Reported Speech

Reported speech refers to using a noun clause to report what someone has said. No quotation
marks are used. Notice the changes in the verb forms from quoted speech to reported speech in the
following examples.
Quoted Speech Reported Speech
a) She said, “I watch TV every day.” She said (that) she watched TV everyday
b) She said, “I am watching TV.” She said she was watching TV.
c) She said, “I have watched TV.” She said she had watched TV.
d) She said, “I watched TV.” She said she had watched TV.
e) She said, “I will watch TV.” She said she would watch TV.
f) She said, “I am going to watch TV.” She said she was going to watch TV.
g) She said, “I can watch TV.” She said she could watch TV.
h) She said, “I may watch TV.” She said she might watch TV.
i) She said, “I might watch TV.” She said she might watch TV.
j) She said, “I have to watch TV.” She said she had to watch TV.
k) She said, “I should watch TV.” She said she should watch TV.
l) She said, “I ought to watch TV.” She said she ought to watch TV.
m) She said, “Watch TV.” She told me to watch TV.
n) She said, “Don’t watch TV.” She said not to watch TV.
o) She said, “Do you watch TV?” She asked me if I watch TV.

Note:
*Sometimes the present tense is retained even in formal English when the reported sentence deals
with general truth: She said that the world is round.

Reported Speech Exercise

Change these following sentences into indirect forms!
1. Bob said, “I will help you.”
Bob said ….
2. “Do you need a pen?” Annie asked.
Annie asked me ….
3. Jennifer asked, “What do you want?”
Jennifer asked me ….
4. Sid asked, “Are you hungry?”
Sid wanted to know ….
5. “I want a sandwich,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer said ….
6. “I’m going to move to Ohio,” said Bruce.
Bruce informed me ….
7. “Did you enjoy your trip?” asked Connie.
Connie asked me ….
8. Anya asked, “What are you talking about?”
Anya asked me ….
9. Nancy asked, “Have you seen my grammar book?”
Nancy wanted to know ….
10. Susan said, “I don’t want to go.”
Susan said ….
11. San asked, “Where is Amanda?”
Sam wanted to know ….
12. “Can you come to my party?” asked David.
 David asked me ….
13. “I may be late,” said Mike.
Mike told me ….
14. Felix said, “You should study harder.”
Felix told me ….
15. Barbara said, “I have to go downtown.”
Barbara said ….
16. “Why is the sky blue?” my young daughter often asks.
My young daughter often asks me ….
17. My mother asked, “Why are you tired?”
My mother wondered ….
18. “I will come to the meeting,” said Juan.
Juan told me ….
19. Ms. Adams just asked, “Will you be in class tomorrow?”
Ms. Adams wants to know ….
20. “The sun rises in the east,” said Mr. Clark.
Mr. Clark, an elementary school teacher, explained to his students ….
21. “Have you ever met Ms. Powell?”
Mr. Peterson asked me ….
22. “Someday we’ll be in contact with beings from outer space.”
The scientists predicted ….
23. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Sally wanted to know ….
24. “Does Jim know what he is doing?”
I wondered ….
25. “I need to go to the market before it closes.”
Janet suddenly remembered ….
26. “Close the door!”
Mom told me ….
27. “Mix the batter with honey thoroughly!”
She told her daughter ….
28. “Go to your room!”
Dad told Yanuar ….
29. “Don’t miss the chance!”
Martha convinced me ….
30. “Don’t listen to Farhan!”
Kiara told me ….