GLOW: Grammar Lessons On the Web

For the exclusive use of employees of the U.S. Department of State--by Tillyer Associates

Indirect Speech

You can report what someone tells you in two ways: direct speech and indirect speech.

Direct speech: 

She said, "Hunger is the most serious problem we have today."

Indirect speech: 

She said that hunger was the most serious problem we have today.

With direct speech, we report the exact words of the speaker. With indirect speech, we report what the speaker has said, but we don't use the exact words. With direct speech, we include the exact words in quotation marks. With indirect speech, we don't use quotation marks.

Notice in the sentence above, the main verb in the direct speech is in the present tense (is), but the main verb in the indirect speech is in the past tense (was). The verb always "takes a step backward" in indirect speech.
 

Direct speech:

She said, "1999 was a terrible year for famine."

Indirect speech:

She said that 1999 had been a terrible year for famine.

Direct speech: 

She said, "I'm going to Africa next week to observe the relief efforts.

Indirect speech:

She said she was going to Africa next week to observe the relief efforts.

Verb change exceptions

We don't change the verb tense when we are reporting something that is still true or when something is a general truth or scientific law.
 

Direct speech: 

She said, "UNICEF works with hundreds of governments and non-governmental organizations.

Indirect speech:

She said that UNICEF works with hundreds of governments and non-governmental organizations.


 

Direct speech:

She said, "Thousands of children go to bed hungry every night."

Indirect speech:

She said that thousands of children go to be hungry every night.

Direct speech: 

He said, "Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit."

Indirect speech:

He reminded us that water boils at 212 degrees F.

Pronoun changes

Pronouns change to keep the speaker's original meaning in indirect speech.

Direct speech:

She told the Ambassador, "We appreciate your help."

Indirect speech:

She told the Ambassador that they appreciated his help.

There are two things to note in this pair of sentences:

1. When you use told you need to specify the object of the sentence. In
     this case the object is "the Ambassador".
2. The pronouns "we" and "your" change to "they" and his".

Note: The principle in these changes is that it's actually a change in perspective. In the direct speech example above, there are two perspectives: the speaker's and that of the woman who is quoted. In the indirect speech example, there is only one perspective, that of the speaker. 

Here is another example of the pronoun shift:

Direct speech:

She told the CAO, "I need your help in this matter."

Indirect speech:

She told the CAO that she needed his help in this matter."

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