eng8-3.1· Unit 3: Reported Speech· ~13 min

Reported statements

Backshift of tense in reported statements.

When we report what someone said, we usually shift the verb one step back in time. This is called backshift. Present Simple becomes Past Simple, Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous, will becomes would, can becomes could, and Past Simple becomes Past Perfect. We use say or tell: say is followed directly by the reported clause ('She said that she was tired'), while tell must be followed by an object ('She told me that she was tired'). Pronouns also change to match the new speaker's perspective — 'I' often becomes 'he' or 'she'. Time expressions shift too: now becomes then, today becomes that day, tomorrow becomes the next day, and yesterday becomes the day before. The conjunction that is optional but common. For example: Direct speech — 'I can swim,' said Ali. → Reported speech — Ali said that he could swim.

Key terms

Direct speech — The speaker's exact words, written inside quotation marks (e.g., 'I am happy,' said Sara).
Reported (indirect) speech — A retelling of what someone said without quotation marks; tenses, pronouns, and time words usually change (e.g., Sara said that she was happy).
Backshift — Moving the verb one step back in time when the reporting verb is past: Present Simple to Past Simple, will to would, can to could, Past Simple to Past Perfect.
Reporting verb — The verb that introduces reported speech, usually 'said' or 'told'; here it is in the past tense, which triggers backshift.
say — A reporting verb followed directly by the reported clause, with no personal object: 'She said that she was tired.'
tell — A reporting verb that must be followed by a personal object (told me, told us, told the teacher): 'She told me that she was tired.'
Tense backshift
Direct speechReported speech
Present Simple (likes)Past Simple (liked)
Present Continuous (is reading)Past Continuous (was reading)
Past Simple (bought)Past Perfect (had bought)
Present Perfect (has lived)Past Perfect (had lived)
willwould
cancould
Time and place shifts
DirectReported
nowthen
todaythat day
tomorrowthe next day
yesterdaythe day before
herethere
✎Reporting 'I am hungry now'
  1. 1Direct speech: "I am hungry now," she said.
  2. 2Backshift the tense: Present Simple 'am' moves one step back to Past Simple 'was': am hungry to was hungry.
  3. 3Change the pronoun: 'I' (her own word) becomes 'she' to match the reporting perspective.
  4. 4Shift the time word: 'now' becomes 'then'.
  5. 5Reported speech: She said that she was hungry then.
✎Reporting 'I will come tomorrow'
  1. 1Direct speech: "I will come tomorrow," Nigar said.
  2. 2Backshift the tense: 'will' moves one step back to 'would'.
  3. 3Change the pronoun: 'I' (Nigar's word) becomes 'she'.
  4. 4Shift the time word: 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day'.
  5. 5Reported speech: Nigar said that she would come the next day.
🚫Common mistake

Do not leave the tense unchanged after a past reporting verb. Backshift exactly one step: 'is/am' to 'was', 'likes' to 'liked', 'will' to 'would', 'can' to 'could'.

⚠️Caution

'tell' needs a personal object: write 'told me', 'told us', 'told the teacher' — never 'told that …'. If there is no object, use 'said'.

🚫Common mistake

'say' does not take a personal object directly. Avoid 'said me'; use 'said that …' or switch to 'told me'. Also note 'tell' never uses 'to': it is 'told me', not 'told to me'.

🚫Common mistake

Remember to change the pronouns too. The original speaker's 'I' becomes 'he' or 'she', 'we' becomes 'they', and 'my' becomes 'his' or 'her'.

Rules

  1. 1Use 'said' or 'told + object' to introduce a reported statement; never use 'told that' without an object.
  2. 2Shift Present Simple → Past Simple, Present Continuous → Past Continuous, will → would, can → could.
  3. 3Shift Past Simple → Past Perfect when reporting in the past.
  4. 4Change pronouns to match the reporting context (e.g., 'I' → 'he/she', 'we' → 'they').
  5. 5Change time expressions: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before.

Practice

10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard

10 random questions per test

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