What is Reported Speech?

S2-SA1-0127

Grade Level:

Class 2

NLP, Law, History, Social Sciences, Literature, Journalism, Communication

Definition

What is it?

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said, but we don't use their exact words. Instead, we change the words slightly and often adjust the tense. It's like telling a story about what someone communicated.

Simple Example

Quick Example

Imagine your friend, Rohan, says, 'I will go to the market later.' If you want to tell your mom what Rohan said, you wouldn't say his exact words. You would say, 'Rohan said that he would go to the market later.'

Worked Example

Step-by-Step

Let's convert a direct speech sentence into reported speech.

Direct Speech: Priya said, 'I am buying a new cricket bat today.'

Step 1: Identify the speaker and what was said. Speaker is Priya. What was said is 'I am buying a new cricket bat today.'
---Step 2: Remove the quotation marks and add a reporting verb like 'said that'. So far: Priya said that...
---Step 3: Change the pronoun 'I' to match the speaker (Priya). 'I' becomes 'she'. So far: Priya said that she...
---Step 4: Change the present continuous tense 'am buying' to past continuous tense 'was buying'. So far: Priya said that she was buying...
---Step 5: Change the time expression 'today' to 'that day'.
---Answer: Priya said that she was buying a new cricket bat that day.

Why It Matters

Reported speech helps us share information accurately and clearly, whether you're telling a story, giving updates, or reporting news. Journalists use it to tell us what politicians said, and lawyers use it to present testimonies in court. It's crucial for clear communication in many careers.

Common Mistakes

MISTAKE: Not changing the pronoun correctly. (e.g., 'He said, "I am hungry"' becomes 'He said that I was hungry.') | CORRECTION: Change the pronoun to match the speaker. (e.g., 'He said that he was hungry.')

MISTAKE: Forgetting to change the tense of the verb. (e.g., 'She said, "I like mangoes"' becomes 'She said that she like mangoes.') | CORRECTION: Shift the verb tense one step back (present to past, past to past perfect, etc.). (e.g., 'She said that she liked mangoes.')

MISTAKE: Not changing time and place expressions. (e.g., 'He said, "I will come tomorrow"' becomes 'He said that he would come tomorrow.') | CORRECTION: Change 'tomorrow' to 'the next day' or 'the following day'. (e.g., 'He said that he would come the next day.')

Practice Questions

Try It Yourself

QUESTION: Convert this direct speech to reported speech: My friend said, 'I need to recharge my mobile data.' | ANSWER: My friend said that he/she needed to recharge his/her mobile data.

QUESTION: Convert this direct speech to reported speech: The teacher said, 'The exam will start at 10 AM tomorrow.' | ANSWER: The teacher said that the exam would start at 10 AM the next day.

QUESTION: Convert this direct speech to reported speech: My aunt told me, 'I cooked biryani yesterday, and it was delicious.' | ANSWER: My aunt told me that she had cooked biryani the day before, and it had been delicious.

MCQ

Quick Quiz

Which of these is the correct reported speech for: 'He said, "I am going to Delhi now."'

He said that he is going to Delhi now.

He said that he was going to Delhi then.

He said that I was going to Delhi then.

He said that he went to Delhi then.

The Correct Answer Is:

Option B correctly changes the pronoun 'I' to 'he', shifts the tense from present continuous 'am going' to past continuous 'was going', and changes 'now' to 'then'. Other options have incorrect pronouns, tenses, or time expressions.

Real World Connection

In the Real World

When you watch news channels like NDTV or Aaj Tak, reporters often tell you what a politician or a celebrity said, but they don't always use their exact words. They use reported speech to summarize or convey the message, like saying, 'The Chief Minister announced that new flyovers would be built in the city.' This helps us understand important news quickly.

Key Vocabulary

Key Terms

Direct Speech: The exact words someone said, usually in quotation marks. | Reporting Verb: A verb (like 'said', 'told', 'asked') used to introduce reported speech. | Tense Shift: Changing the verb tense when converting from direct to reported speech. | Pronoun Change: Changing pronouns (like 'I', 'we') to match the speaker in reported speech.

What's Next

What to Learn Next

Now that you understand reported speech, you can learn about 'Reported Questions' and 'Reported Commands'. These build on what you've learned by showing you how to report questions and instructions, which is super useful for everyday conversations!