We often have to give information about what people say or think. In order to do this you can use direct or quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech. 1. Direct Speech Saying exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech) Here what a person says appears within quotation marks (" .") and should be word for word. For example: She said, "Today's lesson is on presentations." Or "Today's lesson is on presentations," she said. 2. Indirect Speech Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech), doesn't use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word. When reporting speech the tense usually changes. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too. For example: Direct speech Indirect speech "I'm going to the cinema", he said. He said he was going to the cinema. a. Tense change As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense: (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right): Direct speech Indirect speech Present simple She said, "It's cold." › Past simple She said it was cold. Present continuous She said, "I'm teaching English online." › Past continuous She said she was teaching English online. Present perfect simple She said, "I've been on the web since 1999." › Past perfect simple She said she had been on the web since 1999. Present perfect continuous She said, "I've been teaching English for seven years." › Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching English for seven years. Past simple She said, "I taught online yesterday." › Past perfect She said she had taught online yesterday. Past continuous She said, "I was teaching earlier." › Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching earlier. Past perfect She said, "The lesson had already started when he arrived." › Past perfect NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had already started when he arrived. Past perfect continuous She said, "I'd already been teaching for five minutes." › Past perfect continuous NO CHANGE - She said she'd already been teaching for five minutes. Modal verb forms also sometimes change: Direct speech Indirect speech Will She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow." › Would She said she would teach English online tomorrow. Can She said, "I can teach English online." › Could She said she could teach English online. Must She said, "I must have a computer to teach › Had to She said she had to have a computer to teach English online." English online. Shall She said, "What shall we learn today?" › Should She asked what we should learn today. May She said, "May I open a new browser?" › Might She asked if she might open a new browser. ! Note - There is no change to: could, would, should, might and ought to. Direct speech Indirect speech "I might go to the cinema", he said. He said he might go to the cinema. You can use the present tense in reported speech if you want to say that something is still true i.e. my name has always been and will always be Lynne so:- Direct speech Indirect speech "My name is Lynne", she said. She said her name was Lynne. or She said her name is Lynne. You can also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event. Direct speech (exact quote) Indirect speech (not exact) "Next week's lesson is on reported speech ", she said. She said next week's lesson is on reported speech. ! Note - In some cases, there is no need to change tenses when transforming from direct speech into indirect speech. Simple present + simple present He says, “I go to school every day.”  Simple present + simple present He says (that) he goes to school every day. Present perfect + simple present He has said, “I go to school every day.”  Present perfect + simple present He has said (that) he goes to school every day. Past progressive + simple past He was saying, “I went to school every day.”  Past progressive + simple past He was saying (that) he went to school every day.  Past progressive + past perfect He was saying (that) he had gone to school every day. Future + simple present He will say, “I go to school every day.”  Future + simple present He will say (that) he goes to school every day. b. Time change If the reported sentence contains an expression of time, you must change it to fit in with the time of reporting. For example we need to change words like here and yesterday if they have different meanings at the time and place of reporting. Today + 24 hours - Indirect speech "Today's lesson is on presentations." She said yesterday's lesson was on presentations. Expressions of time if reported on a different day this (evening) › that (evening) today › yesterday . these (days) › those (days) now › then (a week) ago › (a week) before last weekend › the weekend before last / the previous weekend here › there next (week) › the following (week) tomorrow › the next/following day In addition if you report something that someone said in a different place to where you heard it you must change the place (here) to the place (there). For example:- At work At home "How long have you worked here?" She asked me how long I'd worked there. c. Pronoun change In reported speech, the pronoun often changes. For example: Me You "I teach English online." She said she teaches English online. d. Reporting Verbs Said, told and asked are the most common verbs used in indirect speech. We use asked to report questions:- For example: I asked Lynne what time the lesson started. We use told with an object. For example: Lynne told me she felt tired. ! Note - Here me is the object. We usually use said without an object. For example: Lynne said she was going to teach online. If said is used with an object we must include to: For example: Lynne said to me that she'd never been to China. ! Note - We usually use told. For example: Lynne told me that she'd never been to China. There are many other verbs we can use apart from said, told and asked. These include:- accused, admitted, advised, alleged, agreed, apologised, begged, boasted, complained, denied, explained, implied, invited, offered, ordered, promised, replied, suggested, and thought. Using them properly can make what you say much more interesting and informative. For example: He asked me to come to the party:- He invited me to the party. He begged me to come to the party. He ordered me to come to the party. He advised me to come to the party. He suggested I should come to the party. e. Use of 'That' in reported speech In reported speech, the word that is often used. For example: He told me that he lived in Greenwich. However, that is optional. For example: He told me he lived in Greenwich. ! Note - That is never used in questions, instead we often use if. For example: He asked me if I would come to the party. 3. 50 examples: DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH 1. “You are very noisy class eleven!” moaned Miss Hull. Miss Hull said that we were very noisy today. 2. Mrs. Prisk shouted, “Stop running in the hall, boys.” Mrs. Prisk shouted at the boys to stop running in the hall. 3. Bill said, “I don’t like this party, I want to go home now.” Bill said that he did not like the party and he wanted to go home right away. 4. “I can not come to the party,” Emma told Emily. Emma told Emily that she could not come to the party. 5. "I write in English when I am writing in my diary.” (60% of the students) 60% of the students said that they wrote in English when they were writing in their diaries 6. My friend said, "How are you?” My friend asked how I was. 7. “My shoes are too tight,” complained Sally. Sally complained that her shoes were too tight. 8. He said, “Do you go to school every day?” He asked me if I went to school every day. 9. “I am leaving early,” he said to me. He told me he was leaving early. 10. Phoebe suggested, “You should come here next week.” Phoebe suggested I should come there the following week. 11. "Did Marama's horse win a prize?” Owen asked. Owen asked whether (or if) Marama's horse had won a prize. 12. Emma wondered, “What is he doing at this moment?” Emma wondered what he was doing at that moment. 13. He said to me, “See me tomorrow.” He told me to see him tomorrow. 14. “Do you like Berlin?” said he. He asked me whether I like Berlin. 15. “The Christmas Fayre will be a success,” Mrs. Millhouse claimed. Mrs. Millhouse claimed that the Christmas Fayre would be a success. 16. Minh said, "Where is Venus?” Minh asked where Venus is. 17. “Please send me some money,” he begged us. He begged us for some money. 18. He said, “Have you read this book?” He asked me if I had read this book. 19. “Do not close the door,” John told me not to close the said John. door. 20. “Your dress is silly,” Mark laughed at Elly. Mark laughed at Elly, saying her dress was silly. 21. Mary told me, “Visit me tomorrow.” Mary invited me to visit her the next day. 22. He said, “Where do you go to school?” He asked me where I went to school. 23. “Open your book, Bill,” ordered Jim. Jim ordered Bill to open his book. 24. “It is not so foggy today as it was yesterday,” I remarked. I remarked that it was not so foggy today as it had been yesterday. 25. He said to me, “Where are you?” He asked me where I was. 26. “I win the match!” Joe exclaimed. Joe exclaimed that he won the match! 27. I asked him, “How are you today?” I asked him how he was yesterday. 28. “I am wrong,” said Minh. Minh admitted that he was wrong. 29. " Whom did you call?" said My friend asked whom I had my friend. called. 30. He denied, “I did not hurt her.” He denied that he had hurt her. 31. “Please don’t disturb Ann,” begged he. He begged me not to disturb Ann. 32. Kim said, “I am leaving.” Kim told me she was leaving. 33. “Can I cook the dinner?” asked Carol. Carol offered to cook the dinner. 34. “Be quiet!” ordered the policeman. The policeman ordered him to be quiet. 35. "I don't know what to do," said Dean. Dean said that he didn't know what to do. 36. The doctor said, “You should take a complete rest.” The doctor advised her to take a complete rest. 37."What shall we do?" Bev asked Duncan. Bev asked Duncan what they should do. 38. “The results were very good, and we will now be able to buy two more computers,” announced he. He announced that the results were very good and that the school would now be able to buy two more computers. 39. Christ mumbled, “ I feel Chris mumbled that he felt sick. . quoted speech, or indirect or reported speech. 1. Direct Speech Saying exactly what someone has said is called direct speech (sometimes called quoted speech) . lesson is on presentations," she said. 2. Indirect Speech Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech) , doesn't use quotation marks to enclose