Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct speech reports a person’s exact words, while indirect speech, also called reported speech, conveys the meaning of what someone said without necessarily reproducing the exact wording.

Direct Speech

Direct speech normally uses quotation marks:

Ali said, “I am tired.”

The reported words are presented as the speaker’s actual words.

Indirect Speech

In indirect speech:

Ali said that he was tired.

The wording has changed, but the basic meaning remains.

Changes in Pronouns

Pronouns often change because the perspective changes:

Sara said, “I am busy.”
Sara said that she was busy.

The appropriate pronoun depends on who is speaking and who is reporting the statement.

Changes in Tense

When the reporting verb is in the past, English often uses backshift, especially when reporting something from a past perspective:

“I am tired.”
He said that he was tired.

“I work here.”
She said that she worked there.

“I have finished.”
He said that he had finished.

However, backshift is not always compulsory. If the information remains true or the speaker wants to present it as still current, the original tense may sometimes be retained:

The teacher said that water boils at 100°C.

Changes in Time and Place Expressions

Expressions may change according to the reporting context:

today → that day
tomorrow → the next day
yesterday → the previous day
here → there
this → that

For example:

He said, “I will come tomorrow.”

becomes:

He said that he would come the next day.

Reporting Questions

A direct question:

She asked, “Where do you live?”

becomes:

She asked where I lived.

An important change is that reported questions normally use statement word order:

❌ She asked where did I live.
✓ She asked where I lived.

Yes/no questions commonly use if or whether:

He asked, “Are you ready?”
He asked if I was ready.

Reporting Commands and Requests

Commands and requests are often reported with an infinitive construction:

The teacher said, “Open your books.”
The teacher told us to open our books.

Negative commands use:

not + to-infinitive

He said, “Don’t touch it.”
He told me not to touch it.

Reported speech therefore involves more than simply changing verb tenses. It requires adjusting pronouns, tense, time references, sentence structure, and perspective.