One way of reporting what someone has said is to repeat their actual words.

Two main points to be certain of in reported speech are: 1) Who is being reported. 2) The time of reporting. These two points will determine any necessary changes in tenses, adverbs and pronouns. When the reporting verb is in the present, Present perfect or future tense, there is no change of the tense in the words. Notice only the necessary change of person.

Im very sorry

E.g.. He will tell you He says He has just told me

(that) he is very sorry.

When the reporting verb is in the past, Past Perfect or Conditional tense, the words reported are viewed in a different perspective. The speech is now remote, and viewed as a sequence of events happening in the past, the tenses being changed accordingly. e.g.: I am a student, and I have studied for three years. He said (that) he was a student and had studied for three years.

Difference between say and tell

Say Is never used with the infinitive in reported speech. You say that something is so. or, You say to someone that something is so. Tell Imperatives become infinite phrases in reported speech, preceded by a verb such as
tell, order, command, ask, etc. with the person addressed. e.g.: Bring me a book! He asked/told her (him, us, etc) to bring him a book.

Reported speech chart

Tense changes
Present Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Past Past Perfect Future Conditional Future Perfect Conditional Perfect Conditional Conditional Perfect

Adverb changes
Ago before Here there Last previous Now them Next the following Tomorrow the next day Today that day Yesterday the day before This that

Pronoun changes
I he, she You he, him, her, them We they Me him, her Us them

List of reporting verbs

Add Admit Advise Agree Announce Answer Argue Ask Begin call

Claim Comment Complain Confirm Continue Declare Demand Deny Describe Discuss

Explain Inform Observe Order Predict Promise Recall Recommend Refuse Repeat

Reply Report Say Shout Suggest Tell Warn Write yell

1. Put into reported speech:

a) I'll have to write my parents. The teacher _____________________________ b) I don't understand anything. Mary said ______________________________ c) What's your phone number? He ___________________________________ d) Sorry for breaking the vase, he said. He apologised ___________________________ e) No, I haven't stolen the money, the boy said. The boy denied __________________________ f) Of course she was very ill, he said. He agreed _____________________________ g) Your sister may have fever. The doctor ____________________________

2. Look at the picture to see what Mary thought when she was small. Write her thoughts in reported speech.

Animals can talk. Cats have nine lives. My father knows everything. Spaghetti grows on trees. The teacher lives in the school. I will be rich one day. My mother has always been old.