One day, my father, he told me, “Son, don’t let it slip away”
He took me in his arms, I heard him say
“When you get older your wild heart will live for younger days
Think of me if ever you’re afraid”
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Reported Speech
We use a ‘reporting verb’ like ‘say’ or ‘tell’. (Click here for more about using ‘say’ and ‘tell’.) If this verb is in the present tense, it’s easy. We just put ‘she says’ and then the sentence:
Direct speech: I like ice cream.
Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.
We don’t need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the ‘person’ from ‘I’ to ‘she’, for example. We also may need to change words like ‘my’ and ‘your’.
(As I’m sure you know, often, we can choose if we want to use ‘that’ or not in English. I’ve put it in brackets () to show that it’s optional. It’s exactly the same if you use ‘that’ or if you don’t use ‘that’.)
But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:
Direct speech: I like ice cream.
Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.
Occasionally, we don’t need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense):
Direct speech: The sky is blue.
Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.
Types of reported speech – statements, questions, and commands
There are three types of reported speech: statements, questions, and commands. Each type has its own set of rules and grammar.
Statements
Statements are the most common type of reported speech. They are used to report what someone has said in the past. Here are some examples:
Direct speech: “I’m tired,” she said.
Reported speech: She said that she was tired.
Questions
Questions are also commonly reported. They are used to report a question that someone has asked in the past. Here are some examples:
Direct speech: “What time is it?” he asked.
Reported speech: He asked what time it was.