reported speech: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1-B2Formal, Educational, Technical
Quick answer
What does “reported speech” mean?
The grammatical structure used to recount what someone else has said, typically involving changes to pronouns, tenses, and other deictic elements (e.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The grammatical structure used to recount what someone else has said, typically involving changes to pronouns, tenses, and other deictic elements (e.g., 'He said he was tired').
1) In linguistics and grammar teaching, a systematic set of rules for transforming direct quotations into indirect statements, questions, and commands. 2) More broadly, any utterance that reports or paraphrases another's words.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant grammatical differences. The term itself is standard in both varieties. Usage of tense backshifting (e.g., 'He said he went' vs. 'He said he goes') may show slight statistical variation in informal contexts, but rules are formally identical.
Connotations
Primarily a pedagogical and linguistic term. Carries the same technical connotation in both regions.
Frequency
Equally common in educational contexts in the UK and US.
Grammar
How to Use “reported speech” in a Sentence
[Subject] + [Reporting Verb] + (that) + [Reported Clause][Subject] + [Reporting Verb] + [Wh-word/If] + [Reported Clause][Subject] + [Reporting Verb] + [Direct Object] + (that) + [Reported Clause]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “reported speech” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- We need to report this speech accurately.
- The witness reported the suspect's speech to the police.
American English
- The journalist reported the senator's speech for the evening news.
adjective
British English
- The reported speech clauses were analysed in the corpus.
American English
- Please complete the reported speech exercises on page 42.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
'In the minutes, all comments were recorded in reported speech.'
Academic
'The study analysed the use of reported speech in historical narratives.'
Everyday
'She told me in reported speech what the boss had said, so it wasn't a direct quote.'
Technical
'The parser must handle the syntactic transformations required for reported speech.'
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “reported speech”
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “reported speech”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “reported speech”
- Incorrect tense backshift: 'She said she is coming' instead of 'She said she was coming.'
- Incorrect pronoun change: 'He said I should go' instead of 'He said he should go.'
- Incorrect time/place reference: 'He said he would meet me here tomorrow' (when reporting later/elsewhere).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not always. If the reporting verb is in the present tense (e.g., 'He says...'), or if the reported situation is still true or relevant at the time of reporting, tense backshift is often optional ('He said he is/was a teacher').
'Say' is used without a personal object (e.g., He said he was leaving). 'Tell' requires a personal object (e.g., He told me he was leaving). You 'say' something, but you 'tell' someone something.
Use 'if' or 'whether' to introduce the reported clause. Example: Direct: 'Are you coming?' -> Reported: She asked if I was coming.
Use reporting verbs like 'tell', 'order', 'ask', 'request' followed by the person and the infinitive with 'to'. Example: Direct: 'Close the door.' -> Reported: He told me to close the door.
The grammatical structure used to recount what someone else has said, typically involving changes to pronouns, tenses, and other deictic elements (e.
Reported speech is usually formal, educational, technical in register.
Reported speech: in British English it is pronounced /rɪˈpɔːtɪd spiːtʃ/, and in American English it is pronounced /rɪˈpɔːrtəd spiːtʃ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
REPORTed speech RE-PORTS the original words to a new time and place, like a news report summarizing an interview.
Conceptual Metaphor
SPEECH IS A QUOTED OBJECT (direct speech) / SPEECH IS A REPACKAGED COMMODITY (reported speech).
Practice
Quiz
What is the correct reported speech version of: 'Where do you live?' he asked.