Reported Speech
B1Reported (indirect) speech is used to tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. It requires changing tenses, pronouns, and time expressions.
Rule
When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told), shift the original tense one step back: present simple becomes past simple, present continuous becomes past continuous, past simple becomes past perfect, 'will' becomes 'would', 'can' becomes 'could'. Also change pronouns and time/place words (today becomes that day, here becomes there, tomorrow becomes the next day).
Subject + said/told + (that) + backshifted tense
Examples
Present → Past'I like coffee' → She said (that) she liked coffee.
Will → Would'I will help you' → He told me (that) he would help me.
Can → Could'I can drive' → She said (that) she could drive.
Time change'I'm leaving tomorrow' → He said he was leaving the next day.
Reported question'Where do you live?' → She asked me where I lived.
Exam Tip
On the NAEC, check the reporting verb tense. If it's 'said' or 'told' (past), you must backshift. Also remember: reported questions use statement word order (no inversion, no 'do/does/did').
Common Errors
- !Forgetting to backshift the tense: 'He said he is tired' instead of 'He said he was tired'.
- !Keeping direct-speech word order in reported questions: 'She asked where did I live' instead of 'She asked where I lived'.
- !Using 'say' with a personal object: 'He said me' instead of 'He told me' ('say' has no indirect object; 'tell' needs one).
- !Not changing pronouns: 'He said that I am happy' instead of 'He said that he was happy'.
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