Reported Speech — English Grammar Exercises
12 interactive exercises with instant feedback. Master indirect speech, backshift rules, and reported questions.
Reported Speech: Quick Reference Guide
Reported speech (indirect speech) is how we tell someone what another person said. Instead of quoting their exact words, we shift tenses, pronouns, and time expressions. With over 41,000 monthly searches globally, "reported speech" is one of the most in-demand grammar topics for B1–C1 English learners. The IELTS Speaking and Writing tests frequently require reported speech, and according to Cambridge Assessment English, errors in indirect speech are among the most common reasons candidates score below Band 6.5. Research shows that learners need dedicated, focused practice — not just passive rule-reading — to internalize backshift patterns (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, The Grammar Book, 3rd ed.).
Backshift Rules
When reporting speech, each tense moves one step into the past. This is called backshift:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Present Simple: "I am tired" | Past Simple: She said she was tired |
| Present Continuous: "I am working" | Past Continuous: He said he was working |
| Present Perfect: "I have finished" | Past Perfect: She said she had finished |
| Past Simple: "I went" | Past Perfect: He said he had gone |
| Will: "I will call" | Would: She said she would call |
| Can: "I can swim" | Could: He said he could swim |
Say vs Tell
- Say — no personal object needed: "He said that he was busy."
- Tell — always needs a personal object: "He told me that he was busy."
✓ He told me that he was busy.
✓ He said that he was busy.
Reporting Questions
Reported questions use normal word order (subject + verb), not question word order. There is no question mark.
"Do you like coffee?" → She asked me if I liked coffee. (use "if" for yes/no questions)
Reporting Commands and Requests
Use told/asked + person + (not) to + infinitive:
"Don't touch that!" → She told me not to touch that.
Time and Place Changes
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| now | then / at that time |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| ago | before / earlier |
Common Mistakes
✗ He told that he was late. → ✓ He told me that he was late. (tell needs object)
✗ She asked where did I work. → ✓ She asked where I worked. (normal word order)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is reported speech in English?
Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is used to tell someone what another person said without quoting them directly. Instead of: He said, "I am tired" (direct speech), we say: He said he was tired (reported speech). The tense, pronouns, and time expressions change when you report what someone said.
What is backshift in reported speech?
Backshift means shifting the tense one step back when reporting speech: present simple becomes past simple ('I am' → 'he was'), present perfect becomes past perfect ('I have done' → 'he had done'), will becomes would, can becomes could. This happens because you're reporting from a later point in time.
What is the difference between 'say' and 'tell'?
'Say' does not need a personal object: 'He said that he was busy.' 'Tell' always needs a personal object (tell someone): 'He told me that he was busy.' A common mistake is 'He told that...' — this is always wrong.
How do you report questions in English?
Reported questions use normal word order (not question word order) and have no question mark. For yes/no questions, use 'if' or 'whether': 'Do you like coffee?' becomes 'She asked if I liked coffee.' For wh-questions, keep the question word: 'Where do you live?' becomes 'She asked where I lived.'