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Guide to Direct and Reported Speech – TOEIC® Preparation

Flow Exam team

In English, there are two fundamental ways to report what others have said: direct speech and reported speech (indirect speech).

  • Direct speech reproduces the spoken words verbatim, usually placing them between quotation marks.
  • Reported speech reformulates the essence of the message conveyed, without necessarily keeping the exact wording.

This guide details these two reporting techniques, highlights their respective specificities, and explains the essential principles for converting a direct quote into a reported statement.

Direct Speech

In English, direct speech faithfully reproduces the words used by a person. This form is immediately recognizable by the presence of quotation marks.

  • Sarah said, "I need to finish this report."
  • He asked, "Can you help me with this task?"

Specifics of Direct Speech

  • Presence of quotation marks: Quoted words are framed by quotation marks in English: "..."
  • Integrated punctuation: Punctuation marks (comma, period, question mark, etc.) are systematically found inside the quotation marks.
  • Possible interrogative structure: When it is a question, the subject-verb inversion is maintained: "Can you help me?"
  • Tense conservation: The verb forms in direct speech remain identical to those initially spoken.

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) allows for restating a message without a literal quote. This method is distinguished by the absence of quotation marks and generally involves changes to pronouns, verb forms, and time or place markers.

  • Direct speech: Tom said, "I enjoy playing tennis."
  • Reported speech: Tom said that he enjoyed playing tennis.

Generally, reported speech offers the possibility to:

  • Summarize or restructure the main content of a statement.
  • Avoid the word-for-word quotation of the remarks.
  • Smoothly integrate the reported speech into a narrative context.

The following section explains how to convert a sentence from direct speech to reported speech.

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

To convert a sentence from direct speech to indirect speech in English, you generally need to adjust:

  1. The reporting verb (examples: said, told, asked, etc.).
  2. The pronouns (I, you, we…) to reflect the new narrative perspective.
  3. The verb form (the backshift phenomenon, which consists of shifting one tense back into the past).
  4. Time and place indicators (now, today, here…).

Step 1: Pronoun Changes

Pronouns must be readjusted according to the person reporting the statement:

"I"he / she(depending on the identity of the initial speaker) I feel exhausted. ightarrow She said she felt exhausted. "we"theyWe require additional resources. ightarrow They said they required additional resources. "you"I / we(or he/she/they, depending on context) You must attend the meeting. ightarrow He told me I must attend the meeting. (or) She told them they must attend the meeting.

Step 2: Verb Tense Changes

In English, when reporting speech in the past tense, verb tenses are generally shifted one step back into the past, especially when the reporting verb is conjugated in the past (said, told…). Here is the table of tense transformations, commonly called backshift:

Present simplePast simple I work remotely. ightarrow He said he worked remotely. Present continuousPast continuous I am working on a new project. ightarrow She said she was working on a new project. Present perfectPast perfect I have completed the task. ightarrow He said he had completed the task. Past simplePast perfect I finished early. ightarrow She said she had finished early. Past continuousPast perfect continuous I was studying all night. ightarrow He said he had been studying all night. Future with willConditional with would I will attend the conference. ightarrow She said she would attend the conference. Modal: can / couldModal: could I can solve this problem. ightarrow He said he could solve this problem. Modal: may / mightModal: might I may join you later. ightarrow She said she might join us later. Modal: mustModal: had to / must I must leave now. ightarrow He said he must leave immediately.

Special Cases and Exceptions

  • When the reported statement remains valid (universal truth or situation still current), you can keep the present tense.
    • Direct: The professor said, "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius."
    • Indirect: The professor said (that) water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
  • When the reporting verb is in the present tense (she says, he tells), the verb tense remains the same.
    • Direct: "I'm planning a trip."
    • Indirect: He says he's planning a trip.
  • The modals could, might, should, would, and ought to remain unchanged in reported speech.
    • Direct: "I should prepare better."
    • Indirect: She said she should prepare better.

Step 3: Changes to Time and Place Markers

When converting to reported speech, you generally need to adjust adverbs and expressions of time or place:

nowthen, at that moment I'm working now. ightarrow He said he was working then. todaythat day I have a presentation today. ightarrow She said she had a presentation that day. yesterdaythe day before, the previous day I called him yesterday. ightarrow She said she had called him the day before. tomorrowthe next day, the following day I'll contact you tomorrow. ightarrow He said he would contact me the next day. last week/month/yearthe previous week/month/year I traveled to London last month. ightarrow She said she had traveled to London the previous month. next week/month/yearthe following week/month/year We'll launch the campaign next month. ightarrow They said they would launch the campaign the following month. herethere I'm waiting here. ightarrow He said he was waiting there. thisthat I need this document. ightarrow She said she needed that document. thesethose I reviewed these files. ightarrow He said he had reviewed those files. agobefore I met her three months ago. ightarrow She said she had met her three months before.

Reporting Verbs

Generally, to construct direct or indirect speech, the reporting verb "say" is used.

However, there is a variety of other verbs presented in the following table. We have also specified the syntactic construction, as some verbs are followed by an infinitive, others by a gerund…

to tell object + infinitive She told him to submit the report. to ask object + infinitive He asked me to review the document. to advise object + infinitive The consultant advised us to invest wisely. to warn object + infinitive She warned them not to miss the deadline. to suggest gerund (-ing form) He suggested postponing the meeting. to explain "that" + clause She explained that the system was down. to say "that" + clause He said that he needed more time. to recommend gerund (-ing form) They recommended hiring additional staff. to insist gerund (-ing form) or "that" She insisted on attending the conference.She insisted that we reconsider the decision. to agree infinitive He agreed to extend the contract. to promise infinitive She promised to deliver on time. to refuse infinitive He refused to compromise on quality. to apologize preposition + gerund (for + -ing) He apologized for interrupting the presentation. to admit gerund (-ing form) or "that" She admitted making an error.She admitted that she had overlooked the details. to deny gerund (-ing form) or "that" He denied leaking the information.He denied that he had shared confidential data. to encourage object + infinitive They encouraged her to pursue the opportunity. to forbid object + infinitive The manager forbade employees to share passwords.

Distinction between say and tell

There is a crucial difference to master between these two reporting verbs:

  • say is generally followed directly by the reported statement or by "that".
    • He said (that) he was busy.
  • tell always requires an object complement (me, you, him, her…) before "that" or the infinitive.
    • He told me (that) he was busy.

Questions in Reported Speech

Yes/No Questions

To convert a closed question into indirect speech, use "if" or "whether".

  • She asked, "Do you need assistance?" ightarrow She asked if I needed assistance.

In this case, subject-verb inversion disappears (no more Do you structure).

Wh-Questions

To report an open question starting with who, what, when, where, why, how, etc., maintain the interrogative word, but re-establish the standard subject-verb order.

  • Where is the meeting room? ightarrow He asked me where the meeting room was.("is" and "the meeting room" revert to declarative order.)
  • She asked, "When will you arrive?" ightarrow She asked when I would arrive.

Imperatives in Reported Speech

To report an order, a request, or a recommendation, we generally use to + infinitive with structures such as "told someone to do something" or "asked someone to do something".

  • With "told someone to do something" :
    • Close the window! ightarrow He told me to close the window.
  • With "asked someone to do something" :
    • Please, review this document. ightarrow She asked me to review that document.

Summary

Direct speech and reported speech are two essential approaches for restating remarks in English. Direct speech, recognizable by quotation marks, reproduces the initial words exactly. Indirect speech, on the other hand, requires adjusting pronouns, verb forms, and time markers to faithfully convey the meaning.

These grammatical mechanisms are regularly tested in the TOEIC®, particularly in the grammar and reading comprehension sections.

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