ANOTHER VIEW OF REPORTED SPEECH
REPORTED SPEECH HANDBOOK Reported Speech (also called Indirect Speech ) is used to communicate what someone else said, but without using the exact words. A few changes are necessary; often a pronoun has to be changed and the verb is usually moved back a tense , where possible. If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request. Statements When transforming statements, check whether you have to change: § pronouns § present tense verbs (3rd person singular) § place and time expressions § tenses (backshift) Type Example direct speech “I speak English.” reported speech (no backshift) He says that he sp