Reported Speech Lesson - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Created by ProProfs Editorial Team

The editorial team at ProProfs Quizzes consists of a select group of subject experts, trivia writers, and quiz masters who have authored over 10,000 quizzes taken by more than 100 million users. This team includes our in-house seasoned quiz moderators and subject matter experts. Our editorial experts, spread across the world, are rigorously trained using our comprehensive guidelines to ensure that you receive the highest quality quizzes.

Learn about Our Editorial Process

Updated: Jan 17, 2025

Lesson

We often share what others say without directly quoting them. This is called reported speech, or indirect speech. It involves rephrasing someone else's words while maintaining their original meaning.

Reported speech is essential for effective communication. It allows us to:

Relay information
Share stories
Express ideas in our own words

From news reports to casual conversations, we use reported speech daily. It helps us understand and convey information accurately and efficiently.

What Is Reported Speech?

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a grammatical structure used to convey the content of a statement, question, or command without quoting the speaker's exact words. It involves transforming the original utterance by making changes to verb tenses, pronouns, and time and place expressions.

Example:

Direct speech: He said, "I will go to the market tomorrow."
Reported speech: He said that he would go to the market the next day.

Take this Quiz -

Direct And Indirect Speech Quiz: Test Your Skills

Reported Speech Rules

Here are the key rules to follow in reported speech:

No Direct Quotations: Reported speech doesn't use the speaker's exact words. Instead, it rephrases the original statement while maintaining the meaning.
Introduction with Reporting Verbs: Reported speech often uses verbs like "say," "tell," "ask," "explain," "inform," etc., to introduce the reported information.
Changes for Clarity and Context: Words like pronouns, time expressions, and sometimes verb tenses may be adjusted to ensure the reported speech is clear and fits the context of when it's being reported.
No Quotation Marks: Unlike direct speech, reported speech does not use quotation marks.

Conjunctions: Words like "that," "if," or "whether" are often used to connect the reporting verb to the reported information.

Take this Quiz -

Reported Speech Quiz for Class 9: Master Indirect Speech Conversion

Types of Sentences in Reported Speech

Reported speech can be used to tell others about different kinds of sentences:

Telling What Someone Said:

These are normal sentences that give information.
We often use the word "that" to connect the speaker and what they said, but sometimes we can leave "that" out.

Example:
- Direct: She said, "I like ice cream."
- Reported: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

Telling What Someone Asked:

These sentences report questions.
If the question needs a "yes" or "no" answer, we use "if" or "whether."

Example:
- Direct: He asked, "Is it raining?"
- Reported: He asked if/whether it was raining.
If the question uses "who," "what," "where," etc., we use those same words in the reported speech.

Example:

Direct: She asked, "Where is the library?"
Reported: She asked where the library was.

Telling What Someone Told Someone to Do:

These sentences report commands or requests.
We use "to" plus the action word.
We choose a reporting verb that fits how the command was given (tell, order, ask, etc.).

Example:
- Direct: The coach said, "Run faster!"
- Reported: The coach told them to run faster.

Telling What Someone Exclaimed:

These sentences report when someone says something with strong feeling.
We often use verbs like "exclaim," "cry out," or "remark."

Example:
- Direct: She said, "Wow, that's amazing!"
- Reported: She exclaimed that it was amazing.

Take this Quiz -

Reported Questions

Changing Direct to Reported Speech

To change direct speech to reported speech there needs to be a change in the forms of Pronouns, adverbs, tenses, and modal verbs.

Change of Pronouns

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Example
I	he, she	I am tired, she said. → She said that she was tired.
me	him, her	He said to me, "You are late." → He told me that I was late.
We	they	We are going to the cinema, they said. → They said that they were going to the cinema.
Us	them	She said, "They gave us a gift." → She said that they had given them a gift.
You (singular)	he, she	You are a good friend, he said to her. → He said that she was a good friend.
You (plural)	they	You are all invited, she said. → She said that they were all invited.
My	his, her	My book is lost, he said. → He said that his book was lost.
Mine	his, hers	That car is mine, she said. → She said that the car was hers.
Our	their	Our house is near the park, they said. → They said that their house was near the park.
Ours	theirs	This project is ours, we said. → We said that the project was theirs.
Your (singular)	his, her	Your phone is ringing, she said to him. → She told him that his phone was ringing.
Your (plural)	their	Your bags are here, I said to them. → I told them that their bags were there.
Yours (singular)	his, hers	Is this pen yours? she asked him. → She asked him if the pen was his.
Yours (plural)	theirs	These seats are yours, I said to them. → I told them that those seats were theirs.

Changes in Adverbs of Time and Place in Reported Speech

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Example
*Adverbs of Time*
now	then	I am busy now, she said. → She said that she was busy then.
today	that day	I will finish the work today, he said. → He said that he would finish the work that day.
tomorrow	the next day / the following day	We are going on a trip tomorrow, they said. → They said that they were going on a trip the next day.
yesterday	the day before / the previous day	I met him yesterday, she said. → She said that she had met him the day before.
tonight	that night	I will call you tonight, he said. → He said that he would call me that night.
last week	the week before / the previous week	I went to the library last week, she said. → She said that she had gone to the library the week before.
next week	the following week / the week after	I will have a meeting next week, he said. → He said that he would have a meeting the following week.
ago	before	I saw her two days ago, he said. → He said that he had seen her two days before.
*Adverbs of Place*
here	there	You can leave your bag here, she said. → She said that I could leave my bag there.
this	that	This is my new phone, he said. → He said that that was his new phone.
these	those	These are my friends, she said. → She said that those were her friends.

Change of Tenses

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Example
Simple Present	Simple Past	I like pizza, he said. → He said that he liked pizza.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	She is reading a book, I said. → I said that she was reading a book.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	They have finished their work, she said. → She said that they had finished their work.
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	I have been waiting for an hour, he said. → He said that he had been waiting for an hour.
Simple Past	Past Perfect	I went to the market, she said. → She said that she had gone to the market.
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	We were playing football, they said. → They said that they had been playing football.
Past Perfect	Past Perfect (no change)	I had eaten lunch, he said. → He said that he had eaten lunch.
Past Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous (no change)	She had been studying all night, I said. → I said that she had been studying all night.
Future Simple (will)	Conditional Simple (would)	I will go to the party, he said. → He said that he would go to the party.
Future Continuous (will be)	Conditional Continuous (would be)	They will be arriving soon, she said. → She said that they would be arriving soon.

Changes in Modal Verbs

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Example
will	would	I will go to the party, she said. → She said that she would go to the party.
may	might	He may come late, they said. → They said that he might come late.
can	could	She can speak French, he said. → He said that she could speak French.
shall	should	We shall overcome, he said. → He said that they should overcome.
must	had to	You must finish your homework, the teacher said. → The teacher said that I had to finish my homework.