Read the explanation to learn more. Grammar explanation Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech. …

When reporting what people say or think in English, we need to remember that the rules for tense forms in reported speech are exactly the same as in the rest of the language.

Would you consider the following structure to be reported speech? The original sentence went as follows: - After the procedure the doctors confirmed it was the right thing to have done. Why …

We also often make changes to the tenses and other words in the same way as for reported statements (e.g. have done → had done, today → that day). You can learn about these …

Reported speech: statements Do you know how to report what somebody else said? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Apr 1, 2025 · Watch a recording of our live event to support our learners studying grammar: reported speech – patterns with reporting verbs.

Do you know how to use reporting verbs in a sentence? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Perfect aspect Continuous aspect Active and passive voice 'to'-infinitives '-ing' forms Talking about the present Talking about the past Talking about the future Verbs in time clauses and 'if' …

We sometimes use phrases like these in front of a statement to ask questions: Do you know …? I wonder … Can you tell me …? For Yes/No questions, we use the phrases with if: ... For wh …

Look at these examples to see how reporting verbs are used. direct speech: 'You should come, it's going to be a lot of fun,' she said. indirect speech: She persuaded … to wait there. direct …