We use reported speech to report what someone else has said by transforming direct quotes into an indirect statement. When changing from direct to reported speech, pronouns and verb tenses are often altered. For example, direct speech of "John told Ann, 'I love you'" would become reported speech of "John told Ann that he loved her." The tense of the verb changes depending on whether it was present, past, or future in the original direct quote.

1. REPORTED SPEECH
We use the reported speech to report what someone else has
said.
We have to transform direct speech into reported speech.
When transforming statements we often change the
PRONOUNS and the VERB TENSE
Direct Speech : John told Ann, ‘I love you’
Reported Speech: John told Ann that he LOVED her.

2. CHANGING FROM DIRECT TO REPORTED SPEECH
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
PRESENT SIMPLE: PLAY PAST SIMPLE: PLAYED
PRESENT CONTINUOUS:
AM/ARE/IS PLAYING
PAST CONTINUOUS:
WAS/WERE PLAYING
PAST SIMPLE: PLAYED PAST PERFECT: HAD PLAYED
PRESENT PERFECT: HAVE /
HAS PLAYED
PAST PERFECT: HAD PLAYED
PAST PERFECT : HAD
PLAYED
PAST PERFECT: HAD PLAYED
FUTURE: WILL PLAY WOULD PLAY
AM/IS /ARE GOING TO PLAY WAS /WERE GOING TO PLAY

3. EXAMPLES:
Direct speech: Peter said ‘ The bus IS late’
Reported speech: Peter said that the bus WAS late.
Direct speech: Kate said ‘ I’M DOING something different’
Reported speech: Kate said that she WAS DOING something
different
Direct speech: They said ‘ Sarah DIDN’T DO her homework’
Reported speech: They said that Sarah HADN’T DONE her
homework.
Direct speech: The students said ‘ We WILL arrive late’
Reported speech: The students said that they WOULD arrive
late.