Reported Speech

Indirect Questions

Indirect questions are more polite and less direct than direct questions. They often begin with phrases such as Could you tell me...?, Do you know...?, I wonder..., I'd like to know... or I'm not sure....

Some indirect questions are real questions and end with a question mark. Others are part of a statement and therefore end with a full stop. Have a look at the examples (direct questions reworked into indirect):

• Where does she live?
  Indirect Q: Do you know where she lives?
• What did he buy? 
  Indirect Q: Could you tell me what he bought?
• When is the train leaving? 
  Indirect: Do you know when the train is leaving?
• Who wrote this book?
  Indirect Q: I wonder who wrote this book.

Notice that in an indirect question, we use normal statement word order (not question word order = we don't use do/does, or did):
 → Subject + verb.

For yes/no questions, we use if or whether.

• Is Tom at home?
  Indirect Q: Do you know if Tom is at home?
• Did she call? 
  Indirect Q: Could you tell me whether she called?

• Indirect Wh- question: normal statement word order
  → Phrase + question word + subject + verb
  Do you know where she lives?
• Indirect Yes/No question:
  → Phrase + if / whether + subject + verb
  Could you tell me if Tom is at home?

Reported Speech

We use reported speech to say what someone said without repeating their exact words. We usually change the pronouns, the time/place words and often move the tense one step back when the reporting verb is in the past.

Compare:

• She:"I work here." 
  Reported speech: She said that she worked there.
  → I changes to she, and work moves back in time to worked.
• He: "I will help you tomorrow."
  Reported speech: He said that he would help me the next day.
  → will changes to would, and tomorrow changes to the next day.

Common tense/verbs changes

Past perfect usually stays the same:

• "I had already left." → He said that he had already left.

• “I could have done it.” → He said that he could have done it.

Requests, instructions and orders

For instructions, requests and orders, we use:
→ tell / ask / order + person + to + verb

• "Close the door."
  → She told me to close the door.
• "Please help me."
  → He asked me to help him.
• "Leave the building immediately."
  → The officer ordered them to leave the building immediately.

For negative instructions:
→ tell / ask + person + not to + verb

• "Don't touch it."
  → She told me not to touch it.

Time and place changes

• now → then
• today → that day
• tomorrow → the next day
• yesterday → the day before
• here → there

• "I am working here today."
  → She said that she was working there that day.

We do not always change the tense when:

• the reporting verb is in the present:
  She says that she works in London.
• the information is still true:
  "The Earth is round." → He said that the Earth is round.

Quick reference

• Tense backshift → often move the tense back:
  "I work here." → She said that she worked there.
• Change pronouns and time/place words:
  "I will call you tomorrow." → He said that he would call me the next day.
• Use:
  tell / ask + person + to + verb for instructions:
  "Help me." → She asked me to help her.