📢 REPORTED SPEECH – FCE EXAM
GUIDE
🔹 What is Reported Speech?
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) is used to retell what someone said without quoting
their exact words.
✅ Direct Speech: "I love pizza," she said.
➡️ Reported Speech: She said (that) she loved pizza.
🔹 1. Tense Changes (Backshifting)
Tenses usually move one step back in time unless the statement is a general truth.
📝 Direct Speech 🔄 Reported Speech
Present Simple → Past Simple "I like coffee." → She said she liked coffee.
Present Continuous → Past "I am reading." → He said he was reading.
Continuous
Past Simple → Past Perfect "I bought a car." → He said he had bought a car.
Present Perfect → Past Perfect "I have seen that movie." → She said she had seen
that movie.
Will → Would "I will call you." → She said she would call me.
💡 Exceptions:
● If the reporting verb is in the present tense → No backshift!
"I love chocolate," she says. → She says she loves chocolate.
● General truths remain unchanged:
"The sun rises in the east." → She said the sun rises in the east.
🔹 2. Pronouns & Time/Place Words
✅
Pronouns change depending on context:
"I love my job," she said. → She said she loved her job.
⏳ Time & Place Changes
⏰ Direct Speech 🔁 Reported Speech
now → then "I'm busy now." → She said she was busy then.
today → that day "I'll go today." → He said he would go that day.
tomorrow → the next "I'll see you tomorrow." → He said he would see me the next
day day.
yesterday → the day "I called you yesterday." → He said he had called me the day
before before.
here → there "I am here." → She said she was there.
🔹 3. Reporting Questions
When reporting questions, change the word order to a statement form (Subject + Verb).
❓ Yes/No Questions → Use "if" or "whether"
✅ "Do you like coffee?" he asked. → He asked if I liked coffee.
✅ "Will she come?" he asked. → He asked whether she would come.
❓ Wh- Questions → Keep the question word
✅ "Where do you live?" she asked. → She asked where I lived.
✅ "What time does the train leave?" he asked. → He asked what time the train left.
🔹 4. Reporting Commands, Requests & Advice
🚀 Direct Speech 🔄 Reported Speech
Command: "Close the door." She told me to close the door.
Request: "Can you help me?" She asked me to help her.
Advice: "You should see a She advised me to see a
doctor." doctor.
💡 Use:
● tell + object + (not) to + verb (for commands)
● ask + object + (not) to + verb (for requests)
● advise + object + to + verb (for advice)
🔹 5. Modal Verbs in Reported Speech
📝 Direct Speech 🔄 Reported Speech
can → could "I can swim." → She said she could swim.
may → might "He may come." → She said he might come.
must → had to "You must study." → She said I had to study.
shall → should "What shall I do?" → She asked what she should
do.
will → would "I will go." → She said she would go.
💡 No Change for: could, would, should, might, ought to
🔹 6. Reporting Conditional Sentences
✅ First Conditional (will → would)
"If you study, you will pass." → She said if I studied, I would pass.
✅ Second & Third Conditionals → No change
"If I were rich, I would travel." → She said if she were rich, she would travel.
🔹 7. Key Differences: Say vs. Tell
● Say ➡️ Used without an object: He said he was tired.
● Tell ➡️ Used with an object: He told me he was tired.
✅ Quick Summary: Key Transformations
✔ Tense Backshift (Present → Past, Past → Past Perfect, etc.)
✔ Pronoun Changes (I → he/she, my → his/her, etc.)
✔ Time/Place Changes (now → then, tomorrow → the next day, etc.)
✔ Question Word Order changes to statements
✔ Commands & Requests use "to + verb"
✔ Modal Verbs change (will → would, can → could, must → had to)
