11199 reported speech

Read this example:
‘I prefer my own friends’, said Paulo. – Direct speech
Paulo said (that) he preferred his own friend. – Reported speech
Direct speech

Verb changes

Reported speech

‘I hate soap operas.’
Present simple → Past simple
‘I don’t like this sitcom.’
‘I’m watching TV tonight.’

Guy said that he hated soap
operas.
Oscar said that he didn’t like that
sitcom.

Present continuous → Past
continuous

Julie said that she was watching
TV that night.

Past simple → Past perfect simple

Mark said that he had watched
the film on TV the day before.

‘I’ve just turned the TV off’

Present perfect simple → Past
perfect simple

My brother told me he had just
turned the TV off.

‘We had finished all the work
when Richard arrived’

Past perfect simple → Past perfect
simple

Peter said they had finished all
the work when Richard arrived.

will → would

The teacher said she would help
me in a few minutes.

am/are/is going to → was/were
going to

She told me she was going to
watch the news.

‘I watched the film on TV
yesterday.’

‘I’ll help you in a few minutes.’
‘I’m going to watch the news.’

Other changes
Direct speech
today, tonight
this morning/week
tomorrow
now
this
these
here

Reported speech
that day, that night
that morning/week
the next day, the following day
then
that
those
there

Personal pronouns and possessive determiners also change.
‘I feel tired’, said Tom.
Tom said he felt tired.

‘That’s my favourite song’, said Michelle.
Michelle said that was her favourite song.

Say and tell

We can use say and tell to report direct speech. Compare the pair of sentences.
Tom said he felt tired.
Tom told me he felt tired.

I said that I was
going to sleep…


1. Rewrite the sentences in reported speech.
1. ‘I watch a film on Saturdays.’
Caroline said ____________________________________________________________________
2. ‘He’s my best friend.’
Fed told me _____________________________________________________________________
3. ‘The scarf is in my bag.’
Janice said ______________________________________________________________________
4. ‘This film wasn’t very interesting.’
Tom told me ____________________________________________________________________
5. ‘This isn’t my school.’
Jerry said _______________________________________________________________________
6. ‘We’ll walk for half an hour’
Yesterday Jennifer told me _________________________________________________________
7. ‘These T-shirts don’t fit me.’
Mike said ______________________________________________________________________
8. ‘We’re parking our car here.’
They said ______________________________________________________________________
9. ‘It’s my boyfriend’s birthday party tomorrow.’
Helen told me ___________________________________________________________________
10. ‘I think there will be a students’ meeting very soon.’
He said ________________________________________________________________________
11. ‘It’s difficult to finish this project this week.’

The students said ________________________________________________________________
12. ‘I’m not busy now.’
Alicia told me ___________________________________________________________________
13. ‘I don’t want these CDs anymore.’
My brother said
__________________________________________________________________
14. ‘We feel fine now.’
The girls said ___________________________________________________________________
15. ‘We’re going to the shopping today.’
My parents told me _______________________________________________________________
16. ‘She had finished her homework when I arrived.’
Mary said ______________________________________________________________________
17. ‘I often think about my future.’
Marik said ______________________________________________________________________

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18. ‘I go the doctor tomorrow. I am not feeling well’
Helen said ______________________________________________________________________

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