Reported speech - Rules

It is possible to quote words directly in speech if we want to focus on the exact words spoken:
- Did she really say “I love you”?
However, speech is normally reported indirectly, as we do not have punctuation to clearly signal the words spoken:
- Did she really say that she loved you?

Common reporting verbs

There are several common verbs we can use to report speech:

verb + object + verb + preposition +

verb + object + infinitive verb + infinitive verb + (that) verb + gerund
preposition + gerund gerund

- admit
- agree
- agree
- advise - decide
- decide
- encourage - deny - deny - accuse
- offer - apologise
- invite - explain - recommend - blame
- promise - insist
- remind - insist - suggest - congratulate
- refuse
- warn - promise
- threaten
- recommend
- suggest

- Helen encouraged me - She offered to help - Tom admitted (that) he - He denied having sent the - They accused her of - She apologised for
to go for tennis lessons. him with his homework. hadn’t finished the report. email to the reporter. cheating on the test. being so rude.
- They invited me to their - Gary refused to pay - We agreed (that) we needed - Barry suggested taking the - She blamed me for - She insisted on helping
wedding. the bill. to meet again next Tuesday. ferry rather than the plane. us being late. us with the gardening.

Please note that when we are reporting more than one sentence, it is not necessary to repeat the reporting verb:
- Gordon insisted that he hadn’t been to the bar. He’d had a meeting, and then gone straight to his hotel room.
We can also report our thoughts using verbs such as:
- think
- decide
- dream
- imagine
- My sister imagined that it would be so easy to learn French!

Negatives
When we report a negative statement we usually make the main verb negative:
- She said that he didn’t eat all the birthday cake.
But with certain verbs the reporting verb becomes negative:
- think
- expect
- plan
- intend
- I didn't expect her to be so impolite.

No backshift
Although we often change the tense of the original words in reported speech (backshift), we do not when the reporting verb is in a present tense.
- He says that these fish do not survive in salt water.
… or when the reported verb is in the past perfect:
- “They'd arrived an hour early.” - I said they'd arrived an hour early.
… or when the direct speech includes an 'unreal' past
- “I wish I were richer.” – He said that he wished he were richer.

Obligatory backshift
We always change the tense if we no longer believe the direct speech statement is true:
- He said he’s going to call, but I don’t think he’ll have the time. (He might call, despite my doubts)
- He said he was going to call, but I don’t think he’ll have the time. (I don't believe he will call)
- Amy said she's going on holiday. (the speaker believes that Amy's holiday plans are still true)
- Amy said she was going on holiday, but she can't get the time off work. (the speaker thinks Amy's holiday plans are no longer valid)

Optional backshift
In some cases we can choose to change the tense or not. This often depends on the relationship of the reported event to the time of reporting it.
For example, Jim says:
- “I'm going to Glasgow tomorrow morning”
On the day it is said, we are likely to say:
- Jim said he's going to Glasgow tomorrow morning.
But reported a few days later, we are more likely to say:
- Jim said he was going to Glasgow the next morning.
We don't usually change the tense when:
a) the reported action is still happening or going to happen:
- "I am working on a solution to our financial problems." – He said he is working on a solution to our financial problems. (still working
on it)
b) the reported verb expresses a fact or situation that cannot or is unlikely to change:
- The guide told us that dinosaurs roamed the earth thousands of years ago! How stupid!
- He told us that this new IT system is not the answer for every business.
c) the verb comes after a time conjunction, e.g. when, after:
- Martin explained that he had started smoking immediately after he got his first job.
Note that in all of these cases, it is also possible, and correct, to change the tense:
- He said he was working on a solution to our financial problems.
- Martin explained that he had started smoking immediately after he had got his first job.

Changes and additions with adverbs

If the place or time of reporting is significantly different from that in the original speech, we often need to make changes to adverbs of place and
time:
- Bob said, “I'll meet you here again tomorrow at midday.”
- Bob said he would meet me there again the next day at midday.
But if the statement is reported on the same day and in the same place, we would say:
- Bob said he will/would meet me here again tomorrow at midday.
We often use adverbs in reported speech to indicate HOW the original words were spoken:
- “Jeans are not allowed!” - The bouncer told us very sharply that jeans were not allowed.

Modal verbs
‘Ought to’, ‘used to’, ‘could’, ‘might’, ‘would’, ‘need’ and ‘should’ DO NOT CHANGE in reported speech:
- “We ought to listen to the management team.” > Gary told me that we ought to listen to the management team
- “You needn't stay if you don't want to.” > My boss said I needn't stay if I didn't want to.
But we MUST make changes to other modal verbs - will, may, can:
- “The new wall between the offices will be in place soon.” > She said the new wall between the offices would be in place soon.
- “The letter may be delayed in the post.” > The bank manager said that letter might be delayed in the post.
- “Julian can't have failed his exam.” > I told them Julian couldn't have failed his exam because I’d seen him celebrating.
‘Shall’ becomes ‘would’ when it refers to the future, but ‘should’ when it is a suggestion:
- “I shall invite them to the party.” > I decided I would invite them to the party.
- “Shall we tell the papers?” > She suggested that they should tell the papers
We can use both ‘must’ and ‘had to’ in reported speech:
- “You must go and see a specialist!”> The doctor said that I must/had to go and see a specialist.

Reporting with nouns

As well as reporting speech with a reporting verb, we can use a noun + ‘that’ to report someone's words when we want to add more
information:
- “The economic crisis will soon come to an end.”
- The Prime Minister's statement that the crisis would soon come to an end was not believed by most people.
- “You should download that new application. It's excellent.”
- What did you think of his recommendation that I download that new application?