reported speech next day

Time and Place in Reported Speech

When we report something, we may need to make changes to:

• time (now, tomorrow)
• place (here, this room)

If we report something around the same time, then we probably do not need to make any changes to time words . But if we report something at a different time, we need to change time words. Look at these example sentences:

• He said: "It was hot yesterday ." → He said that it had been hot the day before .
• He said: "We are going to swim tomorrow ." → He said they were going to swim the next day .

Here is a list of common time words, showing how you change them for reported speech:

Place words

If we are in the same place when we report something, then we do not need to make any changes to place words . But if we are in a different place when we report something, then we need to change the place words. Look at these example sentences:

• He said: "It is cold in here ." → He said that it was cold in there .
• He said: "How much is this book ?" → He asked how much the book was.

Here are some common place words, showing how you change them for reported speech:

Contributor: Josef Essberger

Reported Speech

Perfect english grammar.

Reported Statements

Here's how it works:

We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. ( Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell' .) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:

• Direct speech: I like ice cream.
• Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. (As I'm sure you know, often, we can choose if we want to use 'that' or not in English. I've put it in brackets () to show that it's optional. It's exactly the same if you use 'that' or if you don't use 'that'.)

But , if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:

• Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

* doesn't change.

• Direct speech: The sky is blue.
• Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

Click here for a mixed tense exercise about practise reported statements. Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

• Direct speech: Where do you live?
• Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.
• Direct speech: Where is Julie?
• Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.
• Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
• Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

Click here to practise reported 'wh' questions. Click here to practise reported 'yes / no' questions. Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

• Direct speech: Close the window, please
• Or: Could you close the window please?
• Or: Would you mind closing the window please?
• Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.
• Direct speech: Please don't be late.
• Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

• Direct speech: Sit down!
• Reported speech: She told me to sit down.
• Click here for an exercise to practise reported requests and orders.
• Click here for an exercise about using 'say' and 'tell'.
• Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

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Reported speech

Changing time and place in reported speech

Time and place must often change when going from direct to reported speech (indirect speech).

In general, personal pronouns change to the third person singular or plural, except when the speaker reports his own words: I/me/my/mine, you/your/yours = him/his/her/hers we/us/our/ours, you/your/yours = they/their/theirs

He said: "I like your new car." = He told her that he liked her new car. I said: "I'm going to my friend's house." = I said that I was going to my friend's house.

If we are in the same place when we report something, then we do not need to make any changes to  place words . But if we are in a different place when we report something, then we need to change the place words. Look at these example sentences:

• He said: "It is cold in  here ." → He said that it was cold in  there .
• He said: "How much is  this book ?" → He asked how much  the book was.

Here are some common place words, showing how you change them for reported speech:

Course Curriculum

• Direct and indirect speech 15 mins
• Tense changes in reported speech 20 mins
• Changing time and place in reported speech 20 mins
• Reported questions 20 mins
• Reporting verbs 20 mins
• Reporting orders and requests 15 mins
• Reporting hopes, intentions and promises 20 mins

Reported Speech (Meaning, Rules, Examples, And FREE Worksheet)

Have you ever wondered how we can share what someone said without using their exact words?

That’s where reported speech comes in.

Whether you’re recounting a story, sharing an interview, or simply conveying what someone said, reported speech adds depth and authenticity to your communication.

In this blog post, we’ll uncover the secrets of transforming direct speech into indirect speech, making conversations come to life in a whole new way.

What Is Reported Speech?

Picture this scenario: your best friend tells you about a great movie he watched. Later, when you’re chatting with another friend, you tell them, “ My best friend said he watched a great movie. ”

Bingo! That’s reported speech.

It’s how we pass along or ‘report’ what someone else has said. Instead of repeating their exact words (that’s called direct speech), we often rephrase things, put them in our own words, or change the tense. 

We use reported speech all the time, often without even realizing it—it’s a key part of how we share information.

In the  English language , reported speech (also known as indirect speech ) is a handy tool, so let’s dig into it some more. 

Don’t worry. We’ll take it step by step!

Reported Speech Rules

Alright, now that we know what reported speech is, let’s talk about the rules. Don’t worry, and it’s not as scary as it sounds. Just like in a football game or a board game, rules help everything flow smoothly. 

Here’s how it works with reported speech:

1. Say Bye To Quotation Marks

When we’re using reported speech, we don’t need quotation marks . Quotation marks are like party guests who show up when we’re quoting someone’s words directly. But for reported speech, we’re rephrasing things, so the quotation marks can take a little break.

2. Change The Tense

Usually, we shift the tenses back. This is because we’re usually talking about something that happened in the past. It’s like time  travel  but with words! If someone said, “I love pizza,” and you reported it, you’d say, “She said she loved pizza.”

3. Adjust Pronouns

Just like you wouldn’t wear your friend’s glasses, we don’t use the same pronouns when we shift to reported speech. We need to change them to match who we’re talking about. If your brother said, “I aced my  IELTS speaking test ,” you would tell your friends, “My brother said he aced his IELTS speaking test.”

4. Time And Place References

If the direct speech mentions a  specific time  or place, you may have to change these references too. So if your friend tells you on a Monday, “I’ll visit you tomorrow,” and you report it on Tuesday, you’d say, “She said she would visit me today.”

Tense Change In Reported Speech

Changes in time and place in reported speech.

When we’re telling someone else about a conversation that happened at another time or place, it’s super important to adjust the time and place references.

It might sound complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really just about making sure everything makes sense.

Let’s check out more examples:

Isn’t it cool how these little changes help keep the timeline clear when we’re sharing past conversations? That way, there’s no mix-up over when or where things happened! It’s one of the many neat tricks that language gives us.

Questions In Reported Speech

You know when someone asks a question, it sounds and looks a certain way, right? Well, when we talk about that question later, we change it up a bit.

We turn the question into a statement.

Sounds tricky? Don’t worry, I’ll explain!

See what we did there? We made those questions smooth out into statements. It’s like ironing the question mark right out of them!

Oh, and one more thing. If the question starts with a question word (like ‘who,’ ‘what,’ ‘where’), keep it in the reported speech. But if it’s a yes/no question, use ‘if’ or ‘whether.’

Reported Speech Worksheet With Answers

Here are a few reported speech exercises to practice and reinforce your understanding:

Exercise 1: 

Rewrite the following direct speech sentences as reported speech sentences.

• “I love ice cream,” said Emily.
• “Have you finished your homework?” asked the teacher.
• “We’re going on vacation next week,” said Mark.
• “Why didn’t you attend the meeting?” he asked.
• “I will help you with your project,” she promised.
• “I will visit my grandparents next weekend,” said Jack.
• Emily said she loved ice cream.
• The teacher asked if I had finished my homework.
• Mark said they were going on  vacation   the following week.
• He asked why I hadn’t attended the meeting.
• She promised to help me with my project.
• Jack said he would visit his grandparents the following weekend.

Exercise 2: Change the following sentences from reported speech to direct speech.

• He said that he had finished his work.
• She told me that she would call me later.
• They said they were going to the movies.
• The teacher told us to study for the test.
• He said he had seen the movie before.
• “I have finished my work,” he said.
• “I will call you later,” she told me.
• “We are going to the movies,” they said.
• “Study for the test,” the teacher told us.
• “I have seen the movie before,” he said.

FAQs On Reported Speech 

What are the 5 examples of reported speech.

Here are five examples for you:

1. “She’s really tired,” becomes, “He said she was really tired.” 2. “I’ll help you tomorrow,” becomes, “She said she would help me tomorrow.” 3. “I’m reading a great book,” becomes, “He said he was reading a great book.” 4. “We’re going on vacation,” becomes, “They said they were going on vacation.” 5. “I’ve lost my hat,” becomes, “She said she had lost her hat.”

What Are The 3 Most Common Reporting Verbs In Reported Speech?

The three most common reporting verbs are “say,” “tell,” and “ask.” We use these all the time in reported speech!

What Is An Example Of Reported Speech For Kids?

If your friend Billy says, “I have a new bike,” and you want to tell someone else what Billy said, you would use reported speech. You might say, “Billy told me that he had a new bike.”

What Are The 3 Main Elements Of A Reported Speech?

The three main elements are:

1. Pronoun: In reported speech, pronouns are typically changed to match the perspective of the person doing the reporting. For example, first-person pronouns in direct speech (“I,” “we”) become the third person (“he,” “she,” “they”) in reported speech. This keeps the meaning clear when the speaker’s words are reported by someone else.

2. Reporting Verb: This is the verb used to indicate that speech or thought is being reported. Common reporting verbs include “say,” “tell,” “ask,” “think,” and “feel,” among others. The choice of reporting verb can convey additional nuances about how the speech was originally delivered.

3. Tense Shift: Known as “backshifting,” the shifting of tenses is common in reported speech. If the direct speech is in the present tense , it’s customary to shift it to the past tense in reported speech. For instance, “I am happy” would become “she said she was happy.” This shift accurately portrays that the reported action or state happened at a previous time.

These elements work together to convey the original meaning of the speaker’s words while fitting into the grammatical structure of the reporting sentence .

Wrapping Up Reported Speech

Congratulations on completing your journey into the realm of reported speech! 

Remember to adjust pronouns, tenses, and other elements to accurately report speech. 

As you continue to practice and apply what you’ve learned, you’ll become more confident in reporting speech accurately and creatively.

If you’ve found this post helpful, please do follow Hi English Hub   on  Pinterest  and  Twitter  for more linguistic insights, and feel free to share this with others who might also benefit. 

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StoryLearning

Learn A Language Through Stories

A Comprehensive Guide To Reported Speech In English

There are times when someone tells you something and you’ll have to report what they said to someone else.

How can you do this in English?

You’ll need to know how to use what's called reported speech in English and this is what you’ll learn in this blog post.

What Is Reported Speech In English?

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of retelling what someone else has said without repeating their exact words. 

For example, let’s say you have a friend called Jon and one called Mary. Mary has organised a house party and has invited you and Jon. 

Jon, however, is not feeling well. He says to you, “Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today.” 

A few days after the party, you meet Sarah. She’s another one of your friends and she was at the party too, but she arrived late – a moment before you left. You only had time to say hello to each other. 

She asks you, “I saw you at the party but I didn’t see Jon. Where was he?”

When Sarah asks you, “Where was Jon?” you can say, 

“Jon said, ‘Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today’.”

However, it would be more natural to use indirect speech in this case. So you would say, “Jon said he couldn’t come to the party. He had spent all day working outside under the rain and he felt ill that day .” 

Did you notice how the sentence changes in reported speech?

Here’s what happened:

• “I” became “he”
• “Cannot” became “couldn’t”
• “Spent” became “had spent”
• “I feel ill today” became “he felt ill on that day” 

Let’s take a closer look at how we form reported speech.

How To Form Reported Speech In English

To form reported speech, you might have to make a few changes to the original sentence that was spoken (or written). 

You may have to change pronouns, verb tenses, place and time expressions and, in the case of questions, the word order.

There are certain patterns to learn for reporting promises, agreements, orders, offers, requests, advice and suggestions.

Let’s have a look at all these cases one by one.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Verb Tenses

In general, when we use reported speech, the present tenses become past tenses.  

We do this because we are often reporting someone else’s words at a different time (Jon’s words were spoken 3 days before you reported them to Sarah).

Here’s an example:

Jenny (on Saturday evening) says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”(present tenses)

Matt (on Sunday morning) talks to James and says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home. (past tenses)

So this is how different verb tenses change:

Simple Present → Simple Past

DIRECT: I need money.

INDIRECT: She said she needed money.

Present Progressive → Past Progressive

DIRECT: My French is improving.

INDIRECT: He said his French was improving.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

DIRECT: This has been an amazing holiday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it had been an amazing holiday.

What if there is a past simple form of the verb in direct speech? Well, in this case, it can stay the same in reported speech or you can change it to past perfect .

Past Simple → Past Simple Or Past Perfect

DIRECT: I didn’t go to work.

INDIRECT: Mary said that she didn’t go to work / Mary said that she hadn’t gone to work 

Past Perfect Tenses Do Not Change

DIRECT: I arrived late because I had missed the bus.

INDIRECT: He said he arrived (or had arrived) late because he had missed the bus.

Modal verbs like “can,” “may,” and “will” also change in reported speech.

Will → Would

DIRECT: The exam will be difficult.

INDIRECT: They said that the exam would be difficult.

Can → Could

DIRECT: I can’t be there.

INDIRECT: He told me he couldn’t be there.

May → Might

DIRECT: We may go there another time.

INDIRECT: They said they might go there another time.

However, past modal verbs don’t change (would, must, could, should, etc.) don’t change in reported speech.

DIRECT: It would be nice if we could go to Paris.

INDIRECT: He said it would be nice if we could go to Paris.

Here are some other examples:

So, in summary, 

• am/is → were
• do/does → did
• have/has → had
• had done → had done
• will → would
• can → could
• may → might
• could → could
• would → would
• like/love/buy/see → liked/loved/bought/saw or had liked/ had loved/had bought/had seen.

You make these verb tense shifts when you report the original words at a different time from when they were spoken. However, it is often also possible to keep the original speaker’s tenses when the situation is still the same.

For example, 

1. DIRECT: I am feeling sick.

   INDIRECT: She said she is feeling sick.

2. DIRECT: We have to leave now.

   INDIRECT: They said they have to leave now.

3. DIRECT: I will call you later.

   INDIRECT: He said he will call me later.

4. DIRECT: She is not coming to the party.

   INDIRECT: He said she is not coming to the party.

5. DIRECT: They are working on a new project.

   INDIRECT: She said they are working on a new project.

What about conditional sentences? How do they change in reported speech?

Sentences with “if” and “would” are usually unchanged.

DIRECT: It would be best if we went there early.

INDIRECT: He said it would be best if they went there early.

But conditional sentences used to describe unreal situations (e.g. second conditional or third conditional sentences) can change like this:

DIRECT: If I had more money I would buy a new car.

INDIRECT: She said if she had had more money, she would have bought a new car OR She said if she had more money, she would buy a new car.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Pronouns

In reported speech, because you’re reporting someone else’s words, there’s a change of speaker so this may mean a change of pronoun.

An example:

Jenny says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”

Matt says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home.” 

In this example, Jenny says “I” to refer to herself but Matt, talking about what Jenny said, uses “she”.

So the sentence in reported speech becomes:

• Jenny said that she didn’t like . . . ( not Jenny said that I didn’t like . . .)

Some other examples:

1 . DIRECT: I have been studying for hours.

   INDIRECT: He said he had been studying for hours.

2. DIRECT: I don’t like that movie.

   INDIRECT: She said she didn’t like that movie.

3. DIRECT: He doesn't like coffee.

   INDIRECT: She said he doesn't like coffee.

4. DIRECT: We have a new car.

   INDIRECT: They told me they had a new car.

5. DIRECT: We are going on vacation next week.

    INDIRECT: They said they are going on vacation next week.

Reported Speech In English: Place And Time Expressions

When you’re reporting someone’s words, there is often a change of place and time.  This may mean that you will need to change or remove words that are used to refer to places and time like “here,” “this,” “now,” “today,” “next,” “last,” “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” and so on. 

Check the differences in the following sentences:

DIRECT: I'll be back next month.

INDIRECT: She said she would be back the next month , but I never saw her again.

DIRECT: Emma got her degree last Tuesday.

INDIRECT: He said Emma had got her degree the Tuesday before.

DIRECT: I had an argument with my mother-in-law yesterday .

INDIRECT: He said he’d had an argument with his mother-in-law the day before .

DIRECT: We're going to have an amazing party tomorrow.

INDIRECT: They said they were going to have an amazing party the next day.

DIRECT: Meet me here at 10 am.

INDIRECT: He told me to meet him there at 10 am.

DIRECT: This restaurant is really good.

INDIRECT: She said that the restaurant was really good.

DIRECT: I'm going to the gym now.

INDIRECT: He said he was going to the gym at that time.

DIRECT: Today is my birthday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it was her birthday that day .

DIRECT: I'm leaving for Europe next week.

INDIRECT: She said she was leaving for Europe the following week.

Reported Speech In English: Word Order In Questions

What if you have to report a question? For example, how would you report the following questions?

• Where’s Mark?
• When are you going to visit your grandmother?
• What do I need to buy for the celebration?
• Where are your best friend and his wife staying?
• Do you like coffee?
• Can you sing?
• Who’s your best friend?
• What time do you usually wake up?
• What would you do if you won the lottery?
• Do you ever read nonfiction books?

In reported questions, the subject normally comes before the verb and auxiliary “do” is not used.

So, here is what happens when you're reporting a question:

DIRECT: Where’s Mark?

INDIRECT: I asked where Mark was. 

DIRECT: When are you going to visit your grandmother?

INDIRECT: He wanted to know when I was going to visit my grandmother.

DIRECT: What do I need to buy for the celebration?

INDIRECT: She asked what she needed to buy for the celebration.

DIRECT: Where are your best friend and his wife staying?

INDIRECT: I asked where his best friend and his wife were staying.

DIRECT: Do you like coffee?

INDIRECT: I asked if she liked coffee.

DIRECT: Can you sing?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I could sing.

DIRECT: Who’s your best friend?

INDIRECT: They asked me who my best friend was. 

DIRECT: What time do you usually wake up?

INDIRECT: She asked me what time I usually wake up.

DIRECT: What would you do if you won the lottery?

INDIRECT: He asked me what I would do if I won the lottery.

DIRECT: Do you ever read nonfiction books?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I ever read nonfiction books.

You might have noticed that question marks are not used in reported questions and you don’t use “say” or “tell” either.

Promises, Agreements, Orders, Offers, Requests & Advice

When you’re reporting these, you can use the following verbs + an infinitive:

Here are some examples:

DIRECT SPEECH: I’ll always love you.

PROMISE IN INDIRECT SPEECH: She promised to love me.

DIRECT SPEECH: OK, let’s go to the pub.

INDIRECT SPEECH: He agreed to come to the pub with me.

DIRECT SPEECH: Sit down!

INDIRECT SPEECH: They told me to sit down OR they ordered me to sit down.

DIRECT SPEECH: I can go to the post office for you.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She offered to go to the post office.

DIRECT SPEECH: Could I please have the documentation by tomorrow evening?

INDIRECT SPEECH: She requested to have the documentation by the following evening.

DIRECT SPEECH: You should think twice before giving him your phone number.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She advised me to think twice before giving him my phone number.

Reported Speech In English

All right! I hope you have a much clearer idea about what reported speech is and how it’s used. 

And the good news is that both direct and indirect speech structures are commonly used in stories, so why not try the StoryLearning method ? 

You'll notice this grammatical pattern repeatedly in the context of short stories in English.

Not only will this help you acquire it naturally, but you will also have a fun learning experience by immersing yourself in an interesting and inspiring narrative.

Have a wonderful time learning through books in English !

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Reported Speech in English

Sometimes you need to tell people about your conversations and change direct speech into indirect speech. When you do this, you need to make sure that the tenses are correct. For example, Karen says to Peter: “My job is very interesting.” Peter then wants to report this conversation to Sarah a week later. He says: “Karen said that her job was interesting.”

When you report a conversation, the tense changes:

“My job is very interesting” becomes: She said that her job was very interesting.

Tense changes

“ I’m going swimming” – She said she was going swimming.

“I haven’t seen the film” – She said she hadn’t seen the film.

“I have been working all morning” – She said she had been working all morning.

“I was working all week” – She said she had been working all week.

“He went on holiday to Greece” – She said he had gone on holiday to Greece.

Sentences that are already in the “had done” form remain the same:

“I hadn’t seen him before” – She said she hadn’t seen him before.

Reporting modal verbs

Modal verbs also go back one tense.

Will becomes would .

For example: “I will see him later” – She said she would see him later.

Can becomes could .

For example: “I can swim” – She said she could swim.

May becomes might .

For example: “It may become colder over night” – He said it might become colder over night.

Direct speech using would, could, might and should all stay the same in reported speech.

“You should speak more” – He said I should speak more.

Reporting questions

When you report questions, the word order changes to look like a normal statement.

For example: “Can you help me?” – She asked me if I could help her.

“What’s the time?” – He asked her what the time was.

Other changes

Time expressions also change in reported speech.

today – that day

tomorrow – the day after / the next day

yesterday – the day before / the previous day

now – then

next week – the week after

last week – the week before / the previous week

Other expressions that change:

here – there

this – that

A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Using Reported Speech in English

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way to convey what someone said without using their exact words. It is used in conversation, journalism, fiction, and more. In English, we use reported speech to talk about what someone said or thought in the past. In this comprehensive guide, we will cover the basics of reported speech, including tense changes, using reporting verbs, converting direct speech to reported speech, and handling time expressions. We will also discuss common mistakes students make while using reported speech in English.

What is Reported Speech?

Reported speech is a way of reporting what someone has said. It is also known as indirect speech because the speaker does not use the exact words of the original speaker.

Types of Reported Speech

Reported speech can be divided into four types:

a. Reported statements: These are sentences that report what someone said. For example: Direct speech: “I am going to the store.” Reported speech: She said she was going to the store.

b. Reported questions: These are sentences that report what someone asked. For example: Direct speech: “Are you going to the store?” Reported speech: She asked if I was going to the store.

c. Reported requests: These are sentences that report what someone asked for. For example: Direct speech: “Can you pass me the salt?” Reported speech: She asked if I could pass her the salt.

d. Reported orders: These are sentences that report what someone ordered. For example: Direct speech: “Bring me some water.” Reported speech: She ordered me to bring her some water.

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

In reported speech, we often change the tense of the verb from the original sentence. The following chart shows how tense changes work in reported speech:

Here are some examples:

Direct speech: “I am going to the store.” Reported speech: She said she was going to the store. (Present simple becomes past simple)

Direct speech: “I am studying English.” Reported speech: He said he was studying English. (Present continuous becomes past continuous)

Direct speech: “I have finished my homework.” Reported speech: She said she had finished her homework. (Present perfect becomes past perfect)

Direct speech: “He went to the store.” Reported speech: She said he had gone to the store. (Past simple becomes past perfect)

Direct speech: “I was watching TV.” Reported speech: She said she had been watching TV. (Past continuous becomes past perfect continuous)

Direct speech: “They had already left.” Reported speech: He said they had already left. (Past perfect remains past perfect)

Direct speech: “I will come tomorrow.” Reported speech: She said she would come the next day. (Future becomes conditional)

Reporting Verbs

In reported speech, we use reporting verbs such as said, told, asked, and ordered to introduce the reported speech. The choice of reporting verb depends on the type of speech being reported and the relationship between the original speaker and the reporter.

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

Direct speech: “What time is it?” Reported speech: He asked what time it was.

Direct speech: “Please close the door.” Reported speech: She told me to close the door.

Direct speech: “Don’t touch that!” Reported speech: He ordered me not to touch that.

Converting Direct Speech to Reported Speech

To convert direct speech to reported speech, follow these steps:

a. Identify the reporting verb: Identify the verb that introduces the reported speech. This could be said, told, asked, ordered, and so on. b. Identify the subject and verb: Identify the subject and verb of the reported speech. c. Change the tense: Change the tense of the verb in the reported speech according to the rules we discussed earlier. d. Change pronouns and adverbs: Change any pronouns or adverbs in the reported speech to reflect the new subject or time frame. e. Use appropriate punctuation: Use a comma before the reported speech and a full stop at the end of the reported speech.

Direct speech: “I love you,” he said. Reported speech: He said he loved me.

Direct speech: “What are you doing?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked what I was doing.

Direct speech: “Don’t forget to bring the book,” he reminded her. Reported speech: He reminded her not to forget to bring the book.

Direct speech: “I will call you later,” she promised. Reported speech: She promised she would call me later.

Time Expressions

When using reported speech, it is important to pay attention to time expressions, such as yesterday, last week, or tomorrow. These expressions indicate when the original speech was made and may need to be adjusted in the reported speech.

When the reported speech refers to something that is still true, we do not change the time expressions. For example: Direct speech: “I live in New York.” Reported speech: She said she lives in New York.

When the reported speech refers to something that is no longer true, we need to adjust the time expressions. For example: Direct speech: “I saw him yesterday.” Reported speech: She said she had seen him the day before.

When the reported speech refers to something that will happen in the future, we also need to adjust the time expressions. For example: Direct speech: “I will call you tomorrow.” Reported speech: She said she would call me the next day.

Common Mistakes

Here are some examples to illustrate common mistakes in using reported speech:

a. Forgetting to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech: Direct speech: “I am going to the party,” she said. Incorrect reported speech: She said she is going to the party. Correct reported speech: She said she was going to the party.

In this example, the student forgot to change the tense of the verb “am” to “was” in the reported speech. This mistake can lead to confusion about the timing of the events being reported.

b. Using the wrong reporting verb: Direct speech: “Can you help me?” he asked. Incorrect reported speech: He said he can help me. Correct reported speech: He asked if he could help me.

In this example, the student used the reporting verb “said” instead of “asked.” This mistake can change the meaning of the reported speech and make it unclear whether the speaker was making a statement or asking a question.

c. Forgetting to change pronouns or adverbs in the reported speech: Direct speech: “I will see you later,” she said to him. Incorrect reported speech: She said she would see me later. Correct reported speech: She said she would see him later.

In this example, the student forgot to change the pronoun “me” to “him” to reflect the new subject of the reported speech. This mistake can lead to confusion about who said what and to whom.

d. Misusing time expressions: Direct speech: “I saw him yesterday,” she said. Incorrect reported speech: She said she saw him today. Correct reported speech: She said she had seen him the day before.

In this example, the student misused the time expression “today” instead of “the day before,” which accurately reflects the past tense of “yesterday.” This mistake can create confusion about the timing of the events being reported.

Practice Questions:

1. Direct speech: “I am happy,” she said. Reported speech:

2. Direct speech: “Can you help me with my homework?” he asked. Reported speech:

3. Direct speech: “I have never been to Paris before,” she said. Reported speech:

4. Direct speech: “Don’t forget to buy bread,” he reminded her. Reported speech:

5. Direct speech: “I am going to the beach tomorrow,” she said. Reported speech:

6. Direct speech: “What are you doing?” he asked. Reported speech:

7. Direct speech: “I will study harder next time,” she promised. Reported speech:

8. Direct speech: “I am sorry I cannot come,” he said. Reported speech:

9. Direct speech: “I am cooking dinner,” she said. Reported speech:

10. Direct speech: “I will visit my parents next week,” he said. Reported speech:

11. Direct speech: “I love you,” she said. Reported speech:

12. Direct speech: “Don’t touch that!” he shouted. Reported speech:

13. Direct speech: “Have you finished the report?” she asked. Reported speech:

14. Direct speech: “I had a great time,” he said. Reported speech:

15. Direct speech: “I will be there at 8 o’clock,” she said. Reported speech:

16. Direct speech: “I can’t go to the party,” he said. Reported speech:

17. Direct speech: “I was watching TV,” she said. Reported speech:

18. Direct speech: “Will you help me with this?” he asked. Reported speech:

19. Direct speech: “I don’t like pizza,” she said. Reported speech:

20. Direct speech: “I have been working all day,” he said. Reported speech:

21. Direct speech: “Please come to my party,” she said. Reported speech:

22. Direct speech: “I am reading a book,” he said. Reported speech:

23. Direct speech: “I have never seen that before,” she said. Reported speech:

24. Direct speech: “I will call you later,” he said. Reported speech:

25. Direct speech: “I had a dream last night,” she said. Reported speech:

Practice Answers:

• She said she was happy.
• He asked if I could help him with his homework.
• She said she had never been to Paris before.
• He reminded her not to forget to buy bread.
• She said she was going to the beach the next day.
• He asked what I was doing.
• She promised she would study harder next time.
• He said he was sorry he could not come.
• She said she was cooking dinner.
• He said he would visit his parents the following week.
• She said she loved him.
• He ordered me not to touch that.
• She asked if I had finished the report.
• He said he had had a great time.
• She said she would be there at 8 o’clock.
• He said he couldn’t go to the party.
• She said she had been watching TV.
• He asked if I would help him with that.
• She said she didn’t like pizza.
• He said he had been working all day.
• She asked me to come to her party.
• He said he was reading a book.
• She said she had never seen that before.
• He said he would call me later.
• She said she had had a dream the previous night.

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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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Reported speech – change of time and place

Reported speech: change of time and place, time/place references change when using reported speech.

• “I will see you  here tomorrow “, she said. —–> She said that she would see me  there the next day .

The most common of these changes are shown below:

Other changes:

In general, personal pronouns change to the third person singular or plural, except when the speaker reports his own words:

• I/me/my/mine, you/your/yours   —->  him/his/her/hers
• we/us/our/ours, you/your/yours  —–>  they/their/theirs:
• He said: “I like your new car.” —–>  He told her that he liked her new car.
• I said: “I’m going to my friend’s house.” —–>  I said that I was going to my friend’s house.

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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

Speech can be direct and indirect, or reported. 

When you express your thought orally or in writing, it is direct speech. We usually put it in quotes.

When you communicate what someone else said, it is reported speech.

Reported statements

Sue: "I am hungry."

Sue says (that)  she is hungry.

To transfer a positive or a negative sentence to reported speech, we need two parts:

• the main part (she says that... / he claims that... / they deny that...),
• the dependent part which is the transformed direct speech.

Pay attention

In the reported speech, we must replace the pronouns. Otherwise, we won't keep the meaning.

Mary: "I am glad to help you!"

Mary says she is glad to help me . BUT NOT Mary says I am glad to help you.

You should also be careful with  time indicators (today, now, next week etc.) not to lose the idea of the original direct statement.

The word  that  can be used or left out, both options are correct.

Backshift of tenses in reported speech

When we have a sentence that consists of the main and the dependent part we need to be careful with the verb tenses. The tense in the main part affects the tense in the dependent part. This is called backshifting.

If the main part is in the present simple (e.g., "she says...", "he tells me..."), the dependent part remains unchanged.

John: "I have just got up."

John says he has just got up. "Says" is the present simple → no backshifting

If the main part is in the  past simple, we have to do the backshifting. Its basic principle is that the past simple in the main part "pushes" the tense of the dependent part one step back in time. This way we balance both parts of the sentence.

You can view the topic ' reported statements ' with an explanation and exercises.

Reported questions

If the direct question began with a question word (when, what, how, why and so on), then in the reported speech:

• the sentence changes from question to positive, with a direct word order
• we need to do the backshifting if we have the past simple in the main part

"Why did you leave the door open?" → She asked me why I had left the door open.

"Where have you been?" → She asked me where I had been.

If the direct question didn't have a question word (it was a yes/no question), we add the word "if" to transform it into reported speech. The rules of backshifting are the same.

"Will it rain tomorrow?" → They wanted to know if it would rain the next day.

"Can I lend your pen for a second?" → I asked if I could lend his pen for a second.

You can also view the topic ' reported questions ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.

Reported requests and demands

If we want to transform somebody's demand or request into reported speech, we say:

• tell somebody to do something — for reported commands
• ask somebody to do something — for reported requests

If the imperative was negative (don't go, don't do), we put "not" before "to":  tell somebody not to do something.

"Do not cross the red line, please!" → The officer told us not to cross the red line.

"Could you put the flowers in the vase, please?" → She asked me to put the flowers in the vase.

You can also view the topic ' reported requests & demands ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.

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:

More Espresso English Lessons:

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.

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

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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

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Reported Speech: How to Use Reported Speech | Useful Rules

One of the most common mistakes when becoming familiar with this type of grammar is not knowing the difference between direct speech and reported speech and the changes related to these types of sentences.

Reported Speech

The reported speech reproduces the words of another person by adapting certain temporal and local references of the original speech to the situation of the speaker, for example, personal pronouns, demonstratives, verb tenses, and adverbs of place or time.

It is characterized by introducing the message that is reproduced with a speaking verb followed by conjunctions that or if. The speaking verb reveals the intention of the speaker to convey what another person has said.

The most frequent speaking verbs are: say, affirm , count, explain, ask, warn, suggest, order, etc.

Direct Speech vs. Reported Speech

Both are the two different ways to transmit what someone has said.

With direct speech, the message is reproduced as we have heard it, in quotes and after a color meanwhile with reported speech the message is reproduced with our words, without commas but using that or if after the verb.

Different Types of Sentences

• Reported statements : use that before the statement and the reporting verb said or told.
• Reported questions : use reported verbs like asked, requested, or wanted to know and omit the question mark. Remember that the order in reported questions changes. In the case of yes-no questions use whether or if.
• Reported requests or commands : use to or not to before the sentence and use verbs like asked, told, ordered, urged, advised, and begged.

Changes When Using Reported Speech

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

In short, the tense changes in the reported speech are made taking into account the verb in the direct speech. The tense changes are:

• Simple present -> simple past
• Present continuous -> past continuous
• Simple past -> past perfect simple
• Past continuous -> past perfect continuous
• Past perfect simple -> past perfect simple
• Past perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous
• Present perfect -> past perfect simple
• Present perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous
• Future simple -> would
• Future perfect -> would have
• Present passive -> past passive
• Present passive continuous -> past passive continuous
• Can -> could/would be able to
• May -> might
• May -> could/ would be allowed to
• Must -> must/ had to/ would have to
• Needn’t -> didn’t have to /didn’t need to /wouldn’t have to
• Shall -> would/should
• Will -> would

Place, Demonstratives, and Time Expressions

Just as there are certain changes in the verb tenses, you have to make changes in the demonstratives, pronouns , and expressions of time and place.

• Here -> there
• There -> there
• This -> that

Time Expressions

• Today -> that day
• Tomorrow -> the next day/ the following day
• Now -> at that moment/ then
• At the present -> At the time
• Present, current -> existing current
• In one hour -> one hour later
• Next year -> the following year
• Days ago -> days before
• Tonight -> that night
• In two week’s time -> two weeks later
• Ago -> before

Pronouns and Demonstratives

• I -> he, she
• Me -> him, her
• My -> his, her, the
• Mine -> his, hers
• We -> they
• Us -> them
• Our -> their, the
• Ours -> theirs
• You -> they, them, their, the
• Yours -> theirs
• This -> that, the
• These -> those, the
• This book -> that book

Reported Speech | Infographic

Other Changes in Reported Speech

Last Updated on October 25, 2023

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• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Reported speech: indirect speech

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. In indirect speech , the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command.

Indirect speech: reporting statements

Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations:

The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane came in to land.’ )

I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. ( that -clause without that ) (or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday .)

Indirect speech: reporting questions

Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions.

Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a reported clause introduced by if or whether . If is more common than whether . The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She asked if [S] [V] I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’ )

The waiter asked whether [S] we [V] wanted a table near the window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window? )

He asked me if [S] [V] I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’ )

Questions: yes-no questions ( Are you feeling cold? )

Reporting wh -questions

Indirect reports of wh -questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a wh -word ( who, what, when, where, why, how ). We don’t use a question mark:

He asked me what I wanted.

Not: He asked me what I wanted?

The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She wanted to know who [S] we [V] had invited to the party.

Not: … who had we invited …

Who , whom and what

In indirect questions with who, whom and what , the wh- word may be the subject or the object of the reported clause:

I asked them who came to meet them at the airport. ( who is the subject of came ; original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’ )

He wondered what the repairs would cost. ( what is the object of cost ; original question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’ )

She asked us what [S] we [V] were doing . (original question: ‘What are you doing?’ )

Not: She asked us what were we doing?

When , where , why and how

We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when , where, why and how :

I asked her when [S] it [V] had happened (original question: ‘When did it happen?’ ).

Not: I asked her when had it happened?

I asked her where [S] the bus station [V] was . (original question: ‘Where is the bus station?’ )

Not: I asked her where was the bus station?

The teacher asked them how [S] they [V] wanted to do the activity . (original question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’ )

Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?

Questions: wh- questions

Indirect speech: reporting commands

Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a to -infinitive:

The General ordered the troops to advance . (original command: ‘Advance!’ )

The chairperson told him to sit down and to stop interrupting . (original command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’ )

We also use a to -infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn :

They advised me to wait till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should wait till the following day.’ )

The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not enter the area.’ )

Verbs followed by a to -infinitive

Indirect speech: present simple reporting verb

We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says or repeats:

Sheila says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.

Henry tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.

Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often repeats this statement.)

Newspaper headlines

We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more dramatic:

JUDGE TELLS REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM

PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM

Present simple ( I work )

Reported speech

Reported speech: direct speech

Indirect speech: past continuous reporting verb

In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell ). This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new topic in the conversation:

Rory was telling me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is that true?

Alex was saying that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the Internet.

‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the moment of speaking and the time of the report.

In these examples, the present ( am ) has become the past ( was ), the future ( will ) has become the future-in-the-past ( would ) and the past ( happened ) has become the past perfect ( had happened ). The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.

The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:

Modal verbs

Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.

We can use a perfect form with have + - ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:

He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ )

He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’ )

Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:

She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in Oxford.’ )

The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’ )

No backshift

We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:

He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)

She said she ’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)

He said he ’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)

She promised she ’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)

Indirect speech: changes to pronouns

Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.

Indirect speech: changes to adverbs and demonstratives

We often change demonstratives ( this, that ) and adverbs of time and place ( now, here, today , etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a different place.

Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

Indirect speech: typical errors.

The word order in indirect reports of wh- questions is the same as statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order:

She always asks me where [S] [V] I am going .

Not: She always asks me where am I going .

We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh- questions:

I asked him what he was doing.

Not: I asked him what he was doing?

Word of the Day

have your hands full

to be so busy that you do not have time to do anything else

Binding, nailing, and gluing: talking about fastening things together

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• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: questions

Do you know how to report a question that somebody asked? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person asked.

direct speech: 'Do you work from home?' he said. indirect speech: He asked me if I worked from home. direct speech: 'Who did you see?' she asked. indirect speech: She asked me who I'd seen. direct speech: 'Could you write that down for me?' she asked. indirect speech: She asked me to write it down.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 2: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

A reported question is when we tell someone what another person asked. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'Do you like working in sales?' he asked. indirect speech: He asked me if I liked working in sales.

In indirect speech, we change the question structure (e.g. Do you like ) to a statement structure (e.g. I like ).

We also often make changes to the tenses and other words in the same way as for reported statements (e.g. have done → had done , today → that day ). You can learn about these changes on the Reported speech 1 – statements page.

Yes / no questions

In yes / no questions, we use if or whether to report the question. If is more common.

'Are you going to the Helsinki conference?' He asked me if I was going to the Helsinki conference. 'Have you finished the project yet?' She asked us whether we'd finished the project yet.

Questions with a question word

In what , where , why , who , when or how questions, we use the question word to report the question.

'What time does the train leave?' He asked me what time the train left. 'Where did he go?' She asked where he went.

Reporting verbs

The most common reporting verb for questions is ask , but we can also use verbs like enquire , want to know or wonder .

'Did you bring your passports?' She wanted to know if they'd brought their passports. 'When could you get this done by?' He wondered when we could get it done by.

Offers, requests and suggestions

If the question is making an offer, request or suggestion, we can use a specific verb pattern instead, for example offer + infinitive, ask + infinitive or suggest + ing.

'Would you like me to help you?' He offered to help me. 'Can you hold this for me, please?' She asked me to hold it. 'Why don't we check with Joel?' She suggested checking with Joel.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 2: 2

Language level

Hello, dear teachers and team!

Could you please help me with the following: 

• She asked me "Does the Earth turn around the Sun?"

  Does it have to be: "She asked me if the Earth TURNED around the Sun" ? 

Do we have to change the question into the past form here as well? 

2. She asked: "Was coffee originally green"?

Is "She asked me if the coffee HAD BEEN originally  green" correct option? Can I leave WAS in an inderect speech here? 

3. Is "She asked me if I knew if the Sun IS a star" or  "She asked me if I knew if the Sun WAS / HAD BEEN a star" (if any)  correct?  

I'm very very grateful for your precious help and thank you very much for your answering this post in advance!!! 

• Log in or register to post comments

Hello howtosay_.

1. She asked me "Does the Earth turn around the Sun?"  Does it have to be: "She asked me if the Earth TURNED around the Sun" ?

No, you can use the present here as well. The verb for this context would be 'go' rather than 'turn':

She asked me if the earth goes around the sun.

She asked me if the earth went around the sun.

Do we have to change the question into the past form here as well? 2. She asked: "Was coffee originally green"? Is "She asked me if the coffee HAD BEEN originally  green" correct option? Can I leave WAS in an inderect speech here?

You can use either 'had been' or 'was' here. The adverb 'originally' removes any ambiguity.

3. Is "She asked me if I knew if the Sun IS a star" or  "She asked me if I knew if the Sun WAS / HAD BEEN a star" (if any)  correct?

You can use 'is' or 'was' here but not 'had been' as that would suggest the sun is not a star any more.

The LearnEnglish Team

She offered me to encourage studying English. She asked us if we could give her a hand.

He said, "I wished she had gone."

How to change this sentence into indirect speech?

Hello bhutuljee,

'He said that he wished she had gone.'

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

He said, "I wish she went."

How to change the above sentence into indirect speech?

Hi bhutuljee,

It would be: "He said that he wished she had gone."

LearnEnglish team

He said , "She wished John would succeed."

This is the third sentence you've asked us to transform in this way. While we try to offer as much help as we can, we are not a service for giving answers to questions which may be from tests or homework so we do limit these kinds of answers. Perhaps having read the information on the page above you can try to transform the sentence yourself and we will tell you if you have done it correctly or not.

Hi, I hope my comment finds you well and fine. 1- reported question of "where did he go?"

Isn't it: She asked where he had gone?

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/reported-…

2- how can I report poilte questions with( can I, May I) For example: She asked me" Can I borrow some money?"

Your reply will be highly appreciated.

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• International

Trump hush money trial

Israel-Hamas war

April 14, 2024 - Iran's attack on Israel

By Jerome Taylor, Heather Chen , James Legge, Sophie Tanno, Emma Tucker , Kaanita Iyer , Paul LeBlanc , Catherine Nicholls, Maureen Chowdhury , Antoinette Radford and Eve Rothenberg, CNN

Our live coverage of Iran's attack on Israel has moved  here .

India calls on Iran to release 17 Indian crew members on board seized container ship 

From CNN's Sandi Sidhu in Hong Kong 

India has called on Iran to release 17 Indian crew members on board a container ship seized by Iran on Saturday. 

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that he spoke to his Iranian counterpart Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and "took up the release of 17 Indian crew members of MSC Aries."

Four Filipino seamen were also on board the ship, according to the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers.

The department said it was working with its government, the ship owner, and the operator to release the captured seafarers.

On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized an Israeli-linked container ship in a helicopter operation near the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency IRNA reported. 

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said there were 25 crew members on board.

Japanese prime minister condemns Iran's attack on Israel

From CNN's Junko Ogura in Tokyo 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday said he "strongly condemns" Iran's missile and drone attack on Israel.

"(The attack) further aggravates the current situation in the Middle East. We are deeply concerned and strongly condemn such an escalation," Kishida told reporters.

Kishida said Japan would continue diplomatic efforts to "prevent the situation from worsening and to calm the situation down," and "respond in cooperation with other countries."

Blinken calls British and German counterparts following Iran's attack on Israel

From CNN's Philip Wang 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts from the United Kingdom and Germany on Sunday following Iran's attack on Israel, according to readouts from the State Department. 

All parties agreed "the importance of condemning Iran's attack in the strongest possible terms and preventing further escalation," the readout said. 

Blinken earlier held phone calls with his counterparts from Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia , in which he emphasized the importance of avoiding escalation in the Middle East and of "a coordinated diplomatic response."

US forces destroyed more than 80 attack drones from Iran and Yemen, Central Command says

From CNN's Philip Wang

US forces intercepted more than 80 one-way attack drones and at least six ballistic missiles from Iran and Yemen during its attack on Israel, according to a statement from the Central Command.

The operation included destroying a ballistic missile on its launcher vehicle and seven drones on the ground in Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, CENTCOM said. 

"Iran's continued unprecedented, malign, and reckless behavior endangers regional stability and the safety of U.S. and coalition forces," the statement added. 

Israeli and Iranian ambassadors trade accusations during UN Security Council session

From Abel Alvarado in Atlanta

Israel and Iran’s United Nations ambassadors condemned each other’s actions during Sunday’s UN Security Council emergency session called to address Iran’s attack on Israel.

Israel’s UN ambassador Gilad Erdan said Iran "must be stopped before it drives the world to a point of no return, to a regional war that can escalate to a world war." Erdan accused Iran of seeking world domination and that its attack proved that Tehran "cares nothing, nothing for Islam or Muslims" before pulling out a tablet to show a video of Israel intercepting Iranian drones above Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Erdan called on the UN Security Council to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror organization.

“Action must be taken now, not for Israel's sake, not for the region's sake, but for the world's sake. Stop Iran today."

Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said his country’s operation was "entirely in the exercise of Iran’s inherent right to self-defense, as outlined in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and recognized by international law."

Iravani said:

"This concluded action was necessary and proportionate," adding that the operation was “precise and only targeted military objectives” to reduce the potential of escalation and to prevent civilian harm. “Iran is never seeking to contribute to the spillover of the conflict in the region, nor does it to escalate or spread the tension to the entire region," he said.

Tehran’s attack had been anticipated since  a suspected Israeli strike  on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria earlier this month.

Iravani added Iran has “no intention of engaging in conflict with the US in the region” but warned Iran will use its “inherent right to respond proportionately” should the US initiate a military operation against “Iran, its citizens or its security.”

Israeli war cabinet says it's ready to respond to Iran's attack but delays immediate action. Here's the latest

From CNN staff

The hours-long Israeli war cabinet meeting ended Sunday night without a decision on how Israel will respond to Iran’s missile and drone attack , an Israeli official said.

The cabinet is determined to respond — but has yet to decide on the timing and scope and the official said the military has been tasked with coming up with additional options for a response.

Separately, a senior Biden administration official told reporters that an Israeli official told the United States that it's not looking to significantly escalate the showdown with Iran.

CNN analyst Barak Ravid said Israeli ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot advocated for swift action, but US President Joe Biden's phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led to a decision to delay the response until the next day. 

Here are the latest headlines:

• Retaliation is over, Iran told US: Iran privately messaged the United States that its retaliation against Israel had concluded, echoing what Tehran said publicly, according to a senior administration official. Late Saturday, Iran said its attack on Israel is a response to Israel's strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, and "the matter can be deemed concluded." However, President Ebrahim Raisi said any “new aggression against the interests of the Iranian nation will be met with a heavier and regrettable response,” according to Iran’s state news channel IRIB. 
• United Nations response: UN Secretary-General António Guterres  called for a de-escalation of violence after Iran’s attack. Guterres said the United Nations and member countries have a “shared responsibility” to engage “all parties concerned to prevent further escalation.” He also called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict. “Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” he said.
• G7 and others: Amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in response to Iran's attack, the G7 nations said they would work together to "stabilize the situation" in the Middle East, according to a statement from Biden. Also, Jordan summoned Iran's ambassador in Amman on Sunday after it intercepted Iranian drones over the country.
• Meanwhile in Gaza: As thousands of Palestinians were turned away from returning to their homes in northern Gaza on Sunday, a 5-year-old girl was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers, her mother said. Video showed a man carrying a 5-year-old girl named Sally Abu Laila, who was bleeding from her head, with people crowding around her in panic trying to cover her wound.

Also on Sunday:

• Israel decided to lift its restrictions on large gatherings and to reopen schools on Monday.
• The US Department of Homeland Security has not identified any “specific or credible threats” to the US since Iran attacked Israel.

Blinken calls Turkish, Egyptian, Jordanian and Saudi counterparts following Iran's attack 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday spoke with his counterparts in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia following Iran's attacks in Israel, according to readouts from the State Department. 

During his phone calls, Blinken emphasized the importance of avoiding escalation in the region and the importance of "a coordinated diplomatic response."

In his conversation with Jordan and Egypt, Blinken also underlined the significance of achieving an "enduring end to the crisis in Gaza."

Iran will be held responsible if any action is taken against the US or Israel, deputy ambassador warns

From CNN’s Abel Alvarado

The United States warned Iran against taking any action against the US or Israel during the UN Security Council emergency session over Iran’s attack on Israel.

“Let me be clear, if Iran or its proxies take actions against the US or further action against Israel, Iran will be held responsible,” US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said Sunday.

The United States is “not seeking escalation, our actions have been purely defensive in nature,” adding that the “best way to prevent such escalation is an unambiguous condemnation of the council of Iran’s unprecedented large-scale attack,” he said.

The envoy reiterated US support for Israel and condemned Iran’s attack. “Iran’s intent was to cause significant damage and death in Israel,” Wood said.

Wood also said the UN Security Council had an “obligation to not let Iran’s actions go unanswered.”

“For far too long, Iran has flagrantly violated its international legal obligations,” he said before listing occasions Iran has violated UN Security Council resolutions and international law.

Wood accused Iran of being in a “broad sense complicit” of the October 7 attack on Israel by providing “significant funding and training for the military wing of Hamas.”

He added the US will explore "additional measures to hold Iran accountable here in the UN.”

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Iran attack puts pressure on US House speaker to pass aid bill for Israel and Ukraine

Mike Johnson has said he will aim to advance legislation to support Israel but has not clarified whether Ukraine funding will form part of package

• Middle East crisis live – follow for updates

The US House speaker, Mike Johnson , has said he will aim to advance a bill for wartime aid to Israel this week following Iran’s weekend attack, but did not clarify whether Ukraine funding would be part of the package.

US assistance for both nations has languished amid political bickering in Congress, with Johnson – an ally of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump – blocking an earlier $95bn in aid sought by President Joe Biden for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan which had passed the Senate.

“The House Republicans and the Republican party understand the necessity of standing with Israel ,” Johnson told Fox News. “We’re going to try again this week, and the details of that package are being put together right now.

“We’re looking at the options on all these supplemental issues.”

Johnson is already under immense political pressure from his fellow Republicans, who are divided in their support for helping Ukraine. Trump and far-right lawmakers in the House of Representatives have grown sceptical of pouring billions of dollars into Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s invading forces.

Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has threatened to oust Johnson as speaker over issues including his support for Ukraine .

The attack by Iran on Israel early on Sunday further ratcheted up the pressure on Johnson, but also gave him an opportunity to underscore the urgency of approving the funding.

The White House and top Democrats and Republicans in the Senate called on Johnson to approve the $95bn bipartisan package which has already passed the Senate that would provide $14.1bn in aid to Israel and $60bn to Ukraine.

“They should put it on the floor as soon as possible,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told NBC.

Johnson has over recent months refused to take up the Senate bill. Instead, he has sought to craft his own legislation, with Ukraine aid structured as a loan at Trump’s behest.

The speaker met Trump in Florida on Friday. On Sunday Johnson told Fox he was considering structuring the aid to Ukraine as a loan, as Trump has suggested and which Johnson said “I think has a lot of consensus”.

Several House conservatives have said they want stricter US migration policies added to any security aid package.

Biden, meanwhile, participated in a call with congressional leaders including Johnson on Sunday to address the “urgent need” for the House to approve the bipartisan aid package passed by the Senate.

“On the call, the president discussed the urgent need for the House of Representatives to pass the national security supplemental as soon as possible,” the White House said in a statement.

Republican Mike Turner, chair of the House intelligence committee, said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he expected the House would pass a broad aid bill this week.

“I think it will have overwhelming support, both the Ukraine, Israel and Asia packages, not just because of what’s happened with Iran escalating the conflict in the Middle East but because these are allies that need and deserve our support.”

Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report

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Middle East latest: Iran tells Israel 'our hands are on the trigger' and warns it knows where its nuclear sites are

US sources have reportedly said Israel is unlikely to attack Iran until after the major Jewish holiday ends later this month. Meanwhile, Iran warns it may review its nuclear doctrine, amid suggestions Israel could target nuclear facilities in the country.

Thursday 18 April 2024 13:30, UK

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• Iran could review its nuclear doctrine, says commander
• Israel 'unlikely' to launch attack on Iran until after Passover'
• Google 'fires 28 workers involved in protests' against billion-dollar Israel contract
• Israel hit Iran's consulate 'after two months of planning'
• Qatar 're-assessing its role as mediator' as talks hit stumbling block
• Striking Iran's nuclear facilities on the table, says ex-Mossad official
• Michael Clarke analysis: All Israel's options for retaliation come with complications
• Live reporting by Brad Young

By Alistair Bunkall, Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem

Five days on and we're still in a guessing game: everyone assumes Israel will retaliate against Iran, we just don't know when or where.

For most of the week the working theory has been that Israel would want to carry out any attack before the Jewish festival of Passover starts on Monday, and to leave enough time for Iran's potential counter-response ahead of the holiday.

As the days pass with no action, however, some analysts are starting to consider whether Israel's actions might now be delayed until after Passover, which finishes 30 April.

Typically, when there is a vacuum of information or action, rumour and speculation start. 

The latest, being reported in Egyptian media, is that the US has given its approval for an Israeli invasion of Rafah in return for a much more limited response to Iran. 

There is also a suggestion that unusually heavy storms in the Gulf region are preventing any strike.

Israeli media, usually well-informed on domestic political matters, is reporting that the military prepared for and then aborted strikes on at least two occasions over recent days.

Whatever the truth in any of this, Western allies of Israel will be hoping that time creates space for calmer, more rational judgement and that the potential war, which seemed so possible only a few days ago, is averted. 

Iran could review its nuclear doctrine, says a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, according to state media agency Tasnim.

"The threats of the Zionist regime against Iran's nuclear facilities make it possible to review our nuclear doctrine and deviate from our previous considerations," said Ahmad Haghtalab, who is in charge of nuclear security.

"If the Zionist regime wants to take action against our nuclear centres and facilities, we will surely and categorically reciprocate with advanced missiles against their own nuclear sites."

The commander said Israel's nuclear facilities have been identified, adding "our hands are on the trigger".

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the last say on Tehran's nuclear program, which some in the West suspect has military purposes.

Tehran has always maintained its nuclear program was strictly for peaceful purposes. 

The remarks come after senior ex-Mossad official Zohar Palti told Sky News that striking Iran's nuclear facilities was on the table of options being considered by Israel to retaliate after Saturday's attack.

A child who survived a deadly Israeli airstrike on his family home has been killed after being hit by an aid airdrop.

Zein Oroq, 13, was struck by a package dropped last week, fracturing his skull, pelvis and abdomen, as he rushed toward it hoping to collect some beans, rice or flour, said his father, Mahmoud. 

A hungry crowd heading for the box did not pay attention and the "pressure increased on him", Mahmoud said.

"My son is so precious, he was my support, my entire life, my first joy in this world, my biggest child, may he rest in peace."

Zein was taken to hospital, where he died from his wounds on Sunday.

Some 17 members of his family were killed in November when an airstrike hit their house, pinning Zein underneath the rubble of the building.

"He came out from under the rubble with wounds in his head, hand and leg, God saved him," said his grandfather, Ali.

Ali recalled how Zein would swim in a pond to get a meal from the air drops, but said he should have been sitting at a desk in school instead.

Pictures taken by Reuters photographers in northern Israel show debris littering the floor of a community centre hit by Hezbollah.

The group, based in Lebanon, launched missiles and drones at the Bedouin village of Arab al-Aramshe.

Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned group that says it acts in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, has exchanged fire across the border with Israel since the war began.

The delay to Israel's avowed retaliation against Iran may be coming from the cabinet, the weather or Benjamin Netanyahu's character as leader, says Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall.

Reports now suggest a response could come after Passover, which ends 30 April.

The Israeli prime minister has been receiving a lot of different advice, including international pressure to cool off and a split among Israeli politicians on how to react, Bunkall said.

There are those in his government who are urging caution and extreme right-wing politicians who are pushing to strike hard, he said.

Some may be going as far as to suggest targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, while others have argued "Israel has enough on its plate" before opening up another war front.

Mr Netanyahu himself is characteristically "a person who is more hesitant when it comes to getting into confrontations with Israel's enemies", said Bunkall.

He "tends to be a leader that puts off the difficult decisions until he can't put them off any longer" and it "seems as though he is delaying the response".

Meanwhile, storms in the Gulf may be "muddying the waters" too, Bunkall added.

An image of a Palestinian woman holding the body of her 5-year-old niece, Saly, after she was killed in an Israeli strike has been named world press photo of the year.

Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem took the photo of Inas Abu Maamar, 36, on 17 October at the morgue in Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.

The jury at the Amsterdam-based World Press Photo Foundation said the image was "composed with care and respect, offering at once a metaphorical and literal glimpse into unimaginable loss".

"I felt the picture sums up the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip," said Mr Salem in November, a Palestinian aged 39 who has worked for Reuters since 2003.

"People were confused, running from one place to another, anxious to know the fate of their loved ones, and this woman caught my eye as she was holding the body of the little girl and refused to let go."

The Group of Seven foreign ministers are meeting to discuss the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine on the Italian island of Capri. 

"I don't want to exaggerate, but we are on the edge of a war, a regional war in the Middle East," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell ahead of the discussions.

"We have to ask Israel for [a] restrained answer to the Iranians attack. We cannot escalate."

Yesterday Lord Cameron said it was clear Israel had decided to retaliate.

The foreign secretary is expected to push for sanctions on Iran from others in the group of major economies at today's meeting.

China and Indonesia would "fully support Palestine's membership" at the UN, the Indonesian foreign minister has said after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart.

The UN's Security Council is expected to vote tomorrow on a draft resolution recommending to the UN General Assembly "the state of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations", diplomats have told Reuters.

The US, which has the power to veto the resolution, has said it is not necessary, arguing that establishing an independent Palestinian state should happen through direct negotiations with Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly opposed a two-state solution.

To pass the Security Council, the resolution needs nine out of 15 votes and no vetoes by the US, UK, France, Russia or China. Diplomats say it has the support of 13 council members.

Two-thirds of the General Assembly would then have to approve the move.

The Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, is a non-member observer state at the UN, a position granted by the 193-member General Assembly in 2012.

Google has fired 28 employees who joined protests against a $1.2bn joint contract with Amazon to provide the Israeli government with AI and cloud services, Bloomberg reports.

Demonstrations led by No Tech for Apartheid took place across Google offices in New York City, Seattle, and California on Tuesday over the deal, named Project Nimbus.

Several employees were then put on leave, with Google telling them to keep the matter "as confidential as possible, only disclosing information on a need-to-know basis", according to an email seen by Bloomberg.

After carrying out sackings yesterday, Google said the protestors were "physically impeding other employees' work and preventing them from accessing our facilities", and that they refused "multiple requests to leave the premises".

A worker told Bloomberg the protestors left the building as soon as they were asked and did not obstruct or disrupt anyone else.

Israel attacked Iran's embassy complex in Syria after two months of planning, the New York Times reports , citing two Israeli officials.

Internal Israeli defence records seen by the Times showed the airstrike was approved by the Israeli war cabinet a week beforehand.

The attack aimed to kill Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Iran's Qud's Force commander for Syria and Lebanon, the Israeli officials said.

Publicly, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it was responsible for the 1 April strike, which Iran said killed seven people including two senior commanders.

The assessments shown in the Israeli records anticipated nothing more than a small-scale response, with one senior Israeli official telling the Times Israel badly miscalculated Iran's reaction.

US officials said Israel had given America only moments notice before carrying out the attack.

When Iran retaliated on Saturday, launching more than 300 drones and missiles, some Israeli leaders argued privately that Israel should hit back immediately, having drawn up plans for widespread strikes on Iran, the report cited Israeli officials as saying.

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Remarks by President   Biden at a Campaign Event | Scranton,   PA

Scranton Cultural Center Scranton, Pennsylvania

2:29 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Scranton.  (Applause.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  I think I should go home now, except I’m already home. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)  Please, take a seat if you have one.

Amy, thank you for that introduction and for your work as an educator.  You know, it was great to meet your family, including your husband, Michael, whose uncle Jimmy McNulty was the former mayor and grew up with me in Scranton, Pennsylvania. 

You know, thanks to the mayor, Paige C- — C- — excuse me, I’m going to — I was going to talk about the old mayor — Paige Cognetti, for that welcome.  And she’s been incredible.  She’s been with me all along the way.

It’s always great to be with one of America’s best governors, and I mean this sincerely: Josh Shapiro.  (Applause.)  He’s the best.  Stand up, Josh.  Get up. 

I think — I think Josh and a lot of people are always tired of hearing me talk about Scranton, but it — but, you know, Scranton is a place that climbs into your heart and it never leaves.  I mean that sincerely.  It’s home, that’s a special thing that’s etched into your heart. 

For me, it was 2446 North Washington Avenue, just a block away from Amy’s house.  (Laughter.)

We used to come back after morning mass at St. Paul’s on Sunday — St. Clare’s wasn’t built until I had moved — and my grandfather, who worked for the newspaper, and my uncles would hold court around a kitchen table with a guy who was sort of the — the David Broder of the — of the Pennsylvania pr- — Scranton press.  You think I’m kidding.  It wasn’t, but anyway.  And he would — they’d — they’d come and have breakfast at the table.  And a kid could wander around the table where the adults were sitting, but you could — but you could never sit at the table. 

And I’d walk up and stand next to my grandpop and — while he was — while they were having conversation, and they were talking about what — they’d talk about what was going on in the neighborhood.  They’d talk about what was going on in the world.  They were all learned men.  And — and I learned a lot here in Scranton.  

I learned that money doesn’t determine your worth.  My grandfather would tell me, “Joey, nobody — nobody is more worthy than you, and everyone is your equal.”  And that was a —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  No, that was — (applause) —

I learned that no one’s looking for a handout.  All anybody wants is a fair shot — a fair shot at making it, and they deserve a fair shot. 

My dad had a saying.  He’d say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.” 

You know, people like Donald Trump learned very different lessons.  He learned the best way to get rich is inherit it.  (Laughter.)  Not a bad way.  I’m not —

He learned that paying taxes was something people who worked for a living did, not him. 

He learned that telling people “you’re fired” was something to laugh about. 

I guess that’s how you look at the world when you’re in Park Avenue and Mar-a-Lago.  But if you grew up in a place like Scranton, nobody handed you anything.  You paid your taxes.  You made sure being told “you’re fired” wasn’t entertainment; it was a nightmare that people worried about.  

And all people knew — all I knew about the people like Trump who looked down on us were the people that haven’t changed.  They wouldn’t welcome us in their homes and their clubs. 

Folks, where we come from matters. 

When I look at the economy, I don’t see it through the eyes of Mar-a-Lago.  I see it through the eyes of Scranton — and that’s not hyperbole; that’s a fact — where honesty and decency matter, where faith matters, where family is everything, where we grew up knowing in our homes that Wall Street didn’t build this country.  The middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class.  (Applause.)

We know the best way to build an economy is from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.  Because when you do that, the poor have a ladder up, the middle class does well, and the wealthy still do very well.  We all do well. 

That’s a stark contrast from my opponent.  He looks at the economy from Mar-a-Lago, where he and his rich friends embrace the failed trickle-down policies that have failed working families for more than 40 years. 

Scranton values or Mar-a-Lago values: These are the competing visions for our economy, and they raise questions of fundamental fairness at the heart of this campaign that I want to talk to you about a little bit today.

Folks, does anybody really think that the present tax code is fair?  Raise your hand if you think it’s fair.  I’m not joking.  Well, neither do I.  (Laughter.)

I’m a capitalist.  If you want to — if you’re able to go out and make a million bucks, fine.  That’s okay.  But just make sure you pay your fair share in taxes.  (Applause.)

A fair tax code is how we invest in the things that make this country strong: healthcare, education, defense, and so much more. 

But here’s the deal.  For more than 40 years, our Republican friends have promised that the best way to grow the economy is from the top down.  But here’s what they don’t tell you: It’s never worked.  The benefits don’t trickle down.  

When the very wealthy pay less in taxes, then we have to borrow more and invest less in the things that families really need, from schools, to hospitals, healthcare, roads, bridges, and so much more.  

Think what’s happens when that factory closes in Scranton or anywhere around the country, when the school is underfunded, when inequity grows larger and larger. It puts the middle class further in th- — out of reach and rips the dignity and pride and hope out of communities all across the country, including right here in Pennsylvania.

Folks, trickle-down economics failed the middle class.  It failed America.  And the truth is, Donald Trump embodies that failure.  He wants to double down on trickle down. 

His failure starts with his $2 trillion tax cut that overwhelmingly benefitted the wealthiest and biggest corporations and exploded the federal debt when he was president.  Donald Trump added more to the national debt than any President of the United States in a term in all of American history — more to the national debt.

Meanwhile, when the pandemic hit, Trump failed the most basic duty any president owes the American people: a duty to care and a duty to respond.  Remember when he told us, “Don’t worry; this will all be over by Easter”?  Remember when he told us, literally, inject bleach?  (Laughter.)

Bless me, Father.  (The President makes the sign of the cross.)  (Laughter and applause.)

Look, think about it.  Think about it.  Because he failed to care, not only did people die, but millions of Americans lost their jobs, their homes, their livelihoods.  On Trump watch — on Trump is [Trump’s] watch, for the four years he was president, we lost — nearly 3 million jobs were lost.  275,000 of those jobs lost right here in Pennsylvania.  In the Scranton area, Trump lost 17,400 jobs.  180,000 manufacturing jobs lost nationwide, including 37,000 manufacturing jobs right here in Pennsylvania. 

There are only two presidents on record in all of American history that left office with fewer jobs than when they entered office: Herbert Hoover and, yes, Donald “Herbert Hoover” Trump.  (Laughter and applause.)

Look, Trump is running again on the same trickle-down — failed trickle-down policies.  Nothing has changed. 

Just a few months ago, at a closed-door event in Mar-a-Lago, he told his millionaire and billionaire donors the following — this is a quote — “You’re rich as hell, and we’re going to give you tax cuts,” end of quote.  And then they all laughed about it, not because they didn’t think it would happen, because they knew it will happen if he’s elected. 

How does that make me feel?  How does it make you feel?  How does it make the people I grew up with feel?  I think it’s outrageous.

Trump wants to renew another round of billionaire tax breaks and corporate giveaways.  And, look, I come from the corporate state of the world: Delaware.  I represented it for 36 years.  They’re entitled to make a fair profit.  It makes sense.  There is more corporations incorporated in Delaware than every other state in the nation combined.  But this is ridiculous, what’s going on now. 

You know, there are about 1,000 billionaires — billionaires in America.  Do you know what the average federal tax rate for a billionaire is today in America?  For real: 8.3 percent.  (Laughter.)  That’s how much federal ta- — no, I’m serious.  Not a joke.  Far less than the vast majority of Americans pay in federal taxes. 

No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher, a nurse, a sanitation worker.  (Applause.)  I mean it. 

And that tax break that he passed several years ago is about to expire.  But Trump wants to give another billionaire tax break. 

Listen to what he says.  Trump says his MAGA friends want to, quote, “terminate” — I love his terminology — “terminate” the Affordable Care Act.  That would mean over 100 million Americans with preexisting conditions who now have healthcare because of the Affordable Care Act would lose their coverage.  One hundred million.  It means millions of young people would be kicked off their parents’ healthcare policies once they turn 26.

The Affordable Care Act is paid for by a surtax on the very wealthy investment income.  Trump wants to get rid of that, and as a consequence, would cost millions of American who lose coverage an average of an additional $6,000 a year to maintain their healthcare.  It would mean billionaires would get, as a consequence of not having to pay the tax anymore, another $3.5 million tax cut per billionaire. 

You heard me right.  Billionaires would each get an additional tax cut every year of $3.5 million.  That’s 70 times what a typical family here in Scranton makes in one year. 

I have a better idea.  As soon as I came into office, I expanded tax credits through the Affordable Care Act and saved millions of Americans another $800 per person per year on their healthcare premiums.  (Applause.) 

Healthcare should be a basic right.  Those tax credits are going to expire next year though.  And I want to make those tax credits permanent.  It’s the first thing I’ll do if I’m reelected is make them permanent.  (Applause.)  

Folks, and my plan calls for a minimum federal income tax of 25 percent — just 25 percent on billionaires.  Well below the top rate, but fair, and they can afford it.  Do you know how much money that would raise?  That would raise $500 billion over the next 10 years.  Five hundred billion dollars.  (Applause.)  It would be a drop in the bucket for them.  They wouldn’t have to sell one single bit of their assets.

And imagine what we could do for America.  Imagine a future with affordable childcare, paid leave, homecare, eldercare, and more, like every major country in the world has.  Of all this is not only good for families.  It creates jobs.  It generates growth.  It generates income.  It generates economic vitality.

Because guess what?  When you have childcare and you don’t have to go out and hire somebody, you can go to work.  It ge- — I asked the Treasury Department to do a study: What would — what would — what’s the effect of this?  The effects of what I’m talking about is increase — increase economic growth. 

We have the most successful economy in the world today. 

But, folks, how does Trump pay for these billionaire tax cuts?  Well, Trump recently said Social Security and Medicare, quote — here’s his quote: “There’s a lot you can do in terms of cutting,” end of quote. 

Well, right on cue, the MAGA Republicans in Congress released their budget, which hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention.  The budget they proposed for next year would raise the retirement age of Social Security and would slash Medicare. 

Think about that for a second.  MAGA Republicans want billionaires to pay less in taxes, want seniors to work longer before they can retire on Social Security benefits, and they want to cut Medicare. 

I got a better idea.  Let’s protect Social Security and Medicare and make the very wealthy begin to pay their fair share — (applause) — in high taxes.

And, by the way, whether you’re liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, or independent — whatever you are, think about it.  We’re not asking much.  Just asking for just basic fairness. 

You know, I’ve already been delivering real results in a fiscally responsible way.  But I know not everyone is feeling it. 

Just the other day, a defeated-looking guy came up to me and asked if I could help.  He was drowning in debt.  I said, “I’m sorry, Donald, but I can’t help you.”  (Laughter and applause.)  Nothing I can do.  (Applause.)

Look, on a serious note, since I came to office — (laughter) — I’ve already cut the federal deficit.  You know, all the stuff they talk about what we’ve done — and I’m going to be self-serving a little bit: Every other — every objective alternative points out we’ve had the most successful economy of any major economy in the world so far.  A lot more to do, but guess what?  During the whole time, I’ve been able to cut the federal deficit at the same exact time by over $1 trillion — $1 trillion.  (Applause.)

And I signed a bipartisan budget deal that will cut another trillion dollars over the next decade as well.  And I know what to cut.  (Applause.)  I want to cut the federal deficit even more by making big corporations and the very wealthy begin to finally pay their fair share.  We’re not asking anything that’s unusual.

Under my plan, nobody earning less than $400,000 will pay an additional penny.  I hope you’re all able to make $400,000.  (Laughter.)  I never did.  But they’re not going to pay an extra penny in federal taxes.  That’s a promise.  Nobody.  Not one penny. 

You know, I have to say: If Trump’s stock in the Truth Social — his — his company — drops any lower, he might do better under my tax plan than his.  (Laughter and applause.)  It’s possible.

Folks, look, I want to cut taxes on hardworking folks here in Scranton and all across the country, in Claymont — where I moved from Scranton to Claymont, in Delaware — all across the country, like Amy’s family. 

In fact, the Child Tax Credit I extended during the pandemic put up to $300 per child — per child [a month] in the pockets of around 40 million working families, and it literally cut child poverty in half.  And we still reduced the deficit.  (Applause.)  We still reduced the deficit.  That included helping 1.4 million families and nearly 2.4 million children right here in Pennsylvania. 

Republicans refused to extend it, which raised taxes on working families.  I want to restore it — restore the expanded Child Care Tax Credit, because no child should live in poverty in this country — no child.  (Applause.)

We’ve got a lot more work to do.  I know the cost of housing is so important.  I want to provide families like Amy’s a $10,000 tax credit to help them buy their first home or trade up for a little more space.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, no, it’s important.  And, by the way, it will grow the economy.

When Trump was president in 2020, 55 of the largest corporations in America of the Fortune 500 made $40 billion in profit and paid zero — zero in federal income taxes. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Sinful.  Sinful.

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, guess what?  I came along and took care of the sin.  (Applause.)  Not anymore. 

Thanks to the law that I wrote and signed, big corporations now have to pay a minimum — they should be paying more — a minimum of 15 percent tax.  It was a start but not enough. 

By doing that 15 percent tax, they pay for every program that people are now benefitting from and still cut the deficit by $70 billion.  (Applause.) 

And, by the way, that 15 percent is still less than working people play in federal tax- — pay in federal taxes.  It’s time to raise the corporate tax — minimum tax to at least 21 percent so every big corporation finally has to pay their fair share.

But, you know, Trump and his MAGA friends want to get rid of the corporate minimum tax. 

With the same law, I gave Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drugs, which is why those of you have diabetes and need insulin, instead of paying 400 bucks a month, you’re now paying $35 a month for insulin.  (Applause.)

I’ve been working on taking on Big Pharma my whole career.  But guess what?  If I put you on Air Force One, we flew out of here, and you went — you name — you took a prescription you had from a drug company in America, I will take you to any city you name, whether it’s Berlin, whether it’s in Canada, whether it’s in Hungary.  Wherever it is.  And you’ll pay 40, 60 percent less for that same exact prescription.  Not a joke. 

And, by the way, when we in fact reduce some — there’s much more to come in that healthcare proposal — that Medicare proposal. 

For example, seniors, beginning in 2024 [2025], no matter how much their prescription drug costs are, they’ll never have to pay more than $2,000 a year, no matter what.  (Applause.)

And, by the way, companies will still make money.  They’ll still make a significant profit — still make a significant profit.  It helps reduce the — and, by the way, when we do this, it has a benefit, and that’s already part of the law I passed.  But guess what?  Not only does it reduce the federal deficit — help with the prescription holder, it reduces the federal debt. 

You know how much the first tranche of this has done?  It’s reduced the federal debt by $160 billion.  (Applause.)  Why?  Because Social Security — Medicare does not have to pay out $400 a month.  They’re paying out $35 a month.  (Applause.) 

But Trump has committed, if he’s reelected, from — gets elected again, he wants to get rid of the law and give Big Pharma the power again to charge again whatever you want, which will also increase the deficit.

Folks, are we going to let that happen?

AUDIENCE:  Nooo —

THE PRESIDENT:  We can’t.

And that same law empowers the IRS to go after the super wealthy.  You know, what — you ever — it’s amazing how the — we had passed legislation increasing the number of auditors.  Guess who wanted them all cut?  No, I’m not joking.  Republicans. 

Why?  Because it takes an awful lot of sophistication to be able to go through the tax returns of these billionaires to know what’s going on. 

But while you work hard and pay your taxes, Trump wants to give his billionaire friends the power to avoid paying even what they already owe, not what they should be paying.

I know you — if you didn’t know better, you’d think I’m making this up, but you can check it all out. 

Folks, he’s coming for your money, your healthcare, and your Social Security.  And we’re not going to let it happen.  (Applause.)  We’re not going to — can’t let it happen.  

Look, let me close with this.  As you obne- — observed — I can’t hide it, Scranton fills me with enormous pride.  My mom didn’t live in Scranton permanently since 1954.  I swear to God, whenever she was asked, no matter where we were, “Mrs. Biden, where do you live?  Where are you from?”  She’d say, “Scranton.”  (Laughter.)

Do you know anybody who’s from Scranton that still doesn’t brag about being from Scranton?  (Laughter.)

Look, because I see here what I saw in Claymont, Delaware, where we moved — it used to be a big steel town with 4,000 workers — all gone now.  Although, we’re back for — with other growth.  In Claymont, Delaware, and what I see in so many towns around America: a deep pride — a deep, deep pride in your work, a deep pride in your family, a deep pride in your community and in your country. 

I’ve always thought the World War Two monument downtown by City Hall says so much about Scranton.  My Uncle Ambrose Finnegan — Bosie Finnegan from North Washington — he served and died in World War Two.  Right after D-Day, on Sunday, all four of my mother’s brothers signed up to go fight in the military.  In those days, you could do it — brothers could go off to war together.  Fathers and brothers could do the same.

And that war — I — and everybody called him Bosie Finnegan.  Bosie was a hell of an athlete, but Bosie joined the Army Air Corps before there was an Air Force.  And his name is etched on the monument down by City Hall.  Here in Scranton, I grew up understanding we have many obligations as a country, but we only have — and I got in trouble for saying this from the time I was a young senator.  We only — we have many obli- — we have only one truly sacred obligation, and that is to equip those we send to war and take care of them and their families when they come home or if they don’t come home. (Applause.)

I don’t want to lose my temper on this.  But I think about that statue in town now that I’m Commander-in-Chief.  And I had them double-check if my memory was correct that Uncle Bosie, Ambrose J. Finnegan’s name is etched on that statue. 

I have to say, there are a lot of things that Donald Trump has said and done that I find extremely offensive.  But one that offends me the most is when he refused, as president, to visit an American cemetery outside of Paris when he was president.  Why?  He said that those soldiers who gave their lives were, quote — it was his quote — “suckers” and “losers.”  “Suckers” and “losers,” he said it. 

Who the hell does he think he is?  Who does he think he is?  These were heroes.  (Applause.) 

These soldiers were heroes, just as every American who has served this nation.  (Applause.)  Believing otherwise, that alone is disqualifying for someone to seek this office.  Thank God I wasn’t standing next to him.  (Applause.)

But as I’ve said, Donald Trump looks at the world differently than you and me.  He wakes up in the morning in Mar-a-Lago thinking about himself, how he can help his billionaire friends gain power and control and force their extreme agenda on the rest of us. 

Listen to what he says.  He says, quote, “I’ll be dictator on day one.”  Quote, “I am your retribution.”  He promises, quote, “a bloodbath” if he loses.  This guy denies January 6th.  Listen — listen to what he says, because you know he means it.  

I wake every morning thinking about how to make life better, like you do, for working- and middle-class families here in Scranton and all across the country, where the power and the freedom rest with you and “We the People.” 

Maybe that’s why millions of everyday power- — folks are powering our campaign.  So far, 1.6 million people have contributed to our campaign, with 550,000 brand new this time around.  (Applause.)  And they’re new contributors.  But guess what?  97 percent of these contributions were under $200.  It matters.  You matter. 

My grandfather would tell me when I walked out the door in North Scran- — in North — North Scra- — in North Washington Avenue in Scranton, he’d yell, “Joey, keep the faith,” when I was a kid.  And my grandmother would yell, “No, Joey, spread it.  Spread it.”  (Applause.) 

Let’s keep the faith.  Let’s spread it.  Let’s remember who we are.  We are the United States of America.  (Applause.)  There is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity than when we act together.

God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  (Applause.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you, folks.  (Applause.) 

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.

 2:58 P.M. EDT

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