REPORTED SPEECH (Indirect Speech)

A reported speech is the speaker's attempt to reproduce what the original speaker said sometimes before. The original speaker's exact expression is called direct speech. For example:

Sandra: What is your name?
Janet: Sandra (She) asked me what my name was.

If we reported what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker's exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. In reporting a direct speech, the direct speech is usually transformed, and it depends on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request. Let's take them one after the other.

Statements
In reporting statements, the following are usually transformed:
(a) Pronouns
(b) present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
(c) place and time expressions
(d) tenses (backshift) Back-shifting is a change in the tense of the reported sentence with respect to time, day and place.

See the table below:
Type                                                             Example
direct speech                                                “I speak English.”
reported speech (no backshift)                      He says that he speaks English.
reported speech (backshift)                           He said that he spoke English.

Statements in Reported Speech

Pronouns
In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says what.
Example:
Direct - She says: “My mum doesn't have time today.”
Reported: She says that her mum doesn't have time today. (Tenses - No backshift)

NOTE:
(1) NO BACKSHIFT - Do not change the tense if the introductory clause is in Simple Present (e. g. He says). Note, however, that you might have to change the form of the present tense verb (3rd person singular).
Example:
Direct - He says: “I speak English.”
Reported He says that he speaks English.

(2) BACKSHIFT - You must change the tense if the introductory clause is in Simple Past (e. g. He said). This is called backshift.
Example:
Direct - He said: “I am happy.”
Reported - He said that he was happy.

The table below details how tenses shift or change when reporting a speech.
 Direct Speech                                                        Reported Speech
 Simple Present                                                       Simple Past
 Present Progressive                                                Past Progressive

Simple Past
Present Perfect Simple                                             Past Perfect Simple
Past Perfect Simple


 Past Progressive
Present Perfect Progressive                                       Past Perfect Progressive
Past Perfect Progressive

 Future I (going to)                                                    was / were going to


Future I (will)                                                           Conditional I (would)
                                                                               Conditional I (would)

NOTE:
The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn't, ought to and used to do not normally change.
Example:
Direct - He said, “She might be right.”
Reported He said that she might be right.

. . . to be continued.