English – Reported Speech: Direct and Indirect Speech – BAC – Literary Stream

English – Reported Speech: Direct and Indirect Speech – BAC – Literary Stream

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is used to tell someone what another person said. Learning the rules of reported speech is essential for the BAC exam. This lesson covers the transformation from direct to indirect speech.

Direct vs. Reported Speech

Direct: She said, “I am tired.”
Reported: She said (that) she was tired.

Tense Changes

When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the verb in the reported clause shifts back:

• Present Simple → Past Simple: “I work” → “He said he worked”
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous: “I am working” → “He said he was working”
• Present Perfect → Past Perfect: “I have worked” → “He said he had worked”
• Past Simple → Past Perfect: “I worked” → “He said he had worked”
• Will → Would: “I will work” → “He said he would work”
• Can → Could: “I can work” → “He said he could work”
• Must → Had to: “I must work” → “He said he had to work”

Time and Place Changes

Now → then | Today → that day | Tomorrow → the next day / the following day | Yesterday → the day before / the previous day | Here → there | This → that | These → those | Ago → before

Questions in Reported Speech

Yes/No questions → use if/whether: “Are you tired?” → He asked if I was tired.
Wh-questions → keep the question word: “Where do you live?” → He asked where I lived.

Commands and Requests

Use tell/ask + to-infinitive: “Sit down” → He told me to sit down. / “Please help me” → He asked me to help him.

Exercises

Exercise 1: Report: “I am studying for my exam,” she said. / “We will visit Paris next year,” they said.

Exercise 2: Report the questions: “Do you like coffee?” he asked. / “Where is the station?” she asked.

Exercise 3: Report the commands: “Don’t be late,” the teacher said. / “Close the door,” she said.

See also Conditional Sentences and Passive Voice.