Lesson 29 of 46

Reported speech

Report what someone said correctly.

The rules

  1. 1.Reporting verbs usually shift the tense back: "I am busy" → He said (that) he was busy.
  2. 2.Say vs tell: "He told me…" (with an object) but "He said…" (or "said to me").
  3. 3.Reported questions use statement order with no do/did: "She asked if I was ready."
  4. 4.Use if or whether for yes/no questions; use the question word for wh-questions: "He asked where I lived."

Common mistakes and fixes

Incorrect: He said me that he was busy.

Correct: He told me that he was busy.

Tell + person; say without a person.

Incorrect: She asked me where do I live.

Correct: She asked me where I lived.

No inversion in reported questions.

Incorrect: He asked if I am ready.

Correct: He asked if I was ready.

Shift the tense back.

Watch out: Say = no person. Tell = person. "Say me" is never correct.

Quick quiz

1. She ___ me she was tired.
2. He asked me where ___.
3. "I will call you." → He said he ___ me.

← Previous: Conditionals (if sentences)

Practice on your own writing

Paste any text and see exactly what to fix, with the rule explained.

Try the free grammar checker