reported speech 3 rules

Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, Exceptions

👉 Quiz 1 / Quiz 2

Advanced Grammar Course

What is reported speech?

“Reported speech” is when we talk about what somebody else said – for example:

• Direct Speech: “I’ve been to London three times.”
• Reported Speech: She said she’d been to London three times.

There are a lot of tricky little details to remember, but don’t worry, I’ll explain them and we’ll see lots of examples. The lesson will have three parts – we’ll start by looking at statements in reported speech, and then we’ll learn about some exceptions to the rules, and finally we’ll cover reported questions, requests, and commands.

So much of English grammar – like this topic, reported speech – can be confusing, hard to understand, and even harder to use correctly. I can help you learn grammar easily and use it confidently inside my Advanced English Grammar Course.

In this course, I will make even the most difficult parts of English grammar clear to you – and there are lots of opportunities for you to practice!

Backshift of Verb Tenses in Reported Speech

When we use reported speech, we often change the verb tense backwards in time. This can be called “backshift.”

Here are some examples in different verb tenses:

Reported Speech (Part 1) Quiz

Exceptions to backshift in reported speech.

Now that you know some of the reported speech rules about backshift, let’s learn some exceptions.

There are two situations in which we do NOT need to change the verb tense.

No backshift needed when the situation is still true

For example, if someone says “I have three children” (direct speech) then we would say “He said he has three children” because the situation continues to be true.

If I tell you “I live in the United States” (direct speech) then you could tell someone else “She said she lives in the United States” (that’s reported speech) because it is still true.

When the situation is still true, then we don’t need to backshift the verb.

He said he HAS three children

But when the situation is NOT still true, then we DO need to backshift the verb.

Imagine your friend says, “I have a headache.”

• If you immediately go and talk to another friend, you could say, “She said she has a headache,” because the situation is still true
• If you’re talking about that conversation a month after it happened, then you would say, “She said she had a headache,” because it’s no longer true.

No backshift needed when the situation is still in the future

We also don’t need to backshift to the verb when somebody said something about the future, and the event is still in the future.

Here’s an example:

• On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Friday .”
• “She said she ‘ll call me on Friday”, because Friday is still in the future from now.
• It is also possible to say, “She said she ‘d (she would) call me on Friday.”
• Both of them are correct, so the backshift in this case is optional.

Let’s look at a different situation:

• On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Tuesday .”
• “She said she ‘d  call me on Tuesday.” I must backshift because the event is NOT still in the future.

Review: Reported Speech, Backshift, & Exceptions

Quick review:

• Normally in reported speech we backshift the verb, we put it in a verb tense that’s a little bit further in the past.
• when the situation is still true
• when the situation is still in the future

Reported Requests, Orders, and Questions

Those were the rules for reported statements, just regular sentences.

What about reported speech for questions, requests, and orders?

For reported requests, we use “asked (someone) to do something”:

• “Please make a copy of this report.” (direct speech)
• She asked me to make a copy of the report. (reported speech)

For reported orders, we use “told (someone) to do something:”

• “Go to the bank.” (direct speech)
• “He told me to go to the bank.” (reported speech)

The main verb stays in the infinitive with “to”:

• She asked me to make a copy of the report. She asked me  make  a copy of the report.
• He told me to go to the bank. He told me  go  to the bank.

For yes/no questions, we use “asked if” and “wanted to know if” in reported speech.

• “Are you coming to the party?” (direct)
• He asked if I was coming to the party. (reported)
• “Did you turn off the TV?” (direct)
• She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.” (reported)

The main verb changes and back shifts according to the rules and exceptions we learned earlier.

Notice that we don’t use do/does/did in the reported question:

• She wanted to know did I turn off the TV.
• She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.

For other questions that are not yes/no questions, we use asked/wanted to know (without “if”):

• “When was the company founded?” (direct)
• She asked when the company was founded.” (reported)
• “What kind of car do you drive?” (direct)
• He wanted to know what kind of car I drive. (reported)

Again, notice that we don’t use do/does/did in reported questions:

• “Where does he work?”
• She wanted to know  where does he work.
• She wanted to know where he works.

Also, in questions with the verb “to be,” the word order changes in the reported question:

• “Where were you born?” ([to be] + subject)
• He asked where I was born. (subject + [to be])
• He asked where was I born.

Reported Speech (Part 2) Quiz

Learn more about reported speech:

• Reported speech: Perfect English Grammar
• Reported speech: BJYU’s

If you want to take your English grammar to the next level, then my Advanced English Grammar Course is for you! It will help you master the details of the English language, with clear explanations of essential grammar topics, and lots of practice. I hope to see you inside!

I’ve got one last little exercise for you, and that is to write sentences using reported speech. Think about a conversation you’ve had in the past, and write about it – let’s see you put this into practice right away.

Master the details of English grammar:

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About the author.

Shayna Oliveira

Shayna Oliveira is the founder of Espresso English, where you can improve your English fast - even if you don’t have much time to study. Millions of students are learning English from her clear, friendly, and practical lessons! Shayna is a CELTA-certified teacher with 10+ years of experience helping English learners become more fluent in her English courses.

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

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. 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: "What time is the meeting?" Reported speech: She asked what time the meeting was. 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

1. Direct speech: "I am hungry," she said. Reported speech: She said she was hungry. 2. Direct speech: "Can you pass the salt, please?" he asked. Reported speech: He asked her to pass the salt. 3. Direct speech: "I will meet you at the cinema," he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet her at the cinema. 4. 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. 5. Direct speech: "What time does the train leave?" he asked. Reported speech: He asked what time the train left. 6. Direct speech: "I love playing the piano," she said. Reported speech: She said she loved playing the piano. 7. Direct speech: "I am going to the grocery store," he said. Reported speech: He said he was going to the grocery store. 8. Direct speech: "Did you finish your homework?" the teacher asked. Reported speech: The teacher asked if he had finished his homework. 9. Direct speech: "I want to go to the beach," she said. Reported speech: She said she wanted to go to the beach. 10. Direct speech: "Do you need help with that?" he asked. Reported speech: He asked if she needed help with that. 11. Direct speech: "I can't come to the party," he said. Reported speech: He said he couldn't come to the party. 12. Direct speech: "Please don't leave me," she said. Reported speech: She begged him not to leave her. 13. Direct speech: "I have never been to London before," he said. Reported speech: He said he had never been to London before. 14. Direct speech: "Where did you put my phone?" she asked. Reported speech: She asked where she had put her phone. 15. Direct speech: "I'm sorry for being late," he said. Reported speech: He apologized for being late. 16. Direct speech: "I need some help with this math problem," she said. Reported speech: She said she needed some help with the math problem. 17. 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. 18. 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. 19. Direct speech: "I don't know how to fix this," he said. Reported speech: He said he didn't know how to fix it. 20. Direct speech: "I hate it when it rains," she said. Reported speech: She said she hated it when it rained.

What is Direct and Indirect Speech?

Direct and indirect speech are two different ways of reporting spoken or written language. Let's delve into the details and provide some examples. Click here to read more

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• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech

Daisy has just had an interview for a summer job. 

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of reported speech. They are in  red  in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, reported speech correctly.

Sophie:  Mmm, it’s so nice to be chilling out at home after all that running around.

Ollie: Oh, yeah, travelling to glamorous places for a living must be such a drag!

Ollie: Mum, you can be so childish sometimes. Hey, I wonder how Daisy’s getting on in her job interview.

Sophie: Oh, yes, she said she was having it at four o’clock, so it’ll have finished by now. That’ll be her ... yes. Hi, love. How did it go?

Daisy: Well, good I think, but I don’t really know. They said they’d phone later and let me know.

Sophie: What kind of thing did they ask you?

Daisy: They asked if I had any experience with people, so I told them about helping at the school fair and visiting old people at the home, that sort of stuff. But I think they meant work experience.

Sophie: I’m sure what you said was impressive. They can’t expect you to have had much work experience at your age.

Daisy:  And then they asked me what acting I had done, so I told them that I’d had a main part in the school play, and I showed them a bit of the video, so that was cool.

Sophie:  Great!

Daisy: Oh, and they also asked if I spoke any foreign languages.

Sophie: Languages?

Daisy: Yeah, because I might have to talk to tourists, you know.

Sophie: Oh, right, of course.

Daisy: So that was it really. They showed me the costume I’ll be wearing if I get the job. Sending it over ...

Ollie: Hey, sis, I heard that Brad Pitt started out as a giant chicken too! This could be your big break!

Daisy: Ha, ha, very funny.

Sophie: Take no notice, darling. I’m sure you’ll be a marvellous chicken.

We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what someone said. We usually use a reporting verb (e.g. say, tell, ask, etc.) and then change the tense of what was actually said in direct speech.

So, direct speech is what someone actually says? Like 'I want to know about reported speech'?

Yes, and you report it with a reporting verb.

He said he wanted to know about reported speech.

I said, I want and you changed it to he wanted .

Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could ; will changes to would ; etc.

She said she was having the interview at four o’clock. (Direct speech: ' I’m having the interview at four o’clock.') They said they’d phone later and let me know. (Direct speech: ' We’ll phone later and let you know.')

OK, in that last example, you changed you to me too.

Yes, apart from changing the tense of the verb, you also have to think about changing other things, like pronouns and adverbs of time and place.

'We went yesterday.'  > She said they had been the day before. 'I’ll come tomorrow.' >  He said he’d come the next day.

I see, but what if you’re reporting something on the same day, like 'We went yesterday'?

Well, then you would leave the time reference as 'yesterday'. You have to use your common sense. For example, if someone is saying something which is true now or always, you wouldn’t change the tense.

'Dogs can’t eat chocolate.' > She said that dogs can’t eat chocolate. 'My hair grows really slowly.' >  He told me that his hair grows really slowly.

What about reporting questions?

We often use ask + if/whether , then change the tenses as with statements. In reported questions we don’t use question forms after the reporting verb.

'Do you have any experience working with people?' They asked if I had any experience working with people. 'What acting have you done?' They asked me what acting I had done .

Is there anything else I need to know about reported speech?

One thing that sometimes causes problems is imperative sentences.

You mean like 'Sit down, please' or 'Don’t go!'?

Exactly. Sentences that start with a verb in direct speech need a to + infinitive in reported speech.

She told him to be good. (Direct speech: 'Be good!') He told them not to forget. (Direct speech: 'Please don’t forget.')

OK. Can I also say 'He asked me to sit down'?

Yes. You could say 'He told me to …' or 'He asked me to …' depending on how it was said.

OK, I see. Are there any more reporting verbs?

Yes, there are lots of other reporting verbs like promise , remind , warn , advise , recommend , encourage which you can choose, depending on the situation. But say , tell and ask are the most common.

Great. I understand! My teacher said reported speech was difficult.

And I told you not to worry!

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• 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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Reported speech rules in english.

• By Matthew Jones

Talking about what someone else has already said, also known as reported speech, involves a few special grammar rules in English.

How you form reported speech will largely depend on what was said and when it was said. Unfortunately, you can’t always repeat back what you hear verbatim (using exactly the same words)!

So, how should you report speech in English? What are the grammar rules that dictate these indirect speech patterns? Finally, what are some examples of reported speech? We will answer all of these questions and more, but first, let’s take a look at exactly what is meant by “reported speech.”

Prefer to watch this lesson on video? Here’s our full length tutorial on Reported Speech Rules in English:

Reported Speech Rules in English:

What is reported speech?

Reported speech simply refers to statements that recount what someone else has already said or asked. For example, let’s say that you and your two friends went to the movies. As you’re leaving the movie theater, the following conversation takes place:

Friend #1: That movie was really scary!

You: I know, right?

Friend #2: What did he say?

You: He said that the movie was really scary.

The last sentence is what is known as “reported speech,” because you reported something that someone else said. In most cases, a statement of reported speech uses verbs like “say” or “tell,” though you can also use verbs like “state,” “proclaim,” or “announce,” depending on the context of the original statement.

In any case, this is just one example of reported speech in the simple past tense. Different rules apply based on the verb tense and the content of the statement. First, let’s look at how reported speech statements work in the simple present tense:

Reporting Statements in the Simple Present Tense

If you report a statement using the simple present tense (say, tell, etc), then you can also leave the original statement in the present tense. Here are a few examples:

• I like basketball -> They say that they like basketball.
• He wants to visit Paris -> He tells me that he wants to visit Paris.
• I watch TV every day -> She says she watches TV every day.

As you can see, both the reporting verb and the reported verb remain in the simple present tense. It is also important to note that, regardless of the tense, the word “that” is completely optional in reported speech. The meaning stays the same with or without it.

Reporting Statements in Other Tenses

Generally, when the reporting verb is in the simple past tense, we change the reported verb as well. For example:

• Statement: I feel sad.
• Reported Speech: He said he felt sad.

Since reported speech is reported after the fact, the reporting verb is usually in the simple past tense. This means that you will usually need to change the tense of the second clause. For example:

How to Change Tenses in Reported Speech

As you can see, the rules governing how to report speech can vary based on the tense of the original statement. Generally, you can’t go wrong if you follow these guidelines (from the original statement to reported speech):

• Simple Present -> Simple Past
• Present Continuous -> Past Continuous
• Present Perfect -> Past Perfect
• Simple Past -> Simple Past OR Past Perfect
• Past Continuous -> Past Perfect Continuous
• Simple Future -> “will” becomes “would”
• Future Continuous -> “will” becomes “would”
• Future Perfect -> “will” becomes “would”
• Present Perfect Continuous -> Past Perfect Continuous
• Past Perfect Continuous -> Past Perfect Continuous
• Future Perfect Continuous -> Future Perfect Continuous

That said, there are some exceptions in the present tense. For example, if the original statement is comprised of general information that is unchanging, you don’t need to report it in the past tense. Here are a few examples:

• Simple Present : Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius. -> He said that water freezes at zero degrees Celcius.
• Present Continuous : The planet is rotating around the sun. -> She said that the planet is rotating around the sun.
• Present Perfect : Human beings have always liked dogs. -> He said that human beings have always liked dogs.

Reporting Questions

Reporting statements is relatively straightforward, as it usually just requires the second clause to change tense (sometimes not even that). However, reporting questions is more complex. First of all, when you report a question, you cannot just repeat the original question. Instead, you must turn it into a statement. Here’s an example question:

Do you have a lighter?

If you want to report this question later, you’ll need to change it, like so:

They asked me if I had a lighter.

Thankfully, once you learn the guidelines for reporting statements, you can apply many of the same rules to reporting questions. All of the tense changes are the same:

• Note: For “Yes/No” questions, we change “do” or “does” to “if.”
• Present Continuous : Are you running errands today? -> She asked if I was running errands today.
• Present Perfect : Have you spoken to her? -> He asked if I had spoken to her.
• Simple Past : Did you believe the story? -> She asked if I believed the story.
• Past Continuous : How were you behaving? -> He asked me how I was behaving.
• Simple Future : Will you go shopping later? -> She asked me if I would go shopping later.
• Future Continuous : Will you be cooking tonight? -> He asked me if I would be cooking tonight.
• Future Perfect : Will you have received your diploma by then? -> She asked if I would have received my diploma by then.
• Present Perfect Continuous – Have you been doing your homework? -> He asked me if I had been doing my homework.
• Past Perfect Continuous – How long had you been sleeping? -> She asked me how long I had been sleeping.
• Future Perfect Continuous – Will you have been travelling? -> He asked if I would have been travelling.

Requests and Demands

To keep things simple, requests are treated the same as questions when reported to someone else. For example:

• Please sit down . -> He asked me to sit down.
• Could you open the door for me? -> She asked if I could open the door for her?
• Would you mind holding my bag? -> He asked if I would mind holding his bag.

However, if someone demands something, we generally report the speech using “told” instead of “asked” or “said.” Here are some commands in reported speech:

• Be quiet! -> She told me to be quiet.
• Don’t touch that! -> He told me not to touch that.
• Brush your teeth. -> She told me to brush my teeth.

Finally, when reporting speech, you must always consider the time in which the original statement was made. If a time is mentioned within the statement, you will also have to consider how that time relates to the current moment.

You have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday.

For example, let’s say that the statement above was reported to you a few days prior, but you reported it to someone else on Monday (the day before the appointment). You could say either of the following:

She told me that I have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday , or

She told me that I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.

Here are a few more time conversions to help you with reported speech:

• Call your father right now. -> She told me to call my father right then.
• I saw you at the movies last night. -> He said he saw me at the movies the night before .
• Were you at school last week? -> She asked if I had been at school the week prior .
• Can I talk to you tomorrow? -> He asked if he could talk to me the next day .

Reported Speech Exercises

Now that you have a better understanding of reported speech in English, it’s time to practice! Fortunately, there are a number of ways to practice reported speech in daily conversation. So, here are a few free online resources to help you get the hang of it:

• Reported Speech Statements
• Reported Speech Questions
• B1 Grammar Reported Speech Quiz
• B2 Grammar Reported Speech Quiz

Lastly, if you’d like to learn more about reported speech or find a highly qualified English tutor online to help guide you, visit Magoosh Speaking today!

Matthew Jones

Free practice (Facebook group)

Phone: +1 (510) 560-7571

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Reported Speech in English Grammar

Direct speech, changing the tense (backshift), no change of tenses, question sentences, demands/requests, expressions with who/what/how + infinitive, typical changes of time and place.

• Lingolia Plus English

Introduction

In English grammar, we use reported speech to say what another person has said. We can use their exact words with quotation marks , this is known as direct speech , or we can use indirect speech . In indirect speech , we change the tense and pronouns to show that some time has passed. Indirect speech is often introduced by a reporting verb or phrase such as ones below.

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 indirect speech, we need to pay attention to the following points:

• changing the pronouns Example: He said, “ I saw a famous TV presenter.” He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter.
• changing the information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page) Example: He said, “I saw a famous TV presenter here yesterday .” He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter there the day before .
• changing the tense (backshift) Example: He said, “She was eating an ice-cream at the table where you are sitting .” He said (that) she had been eating an ice-cream at the table where I was sitting .

If the introductory clause is in the simple past (e.g. He said ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table). The term for this in English is backshift .

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

If the introductory clause is in the simple present , however (e.g. He says ), then the tense remains unchanged, because the introductory clause already indicates that the statement is being immediately repeated (and not at a later point in time).

In some cases, however, we have to change the verb form.

When turning questions into indirect speech, we have to pay attention to the following points:

• As in a declarative sentence, we have to change the pronouns, the time and place information, and set the tense back ( backshift ).
• Instead of that , we use a question word. If there is no question word, we use whether / if instead. Example: She asked him, “ How often do you work?” → She asked him how often he worked. He asked me, “Do you know any famous people?” → He asked me if/whether I knew any famous people.
• We put the subject before the verb in question sentences. (The subject goes after the auxiliary verb in normal questions.) Example: I asked him, “ Have you met any famous people before?” → I asked him if/whether he had met any famous people before.
• We don’t use the auxiliary verb do for questions in indirect speech. Therefore, we sometimes have to conjugate the main verb (for third person singular or in the simple past ). Example: I asked him, “What do you want to tell me?” → I asked him what he wanted to tell me.
• We put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions. Example: I asked him, “ Who is sitting here?” → I asked him who was sitting there.

We don’t just use indirect questions to report what another person has asked. We also use them to ask questions in a very polite manner.

When turning demands and requests into indirect speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information. We don’t have to pay attention to the tenses – we simply use an infinitive .

If it is a negative demand, then in indirect speech 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 or Tell?

The words say and tell are not interchangeable. say = say something tell = say something to someone

How good is your English?

Find out with Lingolia’s free grammar test

Take the test!

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3 Grammar Rules for REPORTED SPEECH

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340 comments.

To answer at your last question: Yes I did ! thanks (9 correct out of 10) ?

Nice job! Thanks for studying with me!

Thanks elex. What a useful video!!!:-)

THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. ALEX. LESSON IS VERY GOOD. YOUR LESSON IS VERY FUNNY.

I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for clicking.

Thank you very much for this concise lesson.

You’re very welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Very useful lesson I got 6 out of 10

Not bad. Keep studying! :)

Yes Mr Alex, we all enjoy your videos, I´m pretty sure!! Thank you very much for this useful lesson. P.S.: nice beginning of this video XD

I’m glad you enjoyed it, super guitarist Mark Knopfler!

Very good and useful lesson

Thanks a lot for watching it.

I got 9 correct out of 10

Great job! Keep studying.

Alex asked me if I enjoyed this video. Nope, I loved it!!

Great job, Alex!!

That’s great! Thanks for checking it out!

Hi Alex, thank you so much for the lesson.

My pleasure! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Hi Alex, your lessons are very useful.

I’m glad you enjoy them! Thanks for watching.

What do you mean when you tell «academician»? In France «académicien» means a person elected by other «académiciens». «Les académiciens» generally made university studies but it isn’t compulsory. A lecturer for me is a conference speaker. Perhaps, that word may mean an other thing. Excuse me for my curiosity. That gets to improve my English. Best regards.

Hi mclaude, which part of the lesson are you referring to?

Thanks a lot for your feedback and your great help. The question isn’t in your lessons. I asked Yagmurcamd a question about informations that he has given on himself. So, I wait his answer. Best regards. Marie-Claude

Amazing lesson thanks ?

Thanks, Manoura! I’m glad you liked it!

Hi Alex, thank you for your lesson, it was clearly. I got 10 out of 10.

“It was clear.” You can also say “It was clearly explained.”

Great job on the quiz, Victor!

I gave 10 correct answers. Thank you for the lesson

Fantastic job! Now practice the rules when you’re speaking!

I got 10 out of 10. :) Thanks Alex.

Great job! Keep on studying!

thank you very much mr Alex

Any time. I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

got 8.. both the mistakes were due to IF and THAT . Need to practice more to understand the situation better. any videos related to this would be helpful.

Could you give me more information on what you mean?

thans teacher….

“Thanks, teacher.”

As always, thanks for clicking, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the video. Don’t forget that if you want to support the website, you can donate @ engvid.com/support. This helps us to continue doing what we’re doing! Also, add me on Facebook (facebook.com/alex.engvid) and Twitter (twitter.com/alexengvid) to keep in touch. Thanks for studying with EngVid!

I would like to thank your team. i learnt lots of things from you people and trying to do IELTS in future soon. i got ten out ten marks. Hurrah!

Nice job! I’m glad we’ve been able to help you.

Thank you for the great and interesting lesson.I like it very much.Someyimes,I’m confused how to use”reported speed”but now you help me. I’ve got 9/10.I want to do better so I will listen to your lesson again and try to do it perfectly. Thank you!^-^

Nice job! Keep studying and getting better!

Nine out of ten,I thought the last one was #4, using past perfect, because the question was already in the past.

The last one doesn’t use the past perfect correctly, though. The verb form is not the past participle, which is what it should be with the past perfect.

Yep, that’s right! But that question doesn’t have a correct answer then, does it? Coz #2 uses present perfect ‘have enjoyed’ when it should be ‘had enjoyed’ in Past Perfect. And ‘this’ should be changed into ‘that’.

10 out of 10. Thanks for a great lesson!

Nice job! Keep it up!

thanks Alex

Hi i am an engineer too and my language is turkish also so i think we can improve our english together so can we be in touch i am from kirkuk and working at power plant as an electrical engineer

Any time. Thanks for watching.

thanks t Alex it’s really helpful lesson I get 9 out of 10

Great job! Keep on studying.

Thank U Alex for this lesson. Reported speech is a new topic for me. Have a nice day!

That’s good! You’re learning new things.

Have a nice day as well!

Thank you Alex it was very useful i got 10 out of 10

Nice job, Malak. Keep on studying. :)

I enjoyed this lesson as every lesson you’ve made thanks a lot my best teacher my best !

Thanks a lot, Oussouby! I really appreciate that. Have a great day.

Thank you Alex. You made very useful lesson, as always. You are perfect teacher :)

That’s very kind of you to say. Thanks a lot, Timur. I’m glad you’ve been enjoying my lessons.

Thank you for yet another great lesson.Could we use the word ‘whether’,instead of ‘if’,to report yes/no questions?

Absolutely! I should have mentioned that in the lesson.

Thank you so much for the great lessons.You had a lesson about “Either or Neither” and I asked a question about something related to that lesson, could you please make some time and answer that? Thank you :)

Hi Alex, nice and useful lesson as always. But i must confess I do not like grammar. I find it a bit boring. Could you prepare a lesson on Star Wars as you did a few months ago?

Haha. That lesson took a lot of work. Maybe in the future, but not any time soon!

Yes, I did it!

Thank you for your video, your English is very clear, and I understood everything, I am very happy!!

You’ve been always providing useful lessons. I am enjoying it a lot.

That’s great to hear. Thanks for checking out my videos. :)

A great a class

Thank you very much. Have a great weekend. :)

hi Alex, Thanks you so much, your video is very helpful and I have a question, in your example:”Can you play guitar” is that correct? As I know, we always have to put “the” before an instrument so It must be” Can you play the guitar?”. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Thanks

You can use both.

Can you play guitar? Can you play the guitar?

There is no difference in tone or formality. It’s the same with seasons.

I love spring. I love the spring.

Oh I got it, Thanks you so much ^^

Hello Can we have a converstaion on Skype??

This lesson was short but clear and so helpful. Many thanks, Alex. :)

You’re very welcome! My pleasure!

I got 9/10. thanks you, teacher !

wooowww, I got 10/10, thanks Alex for this useful lesson.

Dear Alex, i got 8 correct out of 10. But it’s a really amazing experience.. Waiting for another gem ..

I got 10/10!!! Good Lesson.

Thank you very much for the nice lesson, Alex. I have one question concerning the verb tenses: —Is Kate here? —He wanted to know if she was here? Couldn’t we use a present tense: He wants to know if she is here?

Merci Alex.

De rien. :)

Thank you very much Alex! Your teaching always is very interesting for me I appreciate it. Best Regards!

Thanks for checking out the video. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happyness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy”. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. Obviouvsly this is not a real experience of my life, it’s John Lennon’s. Thanks for your lesson Alex and take care.

That’s really great. :) Thanks for posting that!

10 out of 10 ! Good job, thanks Alex

Very clear, thank you. I wonder why Mr James speaks so fast.

That’s just his natural speech. A lot of his lessons are meant for advanced students.

Thanks Alex for a helpful lesson.!

My pleasure. Thanks for studying with me!

Thank you, Mr. Alex, your lesson is very clear.

Thanks for watching and for studying with EngVid, BigMitch!

I have got 100/100 but I need more challenging test. how can I get them?

We have other lessons that are more advanced, so I’d check those out if you’re looking for a challenge.

Thank you so much Alex

You’re very welcome. Thanks for clicking and for studying with EngVid.

Hi Alex! Thanks for this lesson, it was very educative.

“Educational.” :)

“Educational”, thanks for correcting me. Please tell me, when do I have to use educative?

“Educational” is much more common in the contexts you are probably thinking. “Educative” is possible, but not as common.

“The internet can be a wonderful educative tool.” “The book has a lot of educative uses.”

It’s a difficult distinction, but know that “educational” is the one that’s more frequently used.

I got it 9 out of 10… Thanks Alex

Great job! Keep studying!

I had had a lots difficult about reported speech in my English course, but this lesson was very good for me. thank you so much!

You’re welcome, Romulo! I’m glad I could help. It’s definitely not an easy subject.

Ohh ,really thxxx teacher i got 7 of 10 q This is a very enjoy

Not bad! Keep studying.

“This is very enjoyable.” :)

3+5 = 8 3 plus 5 (is/are) 8? 3 + 5 (make/makes) 8 Three plus five (equal/equals) eight? 3 and 5 (is/are) 8? Are the verbs (make, equal, and is/are) interchangeable? Does the plural subject take a plural verb in these example?

Some quick answers…

is makes equals is

Use the third person. :) The most common word people use is “is.” After that, “equals.” “Makes” is also used. All three are interchangeable in this context, though.

This lesson was extremely helpful!!! Thank you so much!

You’re very welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks Alex.. I really learned this lesson. Your lessons is very nice.

Thanks for your feedback, rmsouza. I appreciate it!

thanks, i enjoyed it

Thanks for clicking and for studying with EngVid. :)

Excelent class!! I enjoyed

I’m really glad to hear that! Thanks for studying with me and with EngVid.

10 out of 10! Thank You Alex for lessons, I wait for your new video!

Already? Haha. You will have to wait for another two weeks. The next video is VERY different, though. I hope you like it!

Hi Alex. I liked this video a lot! It’s a very useful lesson. Thank you so much. I got 100.

Great job, Julio! Keep it up. :)

Thanks again, Alex, for your straightforward and very useful lessons!

Alex asked us if we liked this lesson and I answered yes and greeted him for one more very useful lesson. :)

Ha! Nice job, Fabio. As always, I appreciate your feedback. I hope the weather’s nice in your part of Brazil this week!

The weather is a little chill and cloudy here in the town I live, Campinas: 13 degrees celsius.

This is much better than the weather of the last saturday, when it was pouring so much that certain neighbourhoods in this city was partially destroyed — something that was never recorded before. Some imagens of this incident can be seen following this link: http://correio.rac.com.br/_conteudo/2016/06/campinas_e_rmc/431949-tempestade-deixa-rastro-de-destruicao-na-cidade.html

Excluding this ocurrence, generally the mild cold weather is welcome and interesting to drink wine and hot tea, and eat some different foods.

I hope you’re all enjoying the spring and the coming summer in Canada!

Hi, Could you please make a video about: (different vs difference) and (Clothes vs Clothing) Because I don’t know what is the different between them :(. and I search about that but I didn’t find the answer which I was looking for,so please help me And Thanx a lot :).

The basic difference between “different” and “difference” is that “different” is an adjective and “difference” is a noun. The word “different” must describe something.

You look different today. (describing YOU) You’re wearing different shoes today. (describing SHOES) I’ve been looking for a different book. (describing BOOK)

Difference must typically be used with “a” or “the” in front of it.

I don’t see the difference. She didn’t even notice the difference. There’s a difference between right and wrong.

I’ll have to think more about “clothes” and “clothing,” but I’d say “clothes” is much more commonly used, and “clothing” just sounds like it’s used in more formal situations.

I like your clothes/clothing. (“clothing” sounds possible but strange in most contexts here)

You can use clothing when talking about “A clothing store” or “the men’s/women’s clothing section” in a store.

“She has a lot of clothes/clothing.” (again, both are possible, but “clothes” just sounds more natural and used)

thank Alex for your lesson!

My pleasure. Thanks for clicking.

Hi Alex! i am loving the lessons. I am a beginner student and these lessons are helping me enough, thanks for that. I have a question about this quiz. In one of the questions, I think that is the question number five, you wrote “stop!” and after was written in the question ” he asked” us.. Would not be “he said us”???

You cannot say “He said us.” The structure is incorrect. Check out my video on “say” and “tell” for the correct form. :)

In this context, you can say…

“He told us to stop.” “He asked us to stop.” “He commanded us to stop.” “He advised us to stop.”

…and more.

Hi Alex, thank you.

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching. :)

hi alex , i am an english teacher but i need to enhance my english specially speaking , what should i do please help me please

Thank you for lesson! very easy to understand the rules.

I thank you for this very valuable workThank you

Thanks a lot, Alex. This video is pretty useful for me. Although the one is short, your explanation is so clear and methodical. What a excellent teacher you are. I enjoy watching your videos.

you are perfect

hi Alex, it is first time to watch your video but i was following this site long time, really i liked the way you are teaching and i got 100% in this quiz. good start with you lessons. thanks for giving us your valuable time

Nice job! Keep studying!

Hello Alex,

Thank you for this wonderful lesson and for helping us. Every time you are doing your best. Alex, I have one question in my mind after doing the quiz. In the question number five, you said that we can use “He asked us to stop”. Don’t we use “ask” to report yes/no questions? What I want to say is “Stop.” is not an interrogative sentence, it is an imperative. As we know, while reporting imperatives, we use verbs like “say”, “tell”, “command”, or “advise”. Could you please enlighten me about this? So I can put an end to my doubt. I look forward to your reply.

Kind Regards, Roya.

You’re right. However, a person could think a command is just a request. Think of the person asking “Could you stop, please?” instead, and you have your answer. Good question!

Thank a lot Alex

Thank you!!!! I got it!

I got 7-10 I need to take the class again!

got 10 correct out of 10! lol…

I love this lesson, thanks:)

i can develop my english skills by following your videos. Thank you, all these are so clear and understandable. have you and other teachers in engvid published any video about the word “through” ? if there is, i have been ckecked mostly but i couldn’t find.

Thanks you for this good lesson. I have done the quiz and got 10. I have a question, let me say that someone told me “was there any green pen on your desk yesterday?” In your lesson you changed the tense of verbs to past when you used “if”. so if I had a question which is already in the past. How should I report it? Shall I use the past tense or Past Perfect Tense?

My Regards Muhanand

The question should be “Was there a green pen on your desk yesterday?” When reporting the simple past, you SHOULD go to the past perfect. However, many native speakers just keep it in simple past when reporting, especially if they are reporting shortly after the original conversation.

hellO I would my message finds you well. I would be glad if you could tell me a little about the language psychology at teaching also give me a hand by expressing some english teaching methods,how a teacher/constructor could properly motivate students to talk by the way this is mehdi form iran-tehran thanks indeed I will be waitting for your response

I got 9/10 so thank you so much!

Yes Alex .. its really nice how you explain the construction of reporting form..good luck

i have done the uizz with 10 correct. Thanks for your teach.

Can you say “guitar”? it should be “the guitar” as we have learnt….

I really was wrong in this rule but now I catch the meaning thanks

Hello, what is the difference between TOP, CAP, LID as a noun ? a top of a bottle a cap of a bottle a lid of a bottle regards

Hi Alex thank you for this helpful lesson.

My friend asked if i like reported speech video , my answer is yes !

Hi Alex! Thanks for this lesson.

You got 10 correct out of 10. :D

Thank you Alex I really enjoyed this vidio.

great lesson! thank you very much indeed.

What tense should I use after “if”?

Hi Alex, I really need grammar, your lessons are helping me so much!! I have learnt with you! Thank you!!

Hello Alex, thank you very much for the video lesson. It’s really helpful and useful for me. I took the quiz and got 10 correct out of 10. Kind regards

hi , its impressive how you replied almost all the comments :) . and yes i love this website , so helpful and thank you and all your colleagues for making FREE quality videos to teach and help people round the world learn English easier ;)

i got 9 correct answers,thanks for the lesson.

actully i’m a bit confused about whether we use past partciple of the verb or just the past form in the reported sentence.

Hello alex , Thanks for teaching I really enjoyed this lesson. I got 9 correct out of 10.

Hey Alex. Thanx got 10 out of 10.

Do you understand this video? Alex asked me if I understood that video I got 10, thank you so much.

Thank u so much Alex for such a useful lesson. I got 8 out of 10

Teacher Alex asked me if I enjoyed this video by the end of the quiz and I say I did because I got it all correct. Thanks for the very important grammar topic on this. Take care ;)

My question is … as i know in reported speech the past simple change into past perfect >>> so when the question start with did that means this is past simple??????

Yes I also wonder that… I’ve been using Lingualeo.com to study English and in their reported speech lessons I’ve seen that we should change past tense to past perfect tense, isn’t it correct? Can anybody please help us with this?

Thanks a million!

Perfect, i’ve done 10/10 Thanks Alex

Hi, Alex! Thank you for this video. I have a question. Ronnie said in her video about reported speech that we should use past perfect tense if the quoted speech was in past simple, but there are not such possible answers in the 7th and 10th questions of the Quiz. Thanks a lot.

Excelent topic! Thanks Alex

This lesson is so useful and easy! I love this lesson :D

The last question asks me if I enjoyed the video. I definitely enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I answered wrong because I had thought that I should transfer tense from past to past participle, but the answer with “had enjoy” is not right, so I chose the answer B (present participle). I am sorry for my diffuse explanation. But above all, I enjoyed your lesson, Alex!. Thank you so much.

Hello Teacher! I loved this video!Congratulations! But I have a doubt in the Question 10: Direct speech Simple Past / indirect speech :Past Participle Why it didn’t change to a past participle ?

I did it well at last 10 out of 10.

Great.. Thank you sir…

I do want to practise my english speaking with someone. Is there anyone? My facebook email is : [email protected] My whatsapp number is: +923155240575 , also it’s on imo. It will be my pleasure to speak with you. Thanking you in anticipation.

OH MY GOD… I JUST GOT 10 OF10 THANK YOU ALEX~~~THE LESSON IS SO USEFUL:)))

Great! Scored 10 out 10.

Thanks for you help

I have wrong the 7 and 10 question, because in pass and i put past perfect.

I liked your lesson Alex. Thank you very much!

Dear Alex, you’re great!

Alex asked us if we enjoyed this lesson- We said yes! :) Thanks for another good lesson Alex! Wish u having a superb day!

Thanks Alex Reported Speech it was always a terrible theme for me in my course and now I can review some exercices with you… Tks.

hey Alex. I like your lesson very much. i got 8 out of 10

I got 6 correct out of 10. I’ll try more sir by the way tanks for your this lesson.

i got 90. thank you so much

Thanks a lot Alex, Regarding yes/no question, in reported speech part why you changed the present tense to past tense

Thank you teacher Alex, I enjoyed your video ?

Alex! Sorry, about the second question… I don’t understand one thing! Why did you conjugate the verb “to say” at the third person singular if “The signs” is a plural noun? I can’t really understand! “The signs says… not to park”

10/10. Thank you, Alex! Especially for “David Bowie was an alien who went back to his home planet”)) You’re a great teacher!

Excellent explanation

Thanks I enjoyed it. I got 10/10

Thanks I really enjoyed it

Thanks Alex I’ve got 8 correct!

thanks so much

Thank you so much Alex. I got 7 true out of 10. Hi from Turkey ,to you…

Excellent Lesson.. Thanks Alex..

Thank you very much, I got 100 score. I learned this lesson very well, even though I had not seen previous video. I hope that the following sentence be true.

Alex : “Subscribe this video ” Narges : Alex wanted to know if I subscribed this video .

Alex asked if I subscribe this video .

I DONT KNOW MAY BE ITS COMPLICATED SOMETHING , I CONFUSED WITH THE THREE LESSONS FOR THIS TOPIC (REPORTED SPEECH ) COULD YOU HELP ME PLEASE HOW CAN I STAR WITHOUT CONFUSING ?

Alex hi, may I ask you why in the last question the right answer was not “have enjoyed”? Thank you!

i want to ask you why in the last question the right answer was not “have enjoyed”? Thank you! because the rule is the past tense became past perfect.

hey teacher ALEX i like yuor lesson pretty much. i already clear my reported speech. well done thanks a lot

Hi,Alex. Why did you not suggest variant ”Alex asked if we had enjoyed this video” ? I think it would be more correctly. Or am I wrong ?

Thanks Alex. This is a short but very useful lesson. I got full.

Hi… Alex… Could please tell me.. where is VALEN ?

THANKS A LOT ALEX GOT 9/10 IN YOUR QUIZ AND 19/20 IN MY UNIT TEST

i have answered these question and i have finished 7/10. Thanks you teacher.

Thank you Alex, i had a prefect score.

excellent lesson 100%

Hi Alex! Thanks (9 correct out of 10). ;)

Thank you Alex!

Thanks for your lessons . They are useful! I was clearly explained. =)

I got 10/10… Thank you Alex

Hello Alex, Is it correct to use “would” when reporting a sentence whose content has yet to take place? For example I read on this week’s Economist:”Emmanuel Macron, a former economy minister in France’s Socialist government, announced that he would run for the French presidency next year (2017).” I thought that we can use “would” when something has already happened (or not) and we look back to the past: “I’ll go to the cinema tomorrow” (uttered, say, on Monday) which becomes “He said he would go to the cinema the following day” (uttered on Friday)not knowing if eventually he went or not. But in the economist example the elections haven’t yet taken place. I hope I made myself clear enough. Thanks in advance!

Hey! Ronie tought us if we converting quote in Past Simple into reporting speach we should use Past perfect. So what about question #10, why this rule did not aply here?

it seems that there is a mistake did you know this answer? he asked me if I had known the answer????

in reported speech in the quiz: did you enjoy the video? the answer is : he asked me if I had enjoyed the video and not He asked me if I enjoyed the video

is that correct??

I felt the same way, maybe. You mean the tense should be go back when we form a reported speech, right?

Alex wrote about that above answering the same question:”The question should be “Was there a green pen on your desk yesterday?” When reporting the simple past, you SHOULD go to the past perfect. However, many native speakers just keep it in simple past when reporting, especially if they are reporting shortly after the original conversation.”

thanks SIR ALEX.

Hi Alex my favourite teacher: could you expalin aq little more about the last question #10 ? it’s kinda confusing to me and seemingly other students. what I learned so far from the other engvid’s teachers tells that simple past tense turns to past perfect tense. so: Did you enjoyed? —> you enjoyed —> she had enjoyed

Alex wrote about that above answering the same question:”The question should be “Was there a green pen on your desk yesterday?” When reporting the simple past, you SHOULD go to the past perfect. However, many native speakers just keep it in simple past when reporting, especially if they are reporting shortly after the original conversation.”

Many thanks for your lesson. I enjoyed it very much!

It was a very useful lesson. … Thanks for your help ?

Good learning through great teaching!

Thanks Alex! My result is 100!

Hi! Thank you for all your lessons, Alex! It is easy to understand them.

I have a question – is it possible to say like this: Is she here? -> He wanted to know if she was there?

Is there any difference with your example? Thank you!

I think I seem to become a good student. It is very useful for me to understand. Thank you so much!

Thanks , Alex! You are the best!

That’s right.

Thank you so much for your lesson Alex.

Alex you are really the best young teacher who is can explain all details very very and again very incredible. Wish you were my teacher.You can encourage me when I listen you.

I ve done 9 correct out of 10.))))))))))) thanks Alex

i got 9/10 can u put more videos and quiz

Really really thank you mr Alix I get 7☺️ And I’m happy I did not make mastak I last question ?

10/10 thanks mr Alex for that awesome lesson.

yessss! I am a beginner but I got 10/10! Sir Alex I really enjoyed your video! that was seriously a helpful video for many…. thankyou! :D

That’s great. 9/10 :D

Wow Alex thanks I got 100% !!!!!!!!

thanks a lot Alex. I got 100%

I got 100% it’s incredible.

wow. I got a 9. Thanks, Alex.

Alex I got 10.Your amazing Alex keep it up :D

Hello Alex First of all I really enjoy your lessons and the way you teach. Could you help me. I’m stuck here:

“Did you know about that?” – it looks like past simple

I thought – “She asked me if I HAD KNOWN about that” because past simple has to be transformed into past perfect, but I didn’t find this option. Could you point me out where is my mistake?

Alex, thanks for your lesson. As usual, It is really helpful.

I have a question about the reported speech in the Y/N questions: Could I put “whether” instead of “IF”? Thus, considerating that a Y/N question give two options for answering it.

Thankyou Alex!!!

Thank you Alex!!! Amazing explanation!

In the near past, I didn´t answer correct the reported speech, now I got it.

Hi Alex, I have learned about reported speech before. But I was confused when I watched your video because my teacher said that I needed to change “here” to “there” in reported speech. Can you give a complete explanation? Thank you so much.

10 out of 10 :) a top class teacher !! i wish i had bumped into you long time ago :)

I got 10 correct out of 10! Thanks a bunch Alex!

I would also like to ask you for a brief explanation when to use ” to + infinite verb ” and ” to + ING verb form”. I got a little confused while taking the test. Thank you in advance!

Very simple and easy to understand! 10/10 Thank you:)

it is such an amazing video and site to study english lessons , i got 7 out 10 :( but i didn’t understand the last question which is past simple and the answer is in past perfect isn’t it? i was wondering why is if we enjoyed this video instead if we had enjoyed thus video? many thanks

Thank you for this lesson. I would like to know if i could change ” IF ” for “WHETHER” in the YES/NO questions.

I could answer 10 questions right) Thank you)

I could answer 7/10. I am going to try more.

I studied this long time ago but got 10 out of 10!:) Thank you for lesson, it was very usefull to remember it

Thanks I could answer 7/10 . I need to learn this leasson!

Thanks you so much Alex. The lesson was perfect as always. I could answer 10/10 :)

Nice to meet you from Japan, Alex. I’m new here, just signed up for your lesson.I got 8 of 10 on this test, which makes me happy! Thank you for your video!

I don’t understand the tense of “Yes/No Questions” with reported speech form.

I thought, to answer the question, “Did you know about that?” in the form of reported speech, “She asked me if I had known about it.” was right. However, the collect answer was, “She asked me if I knew about it.”

And the same way, at the last question, I thought, “Alex asked if we had enjoyed this video.” was the way it would be.

I’m not sure if my excuse to come across well, why we can ignore the rule, which what I understood, “to form reported speech, go one tense back from quoted speech form.”

I wish you would answer my question. Though either way, I’m looking forward to your following lessons!!

Congratulations and thank you for your useful, clear and interesting videos. I wonder why you don’t make some about Conditionals.

tnxs sir its really helpful

8 correct out of ten :(

Thank you Alex, the lessons are very useful for me who want to improve an English skill.

thanks teacher Alex i get 10 out 10

Hi Alex, your lessons are very useful and I love your lessons.Thanks

Thanks a lot! I get 10 out of 10, it´s awesome!

Hello alex i wanna thank you for for the useful lessons i get 10/10

Thank You, Alex, for helping me to understand. it is very clear because you have done very well.

I got 10/10

Where can I ask quaestions? ^^

Direct: He said, “I went there last Saturday.” Reported : He said that he had gone there the Saturday before.

Is that correct? I’m not sure how I should change ‘Last Saturday.’

Please give me a correct answer! Thanks a lot

in Quiz “Do not park.” The signs says _ it should be . the signs said ??? thank you Alex

Great lesson, great teacher! ?

good lesson alex

I got 10! Thank you Alex,you are a very good teacher.

Hello alex I have 2 question. Can you plz help in this carefully. I want to know what happend to first condition when we report it. For example if u go out in cold u catch cold.(i mean in this situation it turns to hypothetical ) And tow for fact like canada is beutiful. Thank u very much.

Hey alex in question 10 u asked : did you enjoy the video? It shouldt be. if we had enjoyed the vidoe? Cuz of did? Thanks alex

sir alex i like your teaching method and first time i understood the narration …thank sir alex and all other teacher staff who are doing this effort…

i got 9 out of 10..

Hi! Thanks for such a short and very informative update Sir. Thanks again

Thanks, Alex! You are a talented teacher. I got 10 out of 10.

Thanks Alex!I got 8 out of 10.Very useful!

Yay, I got 10 answers correct. Thanks Alex! You are one of among excellent English teachers in this world.

10/10 finally I’m learning reported speech thanks, teacher!!!

Hi I was wondering to get tested on reported speech lessons and where to click , I can’t found any link!!!!!

Thanks for the test, it was helpful I’ve got 9 of 10

hi alex thanks for your efforts and hard work i realy enjoed learning english with you

i was inquired about the sentence that says is she here? shouldnot we say he wanted to know if she was there (not here )

and second can we say whether insted of if

10 out of 10 :) It was pleasure to study with you :) Br=est regard from Poland

I´m not sure but I think there is a mistake in this exercise, if a yes/no question is in past simple (like number 10) DID YOU ENJOY THIS VIDEO? the answer must be in past perfect, or Am I wrong? let me know please¡ I think the answer is: ALEX ASKED ME IF I HAD ENJOYED THIS VIDEO.

I’m also confused. It really looks like a mistake

You said that in this class you were going to look at two very specify cases of reported speech. you also said to watch other videos before your class or to watch this lesson first.you said to study a lot of English if I wanted to improve my English.finally you said to make sure to use if when the report was a question. thanks your class was fantastic.

Sorry, second answer: “The signs says” – it is a mistake

Thank you Mr. Alex. I really enjoyed this video.

Hello, Alex.I hope you are Ok. Alex, could you tell me the right way to use the following in the indirect speech. ( When her husband came home from work, she said to him, ” Here are the Christmas cards for our friends”… What did she say? Am I right to say? She said that there were the Christmas cards for their friends or it’s better to say She gave the Christmas cards to her husband whithout using the indirect speech… Which is the best way? Thanks for helping)))

Thanks Mr.Alex. We love your English lessons

I did 9 ! Thank you!for this lesson!

Thank you for the lesson, Alex! But I have a question about the quiz. In the last sentence we don’t change the time in the second part. Why? Did you enjoy this video? Alex asked if we enjoyed this video.

Why not “Alex asked if we had enjoyed this video”?

Thank you for helping us! Your tips are great!

Hello, Thank you for your lessons. May I ask you why #10 is using past simple in reported speech (. I thought it had to be past perfect because of past simple in direct speech. The same #7 past simple in direct speech = past simple in reported speech. Thank you

10 out of 10 thank you

Hello, Alex thank you for your lesson. I have a question…. In the last question of the practice could I say “Alex asked if we have enjoyed this” instead of “Alex asked if we enjoyed this video? it would be the same? (In case there is a different could you explain me thar, please) Thank you so much

Quiz 7 and 9. Past simple (did) and present simple (do). Why answer same – knew? Why not knew and had known? Pl let me know. Please.

Quiz 2. The signs says. Why not the signs say (without s)?

I’ve got 8/10???? HOOOW?

Hi Alex, Thanks a lot for your effort and this nice lesson, I enjoyed it and I got a new information, You said if I enjoyed the lesson to tag a like in your You Tube. Sure I will do . BR.

I watched this video twice on May 27, 2021, and I took the quiz after watching it once. I got ten correct out of 10.

Hi dear Alex!Thanks for your amazing videos. I’ve got a question. May told us she wanted to get a flu shot tomorrow. I saw this sentence in my book and I was wondering why the time《tomorrow》is unchanged?? When don’t we change the time and place of indirect speeches? Thank you in advance.

Hello there ) Don`t we change Here into There in the reported speech? “is she here?” – he asked. – He asked if she was there. ??? Thank you for your super videos!

Got a perfect score. Thank you for sharing this video.

Great class dear Alex as always you’re so funny with the options… many greetings from Surco…

I got 10/10. Thank you.

I answer your last question now. Yes, of course!!! I have just done the quiz and I got 7 out of 10. Thanks for this video!

I really understand your teaching

Thanks a lot! Great class!

sir, the question 10 confused me, why don’t we use backshift for it ? it is in past simple and will be transformed to past perfect, was I right ? :( Hope that you will respond me ;((( Thanks

thanks a lot

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• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: reporting verbs

Do you know how to tell someone what another person said using reporting verbs? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how reporting verbs are used.

direct speech: 'You should come, it's going to be a lot of fun,' she said. indirect speech: She persuaded me to come. direct speech: 'Wait here,' he said. indirect speech: He told us to wait there. direct speech: 'It wasn't me who finished the coffee,' he said. indirect speech: He denied finishing the coffee.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Reported speech 3 – reporting verbs: 1

Grammar explanation

When we tell someone what another person said, we often use the verbs say , tell or ask . These are called 'reporting verbs'. However, we can also use other reporting verbs. Many reporting verbs can be followed by another verb in either an infinitive or an -ing form. 

Reporting verb + infinitive

Verbs like advise , agree , challenge , claim , decide , demand , encourage , invite , offer , persuade , promise , refuse and remind can follow an infinitive pattern.

'Let's see. I'll have the risotto, please.' He decided to have the risotto. 'I'll do the report by Friday, for sure.' She promised to do the report by Friday. 'It's not a good idea to write your passwords down.' They advised us not to write our passwords down.

We can also use an infinitive to report imperatives, with a reporting verb like tell , order , instruct , direct or warn .

'Please wait for me in reception.' The guide told us to wait for her in reception. 'Don't go in there!' The police officer warned us not to go in there.

Reporting verb + -ing form

Verbs like admit , apologise for , complain about , deny , insist on , mention and suggest can follow an -ing form pattern.

'I broke the window.' She admitted breaking the window. 'I'm really sorry I didn't get back to you sooner.' He apologised for not getting back to me sooner. 'Let's take a break.' She suggested taking a break.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Reported speech 3 – reporting verbs: 2

Language level

Would you consider the following structure to be reported speech?

The original sentence went as follows:

- After the procedure the doctors confirmed it was the right thing to have done.

Why am I asking? As far as I know the top notch phrasing should go like this:

- After the procedure the doctors confirmed it HAD BEEN the right thing to have done.

I think so because at that time the doctors must have said something like:

- Doctors confirming after the procedure - It was the right thing to have done, Dominik.

Would you be so kind to comment on this one, please :)

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Hello Dominik992,

The version that you propose is correct, and, as you mention, is what is taught as best practice in most grammars.

The other version is also fine, however. Especially in more informal speaking and writing, we often use a past simple form when a past perfect form doesn't add any additional or important meaning.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hello! I would like to know whether this two sentences are correct. I think they are both correct, but I am not sure.

"He apologized for letting me down." Or: "He apologized for having let me down"

Thank you in advance! GabDip

Hello GabDip,

Yes, both sentences are correct. There is a slight difference in meaning:

Sentence 1 ( for letting ) could be about a particular situation or it could be about his general habit of being unreliable.

Sentence 2 ( for having let ) describes an issue in the past which is not true any more.

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello, i have 2 questions, firstly is the same use advise with verb + object + infinitive that use it with + gerund, it changes the meaning or no? secondly, when we use warn + object + infinitive it has the same meaning that warn somebody against?

Hi facundo62,

For  advise , the meaning is the same with those two structures. For example:

• I'd advise resting as much as you can.
• I'd advise you to rest as much as you can.

However, the structure  advise  + - ing form is less commonly used than the advise + object + to + infinitive structure. 

About  warn , the two structures you mentioned do also have the same meaning. But just to be clear, it's  warn  + object + not + to  + infinitive that has that meaning. For example:

• The doctor warned me not to eat too much.
• The doctor warned me against eating too much.

I hope that helps.

LearnEnglish team

what is the diffrence beetween he suggested to ask andi for some ideas and he suggested asking andi for ideas

"He suggested to ask ..." is not grammatically correct. 

The verb "suggest" is followed by either:

• an - ing  verb form -->  He suggested asking ...  OR
• a  that  clause -->  He suggested  that we ask   ...

"Suggest" is not in the group of verbs that is followed by an infinitive ( to  + verb).

it helped alot thanks

Why can't we say "Katie suggested us going for a walk" but instead should say "KATIE SUGGESTED THAT WE GO FOR A WALK" whilst "The man warned us not to park in this street" is correct. It's unclear why "She suggested us" isn't correct but "The man warned us...." is.

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Reported Speech: Definition, Rules, Usage with Examples, Tips, Exercises for Students

• Updated on  
• Jan 10, 2024

Reported Speech: Reported Speech or also known as indirect speech, is typically used to convey what has been said by someone at a particular point of time. However, owing to the nuances of the systems involved, English grammar may be a complicated language to learn and understand. But once you get hold of the grammar fundamentals , you can be a pro. It’s these fundamentals that will help you create a solid base. The rest of the journey becomes much easier once you get a good grip on the english grammar for competitive exams . So, today, we’re going to talk about one of those basics that is an important part of English grammar, i.e., Reported Speech with multiple definition, usage with examples and numerous practise exercicses.

This Blog Includes:

What is reported speech, definition of reported speech, reported speech rules, rules for modal verbs, rules for pronouns, rules for change in tenses, rules for changing statements into reported speech, rules for changing interrogative sentences into reported speech, rules for changing commands and requests into indirect speech, tips to practise reported speech, fun exercises for reported speech with answers.

When we use the exact words spoken by someone, it is known as Direct Speech or Reported Speech. Reporting speech is a way to effectivley communication something that has been spoken, usually in the past, by the speaker. It is also possible to describe it from the speaker’s perspective from the third person. Since you are only communicating the message and are not repeating the speaker’s exact words, you do not need to use quotation marks while using this type of speaking.

For example: Rita said to Seema, “ I am going to bake a cake ”

Here we are using the exact words spoken by Rita, however, reported or Indirect speech is used when we are reporting something said by someone else but we do not use the exact words. So, we use this form of speech to talk about the past. For example:

Rita told Seema that she was going to bake a cake

In this case, we haven’t used the exact words of Rita but conveyed her message.

Difference Between Reporting Clause and Reported Speech

The words that come before the inverted commas are known as the reporting clause, in the example given above, the reporting clause will be – Rita said to Seema, where ‘said’ is the verb and is known as the reporting clause/verb . The words written within the inverted commas are known as the Reported speech, in the above example, the reported speech is “I am going to bake a cake” .

Also Read:  55+ Phrases with Meaning to Boost Your Vocabulary

Here are some common definitions of reported speech for your reference:

➡️ An Oxford Learner’s Dictionary definition of reported speech is “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.”

➡️ Reporter speech is described as “speech which tells you what someone said but does not use the person’s actual words” by the Collins Dictionary.

➡️ “The act of reporting something that was said, but not using the same words,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary.

➡️ Reported speech is defined as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said” by the Macmillan Dictionary.

Also Read: Adjective: Definition, Usage, Example, Forms, Types

Now let us take a look at the rules for changing direct speech to indirect or reported speech –

➡️ First and foremost, we do not use inverted commas in reported speech which must be clear from the example given above.

➡️ We use conjunctions like ‘if’, and ‘whether’ after the reporting verb in reported speech

➡️ The reporting verb’s tense is never altered.

➡️ The verb of reporting varies according to sense: it can be told, inquired, asked, etc.

For example: Direct : Mohan said to Sohan, “I am going to school” Reported : Mohan told Sohan that he is going to school

Also Read:  Useful Idioms for IELTS Exams That Will Boost Your Score

Modal words are used to show a sense of possibility, intent, necessity or ability. Some common examples of verbs can include should, can and must. These words are used to express hypothetical conditions. Check the table of contents below for rules with examples of modal verbs.

Also Read: Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises With Answers for Class 12

Listed below are some common rules followed in pronouns using reported speech:

✏️ We change the first-person pronouns (I, my, us, our, me, we) as per the subject of the reporting verb in the reported speech. ✏️ We change the second-person pronouns (you, your, yourself) as per the object of the reporting verb in the reported speech. ✏️ There is no change in the third-person pronouns.

For example:

Direct : Rita said, “I like the book.” Reported : Rita said that she likes the book.

Direct : Arun said to me, “Do you like to eat cakes?” Reported : Arun asked me if I liked eating cakes.

Direct : Ravi said, “I enjoy fishing.” Reported : Ravi said that he enjoys fishing.

Also Read: Reported Speech Interrogative: Rules, Examples & Exercise

Here are some common ruled used for change in tenses:

✏️ The tense of the reported speech is not changed if the reporting verb is in the present or the future tense. ✏️ If a historical fact, a universal reality or a habitual fact is conveyed in a direct speech. The indirect speech tense will not change. ✏️ If the reporting verb is in the past tense, then it will change the tense of the reported speech as follows:

Direct : Reema says, “I am going out.” Reported : Reema says that she is going out.

Direct : Ramesh said, “Honesty is the best policy.” Reported : Ramesh said that honesty is the best policy.

Direct : Vishnu said that, “India gained independence in 1947.” Reported : Vishnu said that India gained independence in 1947.

Direct : Akshat will say, “I want a slice of cake.” Reported : Akshat will say that he wants a slice of cake.

Direct : Reena said, “I am writing a novel.” Reported : Reena said that she was writing a novel.

Direct : Ayushi said, “I was working on my project.” Reported : Ayushi said that she had been working on her project.

Also Read: Exploring the Types of Reported Speech: A Complete Guide

Here are some common rules for changing statements into reported speech:

✏️ The “said to” reporting verb is changed to “told,” “replied,” “remarked,” ✏️ We do not change the object i.e., the reporting verb is not followed by an object. ✏️ We drop the inverted commas and use a conjunction to join the reporting clause and speech/ ✏️ The laws are followed for the changing of pronouns, tenses, etc.

Direct: Ramu said, “I saw a lion in the forest.” Indirect: Ramu said that he had seen a lion in the forest.

Direct : Satish said to me, “I am very happy here.” Indirect : Satish told me that he was very happy there.

Direct : He said, “I can do this work.” Indirect: He said that he could do that work.

50 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech Interrogative Sentences

Here are some common rules followed for changing interrogative sentences into reported speech:

✏️ The reporting verb “say” is transformed into “ask, inquire,” ✏️ By inserting the subject before the verb, the interrogative clause is converted into a declaration and the full stop is inserted at the end of the sentence. ✏️ The wh-word is repeated in the sentence if the interrogative sentence has a wh-word (who, where, where, how, why, etc). This works as a conjunction. ✏️ If the asking phrase is a yes-no answer style phrase (with auxiliary verbs are, were, were, do, did, have, shall, etc.), then if or whether is used as a conjunction. ✏️ In the reported speech, the auxiliaries do, did, does drop in a positive question. ✏️ The conjunction after the reporting clause is not used.

Direct: I said to him, “Where are you going?” Indirect: Tasked him where he was going.

Direct: He said to me, “Will you go there?” Indirect: He asked me if I would go there.

Direct: My friend said to Deepak, “Have you ever been to Agra?” Indirect: My friend asked Deepak if he had ever been to Agra.

How to Change Sentences into Indirect Speech

The reporting verb is changed into command, order, say, enable, submit, etc. in imperative sentences that have commands.

✏️ By positioning it before the verb, the imperative mood is converted into the infinitive mood. The auxiliary ‘do’ is dropped in the case of negative sentences, and ‘to’ is substituted after ‘not

Direct: She said to me, “Open the window.” Indirect: She ordered me to open the window.

Direct: The captain said to the soldiers, “Attack the enemy.” Indirect: The captain commanded the soldiers to attack the enemy.

Direct: I said to him, “Leave this place at once.” Indirect: I told him to leave that place at once.

Also Read: Direct And Indirect Speech Questions

Indirect speech, sometimes referred to as reported speech, is used to communicate ideas without directly quoting another person. The following advice will help you become proficient in reported speech:

👉 Understand the Basics : Ensure you have a solid understanding of direct speech (quoting exact words) before moving on to reported speech.

👉 Identify Reporting Verbs : Recognize common reporting verbs such as “say,” “tell,” “ask,” “inform,” etc. These verbs are often used to introduce reported speech.

👉 Practice with Various Tenses : Work on reported speech with different tenses (present, past, future) to become comfortable with each.

👉 Use Reporting Words Appropriately : Experiment with different reporting words to convey the speaker’s attitude or emotion accurately. For example, “complain,” “admit,” “suggest.”

👉 Write Dialogues : Create dialogues and convert them into reported speech. This will help you practice both creating and transforming speech.

👉 Use Authentic Materials : Practice reported speech by reading books, articles, or watching videos. Try to convert the direct speech in these materials into reported speech.

Here are a few exercises for reported speech along with answers:

Change the following sentences from direct speech to reported speech.

• Answer: She said that she loved watching movies.
• Answer: He told me not to forget to buy some milk on my way home.
• Answer: Peter said that he would visit his grandparents the following weekend.
• Answer: She announced that she had finished her homework.
• Answer: They exclaimed that they were going to the beach the next day.

Reported Speech Exercises For Class 9

Combine the following sentences into reported speech.

• Answer: Mary said that she was going to the store because she needed some groceries.
• Answer: He remarked that it was raining outside.
• Answer: She explained that she couldn’t attend the meeting because she had a doctor’s appointment.
• Answer: They assured us that they would finish the project by Friday.
• Answer: He admitted that he had never been to Paris.

Transform the sentences into reported speech.

• Answer: She asked why I was late.
• Answer: He requested me to help him with that heavy box.
• Answer: She inquired if I could pass her the salt.
• Answer: The guide told the visitors not to touch the paintings.
• Answer: He said that he must finish that report that day.

Direct And Indirect Speech Questions: Comprehensive Guide with Examples

Reporting speech is the way we present our own or other people’s words. Direct speech and indirect speech are the two primary categories of reported speech. Direct communication restates the speaker’s precise words or their words as we recall them: “I didn’t realize it was midnight,” Barbara remarked.

The speech that is being reported may be declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, or imperative.

Quote marks are not used when putting the speaker’s words or ideas into a sentence in reported speech. Typically, noun clauses are employed. When reading a reported speech, the reader should not assume that the words are exactly what the speaker said; frequently, they are paraphrased.

The reported speech can be Assertive/Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, and Exclamatory.

We hope that this blog helped you learn about the basics of Reported Speech. Planning for English proficiency exams like IELTS or TOEFL ? Our Leverage Edu experts are here to guide you through your exam preparation with the best guidance, study materials and online classes! Sign up for a free demo with us now!

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• Reported Speech

Reported Speech How does it Work?

Indirect speech or Reported speech is just a way of expressing your intent in questions, statements or other phrases, without essentially quoting them outrightly as the way it is done in indirect speech.

Reported Speech Rules

To understand Reported Speech Grammar and Reported Verbs, you need to first understand reported speech rules and how it works. Here are some types of reported speech:

Reported Statements

Reported speech is used when someone says a sentence, like, "I'm going to the movie tonight". Later, we want to tell a 3rd person what the first person is doing.

It works like this:

We use a reporting verb i.e 'say' or 'tell'. In the present tense, just put in 'he says.

Direct Speech: I like burgers.

Reported Speech: He says (that) he likes burgers.

You don't need to change the tense, but you do need to switch the 'person' from 'I' to 'he’. You also need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.

But, in case the reporting verb is in the past tense, then change the tenses in the reported speech itself.

Reported Questions

Reported questions to go like 

Direct Speech: Where do you reside?

We make the change to reported speech by-

It is similar to reported statements. The tense changes are exact, and we keep the question’s word. But we need to change the grammar of that normal sentence into positive. For eg:

Reported Speech: He asked me where I resided.

The direct speech question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does'. For that, I need to take that away. Then change the verb to the past simple. 

Direct Speech: Where is Jolly?

Reported Speech: He asked me where Jolly was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We change the question form of the present simple of being by changing the position of the subject and the verb. So, change them back before putting the verb into the past simple.

Here Are Some More Examples

Reported Requests

The reported speech goes a long way. What if a person asks you to do something politely or make a request? It’s called a reported request. For example

Direct Speech: Close the door, please / Could you close the door please? / Would you mind closing the door, please?

All these requests mean the same, so we don't need to report every word there when we tell a 3rd person about it. 

We can simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

Reported Speech: They asked me to close the door.

Direct Speech: Please be punctual.

Reported Speech: They asked us to be punctual.

Reported Orders

And lastly, how about when someone doesn't ask that politely? This is known as an 'order' in English, which is when someone tells you to do something pretty much directly. This is called a reported order. For example

Direct Speech: Stand up right now!

We make this into a reported speech in the same way as that for a request. Just use 'tell' rather than 'ask':

Reported Speech: She told me to stand up right now.

Time Expressions within the Ambit of Reported Speech

Sometimes when we want to change the direct speech into reported speech, we will have to change the time expressions too. We don't necessarily always have to do that. However, It depends on when we heard the speech in indirect form and when we said the speech in reported form. 

For Example,

It's Sunday. Kiran Ma’am says "I'm leaving today".

If You tell someone on Sunday, You will say "Kiran Ma’am said she was leaving today".

If you tell someone on Tuesday, You will say "Kiran Ma’am said she was leaving yesterday".

If you tell someone on Friday, you will say "Kiran Ma’am said she was leaving on Sunday ".

If you tell someone a month later, you will say "Kiran Ma’am said she was leaving that day".

So, technically there's no easy way to convert. You need to put in real effort and have to think about it when the direct speech is said.

Here's a Table of How Some Conversions can be Made 

now can be converted to then / at that time

today can be converted to yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27 th of June

yesterday can be converted to the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of December

last night can be converted to the night before, Thursday night

last week can be converted to the week before / the previous week

tomorrow can be converted to today / the next day / the following day / Friday

Now Let us Check our Understanding Through this Table

This is all about reported speech. English grammar is a tricky thing given both the rules and practice. Reading these rules solely will not help you to get a strong grasp of them. You also have to practice reported speech sentences in practical life to know how and when they can be used.

FAQs on Reported Speech

1. How to convert present tenses to reported speech and give some examples.

There are certain rules to follow while converting sentences to reported speech. We need to manage tenses also.

Usually, the present sentences change to simple past tense.

Ex: I do yoga every morning

She said that she did yoga every morning.

I play cricket a lot

He said that he played cricket a lot 

Usually The present continuous tense changes to the past continuous tense. 

Ex: My friend is watching a movie.

She said that her friend was watching a movie.

We are eating dinner

They said that they were eating dinner.

Usually, the  Present Perfect Tense changes into Past Perfect Tense

Ex: I have been to the USA

She told me that she had been to the USA.

She has finished her task.

She said that she had finished her task.

Usually the Present Perfect Progressive Tense changes into Past Perfect Tense

2. How to convert present tenses to reported speech and give some examples.

Usually the Past Simple Tense changes into the Past Perfect Tense.

Ex: He arrived on Friday

He said that he had arrived on Friday.

My mom enjoyed the stay here

He said that his mom had enjoyed the stay there.

Usually, the Past Progressive Tense changes into the Perfect Continuous Tense

Ex: I was playing the cricket

He said that he had been playing cricket.

My husband was cooking

She said that her husband had been cooking.

Usually, the Past Perfect Tense doesn’t change.

Ex: She had worked hard.

She said that she had worked hard.

And also the Past Perfect Progressive Tense doesn’t change.

3. State the rules for conversion of future tenses into reported speech

There are rules to follow while converting the future tenses to reported speech.

In general, the Future Simple Tense changes into would. And also the future Progressive Tense changes into “would be”. The Future Perfect Tense changes into “would have”. The Future Perfect Progressive Tense changes into “would have been”.

Ex: I will be attending the wedding.

She said that she would be attending the wedding.

4. Give examples for conversion of  ‘can ‘, ‘can’t’ and ‘will’,’’won’t’ 

5. Give some examples for reported requests and reported orders.  

Reporting Verbs

Perfect english grammar.

• She said (that) she had already eaten.
• I told John (that) I had seen the new film.
• She told the children to go to bed.
• I asked my boss if I could leave early.
• She asked them where the station was.
• I asked Lucy to pass me the salt.
• She advised him to see a doctor.
• The staff advise that you carry water at all times.
• I'd advise against leaving early.
• We agreed to meet the following day.
• I agreed that the children could do their homework later.
• They apologised to us for being late.
• She apologised for forgetting the book.
• She apologised for the delay.
• They decided to go to the cinema.
• They decided that they would go to the cinema.
• She encouraged him to take the exam again.
• The teacher encouraged the students to ask questions.
• The teacher explained that the course was finished.
• She explained the grammar to the students.
• They explained how to buy a train ticket on the internet.
• John explained where to find the restaurant.
• We explained what the exams would cover.
• He insisted on paying.
• He insisted that we sit down.
• He promised to arrive early.
• I promised him that I wouldn't do it again.
• I recommend visiting the British Museum while you're in London.
• I recommend that you visit the British Museum
• She reminded him to take his keys.
• They reminded me that there is a party tonight.
• I suggest leaving soon
• I suggest that you come as soon as you can.
• I warned them not to go in the water.
• She warned us about the dangerous roads.
• When there's a clause, we make the negative in the usual way: She said that she didn't like ice cream.
• When there's 'to + infinitive', we generally put 'not' before 'to': He promised not to do it again.
• When there's 'verb-ing', we generally put 'not' in front of it: I advise not taking the bus.
• I advise that he go to bed early. (Normally we'd expect: I advise that he goes to bed early.)
• I insist that she come now. (Normally we'd expect: I insist that she comes now.)
• They suggested that the cats be put in the garden for the night. (Normally we'd expect: They suggested that the cats are put in the garden for the night.)

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Worksheets - handouts

Reported speech

Worksheets - pdf exercises.

• Reported statements - worksheet
• Worksheet - reported questions
• Reported yes/no questions
• Worksheet - reported speech
• Reported speech - exercises pdf
• Indirect speech - exercises
• Reported speech - exercises
• Mixed reported speech 1
• Mixed reported speech 2
• Reported speech 1 
• Reported speech 2  
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• Reported speech 4
• Reported speech 5
• Reported wh- questions
• Reported speech - worksheet 
• Reported commands
• Reported questions
• Reported speech 1
• Reported speech 2
• Reported requests and orders
• Reported speech exercise
• Reported questions - worksheet
• Indirect speech - worksheet
• Worksheets pdf - print
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Grammar - lessons

• Reported speech - grammar notes
• How to use reported speech - lesson
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US poised to ease restrictions on marijuana in historic shift, but it’ll remain controlled substance

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.

FILE - In this Friday, March 22, 2019, file photo, a marijuana plant is visible at Compassionate Care Foundation’s medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple-effects across the country. The DEA’s proposal still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.

The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

The agency’s move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect.

Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department. After the public comment period and a review by an administrative judge, the agency would eventually publish the final rule.

“Today, the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III,” Justice Department director of public affairs Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement. The DEA is a component of the Department of Justice. “Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland’s signature throws the full weight of the Justice Department behind the move and appears to signal its importance to the Biden administration.

It comes after President Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022 and moved to pardon thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession of the drug. He has also called on governors and local leaders to take similar steps to erase marijuana convictions.

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in December. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

The election year announcement could help Biden, a Democrat, boost flagging support, particularly among younger voters .

Biden and a growing number of lawmakers from both major political parties have been pushing for the DEA decision as marijuana has become increasingly decriminalized and accepted, particularly by younger people. A Gallup poll last fall found 70% of adults support legalization, the highest level yet recorded by the polling firm and more than double the roughly 30% who backed it in 2000.

The DEA didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment.

Schedule III drugs are still controlled substances and subject to rules and regulations, and people who traffic in them without permission could still face federal criminal prosecution.

Some critics argue the DEA shouldn’t change course on marijuana, saying rescheduling isn’t necessary and could lead to harmful side effects.

Jack Riley, a former deputy administrator of the DEA, said he had concerns about the proposed change because he thinks marijuana remains a possible “gateway drug,” one that may lead to the use of other drugs.

“But in terms of us getting clear to use our resources to combat other major drugs, that’s a positive,” Riley said, noting that fentanyl alone accounts for more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S. a year.

On the other end of the spectrum, others argue marijuana should be treated the way alcohol is.

“While this rescheduling announcement is a historic step forward, I remain strongly committed to continuing to work on legislation like the SAFER Banking Act as well as the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which federally deschedules cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act,” Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement. “Congress must do everything we can to end the federal prohibition on cannabis and address longstanding harms caused by the War on Drugs.”

Federal drug policy has lagged behind many states in recent years, with 38 having already legalized medical marijuana and 24 legalizing its recreational use .

That’s helped fuel fast growth in the marijuana industry, with an estimated worth of nearly $30 billion. Easing federal regulations could reduce the tax burden that can be 70% or more for businesses, according to industry groups. It could also make it easier to research marijuana, since it’s very difficult to conduct authorized clinical studies on Schedule I substances.

The immediate effect of rescheduling on the nation’s criminal justice system would likely be more muted, since federal prosecutions for simple possession have been fairly rare in recent years.

But loosening restrictions could carry a host of unintended consequences in the drug war and beyond.

Critics point out that as a Schedule III drug, marijuana would remain regulated by the DEA. That means the roughly 15,000 cannabis dispensaries in the U.S. would have to register with the DEA like regular pharmacies and fulfill strict reporting requirements, something that they are loath to do and that the DEA is ill equipped to handle.

Then there’s the United States’ international treaty obligations, chief among them the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which requires the criminalization of cannabis. In 2016, during the Obama administration, the DEA cited the U.S.’ international obligations and the findings of a federal court of appeals in Washington in denying a similar request to reschedule marijuana.

Goodman reported from Miami, Mustian from New Orleans. AP writer Colleen Long contributed.

Death of woman reported missing on Mother’s Day 2020 ruled a homicide

CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. ( KKTV /Gray News) - As the search for answers continues in the death of Colorado woman Suzanne Morphew, an autopsy report released Monday ruled her death a homicide.

Suzanne Morphew was living in the Salida area with her husband Barry and was reported missing on May 10, 2020, Mother’s Day. Her body was found during an unrelated search in September of 2023 in Saguache County.

According to the autopsy report, Suzanne Morphew died from “homicide by unspecified means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication.” The report goes on to say, “these drugs are marketed as a compounded injectable chemical immobilizer for wildlife.”

Legal expert David Webster, who spent years prosecuting homicide cases, said investigators may be looking to who would have knowledge of and access to wildlife tranquilizers found in Suzanne Morphew’s system.

“... These types of drugs, I would think, are a little bit more difficult to get. They are sedatives. ... So the question is how easy are these things to get?” Webster said. “As far as I know, I don’t think they have anything pointing toward one individual at this point. ... It’s going to entirely depend on what the Colorado Bureau of Investigation has in their file that they have not shared with the public. That is standard practice, you don’t share everything. The real question is what do they have? For all we know, they have a smoking gun.”

A tranquilizer gun and accessories were found in the Morphews’ home, according to investigators at the time, who arrested her husband Barry Morphew in May 2021 on suspicion of first-degree murder, tampering with a human body and other offenses.

The charges were dropped in 2022, just as Barry Morphew was about to go to trial, after a judge barred prosecutors from presenting most of their key witnesses, citing their failure to follow rules for turning over evidence in his favor, the Associated Press reported. The evidence included DNA from an unknown man linked to sexual assault cases in other states, which was found in Suzanne Morphew’s SUV.

Investigators have said the couple had a troubled marriage. In an earlier affidavit, they alleged that Barry Morphew, an avid hunter and sportsman, was unable to control his wife, so he “resorted to something he has done his entire life — hunt and control Suzanne like he had hunted and controlled animals,” the Associated Press reported.

At the time, Barry Morphew said the last time he had seen his wife, she was in bed asleep. He also told investigators that Suzanne Morphew had recently developed an interest in mountain biking. Deputies found her bike and bike helmet in two separate places, away from where her remains were discovered.

The 12th Judicial District is now the “potential prosecutor,” according to the FBI. This comes after a long list of allegations have been made against 11th Judicial District District Attorney Linda Stanley, whose office was originally prosecuting the case against Barry Morphew, as well as when charges against him were dropped . Since then, Barry Morphew has filed a lawsuit against Stanley and her office.

In announcing the autopsy findings on Monday, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Schaefer did not say whether charges would be filed against Barry Morphew again. Schaefer said the investigation is ongoing.

Anne Kelly, 12th Judicial district attorney, said her office “continues to provide guidance to the investigation team” because the remains were found in the district. She said she was unable to comment further but said her team “will continue to follow the evidence and seek justice for Suzanne.”

Barry Morphew’s lawyers, Jane Byrialsen and Iris Eytan, said in part in a statement: “For the past four years the Morphews have agonized over Suzanne’s disappearance. This included not only the pain of the loss of their wife and mother but also the false accusations and prosecution of Barry Morphew. The Morphews have prayed the authorities would remove their blinders and not only find Suzanne, but find the suspect responsible for her disappearance and murder. However, the Morphews are left with more questions than answers and a lack of justice for Suzanne, the family and the community.”

The statement also said that “the authorities will not tell the Morphew family whether Suzanne’s bike clothes, collected seven months ago with her remains, have been tested for DNA.”

Barry Morphew’s dart gun to tranquilize wildlife was not working when his wife disappeared, and he did not possess the tranquilizer that’s used in the darts, Barry Morphew’s attorney said.

Eytan told The Associated Press that evidence suggests Suzanne Morphew was abducted, drugged and killed by someone else.

Copyright 2024 KKTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Biden Administration Releases Revised Title IX Rules

The new regulations extended legal protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and rolled back several policies set under the Trump administration.

By Zach Montague and Erica L. Green

Reporting from Washington

The Biden administration issued new rules on Friday cementing protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students under federal law and reversing a number of Trump-era policies that dictated how schools should respond to cases of alleged sexual misconduct in K-12 schools and college campuses.

The new rules, which take effect on Aug. 1, effectively broadened the scope of Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. They extend the law’s reach to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and widen the range of sexual harassment complaints that schools will be responsible for investigating.

“These regulations make it crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Miguel A. Cardona, the education secretary, said in a call with reporters.

The rules deliver on a key campaign promise for Mr. Biden, who declared he would put a “quick end” to the Trump-era Title IX rules and faced mounting pressure from Democrats and civil rights leaders to do so.

The release of the updated rules, after two delays, came as Mr. Biden is in the thick of his re-election bid and is trying to galvanize key electoral constituencies.

Through the new regulations, the administration moved to include students in its interpretation of Bostock v. Clayton County, the landmark 2020 Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. The Trump administration held that transgender students were not protected under federal laws, including after the Bostock ruling .

In a statement, Betsy DeVos, who served as Mr. Trump’s education secretary, criticized what she called a “radical rewrite” of the law, asserting that it was an “endeavor born entirely of progressive politics, not sound policy.”

Ms. DeVos said the inclusion of transgender students in the law gutted decades of protections and opportunities for women. She added that the Biden administration also “seeks to U-turn to the bad old days where sexual misconduct was sent to campus kangaroo courts, not resolved in a way that actually sought justice.”

While the regulations released on Friday contained considerably stronger protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students, the administration steered clear of the lightning-rod issue of whether transgender students should be able to play on school sports teams corresponding to their gender identity.

The administration stressed that while, writ large, exclusion based on gender identity violated Title IX, the new regulations did not extend to single-sex living facilities or sports teams. The Education Department is pursuing a second rule dealing with sex-related eligibility for male and female sports teams. The rule-making process has drawn more than 150,000 comments.

Under the revisions announced on Friday, instances where transgender students are subjected to a “hostile environment” through bullying or harassment, or face unequal treatment and exclusion in programs or facilities based on their gender identity, could trigger an investigation by the department’s Office for Civil Rights.

Instances where students are repeatedly referred to by a name or pronoun other than one they have chosen could also be considered harassment on a case-by-case basis.

“This is a bold and important statement that transgender and nonbinary students belong, in their schools and in their communities,” said Olivia Hunt, the policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality.

The regulations appeared certain to draw to legal challenges from conservative groups.

May Mailman, the director of the Independent Women’s Law Center, said in a statement that the group planned to sue the administration. She said it was clear that the statute barring discrimination on the basis of “sex” means “binary and biological.”

“The unlawful omnibus regulation reimagines Title IX to permit the invasion of women’s spaces and the reduction of women’s rights in the name of elevating protections for ‘gender identity,’ which is contrary to the text and purpose of Title IX,” she said.

The existing rules, which took effect under Mr. Trump in 2020, were the first time that sexual assault provisions were codified under Title IX. They bolstered due process rights of accused students, relieved schools of some legal liabilities and laid out rigid parameters for how schools should conduct impartial investigations.

They were a sharp departure from the Obama administration’s interpretation of the law, which came in the form of unenforceable guidance documents directing schools to ramp up investigations into sexual assault complaints under the threat of losing federal funding. Scores of students who had been accused of sexual assault went on to win court cases against their colleges for violating their due process rights under the guidelines.

The Biden administration’s rules struck a balance between the Obama and Trump administration’s goals. Taken together, the regulation largely provides more flexibility for how schools conduct investigations, which advocates and schools have long lobbied for.

Catherine E. Lhamon, the head of the department’s Office for Civil Rights who also held the job under President Barack Obama, called the new rules the “most comprehensive coverage under Title IX since the regulations were first promulgated in 1975.”

They replaced a narrower definition of sex-based harassment adopted under the Trump administration with one that would include a wider range of conduct. And they reversed a requirement that schools investigate only incidents alleged to have occurred on their campuses or in their programs.

Still, some key provisions in the Trump-era rules were preserved, including one allowing informal resolutions and another prohibiting penalties against students until after an investigation.

Among the most anticipated changes was the undoing of a provision that required in-person, or so-called live hearings, in which students accused of sexual misconduct, or their lawyers, could confront and question accusers in a courtroom-like setting.

The new rules allow in-person hearings, but do not mandate them. They also require a process through which a decision maker could assess a party or witness’s credibility, including posing questions from the opposing party.

“The new regulations put an end to unfair and traumatic grievance procedures that favor harassers,” Kel O’Hara, a senior attorney at Equal Rights Advocates. “No longer will student survivors be subjected to processes that prioritize the interests of their perpetrators over their own well being and safety.”

The new rules also allow room for schools to use a “preponderance of evidence” standard, a lower burden of proof than the DeVos-era rules encouraged, through which administrators need only to determine whether it was more likely than not that sexual misconduct had occurred.

The renewed push for that standard drew criticism from legal groups who said the rule stripped away hard-won protections against flawed findings.

“When you are dealing with accusations of really one of the most heinous crimes that a person can commit — sexual assault — it’s not enough to say, ‘50 percent and a feather,’ before you brand someone guilty of this repulsive crime,” said Will Creeley, the legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The changes concluded a three-year process in which the department received 240,000 public comments. The rules also strengthen protections for pregnant students, requiring accommodations such as a bigger desk or ensuring access to elevators and prohibiting exclusion from activities based on additional needs.

Title IX was designed to end discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities at all institutions receiving federal financial assistance, beginning with sports programs and other spaces previously dominated by male students.

The effects of the original law have been pronounced. Far beyond the impact on school programs like sports teams, many educators credit Title IX with setting the stage for academic parity today. Female college students routinely outnumber male students on campus and have become more likely than men of the same age to graduate with a four-year degree.

But since its inception, Title IX has also become a powerful vehicle through which past administrations have sought to steer schools to respond to the dynamic and diverse nature of schools and universities.

While civil rights groups were disappointed that some ambiguity remains for the L.G.B.T.Q. students and their families, the new rules were widely praised for taking a stand at a time when education debates are reminiscent to the backlash after the Supreme Court ordered schools to integrate.

More than 20 states have passed laws that broadly prohibit anyone assigned male at birth from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams or participating in scholastic athletic programs, while 10 states have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms based on their gender identity.

“Some adults are showing up and saying, ‘I’m going to make school harder for children,” said Liz King, senior program director of the education equity program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “It’s an incredibly important rule, at an incredibly important moment.”

Schools will have to cram over the summer to implement the rules, which will require a retraining staff and overhauling procedures they implemented only four years ago.

Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,700 colleges and universities, said in a statement that while the group welcomed the changes in the new rule, the timeline “disregards the difficulties inherent in making these changes on our nation’s campuses in such a short period of time.”

“After years of constant churn in Title IX guidance and regulations,” Mr. Mitchell said, “we hope for the sake of students and institutions that there will be more stability and consistency in the requirements going forward.”

Zach Montague is based in Washington. He covers breaking news and developments around the district. More about Zach Montague

Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent, covering President Biden and his administration. More about Erica L. Green

Airlines must cough up cancellation cash and can no longer hide fees under new federal rule

A federal rule announced Wednesday will require airlines to quickly give cash refunds — without lengthy arguments — to passengers whose flights have been canceled or seriously delayed, the Biden administration said.

“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them — without headaches or haggling,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

The rule from the Transportation Department says passengers who decline other reimbursement like travel credits are to get cash refunds.

It applies when a flight is canceled or has a “significant change,” the administration said.A “significant change” includes when departure or arrival times are three or more hours different from the scheduled times for domestic flights or six hours for international flights, and when the airport is changed or connections are added, it said.

Passengers are also to get refunds when their baggage is 12 hours late in delivery for domestic flights.

The new rule comes after promises to hold airlines accountable after major disruptions that made travel hell for passengers, including the 2022 Southwest Airlines meltdown , which resulted in almost 17,000 significantly delayed or canceled flights and a missing baggage nightmare.

The Transportation Department said that the new rule means refunds are automatic and that "airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops."

Also announced Wednesday was a rule requiring airlines to more clearly disclose so-called junk fees upfront, such as surprise baggage or other fees, the department said.

It said that rule is expected to save fliers around $500 million a year.

The surprise fees are used so tickets look cheaper than they really are, and then fliers get the unwelcome surprise of fees on checked bags, carry-on bags or reservation changes — or even discounts that are advertised but apply to only part of the ticket price, officials said.

Airlines will also have to tell fliers clearly that their seats are guaranteed and that they don't have to pay extra to ensure they have seats for flights, according to the Transportation Department.

Airlines for America, an industry trade group, said that its member airlines “offer transparency and vast choice to consumers from first search to touchdown” and that they do offer cash refunds.

The 11 largest U.S. airlines returned $10.9 billion in cash refunds last year, an increase over $7.5 billion in 2019 but slightly down from $11.2 billion in 2022, the group said.

“U.S. airlines are providing more options and better services while ticket prices, including ancillary revenues, are at historic lows,” Airlines for America said.

Left out of the federal changes announced Wednesday are those involving "family seating fees," but the Transportation Department said in a statement that "DOT is planning to propose a separate rule that bans airlines from charging these junk fees."

Travelers have complained to the Transportation Department that children weren’t seated next to accompanying adults, including in some cases young children, department officials said last year.

Fees on bags specifically have made up an increasing amount of airline revenues, the Transportation Department said Wednesday in announcing the new rules.

A Transportation Department analysis found that airline revenue from baggage fees increased 30% from 2018 to 2022, while operating revenue — which is from the flights themselves — increased by only half that amount, the department said.

Jay Blackman is an NBC News producer covering such areas as transportation, space, medical and consumer issues.

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Reported speech: direct speech

Direct speech is a representation of the actual words someone said. A direct speech report usually has a reporting verb in the past simple. The most common reporting verb is said . The reporting clause may come first or second.

The reporting clause may sometimes come in the middle of the reported clause, especially in literary styles:

“No,” she said , “I’ve never seen it before.”

‘Was it,’ he asked , ‘the first time you had spoken to Mrs Dalton?’

We can use adverbs with the reporting verb to describe the way someone said something. This is more common when the reporting clause comes second:

“I will not accept it!” he said angrily .

‘Can I speak to the doctor?’ she asked rather nervously .

Reported speech: punctuation

Reported speech: reporting and reported clauses

Direct speech: inversion of subject and reporting verb

In narratives, especially novels and short stories, when the reporting clause comes second, we often invert the subject (s) and reporting verb (v):

“Things have always been the same in this village,” [V] said [S] the old man .

‘Hold on! I’m coming!’ [V] cried [S] Maurice .

Direct speech: present simple and continuous reporting verbs

Informal narratives.

In informal conversation, we sometimes use the present simple in the reporting clause. This makes the direct speech more vivid and dramatic:

So then this guy says , “I’ve got something for you. Come over here.” And he picked up a box and he says , “Open that.”

We can make the direct speech even more vivid and dramatic by using the present continuous. This is very informal:

And he’s looking at me and he ’s asking , “Who are you?” and I said, “I’m your nephew” and he ’s mumbling , “I don’t know you. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

In very informal conversation, people sometimes use says as a reporting verb for all persons ( I, you, she, he, we, they ):

She says , ‘What’s going on here?’ and I says , ‘Nothing. There’s nothing happening – everything’s okay.’

Many speakers consider the above examples to be incorrect. This applies especially to the use of says with all persons.

Newspaper headlines

We also use the present simple in newspaper headlines. This makes the reported words more dramatic:

‘I WON’T RESIGN,’ SAYS MINISTER

Say or tell ?

Word of the Day

not a living soul

Dead ringers and peas in pods (Talking about similarities, Part 2)

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