Reported Speech (Statements & Base Backshift)

• Imagine this scenario:
  Yesterday evening, our friend Tom told you a big secret. Today, you meet me, and you want to pass on his words. You don't say: 'Tom says, "I like pizza."' Instead, you say: 'Tom said that he liked pizza.'
  In real life, we constantly retell other people's words—that is what gossiping (or Reported Speech) is all about!

• And now, imagine I am the pop star's manager.
  🗣️I say: 'I am tired.'
  Quick, be the gossip reporter! What did I say?🤔
  You said that you were tired! (or He/She said...

And I also said:
🗣️' I can sing well.'
What's the gossip?🤔
You said that you could sing well!

Brilliant!
As you can see, when we retell someone's words, the tense takes a step back into the past.
Today, we are learning how to crack these 'gossip clues' using strict rules.
Let's open our secret case file!

So, our lesson topic: Reporting what other people said!

Let's look at the grammar rules.

🎤Now you are entertainment journalists! You just interviewed pop star Alex Rose.
Do the task below, read Alex's direct quotes, and complete your newspaper scoop by filling in the reported speech gaps.

Let's see how the grammar rules apply to these answers.

• was (Present Continuous ➡️ Past Continuous)

• was (Present Continuous ➡️ Past Continuous)

• had (Past Simple ➡️ Past Perfect)

• had (Past Simple ➡️ Past Perfect)

• would (Will ➡️ Would in Yes/No question)

• would (Will ➡️ Would)

• the next day / the following day (Tomorrow ➡️ The next/following day)

• could (Can ➡️ Could in Yes/No question)

• could (Can ➡️ Could)

• helped (Present Simple ➡️ Past Simple)

Final test before you go!
There are three reported sentences. Your job is to tell whether the grammar is True (correctly reported) or False (there's a mistake!), and if it's false, spot the trap!

• Sentence 1:

  • Direct: "I work in a bank."

  • Reported: He said that he worked in a bank.

    True! Present Simple turned into Past Simple.

• Sentence 2:

  • Direct: "I will call you tomorrow."

  • Reported: She said that she will call me tomorrow.

    False! Trap! Will has to be backshifted to would.

• Sentence 3:

  • Direct: "I bought a new car."

  • Reported: He said that he had bought a new car.

    True! Past Simple correctly stepped back into Past Perfect.

📝For homework, talk to a family member or friend today. Write down two things they say in direct speech, and translate them into reported speech using our detective rules.