shall help the poor.” Ans: He says that he will help the poor.

2. You will say, “I do not take tea.” Ans: You will say that you do not take tea.”

3. They said, “We are not afraid.” Ans: They said that they were not afraid.

4. She said, “I am working in the garden.” Ans: She said that she was working in the garden.

5. You said to me, “I have sold a bicycle.” Ans: You told me that you had sold a bicycle.

6. I said to Mitali, “You misunderstand me.” Ans: I told Mitali that she misunderstood me.

Q 7 . We said to them, “We will help you.” Ans: We told them that we would help them.

Q 8. Reba said to Rajib, “You are working very sincerely.” Ans: Reba told Rajib that he was working very sincerely.

Assertive Sentences Exercises & Answers

1. Sima told me that she had given me a pen the previous day. Ans: Sima said to me, “I gave you a pen yesterday.”

2. They said that they were happy then. Ans: They said. “We are happy now.”

3. The teacher said that man is mortal. Ans: The teacher said, “Man is mortal.”

4. He said that he walks in the morning every day. Ans: He said, “I walk in the morning every day.”

5. Mantu said that Iron is a very useful metal. Ans: Mantu said. “Iron is a very useful metal.”

Narration Change Class 8 Rules for Interrogative Sentence:

3. Reporting verbs in Direct Speech ( say / said / say to you / said to me ) will be changed into ( ask / asked / ask you / asked me ) in Indirect Speech. Reporting Verbs in Indirect Speech may also be ‘ enquire of ’, or ‘ want to know ’.

4. Connective ‘ if/whether ’ is to add between Reporting Verb and Direct Speech in Indirect Narration, if the interrogative sentence is not introduced with interrogative pronouns – who, what , whom , when , why, whose , where , how, etc.

In Indirect speech, the interrogative sentence will turn into an Assertive Sentence. That means the subject will follow the verbs.

Examples of Narration Change Class 8 Interrogative Sentences

Direct Speech: The boy said to me, ‘Will you help me?” Direct Speech: He said to me, “How old are you?”

Indirect Speech: The boy asked me if I would help him. Indirect Speech: The man asked me how old I was.

Interrogative Sentence Workout Examples

1. Mother said to my sister, “Will you entertain our guest?” Ans: Mother asked my sister if she would entertain their guests.

2. The teacher said to the boy, “Have you prepared your lesson?” Ans: The teacher asked the boy if he had prepared his lessons.

3. Mobarak said to Latif, “Did you go there yesterday?” Ans: Mobarak enquired of Latif whether he had gone there the previous day.

4. Hema said to Bina, “Are you ill today?” Ans: Hema asked Bina if she was ill that day.

5. Jyoti said to Moti, “are you weeping?” Ans: Jyoti asked Moti if she was weeping.

6. Debu said to Apu, “Have you closed the front door before you leave the house? Ans: Debu asked Apu if he had closed the front door before he left the house.

7. Geeta said to Sumita, “Can you solve this problem?” Ans: Geeta asked Sumita if she could solve the problem.

8. Haren said to Baren, “When have you come here?’ Ans: Haren asked Baren when he had gone there.

Interrogative Sentences Exercises & Answers

1. Dwijen asked Swapan how old he was. Ans: Dwijen said to Swapan,”How old are you?”

2. Rupa asked Nipa whom she had spoken with the night before. Ans: Rupa said to Nipa, “Whom did you speak with the last night?”

3. You enquired of me what I wanted from you. Ans: You said to me, “What do you want from me?”

4. Sipra asked us how long she would wait for our friends to come there. Ans: Sipra said to us, “How long shall I wait for your friends to come here?”

5. The boy asked me where I lived. Ans: The boy said to me, “Where do you live?”

6. The teacher asked whose book that was. Ans: The teacher said, “Whose book is this?”

7. The man asked her whom she wanted to see. Ans: The man said to her, “Whom do you want to see?”

Narration Change Class 8 Rules for Imperative Sentence:

1. In Indirect Speech, the reporting verb becomes order , request , advise , ask , tell , etc. according to the sense.

2. Infinitive, “to” is used before the main verb in Indirect Speech.

3. In the case of the Negative Imperative, ‘not’ is used before the Infinitive in the Indirect Speech. The verb ‘forbid’, ‘prohibit’, etc may be used and in that case ‘not’ is not used before the Infinitive.

4. The expressions like ‘Sir’ and ‘please’ i n Direct Speech are omitted in Indirect Speech and reporting verbs ‘request’ , ‘entreat’ etc., and adverbs ‘kindly’ , ‘politely’ , ‘respectfully’ etc, may be used in their place to express the sense.

An imperative Sentence beginning with ‘Let’

1. ‘Let’ with ‘us’ express ‘ suggestion’, or ‘proposal’ – reporting verb in Indirect Speech will be ‘suggest’, ‘propose’; ‘Let’ changed to ‘should’ and placed after subject; connective ‘that’ is used.

2. ‘Let’ with ‘me’, ‘him’, and ‘her’ not express ‘ suggestion’, or ‘proposal’ – reporting verb in Indirect Speech will be ‘request’ or ‘wish’ according to sense; ‘ Let ’ changed to ‘ may/may be allowed to ‘ – Present Tense; might /might be allowed to – Past Tense’ and placed after subject; connective ‘that’ is used.

Examples of Narration Change Class 8 Imperative Sentences

Direct Speech: The teacher said to the pupils, “Respect your superiors.” Direct Speech: You said to her, “Don’t insult me.”

Direct Speech: My friend said to me, “Let us go for a picnic.” Direct Speech: The girl said to her mother, “Let me take some rest for a while.”

Indirect Speech: The teacher advised the pupils to respect their superiors. Indirect Speech: You told her not to insult you.

Indirect Speech: My friend suggested that they should go for a picnic. Indirect Speech: The girl requested her mother that she might be allowed to take some rest for a while.

Imperative Sentences Workout Examples

Change the Narration of the following sentences.

1. The general said to the soldiers, “March forward.” Ans: The general ordered the soldiers to march forward.

2. The boy said to his friend, “Give your brother this information.” Ans: The boy told his friend to give his brother that information.

3. He said to me, “Follow me.” Ans: He asked (told) me to follow him.

4. You said to her, “Do not insult me in this way.” Ans: You forbade her to insult you in that way. Ans: You told her not to insult you in that way.

5. The student said to the teacher, “Please explain the law of Gravitation once again. Ans: The student requested the teacher to explain the law of Gravitation once again.

6. The master said to the servant, “Act up to my instruction. Ans: The master ordered the servant to act up to his instruction.

Imperative Sentences Exercises and Answers

7. The preceptor said to the disciple, “Lead a peaceful and truthful life. Ans: The preceptor advised the disciple to lead a peaceful and truthful life.

8. Father said to me, “Take care of your health and mind your lessons. Ans: Father advised me to take care of my health and to mind my lessons.

9. The Convict said to the Bishop, “Give me food and drink. Ans: The convict told the Bishop to give him food and drink.

10. The teacher said to the pupils, “Do not smoke. Ans: The teacher forbade the pupils to smoke. Ans: The teacher advised the pupils not to smoke.

11. The old man said to the traffic police, “Please show me the way to the hospital.” Ans: The old man requested the traffic police to show him the way to the hospital.

12. The prisoner said to the police officer on duty, “Sir, allow the inmates of my family to meet me. Ans: The prisoner politely requested the police officer on duty to allow the inmates of his family to meet him.

13. The teacher said, “Sit down, boys.” Ans: The teacher told the boys to sit down.

Imperative Sentence Examples with “Let”.

1. The boys said, “let us take a trip to Digha.’ Ans: The boys proposed or suggested that they should take a trip To Digha.

2. The girl says to her friends, “Let us arrange a picnic on Sunday.’’ Ans: The girl proposed or suggested to her friends that they should arrange a picnic on Sunday.

3. My friend said to us, “Let us avail ourselves of this unique opportunity.’’ Ans: My friend proposed (suggested) to us that we should avail ourselves of that unique opportunity.

4. Phatik said to his playmates, “Let us roll the log.” Ans: Phatik proposed (suggested) to his playmates that they should not the log.

5. He said to me, “Let me take off the lid of the kettle.” Ans: He proposed to me that he should take off the lid of the kettle.

6. The boy requests that he may be allowed to (or may) enjoy the Television Programme then. Ans: The boy says, “Let me enjoy the Television Programme now.”

7. The girl requested her mother that she might (or might be allowed to) take a rest for a while. Ans: The girl said to her mother, “Let me take a rest for a while.”

8. He said that he might ( might be allowed to) select the poem for recitation. Ans: He said, “Let me select the poem for recitation.”

9. The old man said that he might (or might be allowed to) die in peace. Ans: The old man said, “Let me die in peace.”

10. You requested that you might be allowed to (or might) try. Ans: You said, “Let me try.”

Narration Change Class 8 Rules for Optative Sentence:

1. In Indirect Speech, the reporting verb becomes wish , pray , desire.

2. Connective ‘that’ is introduced.

Optative Sentences Examples of Narration Change Class 8

Direct Speech: He said to me, ‘May you be happy.”

Indirect Speech: He wished that I might be happy.

Optative Sentences Workout Examples

1. Mother said, ‘May you be happy.’ Ans: Mother wished that I might be happy.

2. He said to you, ‘May God bless you.’ A ns: He prayed that God might bless you.

3. She said, ‘Had I been there!’ Ans: She wished that she had been there.

4. He said to me, ‘May you succeed.’ Ans: He wished that I might succeed.

5. They said, ‘Long live the leader.’ Ans: They prayed that the leader might live long.

6. He said to me, ‘May your mother recover soon.’ Ans: He wished that my mother might recover soon.

7. The monk said, ‘May peace prevail.’ Ans: The monk hoped that peace would prevail.

8. The boy said, ‘Had I the wings of a bird.’ Ans: The boy wished that he could have the wings of a bird.

Optative Sentences Exercise and Answers

1. The poor man said, ‘If only I had a hundred rupees.’ Ans: The poor man longed for a hundred rupees.

2. Mother said, ‘May the child the cured of cough and cold.’ Ans: Mother prayed that the child might be cured of cough and cold.

3. The people in Great Britain said, “May the departed soul of Diana rest in peace.’ Ans: The people in Great Britain prayed that the departed soul of Diana might rest in peace.

4. He said to me, “Wish you a happy retired life.” Ans: He wished that I might have a happy retired life.

5. You said to her, “May Heaven’s choicest blessings be showered on your wedded life.” Ans: You wished her that Heaven’s choicest blessings might be showered on her wedded life.

6. I said to him, “May Mother Teresa bless us.’ Ans: The people prayed that Mother Teresa might bless them.

7. They said to her, “May you come round soon.’ Ans: They wished that she might come round soon.

8. She said, “Oh, could I sing like a cuckoo.” Ans: She wished that she could sing like a cuckoo.

Class 8 Narration Change Rules for Exclamatory Sentences:

1. In reporting Exclamatory Sentences, the reporting verb according to sense in the Indirect Speech is introduced by some verb like ‘exclaim in (with) joy,’ ‘exclaim in (with) sorrow’, ‘exclaim in (with) wonder, ‘exclaim in (with) anger,’ ‘exclaim in (with) despair, ‘exclaim in (with) shame, may be used.

2. Where the nature of exclamation is not clear, the reporting verb ‘cry out’ or ‘exclaim’ only may be used.

3. The exclamation form is changed into Assertive Form with the linker ‘that’.

4. Exclamatory Sentence beginning with ‘what’ or ‘how’ becomes ‘great’ or ‘very’ according to sense, usually ‘great’ is used before a Noun and ‘very’ before an Adjective.

5. Note of exclamation ( ! ) turns into a full stop ( . ) in the Indirect Speech.

Examples of Narration Change Class 8 Exclamatory Sentences

Direct Speech: She said, “Alas! I am undone.”

Indirect: She exclaimed with/in sorrow that she was undone.

Exclamatory Sentences Workout Examples

1. He said, “What a beautiful sight it is!” Ans: He exclaimed in (with) joy that it was a very beautiful sight

2. You said, “How happy we are here!” Ans: You exclaimed in (with) joy that you were very happy there.

3. She said, “Alas! I am undone.” Ans: She exclaimed in (with) sorrow that she was undone.

4. The boy said, “How big the snake is!” Ans: The boy exclaimed in (with) wonder that the snake was very big.

5. The boys said, “Hurrah! East Bengal has won the Asian cup.’ Ans: The boys exclaimed with (in) joy that East Bengal had won the Asain Cup.

6. He said to me, “What a loss you have done to me!” Ans: He cried out in anger that I had done a great loss to him

7. Sudeshna said, “How foolish she is !” Ans: Sudeshna cried out (exclaimed) in despair that she was very foolish.

8. The countrymen said, “Fie! What a treachery.” Ans: The countrymen exclaimed in shame that it was a great treachery.

9. The boy said, “Alas! I find no hope of recovery.” Ans: The boy exclaimed in despair that he found no hope of recovery.

10. He said, “By God, what a thrilling experience !” Ans: He swore by God that it was a very thrilling experience.

11. He said, “Good morning, my friend!” Ans: He wished good morning to his friends.

Exclamatory Sentences Exercises and Answers

1. The patriot said, “Goodbye, my countrymen!” Ans: The patriot bade goodbye to his countrymen.

2. He said to me, “Heartiest Bijoya Greetings!” Ans: He wished me the heartiest Bijoya Greetings.

3. They said, “Who knew that Mother Teresa would leave us so early!” Ans: They said that none knew that Mother Teresa would leave them so early.

4. The President said, “Thank you, my countrymen. Ans: The President thanked his countrymen.

5. You said to him, “Bravo! You have scaled over the wall.” Ans: You applauded him saying that he had scaled over the wall.

5. He said, ‘How nice it is!’ Ans: He exclaimed in joy that it was very nice.

6. She said, ‘Alas! I am ruined.’ Ans: She exclaimed in sorrow that she was ruined,

7. He said to his son, ‘Bravo! You have done well.’ Ans: He applauded his son, saying that he had done well.

8. How happy we were there !’ They said to each other. Ans: They wistfully / gloomily said to each other that they had been very happy there.

9. The supporters said, ‘Hurrah! we have won?’ Ans: The supporter exclaimed in joy that they had won.

10. The girl said, ‘How wonderful love is! Ans: The girl exclaimed in joy that love is wonderful.

Exclamatory Sentences Worksheet

1. The teacher said, ‘Bravo! Well done!’ Ans: The teacher applauded his students by saying that they had done well.

2. ‘Alas! I am undone’, said the woman. Ans: The woman cried out in sorrow that she was undone.

3. He said, ‘Goodbye, my friends! Ans: He bade his friends goodbye.

4. The old man said to the youth, ‘Fie! You are such a coward.’ Ans: The old man exclaimed that it was shameful for the youth to be such a coward.

5. ‘How dirty the house is!’ he observed. Ans: He exclaimed in irritation that the house was very dirty.

6. “Good God! I am saved’, said he. Ans: He exclaimed in the name of merciful God that he was saved.

7. The girl said, ‘What a fool I am!’ Ans: The girl exclaimed with grief that she was a great fool.

8. He said, ‘You cheat !’ Ans: He called me a cheat.

9. Our teacher said, ‘Congratulations! Ans: Our teacher congratulated us.

10. He said ‘Sorry, it was my mistake! Ans: He confessed that it was his mistake.

Related Posts:

Reported Speech – Rules, Examples

| Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

They say gossip is a natural part of human life. That’s why language has evolved to develop grammatical rules about the “he said” and “she said” statements. We call them reported speech.

Every time we use reported speech in English, we are talking about something said by someone else in the past. Thinking about it brings me back to high school, when reported speech was the main form of language!

Learn all about the definition, rules, and examples of reported speech as I go over everything. I also included a worksheet at the end of the article so you can test your knowledge of the topic.

What Does Reported Speech Mean?

Reported speech is a term we use when telling someone what another person said. You can do this while speaking or writing.

There are two kinds of reported speech you can use: direct speech and indirect speech. I’ll break each down for you.

A direct speech sentence mentions the exact words the other person said. For example:

• Kryz said, “These are all my necklaces.”

Indirect speech changes the original speaker’s words. For example:

• Kryz said those were all her necklaces.

When we tell someone what another individual said, we use reporting verbs like told, asked, convinced, persuaded, and said. We also change the first-person figure in the quotation into the third-person speaker.

Reported Speech Examples

We usually talk about the past every time we use reported speech. That’s because the time of speaking is already done. For example:

• Direct speech: The employer asked me, “Do you have experience with people in the corporate setting?”

Indirect speech: The employer asked me if I had experience with people in the corporate setting.

• Direct speech: “I’m working on my thesis,” I told James.

Indirect speech: I told James that I was working on my thesis.

Reported Speech Structure

A speech report has two parts: the reporting clause and the reported clause. Read the example below:

• Harry said, “You need to help me.”

The reporting clause here is William said. Meanwhile, the reported clause is the 2nd clause, which is I need your help.

What are the 4 Types of Reported Speech?

Aside from direct and indirect, reported speech can also be divided into four. The four types of reported speech are similar to the kinds of sentences: imperative, interrogative, exclamatory, and declarative.

Reported Speech Rules

The rules for reported speech can be complex. But with enough practice, you’ll be able to master them all.

Choose Whether to Use That or If

The most common conjunction in reported speech is that. You can say, “My aunt says she’s outside,” or “My aunt says that she’s outside.”

Use if when you’re reporting a yes-no question. For example:

• Direct speech: “Are you coming with us?”

Indirect speech: She asked if she was coming with them.

Verb Tense Changes

Change the reporting verb into its past form if the statement is irrelevant now. Remember that some of these words are irregular verbs, meaning they don’t follow the typical -d or -ed pattern. For example:

• Direct speech: I dislike fried chicken.

Reported speech: She said she disliked fried chicken.

Note how the main verb in the reported statement is also in the past tense verb form.

Use the simple present tense in your indirect speech if the initial words remain relevant at the time of reporting. This verb tense also works if the report is something someone would repeat. For example:

• Slater says they’re opening a restaurant soon.
• Maya says she likes dogs.

This rule proves that the choice of verb tense is not a black-and-white question. The reporter needs to analyze the context of the action.

Move the tense backward when the reporting verb is in the past tense. That means:

• Present simple becomes past simple.
• Present perfect becomes past perfect.
• Present continuous becomes past continuous.
• Past simple becomes past perfect.
• Past continuous becomes past perfect continuous.

Here are some examples:

• The singer has left the building. (present perfect)

He said that the singers had left the building. (past perfect)

• Her sister gave her new shows. (past simple)
• She said that her sister had given her new shoes. (past perfect)

If the original speaker is discussing the future, change the tense of the reporting verb into the past form. There’ll also be a change in the auxiliary verbs.

• Will or shall becomes would.
• Will be becomes would be.
• Will have been becomes would have been.
• Will have becomes would have.

For example:

• Direct speech: “I will be there in a moment.”

Indirect speech: She said that she would be there in a moment.

Do not change the verb tenses in indirect speech when the sentence has a time clause. This rule applies when the introductory verb is in the future, present, and present perfect. Here are other conditions where you must not change the tense:

• If the sentence is a fact or generally true.
• If the sentence’s verb is in the unreal past (using second or third conditional).
• If the original speaker reports something right away.
• Do not change had better, would, used to, could, might, etc.

Changes in Place and Time Reference

Changing the place and time adverb when using indirect speech is essential. For example, now becomes then and today becomes that day. Here are more transformations in adverbs of time and places.

• This – that.
• These – those.
• Now – then.
• Here – there.
• Tomorrow – the next/following day.
• Two weeks ago – two weeks before.
• Yesterday – the day before.

Here are some examples.

• Direct speech: “I am baking cookies now.”

Indirect speech: He said he was baking cookies then.

• Direct speech: “Myra went here yesterday.”

Indirect speech: She said Myra went there the day before.

• Direct speech: “I will go to the market tomorrow.”

Indirect speech: She said she would go to the market the next day.

Using Modals

If the direct speech contains a modal verb, make sure to change them accordingly.

• Will becomes would
• Can becomes could
• Shall becomes should or would.
• Direct speech: “Will you come to the ball with me?”

Indirect speech: He asked if he would come to the ball with me.

• Direct speech: “Gina can inspect the room tomorrow because she’s free.”

Indirect speech: He said Gina could inspect the room the next day because she’s free.

However, sometimes, the modal verb should does not change grammatically. For example:

• Direct speech: “He should go to the park.”

Indirect speech: She said that he should go to the park.

Imperative Sentences

To change an imperative sentence into a reported indirect sentence, use to for imperative and not to for negative sentences. Never use the word that in your indirect speech. Another rule is to remove the word please . Instead, say request or say. For example:

• “Please don’t interrupt the event,” said the host.

The host requested them not to interrupt the event.

• Jonah told her, “Be careful.”
• Jonah ordered her to be careful.

Reported Questions

When reporting a direct question, I would use verbs like inquire, wonder, ask, etc. Remember that we don’t use a question mark or exclamation mark for reports of questions. Below is an example I made of how to change question forms.

• Incorrect: He asked me where I live?

Correct: He asked me where I live.

Here’s another example. The first sentence uses direct speech in a present simple question form, while the second is the reported speech.

• Where do you live?

She asked me where I live.

Wrapping Up Reported Speech

My guide has shown you an explanation of reported statements in English. Do you have a better grasp on how to use it now?

Reported speech refers to something that someone else said. It contains a subject, reporting verb, and a reported cause.

Don’t forget my rules for using reported speech. Practice the correct verb tense, modal verbs, time expressions, and place references.

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Direct and indirect speech of universal truth, habitual action, historical event/fact with examples | reported speech habitual actions.

Not sure how to change the narration of Universal Truth, Habitual Actions, Historical Events ?

That's what we are going to talk about here. 

Table of Contents

• Introduction

Universal Truth

• Habitual Actions
• Historical Events

So all you have to do is only to remember a  simple rule,  that is -

When the reported clause/statement of a direct speech is a universal truth speech or any historical event or a habitual action (a part of the daily routine), then the tense in the indirect speech doesn’t change,  no matter in whatever tense the reporting verb  ( say/said ) is.

Let's say there is a reported statement the teacher said, "The sun rises in the east."

We know that the reported statement  changes according to the tense of the reporting verb    in  the indirect speech.

But in this case, the reported speech  “The sun rises in the east”  won't change though the reporting verb 'said' is in the past.

It happens because, the statement is a description of a natural incident , and so, it is universally true. It means, you can never alter the speech as you can't alter the natural incident.

You cannot say that the sun rose in the east . If you say this you 'll mean that the sun rose in the east today and often, it rises in other directions . But it has been rising  in the east from millions of years ago and will continue to do so millions of years after.

Isn’t it?

For the  same reason, in  habitual actions and historical events, the tense is not changed.

Are you curious to know how it happens? 

Continue reading...

Indirect Narration of 

Here we are going to see that the reported statement of each direct narration is a universal truth , that is a statement universally accepted as true.

Universal truth speeches include - any  moral principle, natural phenomena, mathematical equation, scientific statement   etc.

Have a look at the examples  –

 I. Moral Principles and Proverbs: 

Direct – Mr. Sen said, “Truth wins always.”

Indirect – Mr. Sen said that Truth wins always.

...Truth won always. ❌

Direct – “Honesty is the best policy.” They said.

Indirect – They said that honesty is the best policy.

Direct –  The teacher said to us, “ Man is mortal. ”

Indirect –  The teacher told us that  Man is mortal .

... man  was  mortal. ❌

Direct –  “An apple a day keeps the doctors away.” My grand father said with an apple in his hand.

Indirect –  My grand father said with an apple in his hand that an apple a day keeps the doctors away. 

Direct –  She said, “A drowning man will clutch at a straw.”

Indirect –  She said that a drowning man will clutch at a straw.

Direct –  I said, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

Indirect –  I said that cleanliness is next to godliness.

Direct –  The lady said, “An empty vessel makes much noise.”

Indirect –  The lady said that an empty vessel makes much noise.

Direct –  The leader said, “Where there is will there is a way.”

Indirect –  The leader said that where there is will there is a way.

Direct –  I said, “A cat has nine lives.”

Indirect –  I said that a cat has nine lives.

Direct –  The man said, “A barking dog seldom bites.”

Indirect –  The man said that a barking dog seldom bites.

Direct –  His wife said to him, “A bad workman always blames his tools.”

Indirect –  His wife told him that a bad workman always blames his tools.

 II.   Natural Phenomena: 

 Colour – 

Direct – He said to me, “Grass is green.”

Indirect – He told me that grass is green

Direct – Harry said, “Milk is white.”

Indirect – Harry said that milk is white.

Direct – She said to me, “Coal is black.”

Indirect – She told me that coal is black.

Direct – The mother said to the baby, “Sky is blue.”

Indirect – The mother told the baby that sky is blue.

Direct – She said to us, “The colour of blood is red.”

Indirect – She told us that the colour of human blood is red.

Direct – I said, “Water is colourless.”

Indirect – I said that water is colourless.

 Taste – 

Direct – “Water is tasteless.” Said the the teacher.

Indirect – The teacher said that water is tasteless.

Direct –  “Honey tastes sweet.” Said the child.

Indirect –  The child said that honey tastes sweet.

 Others – 

Direct – The teacher said, “The sun gives us light.”

Indirect – The teacher said that the sun gives us light.

Direct – Jack said, “The dog is a faithful animal.”

Indirect – Jack said that the dog is a faithful animal.

Direct –  The student said, “The sun reses in the east.”

Indirect –  The student said that the sun rises in the east.

 III.   Mathematical Equations: 

Direct – “Five and five make ten.” Said the girl.

Indirect – The girl said that five and five make four.

Direct – “Three and six make nine.” She said.

Indirect – She said that three and six make nine.

Direct –  The mother said to the child, “If we multiply ten with five, we get fifty.”

Indirect –  The mother taught the child that if we multiply ten with five, we get fifty.

Direct –  The mother said to the child, “Three times eight is twenty-four.”

Indirect –  The mother taught the child that three times eight is twenty-four.

( Three times eight is twenty-four => 8×3 = 24 )

 IV.   Scientific Statements: 

Direct – The teacher said to the children, “Water freezes into ice below 0°C.”

Indirect – The teacher told the children that water freezes into ice below 0°C.

Direct – The teacher said, “Acid reacts with a base to form salt.”

Indirect – The teacher said that Acid reacts with a base to form salt.

 V.    Other - 

Direct – I said, “The leaning tower of Pisa is a wonder.”

Indirect – I said that the leaning tower of Pisa is a wonder.

Direct –  He said, “ The earth moves around the sun. ”

Indirect –  He said that the earth moves around the sun.

... moved  around the sun. ❌

[Related:  Direct and Indirect Speech rules for Vocative word or Addressing word .]

Read more:  100+ Narration change Exercises .

Habitual Action

**Habitual actions are those actions that are performed by a person regularly.

For a speech denoting a habitual action, words/phrases like every, every morning, every night, every afternoon, every week, every month, every year, daily, once a day, once a week etc. are used in the reported speech.

E.g. –

Direct –  Ram said, "We play cricket everyday ."

Indirect – Ram said that they play cricket everyday.

... played  cricket everyday.  ❌

Direct – He said to me, “I go to school everyday .”

Indirect – He told me that he goes to school everyday.

... went to school everyday. ❌

Direct – Mohan said to me, “My grandfather does yoga every morning .”

Indirect – Mohan told me that his grandfather does yoga every morning.

... did yoga every morning. ❌

Direct – She said to the boy, “What do you play every afternoon ?”

Indirect – She asked the boy what does he play every afternoon.

... what did he play... ❌

Direct –  I said to them, “I watch movies daily .”

Indirect – I told them that I watch movies daily.

...  I watched ... ❌

Direct – She said to me, “Kalpit comes here once a day .”

Indirect – she told me that Kalpit goes there once a day.

... went there... ❌

Direct –  Rihana said to me, “We play chess  once a week .”

Indirect –  Rihana told me that they play chess once a week.

... played chess ... ❌

Direct –  The lady said, “He calls me once in a blue moon.”

Indirect –  the lady said that he calls her once in a blue moon.

... called her ... ❌

Direct –  They said to the man, “The dog barks every afternoon.”

Indirect –  They told the man that the dog barks every afternoon. 

... dog barked ... ❌

Related: Direct and Indirect Speech - WH Questions .  

Historical Event

One of the basic rules for changing the narration suggests that - when the reporting verb and the reported speech both are in past tense , then the indirect speech will be in past perfect tense .

But, in case the reported speech is a historical fact , the aforementioned rule is not followed. 

Rather, the reported speech is written in the indirect as it is (in past tense)

Direct – Our teacher said, “The French Revolution had started in 1789.”

Indirect – Our teacher said that the French Revolution had started in 1789.

... had been started ... ❌

Direct – I said to them, “Mahatma Gandhi died on 30th January, 1948.”

Indirect – I told them that Mahatma Gandhi died on 30th January, 1948.

... had died ... ❌

Direct – He said to us, “Srigupta founded the Gupta Dynasty.”

Indirect – He told us that Srigupta Founded the Gupta Dynasty.

... had founded ... ❌

Direct – Our teacher said to us, “The Russian Revolution took place in 1917.”

Indirect – Our teacher told us that the Russian Revolution took place in 1917.

... had taken place ... ❌

Direct – I said to him, “The English defeated the French in the Battle of Swalley.”

Indirect – I told him that the English Defeated the French in the Battle of Swalley.

... had defeated ... ❌

Direct –  He said to us, “The English came to India after the Portuguese.”

Indirect –  He told us that the English came to India after the Portuguese.

... had come to ... ❌

Direct –  Ammie said to us, “Hitler first attacked Poland.”

Indirect –  Ammie told us that  Hitler first attacked Poland.

... had attacked ...  ❌

Direct – The student said,  “The  Industrial Revolution occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. ”

Indirect –  The student said that t he  Industrial Revolution occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840.

Read more : How to Change the Narration of Different Sentences (Basic Level of Changing the Narration) .

Now you know everything about how to change the narration of Universal Truth, Habitual Actions and Historical Events .

Thank you...

Posted by Souvik

You may like these posts, post a comment.

it is a hard thing to be very poor. What about this one?? What will be its narration

Yeah. It is a universally true speech. So, you needn't change anything.

It was really helpful

He said to me "do women tend to live longer than men in this world?" Convert it please

She said, "I know you. You are Sam and you live next door." How will I convert to indirect speech?

Please give the examples of molarity in direct and indirect speech

Highly useful

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Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

English grammar direct and indirect speech rules, what is direct and indirect speech.

We often have to give information about what people say or think. In order to do this, we can use direct or quoted speech or indirect or reported speech .

Direct Speech

Saying exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech).

For example:

• She said, “Today’s lesson is on presentations.” Or “Today’s lesson is on presentations,” she said.

Indirect speech

Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech or Narration ), doesn’t use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn’t have to be word for word. Thus, in indirect speech, we convey the speaker’s message in our own words.

• Direct Speech: He said, “I’m going to the cinema”.
• Indirect Speech: He said that he was going to the cinema.

Reported Speech Tenses Change Chart

Reported speech does not go back a tense if it is already in the past perfect (there is no further back it can go), and some modal verbs also do not change.

Direct and Indirect speech Examples for Tense

1. Simple Present to Simple Past

• Direct: He said, “The boy goes home.” Indirect: He said that the boy went home.

2. Present Continuous to Past Continuous

• Direct: Ram said, “I am reading a book.” Indirect: Ram said that he was reading a book.

3. Present Perfect to Past Perfect

• Direct: The girl said, “I have lost my pen.” Indirect: The girl said that she had lost her pen.

4. Present Perfect Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous

• Direct: He said, “Ram has been going.” Indirect: He said that Ram had been going.

5. Past Indefinite to Past Perfect

• Direct: Mother said, “I bought a watch for you.”
• Indirect: Mother said that she had bought a watch for him.

6. Past Continuous to Past Perfect Continuous

• Direct: Raju said, “I was repairing a car.” Indirect: Raju said that he had been repairing a car.

7. Future Tense (shall/will) to future in the Past (should/would)

• Direct: The teacher said, “I shall give you notes.” Indirect: The teacher said that he would give them notes.

8. Conditional to Perfect Conditional Direct:

• Direct: He said, “If I had the money I could buy the car.” Indirect: She said that if he had the money he could have bought the car.  

9. Past Perfect Tense: No Change

• Direct: She said, “I had gone to Bhagalpur.” Indirect: She said that she had gone to Bhagalpur.

10. Auxiliary Verbs (would, should, might, could, ought, must) —  No Change

• Direct: He said, “I would like to take milk.” Indirect: He said that he would like to take milk.
• Direct: The boy said, “The teacher could have solved it in no time.” Indirect: The boy said that the teacher could have solved it in no time.
• Direct: He said, “The boy must apologise to the teacher.” Indirect: He said that the boy must apologise to the teacher.

Changes of Interrogative Sentences

• Toni said, “What is Luna doing?” Toni asked me what Luna was doing.
• Luna said, “Will she come for lunch?” Luna asked if she would come for lunch.
• The boy asked, “ Wh ere do you stay?” The boy inquired where I stayed

Things are slightly more complicated with imperatives

Time and Place References

• I went to the theatre last night . He said he had gone to the theatre the night before .
• I’m having a party next weekend . He said he was having a party the next weekend .
• I’m staying here until next week . He said he was staying there until the following week.
• I came over from London 3 years ago . He said he had come over from London 3 years before.

When verbs don’t follow the rules?

• You’ve invited someone for dinner at your house, and the phone rings. It’s them! They say:
• (on the phone) “I’m sorry, but I think I’m going to be a bit late. There’s a lot of traffic.”
• After you finish speaking on the phone, you say to someone else:
• That was Juan. He said he thinks he’s going to be late because there’s a lot of traffic.

Another example:

• A friend says to you: “Maria’s ill. She’ s got chickenpox!”
• You say to someone else: Laura said that Maria’ s ill. She’ s got chickenpox.
• However, the following day you see Maria at the beach. You’re surprised and say to her:
• Laura said that you were ill. She said you had chickenpox.

This has to change to the past because it isn’t true . Maria obviously isn’t ill .

• A friend is telling you about the horrible weather: “It started raining heavily when I left work.” (This is where things get confusing):
• He said it had started raining heavily when he had left work (it sounds horrible and the sentence is almost nothing but verbs).
• He said it had started raining heavily when he left work (is wrong because it means it was already raining when he left work)
• He said it started raining heavily when he left work (is the best version because it is accurate, short, and there is no confusion because of the time context)

Generally speaking, the past simple and continuous don’t always need to be changed if:

Rules for Universal Truth, Habitual Facts, etc.

• Direct: My friend said, “I am an early riser.” Indirect: My friend said that he is an early riser.
• Direct: Father said, “Man is the only animal that cooks his food.” Indirect: Father said that man is the only animal that cooks his food.
• Direct: The teacher said, “Honesty is the best policy.” Indirect: The teacher said that honesty is the best policy.
• Direct: The teacher said, “The earth moves around the sun.” Indirect: The teacher said that the earth moves around the sun.
• Direct: Sarla said, “When Ram was reading Sham was writing.” Indirect: Sarla said that when Ram was reading Sham was writing.
• Direct: The teacher said, “Akbar died in 1605 AD.” Indirect: The teacher said that Akbar died in 1605 AD.
• Direct: The speaker said, “Gentlemen, I will tell you what is going there.” Indirect: The speaker told his audience (those present) that he would tell them what was going there
• Direct: He said, “I hope, friends, you will support me.” Indirect: He said that he hoped they would support him.
• Direct: He said, “I would rather she played.” Indict: He said that he would rather she played.
• Direct: He said, “If I  were rich, I would settle in Mumbai. Indirect: He said that if he were rich, he would settle in Mumbai.
• Direct: He said. “When we lived/were living in Chennai, we often visited Rameshwarm” Indirect: He said that when they lived/ were living in Chennai, they often visited / had visite Rameshwarm

Rules for the Change of Pronouns

If the direct speech has a pronoun, its person is changed, when necessary, to refer in the indirect to the same individual as it does in the direct.

• Soni said, “ I am a good girl.” Soni said that she was a good girl.
• I told them, “ You have finished your work.” I told them that they had finished their work.
• He said, “ She is in Delhi.” He said that she was in Delhi.

• Direct:  He said, “I can cross this river.” Indirect:   He said that he could cross that river.
• Direct:  You said. “I can cross this river.” Indirect:   You said that you could cross that river.
• Direct:  I said, “I can cross this river.” Indirect:  I said that I could cross that river.

You also need to be careful with  personal pronouns . They need to be changed according to the situation. You need to know the context.

For example , there is possible confusion when you try to change reported speech to direct speech:

• She  said  she ’d been waiting for hours. (Is ‘ she ‘ one person or two different people?)
• I told  them they  would have to ask permission. (Are we talking about two groups of people or only one?)

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• Narration - Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

What is Narration?

Narration as the name suggests is a way of narrating or telling something one heard to someone else. The narration chart or ways of speaking differs in the way the speaker phrases the sentences. It can be spoken directly as is called direct speech or in an indirect manner or indirect speech which is also called reported speech. The narration rules and direct and indirect speech rules are a great way to understand this part of English grammar.

Reported speech or Indirect Speech

What is Reported Speech?

Reported speech is narration or indirect speech. Direct speech is a statement that is written exactly as it is spoken. To show exactly what is said, we always use quotation marks in such a sentence whereas in reported speech different words or parts of speech like conjunction ‘that’ or preposition ’if’ are used to convey the same meaning. Let us take a look at direct and indirect speech examples

Direct speech: Anika said, “I am going to buy a dress”.

Reported speech: Anika said that she is going to buy a new dress.

Direct and Indirect Speech Rules Chart

Let us look at a basic chart of the direct and indirect speech that will help us understand the rules of converting one type to another easily. The basic characteristic of this chart is that it requires an understanding of the Subject noun, pronoun, its reporting verb and speech clause and conjunction.

Example: He said, “I want to go see a movie”.

Reported Speech Rules

1. The first rule is to pick a reporting verb and time frame or tense in the sentence.

What time did the speech take place? The reporting verb is in the present tense when dealing with current, repeated, or recent events. "He says he's hungry, so let's grab a bite to eat." 

Choose the past tense for recounting a less recent speech. Depending on the situation, the reporting verb can also be told, or other verbs such as ordered, stated, or reported. You can use verbs like asked or requested when reporting queries.

A terrified girl

Direct Speech: Sheena asked, “Marie did you have a bad dream?”

Indirect Speech: Sheena asked if Marie had a bad dream.

2. The second rule is to alter your point of view.

That is, I transform into he, she, or they. Karan said, "I drank the orange juice." becomes, "Karan said that he drank the orange juice."

 Drinking Juice

The girls said, “We are going tomorrow.’’ becomes, "They said they are going tomorrow."

3. Decide whether or not to use "if" or "that."

It's a choice when reporting on a question, another conjunction, if, is required or not.

She asked, ”Do you know how to play tennis.”

 "She asked me if I knew how to play tennis."

Talking on the phone

4. Move the tense backwards, if the sentence is in the present tense, then reporting verb will be in the past tense. 

Example: Karina said, "I have repaired my bicycle." 

Karina said she had repaired her bicycle.

Repair Shop

Practice Exercise

1. State whether the sentences are true or false

A. We use quotation marks in indirect speech.

Quotation Marks

B. In the indirect or reported speech, we always use ‘that’ after the speaker’s name.

This or That

3. Reported speech is also called direct speech.

Reported speech 

B. Change the following sentence into direct or indirect speech.

1. “We should go to the beach together,” said Priya.

Ans: Priya said that they should go to the beach together.

2. She said that Rahul had arrived on Wednesday.

Ans: She said, “Rahul arrived on Wednesday.”

3. “You have to eat vegetables,” said my mother.

Vegetable Basket

Ans: My mother said that I had to eat vegetables.

Do it Yourself

A. Is the following sentence in direct or indirect speech?

1. Radha said that there were many people waiting in front of the ticket counter.

Ticket Counter

2. She said, “My friends always help me with my studies.”

Kids Studying

3. Dia says that there is no water in the glass.

Empty Glass

B. Convert the following sentences into direct or indirect speech.

1. Arun said, “Nitin works very hard.”

2. She said that many elephants were crossing the road.

3. Arun asked, “why do you look so happy?”

A Happy Boy

FAQs on Narration - Direct and Indirect Speech Rules

1. What is reported speech?

Reported speech is how we represent other people's speech or what we say ourselves. Reported speech is also called indirect speech. Let us learn using direct and indirect speech examples. Direct speech repeats the words exactly as one says, or as we recall them: Mahira said "I didn't realise it was midnight,". Whereas the other category indirect speech is where the reporting speech is used, like Mahira said that she didn’t realise it was midnight.

2. Is narrating the same as giving an indirect speech?

Indirect speech is also known as reported speech or narration. As a result, we express the speaker's message in our own words in indirect speech. Indirect speech is always in the past tense because it is used to report what someone may have said. We can convey that someone's speech is being described without using inverted commas by introducing the sentence with the word "that." 

3. Can the word ‘should’ be changed in indirect speech?

When reported, will, can and shall become would, could, and should. In English, the word will is used to make statements regarding the future. Will becomes would when reporting this type of statement.

Reported Speech

If we want to say what somebody has said, we basically have two options:

• We can use the person's exact words - in quotation marks "..." if we are writing ( direct speech ).
• We can change the person's words into our own words ( reported speech ).

In this lesson we learn about reported speech , the structure that we use when we report what another person has said, and reported speech rules.

Now we will look at:

• Reported Statements
• Time and Place
• Reported Questions
• Reported Requests
• Reported Orders And then you can check your understanding of reported speech with...
• Reported Speech Quiz

Reported speech is called "indirect speech" by some people. Other people regard reported speech simply as one form of indirect speech. Other forms are, for example:

• questions-within-questions: Can you tell me if they are expensive?
• mental processes: He believes that politics is a dirty game.

100 Reported Speech Examples: How To Change Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of communicating what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. For example, if your friend said, “ I am going to the store ,” in reported speech, you might convey this as, “ My friend said he was going to the store. ” Reported speech is common in both spoken and written language, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversations.

Reported Speech: Changing Pronouns

Pronouns are usually changed to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, “I” in direct speech may become “he” or “she” in reported speech, depending on the context. Here are some example sentences:

Reported Speech: Reporting Verbs

Reported speech: tense shifts.

When converting direct speech into reported speech, the verb tense is often shifted back one step in time. This is known as the “backshift” of tenses. It’s essential to adjust the tense to reflect the time elapsed between the original speech and the reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how different tenses in direct speech are transformed in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Changing Time and Place References

Reported speech: question format.

When converting questions from direct speech into reported speech, the format changes significantly. Unlike statements, questions require rephrasing into a statement format and often involve the use of introductory verbs like ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’. Here are some examples to demonstrate how questions in direct speech are converted into statements in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Omitting Quotation Marks

Reported speech quiz.

Reported Speech and Reporting Verbs

Reported speech.

Direct speech and reported speech are the two ways we can say what someone has said.

Directed speech: "I am your neighbour," said James.

Reported speech: James said that he was my neighbour.

Because we are talking about something that happened in the past, we use past tense verbs in reported speech: said not say ; was not am .

Reporting verbs

In the sentence "James said that he was my neighbour" , said is a reporting verb ( was is a reported verb). There are other reporting verbs we can use depending on the statement. We can also use the verbs like told , offered and promised . Let's take a look at some examples.

"My brother is buying a car" said Anne (direct speech) becomes Anne told me (that) her brother was buying a car .

Use told + person + what was said . Don't use told with to : Anne told to me (that) her brother was buying a car is not correct.

Use offered + to + infinitive verb .

"I'll do the shopping for you", said Simon becomes Simon offered to do the shopping for us .

Use promise + to + infinitive verb

"I'll buy you lunch", said Mark becomes Mark promised to buy me lunch .

OR Promise + clause (change the tense of the verb) :

Mark promised (that) he would buy me lunch.

Take a look at these other reporting verbs and choose the best one for each sentence. For extra practice, rewrite the sentences using reported speech.

Link: How to use reported speech

• 1 - "I'll email you every day": suggested promised explained
• 2 - "You need an F-1 visa to study in America": explained said realised
• 3 - "Why don't we go for a walk?": suggested told asked
• 4 - "The music is too loud. I can't sleep": complained suggested said
• 5 - "Could you tell me where the bathroom is?": suggested offered asked
• 6 - "You can't come with me": suggested told promised
• 7 - "Is this your car?": asked said offered
• 8 - "I'll be very careful": suggested told promised
• 9 - "Let me help you with those bags": offered told explained
• 10 - "Water boils at 100 degrees": promised told offered

• Lesson Index

English language Schools

Reporting Verbs

Check out this page after you've gone through the Reported Speech page. Here are more ways that you can retell what someone else (or yourself) said earlier.

There are more reporting verbs than ‘said’. However, nearly all of them have different structures. Most are followed by Full Infinitives ( to verb) or by Active Participle Clauses (verb ing ), which makes them Verb Patterns . Others are followed by Content Clauses (a type of embedded clause) with the word ‘that’ acting as the crux which binds the two clauses together.  The method taught in the Reported Speech page falls into this last category.

verbs followed by FULL INFINITIVES

agree claim demand offer promise refuse say threaten

advise ___ allow ___ ask ___ beg ___ convince ___ dare ___ encourage ___ forbid ___ invite ___ order ___ permit ___ persuade ___ remind ___ tell ___ warn ___

verbs followed by PARTICIPLES

accuse ___ of apologize for admit (to) complain about deny discuss encourage forbid insist on mention permit recommend report suggest

verbs followed by 'THAT' , then a clause

In the blanks (___) are where an indirect object should go, probably the person originally addressed. For the Participles column, adding an indirect object later is generally optional.

The advantage that these reporting verbs have over ‘said’ is that they give us more information about how the original speaker expressed their thoughts and what their intention likely was.

See the Verb Patterns page for more on verb patterns.

Keep on Learning; Keep on Teaching

Reported speech.

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Reported Speech in English Grammar

What is reported speech, changing direct speech to reported speech, changing the tense (backshifting), no change of tenses, questions in reported speech, demands/requests, expressions with who/what/how + infinitive, typical changes to time and place markers.

• Exercises – Reported Speech

Reported speech is when we repeat what another person has said but instead of using their exact words in quotation marks (direct speech), we use subordinate clause introduced by a reporting verb like the ones below:

Often, we have to change the tense, pronouns and time markers in reported speech.

Learn the rules for writing indirect speech in English with Lingolia’s simple explanation. In the exercises, you can test your grammar skills.

When turning direct speech into reported speech, we may have to change all or some of the following:

• the pronouns
• information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page)
• the tense (backshift)

If the reporting verb is in the simple past (e.g. said, told, asked, replied … ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table below). This is known as backshifting .

The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.

If the reporting verb is in the simple present (e.g. says, tells, asks, replies … ), then the tense remains unchanged.

While the tense remains unchanged, we often still have to change the verb form to match the new pronouns.

that after a reporting verb

We often omit the word that after a reporting verb, especially in spoken language and informal contexts.

When turning questions into reported speech, we follow the same rules as for declarative sentences: we change the pronouns as well as the time and place markers and backshift the tense as needed.

In addition, we also have to bear in mind the following:

• instead of that , we use a question word after the reporting verb; if there is no question word, we use whether / if instead
• questions in reported speech follow declarative sentence word order (subject + verb)
• we don’t use the auxiliary verb do/did for questions in reported speech; instead, the main verb appears in the simple past without an auxiliary verb
• put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions.

Questions in reported speech do not end in a question mark.

When turning orders, demands and requests into reported speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information.

We don’t have to pay attention to the tense – we simply use an infinitive rather than a conjugated verb.

If the imperative is negated, then we use not + infinitive .

To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive .

say vs. tell

The words say and tell are not interchangeable.

• say = say something
• tell = say something to someone

Head over to the vocabulary section to learn more about the difference between say and tell .

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Reporting Verbs in English Grammar

In this reference, you will learn about reporting verbs in English, how they are used in  indirect speech , important grammar rules, and helpful examples. You will find sections that explain what reporting verbs are, a comprehensive list of reporting verbs with examples, and illustrative images to support your learning.

What is a Reporting Verb?

Direct speech  is where the speaker gives first-hand information, while indirect speech reports what someone else said. For example, “I am watching TV” is direct speech, and “She said that she was watching TV” is indirect speech.

We use  reported speech  to tell what another person said without using their exact words, adapting them to the new circumstances.

A reported speech sentence has two parts:

• Introductory Clause + Indirect Clause

Example:  He said that they were classmates.  (Introductory clause:  He said that , Indirect clause:  They were classmates. )

In the introductory clause, a  reporting verb  is needed. There are about 248 verbs to introduce reported speech in English.

List of Reporting Verbs (with Examples)

Tell, say & ask.

The most common verbs to introduce reported speech are  Tell ,  Say , and  Ask . Important aspects of these verbs include:

• Can be followed by THAT but it can be omitted.
• Needs an indirect object.

Example:  He told me that she was his wife.

• Can have an indirect object introduced by the particle “to.”
• He said that Sarah was working.  (no indirect object)
• He said to me that Sarah was working.  (with indirect object)
• Can have an indirect object or not.
• Can be used to  report questions .

Example:  She asked (me) where I lived.

• Can be used to report imperatives or requests.

Example:  She asked (me) to  babysit  for her on Friday.

Verb + that + Clause

Example:  She complained that I was always late.

Example:  She denied that she had flown in an aeroplane.

Example:  He explained that it was an easy recipe to follow.

Exclaim/Remark

Example:  She exclaimed/remarked that he was a beautiful baby.

Example:  She promised that she would call me.

Example:  He boasted that he was a brilliant dentist.

Inform  somebody

Example:  He informed me that I would be called for an interview.

Example:  He claimed that he knew the answer.

Example:  He agreed that it was a beautiful hat.

Example:  He suggested that I (should) take the other road.

Verb + to + Infinitive

Example:  He agreed to cook for me.

Example:  He offered to carry her baby.

Example:  She refused to buy me a car.

Example:  He demanded to be told the truth.

Example:  He threatened to punish me if I didn’t behave myself.

Example:  He promised to marry her when he returned.

Example:  He claimed to have heard her say that.

Verb + Indirect Object + to + Infinitive

Example:  He advised me to take a coat.

Example:  He allowed me to park over there.

Example:  She begged me to call the police.

Example:  He commanded them to drop their weapons.

Example:  He encouraged me to phone her.

Example:  My doctor forbade me to eat sweets.

Example:  She invited me to go to his house.

Example:  He wanted me to drink a cup of tea.

Example:  He instructed me to insert coin.

Example:  My parents permitted me to travel with my friends.

Example:  He urged me to finish reading the book.

Example:  She ordered me to get out of bed.

Example:  She reminded me to take out the garbage.

Example:  She warned me not to go near the oven.

Verb + “ing” Form

Example:  He admitted (to) stealing/having stolen her money.

Accuse somebody of

Example:  She accused me of breaking the cup.

Apologize for

Example:  He apologized for shouting/having shouted at me.

Boast about/of

Example:  He boasted of/about being the cleverest of all.

Complain to somebody of

Example:  She complained to me of having a toothache.

Example:  He denied murdering/having murdered his wife.

Example:  She insisted on me/my wearing warm clothes.

Example:  She suggested going to the theatre.

Explain to somebody

Example:  He explained to me how to make polite conversation.

Wonder where/what/why/how + clause

When the subject of the reporting verb is not the same as the subject in the  reported question .

• She wondered how he could reach the top.
• He wondered where Joan was.
• He wondered why she was crying.

‘Wonder + whether + to-inf or clause’ or ‘Wonder where/what/how + to-inf or clause’

When the subject of the infinitive is the same as the subject of the verb.

• He wondered whether to buy that blender.
• He wondered where he had gone wrong in his calculations.
• He wondered what he should wear.
• He wondered how to get to the post office.

• Latest Posts

• Active vs. Passive Voice Exercises – Active vs. Passive Voice Worksheet - December 25, 2023
• Phrase Exercises – Phrase Worksheet - December 23, 2023
• Sentence Exercises – Sentence Worksheet - December 23, 2023

Study Resource: Reporting verbs for Indirect speech in English

When you report speech indirectly in English , the grammar will depend on:

what type of speech you are reporting (question, statement, command...)

which reporting verb No definition set for reporting verb Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. you are using ( say vs. tell )

Let’s go through different types of speech.

Reporting statements indirectly

reporting verb + subordinate clause No definition set for subordinate clause Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

He said (that) he was hungry.

Common verbs in this group: say (yell, whisper, shout, murmur, growl, scream, holler, intone, drone, moan, grunt...), write, think, believe, mention, note, drive home, emphasize

reporting verb + object No definition set for object Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. + subordinate clause

He told her (that) he was hungry.

Common verbs in this group: tell, inform, make aware*, notify, let know*, advise

Reporting questions indirectly

reporting verb + indirect question No definition set for indirect question Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

He asked who she was.

He asked if she was hungry.

Common verbs in this group: ask, wonder, ponder, want to know, inquire

reporting verb + object + indirect question

He asked her who she was.

He asked her if she was hungry.

Common verbs in this group: ask

reporting verb + about / as to + indirect question

He inquired as to who she was.

He inquired about whether she was hungry.

Common verbs in this group: ask, inquire

Reporting a command / advice / request / suggestion given to someone else

reporting verb + object + infinitive

He asked her to leave.

Common verbs in this group: ask, advise, order, command, tell, instruct, urge

reporting verb + that + subject + bare infinitive

He demanded that she leave.

Common verbs in this group: ask, request, demand, advise, order, command, bid, suggest, argue, propose, recommend, insist

reporting verb + object + bare infinitive

He bade her leave.

Common verbs in this group: bid

reporting verb + infinitive

He said to leave.

Common verbs in this group: said

(Alternatively)

reporting verb + that + subject + modal No definition set for modal Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of obligation

He said that she should leave.

He said that she had to leave.

Common verbs in this group: say, yell, shout, murmur, whisper

reporting verb + object + that + subject + modal of obligation

He told her that she should leave.

He told her that she had to leave.

Common verbs in this group: tell, inform, advise, notify

Reporting a demand / request for permission

He asked to leave.

Common verbs in this group: ask, request, demand, beg

reporting verb + if / whether + subject + can / could

He asked her if he could leave.

Reporting a suggestion

reporting verb + (that) + subject + modal + bare infinitive

He suggested (that) she might attend.

Common verbs in this group: suggest, argue, propose

reporting verb + (that) + subject + bare infinitive

He suggested (that) they attend.

Common verbs in this group: suggest, propose, recommend, argue

Reporting a promise

He promised to attend.

Common verbs in this group: promise

He promised her to attend.

reporting verb + that + will / would

He promised that he would attend.

Common verbs in this group: promise, swear, indicate, say (whisper)

reporting verb + object + that + subject + will / would

He promised her that he would attend.

Common verbs in this group: promise, assure, tell

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