Reported speech: indirect speech

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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.

direct indirect reported clause

I told them (that) I was

statement ‘I’m tired,’ I said. that-clause
tired.

‘Are you ready?’ the The nurse asked

if-clause/whether-
nurse asked Joel. Joelif/whether he was
question clause
ready.
‘Who are you?’ she
wh-clause
asked. She asked me who I was.

‘Leave at once!’ they They ordered us to leave at

command to-infinitive clause
ordered. once.

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?’)

See also:

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

• Whether

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?’)

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

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

Not: She asked us what were we doing?

See also:

• Whom

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?

See also:

• 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.’)

See also:

• 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

See also:

• 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.

See also:

• Indirect speech: reporting statements

Backshift

‘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.

Compare

direct speech indirect speech

I said, ‘I’m not very happy at work.’ I told her I was not very happy at work.

They said: ‘We’re going home.’ They told us they were going home.

He said, ‘Jane will be late.’ He said that Jane would be late.

‘I’ve been working,’ she said. She said she had been working.

‘What happened to make her so angry?’ he He asked what had happened to make her so
asked. angry.

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.

Backshift changes

direct indirect

present simple → past simple

direct indirect

present continuous → past continuous

present perfect simple → past perfect simple

present perfect continuous → past perfect continuous

past simple → past perfect simple

past continuous → past perfect continuous

future (will) → future-in-the-past (would)

past perfect ↔ past perfect (no change)

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

Direct speech Indirect speech

He asked: ‘Had the girls already left?’ He asked if the girls had already left.

Modal verbs

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

direct speech indirect speech change

‘We will be there,’ he He promised

will will becomes would
promised. they wouldbe there.

She said, ‘I shall need She said shall usually becomeswould

more money.’ she would need more
shall in reported
‘Shall I open it?’ she money.
questions,shall becomes should
asked. She asked if
 direct speech indirect speech change

she shouldopen it.

He added that
‘I can see you at
can he couldsee me at can becomes could
2.30,’ he added.
2.30.

She said
‘I may be back later,’ she might be back
she said. later. may (possibility) becomes might
may
‘You may wait in the He said may (permission) becomes could
hallway,’ he said. we could wait in the
hallway.

She said,
She said we had
‘You must pay by 30th must (obligation) usually
to pay by 30th April.
April.’ becomes had to
must She said it must be
‘It must be awful to must (speculation) does not
awful to live in such
live in such a noisy change
a noisy place.
place,’ she said.

‘We could sell it for He said

could about 2,000 euros,’ they could sell it for no change
he said. about 2,000 euros.

‘You should go there

She said I should go
should immediately,’ she no change
there immediately.
said.

‘I would buy it if I He said

would had the money,’ he he would buy it if he no change
said. had the money.

He warned that
‘It might snow
might it mightsnow that no change
tonight,’ he warned.
night.

‘You needn’t come till He said

need no change
six o’clock,’ he said. we needn’t come till
 direct speech indirect speech change

six o’clock.

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.

direct indirect

‘I don’t want to shock Tom said he didn’t want to different speakers

people,’Tom said. shock people. (Ichanges to he)

same speaker (no

‘I’ll look after Toby,’ I said. I said I would look after Toby.
change)
direct indirect

‘You need to be here at nine George told

different speakers
o’clock,’ George told Beatrice sheneeded to be there
(youchanges to she)
Beatrice. at nine o’clock.

same speaker (no

‘I hope you will join us I told James I hoped he would
change
tonight,’I said to James. join us that night.
to I; you changes to he)

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.

Compare

direct speech indirect speech

I told her I would meet her there the

I said, ‘I’ll meet you here tomorrow.’
next/following day.

She said, ‘I do not wish to discuss She said she did not wish to discuss it at that
it at this moment in time.’ moment in time.

He said, “I want it now.” He said he wanted it then/at that moment.

‘I finished the job three weeks ago,’ The boy protested that he had finished the
the boy protested. jobthree weeks before.

Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

direct indirect

this → that

these → those
 direct indirect

now → then

yesterday → the day before

tomorrow → the next/following day

two weeks ago → two weeks before

here → there

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?