Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct speech quotes someone's exact words. Indirect speech (reported speech) relays what was said without quoting it word for word.
Direct speech
Direct speech reproduces the speaker's exact words, enclosed in quotation marks.
She said, "I am tired."
"We will leave tomorrow," he announced.
"Have you eaten?" she asked.
Indirect (reported) speech
Indirect speech reports what was said without quoting it directly. The reporting verb is usually in the past, which causes the tense of the original statement to shift back.
Tense changes in indirect speech
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
| present simple → | past simple |
| present continuous → | past continuous |
| past simple → | past perfect |
| present perfect → | past perfect |
| will → | would |
| can → | could |
| may → | might |
"I am tired." → She said she was tired.
"We will leave tomorrow." → He said they would leave the next day.
"I have finished." → She said she had finished.
Other changes: pronouns and time expressions
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| now | then |
| here | there |
| this | that |
Tip: If the reporting verb is in the present (she says), no tense backshift is needed: She says she is tired. Backshift happens when the reporting verb is past (she said).