YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
REPORTED SPEECH
GRAMMAR LESSON & QUIZ
YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
Reported speech is speech that tells us what someone said
without directly quoting them. In other words, we use
reported speech to summarize and communicate what
someone previously said. We use this everyday and it's an
excellent way to become more fluent!
1 Reported speech
Let's begin by looking at an example of direct speech:
“I listen to music every day.”
This is a statement someone has directly said. Now, what if we
want to report that statement to someone else? We must use
reported speech!
Reported speech: You said (that) you listened to music every
day.
Can you spot the difference?
There are essentially 3 main elements to converting direct
speech to reported speech.
Add a reporting verb
Backshift our tenses by one
Change the pronouns!
©ENGLISH WITH LUCY
, YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
Here’s another example!
Direct speech: I want to call my mother.
Reported speech: She said (that) he wanted to call his mother.
2 Reporting verbs
Reporting verbs are words which are used to talk
about or report on someone else’s thoughts, words,
or statements.
Our most common reporting verbs are "say" and "tell". Don't
forget their irregular conjugations!
SAY -------> SAID
TELL -------> TOLD
Why don’t we look at a few examples?
She said (that) she loved the movie.
They said (that) she ate breakfast.
We may also use the structure “say + to someone”.
For example:
Robert said to his teacher (that) he finished the homework
assignment.
Allison said to her teacher (that) she was feeling ill.
©ENGLISH WITH LUCY
REPORTED SPEECH
GRAMMAR LESSON & QUIZ
YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
Reported speech is speech that tells us what someone said
without directly quoting them. In other words, we use
reported speech to summarize and communicate what
someone previously said. We use this everyday and it's an
excellent way to become more fluent!
1 Reported speech
Let's begin by looking at an example of direct speech:
“I listen to music every day.”
This is a statement someone has directly said. Now, what if we
want to report that statement to someone else? We must use
reported speech!
Reported speech: You said (that) you listened to music every
day.
Can you spot the difference?
There are essentially 3 main elements to converting direct
speech to reported speech.
Add a reporting verb
Backshift our tenses by one
Change the pronouns!
©ENGLISH WITH LUCY
, YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
Here’s another example!
Direct speech: I want to call my mother.
Reported speech: She said (that) he wanted to call his mother.
2 Reporting verbs
Reporting verbs are words which are used to talk
about or report on someone else’s thoughts, words,
or statements.
Our most common reporting verbs are "say" and "tell". Don't
forget their irregular conjugations!
SAY -------> SAID
TELL -------> TOLD
Why don’t we look at a few examples?
She said (that) she loved the movie.
They said (that) she ate breakfast.
We may also use the structure “say + to someone”.
For example:
Robert said to his teacher (that) he finished the homework
assignment.
Allison said to her teacher (that) she was feeling ill.
©ENGLISH WITH LUCY
