how old are you reported speech

What is Reported Speech and how to use it? with Examples

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Olivia Drake

Reported speech and indirect speech are two terms that refer to the same concept, which is the act of expressing what someone else has said.

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Reported speech is different from direct speech because it does not use the speaker’s exact words. Instead, the reporting verb is used to introduce the reported speech, and the tense and pronouns are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. There are two main types of reported speech: statements and questions.

1. Reported Statements: In reported statements, the reporting verb is usually “said.” The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and any pronouns referring to the speaker or listener are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. For example, “I am going to the store,” becomes “He said that he was going to the store.”

2. Reported Questions: In reported questions, the reporting verb is usually “asked.” The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and the word order changes from a question to a statement. For example, “What time is it?” becomes “She asked what time it was.”

It’s important to note that the tense shift in reported speech depends on the context and the time of the reported speech. Here are a few more examples:

• Direct speech: “I will call you later.”Reported speech: He said that he would call me later.
• Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?”Reported speech: She asked if I had finished my homework.
• Direct speech: “I love pizza.”Reported speech: They said that they loved pizza.

When do we use reported speech?

Reported speech is used to report what someone else has said, thought, or written. It is often used in situations where you want to relate what someone else has said without quoting them directly.

Reported speech can be used in a variety of contexts, such as in news reports, academic writing, and everyday conversation. Some common situations where reported speech is used include:

News reports:  Journalists often use reported speech to quote what someone said in an interview or press conference.

Business and professional communication:  In professional settings, reported speech can be used to summarize what was discussed in a meeting or to report feedback from a customer.

Conversational English:  In everyday conversations, reported speech is used to relate what someone else said. For example, “She told me that she was running late.”

Narration:  In written narratives or storytelling, reported speech can be used to convey what a character said or thought.

How to make reported speech?

1. Change the pronouns and adverbs of time and place: In reported speech, you need to change the pronouns, adverbs of time and place to reflect the new speaker or point of view. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I’m going to the store now,” she said. Reported speech: She said she was going to the store then.

In this example, the pronoun “I” is changed to “she” and the adverb “now” is changed to “then.”

2. Change the tense: In reported speech, you usually need to change the tense of the verb to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I will meet you at the park tomorrow,” he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet me at the park the next day.

In this example, the present tense “will” is changed to the past tense “would.”

3. Change reporting verbs: In reported speech, you can use different reporting verbs such as “say,” “tell,” “ask,” or “inquire” depending on the context of the speech. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked if I had finished my homework.

In this example, the reporting verb “asked” is changed to “said” and “did” is changed to “had.”

Overall, when making reported speech, it’s important to pay attention to the verb tense and the changes in pronouns, adverbs, and reporting verbs to convey the original speaker’s message accurately.

How do I change the pronouns and adverbs in reported speech?

1. Changing Pronouns: In reported speech, the pronouns in the original statement must be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. Generally, the first person pronouns (I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours) are changed according to the subject of the reporting verb, while the second and third person pronouns (you, your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs) are changed according to the object of the reporting verb. For example:

Direct speech: “I love chocolate.” Reported speech: She said she loved chocolate.

Direct speech: “You should study harder.” Reported speech: He advised me to study harder.

Direct speech: “She is reading a book.” Reported speech: They noticed that she was reading a book.

2. Changing Adverbs: In reported speech, the adverbs and adverbial phrases that indicate time or place may need to be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. For example:

Direct speech: “I’m going to the cinema tonight.” Reported speech: She said she was going to the cinema that night.

Direct speech: “He is here.” Reported speech: She said he was there.

Note that the adverb “now” usually changes to “then” or is omitted altogether in reported speech, depending on the context.

It’s important to keep in mind that the changes made to pronouns and adverbs in reported speech depend on the context and the perspective of the new speaker. With practice, you can become more comfortable with making these changes in reported speech.

How do I change the tense in reported speech?

In reported speech, the tense of the reported verb usually changes to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here are some guidelines on how to change the tense in reported speech:

Present simple in direct speech changes to past simple in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I like pizza.” Reported speech: She said she liked pizza.

Present continuous in direct speech changes to past continuous in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I am studying for my exam.” Reported speech: He said he was studying for his exam.

Present perfect in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I have finished my work.” Reported speech: She said she had finished her work.

Past simple in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I visited my grandparents last weekend.” Reported speech: She said she had visited her grandparents the previous weekend.

Will in direct speech changes to would in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I will help you with your project.” Reported speech: He said he would help me with my project.

Can in direct speech changes to could in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I can speak French.” Reported speech: She said she could speak French.

Remember that the tense changes in reported speech depend on the tense of the verb in the direct speech, and the tense you use in reported speech should match the time frame of the new speaker’s perspective. With practice, you can become more comfortable with changing the tense in reported speech.

Do I always need to use a reporting verb in reported speech?

No, you do not always need to use a reporting verb in reported speech. However, using a reporting verb can help to clarify who is speaking and add more context to the reported speech.

In some cases, the reported speech can be introduced by phrases such as “I heard that” or “It seems that” without using a reporting verb. For example:

Direct speech: “I’m going to the cinema tonight.” Reported speech with a reporting verb: She said she was going to the cinema tonight. Reported speech without a reporting verb: It seems that she’s going to the cinema tonight.

However, it’s important to note that using a reporting verb can help to make the reported speech more formal and accurate. When using reported speech in academic writing or journalism, it’s generally recommended to use a reporting verb to make the reporting more clear and credible.

Some common reporting verbs include say, tell, explain, ask, suggest, and advise. For example:

Direct speech: “I think we should invest in renewable energy.” Reported speech with a reporting verb: She suggested that they invest in renewable energy.

Overall, while using a reporting verb is not always required, it can be helpful to make the reported speech more clear and accurate

How to use reported speech to report questions and commands?

1. Reporting Questions: When reporting questions, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “asked” or “wondered” followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “What time is the meeting?” Reported speech: She asked what time the meeting was.

Note that the question mark is not used in reported speech.

2. Reporting Commands: When reporting commands, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “ordered” or “told” followed by the person, to + infinitive, and any additional information. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “Clean your room!” Reported speech: She ordered me to clean my room.

Note that the exclamation mark is not used in reported speech.

In both cases, the tense of the reported verb should be changed accordingly. For example, present simple changes to past simple, and future changes to conditional. Here are some examples:

Direct speech: “Will you go to the party with me?”Reported speech: She asked if I would go to the party with her. Direct speech: “Please bring me a glass of water.”Reported speech: She requested that I bring her a glass of water.

Remember that when using reported speech to report questions and commands, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately.

How to make questions in reported speech?

To make questions in reported speech, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “asked” or “wondered” followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here are the steps to make questions in reported speech:

Identify the reporting verb: The first step is to identify the reporting verb in the sentence. Common reporting verbs used to report questions include “asked,” “inquired,” “wondered,” and “wanted to know.”

Change the tense and pronouns: Next, you need to change the tense and pronouns in the sentence to reflect the shift from direct to reported speech. The tense of the verb is usually shifted back one tense (e.g. from present simple to past simple) in reported speech. The pronouns should also be changed as necessary to reflect the shift in perspective from the original speaker to the reporting speaker.

Use an appropriate question word: If the original question contained a question word (e.g. who, what, where, when, why, how), you should use the same question word in the reported question. If the original question did not contain a question word, you can use “if” or “whether” to introduce the reported question.

Change the word order: In reported speech, the word order of the question changes from the inverted form to a normal statement form. The subject usually comes before the verb, unless the original question started with a question word.

Here are some examples of reported questions:

Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?”Reported speech: He wanted to know if I had finished my homework. Direct speech: “Where are you going?”Reported speech: She wondered where I was going.

Remember that when making questions in reported speech, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately.

Here you can find more examples of direct and indirect questions

What is the difference between reported speech an indirect speech?

In reported or indirect speech, you are retelling or reporting what someone said using your own words. The tense of the reported speech is usually shifted back one tense from the tense used in the original statement. For example, if someone said, “I am going to the store,” in reported speech you would say, “He/she said that he/she was going to the store.”

The main difference between reported speech and indirect speech is that reported speech usually refers to spoken language, while indirect speech can refer to both spoken and written language. Additionally, indirect speech is a broader term that includes reported speech as well as other ways of expressing what someone else has said, such as paraphrasing or summarizing.

Examples of direct speech to reported

• Direct speech: “I am hungry,” she said. Reported speech: She said she was hungry.
• Direct speech: “Can you pass the salt, please?” he asked. Reported speech: He asked her to pass the salt.
• Direct speech: “I will meet you at the cinema,” he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet her at the cinema.
• Direct speech: “I have been working on this project for hours,” she said. Reported speech: She said she had been working on the project for hours.
• Direct speech: “What time does the train leave?” he asked. Reported speech: He asked what time the train left.
• Direct speech: “I love playing the piano,” she said. Reported speech: She said she loved playing the piano.
• Direct speech: “I am going to the grocery store,” he said. Reported speech: He said he was going to the grocery store.
• Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?” the teacher asked. Reported speech: The teacher asked if he had finished his homework.
• Direct speech: “I want to go to the beach,” she said. Reported speech: She said she wanted to go to the beach.
• Direct speech: “Do you need help with that?” he asked. Reported speech: He asked if she needed help with that.
• Direct speech: “I can’t come to the party,” he said. Reported speech: He said he couldn’t come to the party.
• Direct speech: “Please don’t leave me,” she said. Reported speech: She begged him not to leave her.
• Direct speech: “I have never been to London before,” he said. Reported speech: He said he had never been to London before.
• Direct speech: “Where did you put my phone?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked where she had put her phone.
• Direct speech: “I’m sorry for being late,” he said. Reported speech: He apologized for being late.
• Direct speech: “I need some help with this math problem,” she said. Reported speech: She said she needed some help with the math problem.
• Direct speech: “I am going to study abroad next year,” he said. Reported speech: He said he was going to study abroad the following year.
• Direct speech: “Can you give me a ride to the airport?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked him to give her a ride to the airport.
• Direct speech: “I don’t know how to fix this,” he said. Reported speech: He said he didn’t know how to fix it.
• Direct speech: “I hate it when it rains,” she said. Reported speech: She said she hated it when it rained.

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Reported Speech

Perfect english grammar.

Reported Statements

Here's how it works:

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:

• Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

* doesn't change.

• Direct speech: The sky is blue.
• Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

Click here for a mixed tense exercise about practise reported statements. Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

• Direct speech: Where do you live?
• Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.
• Direct speech: Where is Julie?
• Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.

• Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
• Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

Click here to practise reported 'wh' questions. Click here to practise reported 'yes / no' questions. Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

• Direct speech: Close the window, please
• Or: Could you close the window please?
• Or: Would you mind closing the window please?
• Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

• Direct speech: Please don't be late.
• Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

• Direct speech: Sit down!
• Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

• Click here for an exercise to practise reported requests and orders.

• Click here for an exercise about using 'say' and 'tell'.
• Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

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Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, Exceptions

👉 Quiz 1 / Quiz 2

Advanced Grammar Course

What is reported speech?

“Reported speech” is when we talk about what somebody else said – for example:

• Direct Speech: “I’ve been to London three times.”
• Reported Speech: She said she’d been to London three times.

There are a lot of tricky little details to remember, but don’t worry, I’ll explain them and we’ll see lots of examples. The lesson will have three parts – we’ll start by looking at statements in reported speech, and then we’ll learn about some exceptions to the rules, and finally we’ll cover reported questions, requests, and commands.

So much of English grammar – like this topic, reported speech – can be confusing, hard to understand, and even harder to use correctly. I can help you learn grammar easily and use it confidently inside my Advanced English Grammar Course.

In this course, I will make even the most difficult parts of English grammar clear to you – and there are lots of opportunities for you to practice!

Backshift of Verb Tenses in Reported Speech

When we use reported speech, we often change the verb tense backwards in time. This can be called “backshift.”

Here are some examples in different verb tenses:

Reported Speech (Part 1) Quiz

Exceptions to Backshift in Reported Speech

Now that you know some of the reported speech rules about backshift, let’s learn some exceptions.

There are two situations in which we do NOT need to change the verb tense.

No backshift needed when the situation is still true

For example, if someone says “I have three children” (direct speech) then we would say “He said he has three children” because the situation continues to be true.

If I tell you “I live in the United States” (direct speech) then you could tell someone else “She said she lives in the United States” (that’s reported speech) because it is still true.

When the situation is still true, then we don’t need to backshift the verb.

He said he HAS three children

But when the situation is NOT still true, then we DO need to backshift the verb.

Imagine your friend says, “I have a headache.”

• If you immediately go and talk to another friend, you could say, “She said she has a headache,” because the situation is still true
• If you’re talking about that conversation a month after it happened, then you would say, “She said she had a headache,” because it’s no longer true.

No backshift needed when the situation is still in the future

We also don’t need to backshift to the verb when somebody said something about the future, and the event is still in the future.

Here’s an example:

• On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Friday .”
• “She said she ‘ll call me on Friday”, because Friday is still in the future from now.
• It is also possible to say, “She said she ‘d (she would) call me on Friday.”
• Both of them are correct, so the backshift in this case is optional.

Let’s look at a different situation:

• On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Tuesday .”
• “She said she ‘d  call me on Tuesday.” I must backshift because the event is NOT still in the future.

Review: Reported Speech, Backshift, & Exceptions

Quick review:

• Normally in reported speech we backshift the verb, we put it in a verb tense that’s a little bit further in the past.
• when the situation is still true
• when the situation is still in the future

Reported Requests, Orders, and Questions

Those were the rules for reported statements, just regular sentences.

What about reported speech for questions, requests, and orders?

For reported requests, we use “asked (someone) to do something”:

• “Please make a copy of this report.” (direct speech)
• She asked me to make a copy of the report. (reported speech)

For reported orders, we use “told (someone) to do something:”

• “Go to the bank.” (direct speech)
• “He told me to go to the bank.” (reported speech)

The main verb stays in the infinitive with “to”:

• She asked me to make a copy of the report. She asked me  make  a copy of the report.
• He told me to go to the bank. He told me  go  to the bank.

For yes/no questions, we use “asked if” and “wanted to know if” in reported speech.

• “Are you coming to the party?” (direct)
• He asked if I was coming to the party. (reported)
• “Did you turn off the TV?” (direct)
• She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.” (reported)

The main verb changes and back shifts according to the rules and exceptions we learned earlier.

Notice that we don’t use do/does/did in the reported question:

• She wanted to know did I turn off the TV.
• She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.

For other questions that are not yes/no questions, we use asked/wanted to know (without “if”):

• “When was the company founded?” (direct)
• She asked when the company was founded.” (reported)
• “What kind of car do you drive?” (direct)
• He wanted to know what kind of car I drive. (reported)

Again, notice that we don’t use do/does/did in reported questions:

• “Where does he work?”
• She wanted to know  where does he work.
• She wanted to know where he works.

Also, in questions with the verb “to be,” the word order changes in the reported question:

• “Where were you born?” ([to be] + subject)
• He asked where I was born. (subject + [to be])
• He asked where was I born.

Reported Speech (Part 2) Quiz

Learn more about reported speech:

• Reported speech: Perfect English Grammar
• Reported speech: BJYU’s

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Reported Speech in English Grammar

Direct speech, changing the tense (backshift), no change of tenses, question sentences, demands/requests, expressions with who/what/how + infinitive, typical changes of time and place.

• Lingolia Plus English

Introduction

In English grammar, we use reported speech to say what another person has said. We can use their exact words with quotation marks , this is known as direct speech , or we can use indirect speech . In indirect speech , we change the tense and pronouns to show that some time has passed. Indirect speech is often introduced by a reporting verb or phrase such as ones below.

Learn the rules for writing indirect speech in English with Lingolia’s simple explanation. In the exercises, you can test your grammar skills.

When turning direct speech into indirect speech, we need to pay attention to the following points:

• changing the pronouns Example: He said, “ I saw a famous TV presenter.” He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter.
• changing the information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page) Example: He said, “I saw a famous TV presenter here yesterday .” He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter there the day before .
• changing the tense (backshift) Example: He said, “She was eating an ice-cream at the table where you are sitting .” He said (that) she had been eating an ice-cream at the table where I was sitting .

If the introductory clause is in the simple past (e.g. He said ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table). The term for this in English is backshift .

The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.

If the introductory clause is in the simple present , however (e.g. He says ), then the tense remains unchanged, because the introductory clause already indicates that the statement is being immediately repeated (and not at a later point in time).

In some cases, however, we have to change the verb form.

When turning questions into indirect speech, we have to pay attention to the following points:

• As in a declarative sentence, we have to change the pronouns, the time and place information, and set the tense back ( backshift ).
• Instead of that , we use a question word. If there is no question word, we use whether / if instead. Example: She asked him, “ How often do you work?” → She asked him how often he worked. He asked me, “Do you know any famous people?” → He asked me if/whether I knew any famous people.
• We put the subject before the verb in question sentences. (The subject goes after the auxiliary verb in normal questions.) Example: I asked him, “ Have you met any famous people before?” → I asked him if/whether he had met any famous people before.
• We don’t use the auxiliary verb do for questions in indirect speech. Therefore, we sometimes have to conjugate the main verb (for third person singular or in the simple past ). Example: I asked him, “What do you want to tell me?” → I asked him what he wanted to tell me.
• We put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions. Example: I asked him, “ Who is sitting here?” → I asked him who was sitting there.

We don’t just use indirect questions to report what another person has asked. We also use them to ask questions in a very polite manner.

When turning demands and requests into indirect speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information. We don’t have to pay attention to the tenses – we simply use an infinitive .

If it is a negative demand, then in indirect speech we use not + infinitive .

To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive.

Say or Tell?

The words say and tell are not interchangeable. say = say something tell = say something to someone

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A Comprehensive Guide To Reported Speech In English

There are times when someone tells you something and you’ll have to report what they said to someone else.

How can you do this in English?

You’ll need to know how to use what's called reported speech in English and this is what you’ll learn in this blog post.

What Is Reported Speech In English?

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of retelling what someone else has said without repeating their exact words. 

For example, let’s say you have a friend called Jon and one called Mary. Mary has organised a house party and has invited you and Jon. 

Jon, however, is not feeling well. He says to you, “Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today.” 

A few days after the party, you meet Sarah. She’s another one of your friends and she was at the party too, but she arrived late – a moment before you left. You only had time to say hello to each other. 

She asks you, “I saw you at the party but I didn’t see Jon. Where was he?”

When Sarah asks you, “Where was Jon?” you can say, 

“Jon said, ‘Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today’.”

However, it would be more natural to use indirect speech in this case. So you would say, “Jon said he couldn’t come to the party. He had spent all day working outside under the rain and he felt ill that day .” 

Did you notice how the sentence changes in reported speech?

Here’s what happened:

• “I” became “he”
• “Cannot” became “couldn’t”
• “Spent” became “had spent”
• “I feel ill today” became “he felt ill on that day” 

Let’s take a closer look at how we form reported speech.

How To Form Reported Speech In English

To form reported speech, you might have to make a few changes to the original sentence that was spoken (or written). 

You may have to change pronouns, verb tenses, place and time expressions and, in the case of questions, the word order.

There are certain patterns to learn for reporting promises, agreements, orders, offers, requests, advice and suggestions.

Let’s have a look at all these cases one by one.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Verb Tenses

In general, when we use reported speech, the present tenses become past tenses.  

We do this because we are often reporting someone else’s words at a different time (Jon’s words were spoken 3 days before you reported them to Sarah).

Here’s an example:

Jenny (on Saturday evening) says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”(present tenses)

Matt (on Sunday morning) talks to James and says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home. (past tenses)

So this is how different verb tenses change:

Simple Present → Simple Past

DIRECT: I need money.

INDIRECT: She said she needed money.

Present Progressive → Past Progressive

DIRECT: My French is improving.

INDIRECT: He said his French was improving.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

DIRECT: This has been an amazing holiday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it had been an amazing holiday.

What if there is a past simple form of the verb in direct speech? Well, in this case, it can stay the same in reported speech or you can change it to past perfect .

Past Simple → Past Simple Or Past Perfect

DIRECT: I didn’t go to work.

INDIRECT: Mary said that she didn’t go to work / Mary said that she hadn’t gone to work 

Past Perfect Tenses Do Not Change

DIRECT: I arrived late because I had missed the bus.

INDIRECT: He said he arrived (or had arrived) late because he had missed the bus.

Modal verbs like “can,” “may,” and “will” also change in reported speech.

Will → Would

DIRECT: The exam will be difficult.

INDIRECT: They said that the exam would be difficult.

Can → Could

DIRECT: I can’t be there.

INDIRECT: He told me he couldn’t be there.

May → Might

DIRECT: We may go there another time.

INDIRECT: They said they might go there another time.

However, past modal verbs don’t change (would, must, could, should, etc.) don’t change in reported speech.

DIRECT: It would be nice if we could go to Paris.

INDIRECT: He said it would be nice if we could go to Paris.

Here are some other examples:

So, in summary, 

• am/is → were
• do/does → did
• have/has → had
• had done → had done
• will → would
• can → could
• may → might
• could → could
• would → would
• like/love/buy/see → liked/loved/bought/saw or had liked/ had loved/had bought/had seen.

You make these verb tense shifts when you report the original words at a different time from when they were spoken. However, it is often also possible to keep the original speaker’s tenses when the situation is still the same.

For example, 

1. DIRECT: I am feeling sick.

   INDIRECT: She said she is feeling sick.

2. DIRECT: We have to leave now.

   INDIRECT: They said they have to leave now.

3. DIRECT: I will call you later.

   INDIRECT: He said he will call me later.

4. DIRECT: She is not coming to the party.

   INDIRECT: He said she is not coming to the party.

5. DIRECT: They are working on a new project.

   INDIRECT: She said they are working on a new project.

What about conditional sentences? How do they change in reported speech?

Sentences with “if” and “would” are usually unchanged.

DIRECT: It would be best if we went there early.

INDIRECT: He said it would be best if they went there early.

But conditional sentences used to describe unreal situations (e.g. second conditional or third conditional sentences) can change like this:

DIRECT: If I had more money I would buy a new car.

INDIRECT: She said if she had had more money, she would have bought a new car OR She said if she had more money, she would buy a new car.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Pronouns

In reported speech, because you’re reporting someone else’s words, there’s a change of speaker so this may mean a change of pronoun.

An example:

Jenny says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”

Matt says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home.” 

In this example, Jenny says “I” to refer to herself but Matt, talking about what Jenny said, uses “she”.

So the sentence in reported speech becomes:

• Jenny said that she didn’t like . . . ( not Jenny said that I didn’t like . . .)

Some other examples:

1 . DIRECT: I have been studying for hours.

   INDIRECT: He said he had been studying for hours.

2. DIRECT: I don’t like that movie.

   INDIRECT: She said she didn’t like that movie.

3. DIRECT: He doesn't like coffee.

   INDIRECT: She said he doesn't like coffee.

4. DIRECT: We have a new car.

   INDIRECT: They told me they had a new car.

5. DIRECT: We are going on vacation next week.

    INDIRECT: They said they are going on vacation next week.

Reported Speech In English: Place And Time Expressions

When you’re reporting someone’s words, there is often a change of place and time.  This may mean that you will need to change or remove words that are used to refer to places and time like “here,” “this,” “now,” “today,” “next,” “last,” “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” and so on. 

Check the differences in the following sentences:

DIRECT: I'll be back next month.

INDIRECT: She said she would be back the next month , but I never saw her again.

DIRECT: Emma got her degree last Tuesday.

INDIRECT: He said Emma had got her degree the Tuesday before.

DIRECT: I had an argument with my mother-in-law yesterday .

INDIRECT: He said he’d had an argument with his mother-in-law the day before .

DIRECT: We're going to have an amazing party tomorrow.

INDIRECT: They said they were going to have an amazing party the next day.

DIRECT: Meet me here at 10 am.

INDIRECT: He told me to meet him there at 10 am.

DIRECT: This restaurant is really good.

INDIRECT: She said that the restaurant was really good.

DIRECT: I'm going to the gym now.

INDIRECT: He said he was going to the gym at that time.

DIRECT: Today is my birthday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it was her birthday that day .

DIRECT: I'm leaving for Europe next week.

INDIRECT: She said she was leaving for Europe the following week.

Reported Speech In English: Word Order In Questions

What if you have to report a question? For example, how would you report the following questions?

• Where’s Mark?
• When are you going to visit your grandmother?
• What do I need to buy for the celebration?
• Where are your best friend and his wife staying?
• Do you like coffee?
• Can you sing?
• Who’s your best friend?
• What time do you usually wake up?
• What would you do if you won the lottery?
• Do you ever read nonfiction books?

In reported questions, the subject normally comes before the verb and auxiliary “do” is not used.

So, here is what happens when you're reporting a question:

DIRECT: Where’s Mark?

INDIRECT: I asked where Mark was. 

DIRECT: When are you going to visit your grandmother?

INDIRECT: He wanted to know when I was going to visit my grandmother.

DIRECT: What do I need to buy for the celebration?

INDIRECT: She asked what she needed to buy for the celebration.

DIRECT: Where are your best friend and his wife staying?

INDIRECT: I asked where his best friend and his wife were staying.

DIRECT: Do you like coffee?

INDIRECT: I asked if she liked coffee.

DIRECT: Can you sing?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I could sing.

DIRECT: Who’s your best friend?

INDIRECT: They asked me who my best friend was. 

DIRECT: What time do you usually wake up?

INDIRECT: She asked me what time I usually wake up.

DIRECT: What would you do if you won the lottery?

INDIRECT: He asked me what I would do if I won the lottery.

DIRECT: Do you ever read nonfiction books?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I ever read nonfiction books.

You might have noticed that question marks are not used in reported questions and you don’t use “say” or “tell” either.

Promises, Agreements, Orders, Offers, Requests & Advice

When you’re reporting these, you can use the following verbs + an infinitive:

Here are some examples:

DIRECT SPEECH: I’ll always love you.

PROMISE IN INDIRECT SPEECH: She promised to love me.

DIRECT SPEECH: OK, let’s go to the pub.

INDIRECT SPEECH: He agreed to come to the pub with me.

DIRECT SPEECH: Sit down!

INDIRECT SPEECH: They told me to sit down OR they ordered me to sit down.

DIRECT SPEECH: I can go to the post office for you.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She offered to go to the post office.

DIRECT SPEECH: Could I please have the documentation by tomorrow evening?

INDIRECT SPEECH: She requested to have the documentation by the following evening.

DIRECT SPEECH: You should think twice before giving him your phone number.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She advised me to think twice before giving him my phone number.

Reported Speech In English

All right! I hope you have a much clearer idea about what reported speech is and how it’s used. 

And the good news is that both direct and indirect speech structures are commonly used in stories, so why not try the StoryLearning method ? 

You'll notice this grammatical pattern repeatedly in the context of short stories in English.

Not only will this help you acquire it naturally, but you will also have a fun learning experience by immersing yourself in an interesting and inspiring narrative.

Have a wonderful time learning through books in English !

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Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

Exercises on reported speech.

If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.

When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:

• present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
• place and time expressions
• tenses (backshift)

→ more on statements in reported speech

When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:

Also note that you have to:

• transform the question into an indirect question
• use the interrogative or if / whether

→ more on questions in reported speech

→ more on requests in reported speech

Additional Information and Exeptions

Apart from the above mentioned basic rules, there are further aspects that you should keep in mind, for example:

• main clauses connected with and / but
• tense of the introductory clause
• reported speech for difficult tenses
• exeptions for backshift
• requests with must , should , ought to and let’s

→ more on additional information and exeptions in reported speech

Statements in Reported Speech

• no backshift – change of pronouns
• no backshift – change of pronouns and places
• with backshift
• with backshift and change of place and time expressions

Questions in Reported Speech

Requests in reported speech.

• Exercise 1 – requests (positive)
• Exercise 2 – requests (negative)
• Exercise 3 – requests (mixed)

Mixed Exercises on Reported Speech

• Exercise on reported speech with and without backshift

Grammar in Texts

• „ The Canterville Ghost “ (highlight direct speech and reported speech)

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• English Only

How old are you? He asked me....

• Thread starter audiolaik
• Start date Jun 8, 2010

Senior Member

• Jun 8, 2010

"How old are you?" He asked me how old ________ a) I am. b) I was. Click to expand...

I would say 'He asked me how old I was'. Rover  

Rover_KE said: I would say 'He asked me how old I was'. Rover Click to expand...

Yes, the backshifted version would be the unmarked version for me, too, audio. I'd only use "He asked me how old I am?" if I wanted to stress for some reason the fact that I'm still the age I was when he asked the question.  

Loob said: Yes, the backshifted version would be the unmarked version for me, too, audio. I'd only use "He asked me how old I am?" if I wanted to stress for some reason the fact that I'm still the age I was when he asked the question. Click to expand...

Elwintee said: Yes, I hadn't thought about it before, but logically 'he' couldn't ask me ( then ) how old I am ( now ). I am now a few seconds, or a few years, older than I was when he asked me the question. Click to expand...

• English Grammar
• Reported Speech

Reported Speech - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Reported speech or indirect speech is the form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time. This article will help you with all that you need to know about reported speech, its meaning, definition, how and when to use them along with examples. Furthermore, try out the practice questions given to check how far you have understood the topic.

Table of Contents

Definition of reported speech, rules to be followed when using reported speech, table 1 – change of pronouns, table 2 – change of adverbs of place and adverbs of time, table 3 – change of tense, table 4 – change of modal verbs, tips to practise reported speech, examples of reported speech, check your understanding of reported speech, frequently asked questions on reported speech in english, what is reported speech.

Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message.

Now, take a look at the following dictionary definitions for a clearer idea of what it is.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

Reported speech is a little different from direct speech . As it has been discussed already, reported speech is used to tell what someone said and does not use the exact words of the speaker. Take a look at the following rules so that you can make use of reported speech effectively.

• The first thing you have to keep in mind is that you need not use any quotation marks as you are not using the exact words of the speaker.
• You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech.

• You can use verbs like said, asked, requested, ordered, complained, exclaimed, screamed, told, etc. If you are just reporting a declarative sentence , you can use verbs like told, said, etc. followed by ‘that’ and end the sentence with a full stop . When you are reporting interrogative sentences, you can use the verbs – enquired, inquired, asked, etc. and remove the question mark . In case you are reporting imperative sentences , you can use verbs like requested, commanded, pleaded, ordered, etc. If you are reporting exclamatory sentences , you can use the verb exclaimed and remove the exclamation mark . Remember that the structure of the sentences also changes accordingly.
• Furthermore, keep in mind that the sentence structure , tense , pronouns , modal verbs , some specific adverbs of place and adverbs of time change when a sentence is transformed into indirect/reported speech.

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

As discussed earlier, when transforming a sentence from direct speech into reported speech, you will have to change the pronouns, tense and adverbs of time and place used by the speaker. Let us look at the following tables to see how they work.

Here are some tips you can follow to become a pro in using reported speech.

• Select a play, a drama or a short story with dialogues and try transforming the sentences in direct speech into reported speech.
• Write about an incident or speak about a day in your life using reported speech.
• Develop a story by following prompts or on your own using reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written. Check them out.

• Santana said that she would be auditioning for the lead role in Funny Girl.
• Blaine requested us to help him with the algebraic equations.
• Karishma asked me if I knew where her car keys were.
• The judges announced that the Warblers were the winners of the annual acapella competition.
• Binsha assured that she would reach Bangalore by 8 p.m.
• Kumar said that he had gone to the doctor the previous day.
• Lakshmi asked Teena if she would accompany her to the railway station.
• Jibin told me that he would help me out after lunch.
• The police ordered everyone to leave from the bus stop immediately.
• Rahul said that he was drawing a caricature.

Transform the following sentences into reported speech by making the necessary changes.

1. Rachel said, “I have an interview tomorrow.”

2. Mahesh said, “What is he doing?”

3. Sherly said, “My daughter is playing the lead role in the skit.”

4. Dinesh said, “It is a wonderful movie!”

5. Suresh said, “My son is getting married next month.”

6. Preetha said, “Can you please help me with the invitations?”

7. Anna said, “I look forward to meeting you.”

8. The teacher said, “Make sure you complete the homework before tomorrow.”

9. Sylvester said, “I am not going to cry anymore.”

10. Jade said, “My sister is moving to Los Angeles.”

Now, find out if you have answered all of them correctly.

1. Rachel said that she had an interview the next day.

2. Mahesh asked what he was doing.

3. Sherly said that her daughter was playing the lead role in the skit.

4. Dinesh exclaimed that it was a wonderful movie.

5. Suresh said that his son was getting married the following month.

6. Preetha asked if I could help her with the invitations.

7. Anna said that she looked forward to meeting me.

8. The teacher told us to make sure we completed the homework before the next day.

9. Sylvester said that he was not going to cry anymore.

10. Jade said that his sister was moving to Los Angeles.

What is reported speech?

What is the definition of reported speech.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

What is the formula of reported speech?

You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech. Subject said that (report whatever the speaker said)

Give some examples of reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written.

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• Reported Speech

Reported Speech How does it Work?

Indirect speech or Reported speech is just a way of expressing your intent in questions, statements or other phrases, without essentially quoting them outrightly as the way it is done in indirect speech.

Reported Speech Rules

To understand Reported Speech Grammar and Reported Verbs, you need to first understand reported speech rules and how it works. Here are some types of reported speech:

Reported Statements

Reported speech is used when someone says a sentence, like, "I'm going to the movie tonight". Later, we want to tell a 3rd person what the first person is doing.

It works like this:

We use a reporting verb i.e 'say' or 'tell'. In the present tense, just put in 'he says.

Direct Speech: I like burgers.

Reported Speech: He says (that) he likes burgers.

You don't need to change the tense, but you do need to switch the 'person' from 'I' to 'he’. You also need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.

But, in case the reporting verb is in the past tense, then change the tenses in the reported speech itself.

Reported Questions

Reported questions to go like 

Direct Speech: Where do you reside?

We make the change to reported speech by-

It is similar to reported statements. The tense changes are exact, and we keep the question’s word. But we need to change the grammar of that normal sentence into positive. For eg:

Reported Speech: He asked me where I resided.

The direct speech question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does'. For that, I need to take that away. Then change the verb to the past simple. 

Direct Speech: Where is Jolly?

Reported Speech: He asked me where Jolly was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We change the question form of the present simple of being by changing the position of the subject and the verb. So, change them back before putting the verb into the past simple.

Here Are Some More Examples

Reported Requests

The reported speech goes a long way. What if a person asks you to do something politely or make a request? It’s called a reported request. For example

Direct Speech: Close the door, please / Could you close the door please? / Would you mind closing the door, please?

All these requests mean the same, so we don't need to report every word there when we tell a 3rd person about it. 

We can simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

Reported Speech: They asked me to close the door.

Direct Speech: Please be punctual.

Reported Speech: They asked us to be punctual.

Reported Orders

And lastly, how about when someone doesn't ask that politely? This is known as an 'order' in English, which is when someone tells you to do something pretty much directly. This is called a reported order. For example

Direct Speech: Stand up right now!

We make this into a reported speech in the same way as that for a request. Just use 'tell' rather than 'ask':

Reported Speech: She told me to stand up right now.

Time Expressions within the Ambit of Reported Speech

Sometimes when we want to change the direct speech into reported speech, we will have to change the time expressions too. We don't necessarily always have to do that. However, It depends on when we heard the speech in indirect form and when we said the speech in reported form. 

For Example,

It's Sunday. Kiran Ma’am says "I'm leaving today".

If You tell someone on Sunday, You will say "Kiran Ma’am said she was leaving today".

If you tell someone on Tuesday, You will say "Kiran Ma’am said she was leaving yesterday".

If you tell someone on Friday, you will say "Kiran Ma’am said she was leaving on Sunday ".

If you tell someone a month later, you will say "Kiran Ma’am said she was leaving that day".

So, technically there's no easy way to convert. You need to put in real effort and have to think about it when the direct speech is said.

Here's a Table of How Some Conversions can be Made 

now can be converted to then / at that time

today can be converted to yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27 th of June

yesterday can be converted to the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of December

last night can be converted to the night before, Thursday night

last week can be converted to the week before / the previous week

tomorrow can be converted to today / the next day / the following day / Friday

Now Let us Check our Understanding Through this Table

This is all about reported speech. English grammar is a tricky thing given both the rules and practice. Reading these rules solely will not help you to get a strong grasp of them. You also have to practice reported speech sentences in practical life to know how and when they can be used.

FAQs on Reported Speech

1. How to convert present tenses to reported speech and give some examples.

There are certain rules to follow while converting sentences to reported speech. We need to manage tenses also.

Usually, the present sentences change to simple past tense.

Ex: I do yoga every morning

She said that she did yoga every morning.

I play cricket a lot

He said that he played cricket a lot 

Usually The present continuous tense changes to the past continuous tense. 

Ex: My friend is watching a movie.

She said that her friend was watching a movie.

We are eating dinner

They said that they were eating dinner.

Usually, the  Present Perfect Tense changes into Past Perfect Tense

Ex: I have been to the USA

She told me that she had been to the USA.

She has finished her task.

She said that she had finished her task.

Usually the Present Perfect Progressive Tense changes into Past Perfect Tense

2. How to convert present tenses to reported speech and give some examples.

Usually the Past Simple Tense changes into the Past Perfect Tense.

Ex: He arrived on Friday

He said that he had arrived on Friday.

My mom enjoyed the stay here

He said that his mom had enjoyed the stay there.

Usually, the Past Progressive Tense changes into the Perfect Continuous Tense

Ex: I was playing the cricket

He said that he had been playing cricket.

My husband was cooking

She said that her husband had been cooking.

Usually, the Past Perfect Tense doesn’t change.

Ex: She had worked hard.

She said that she had worked hard.

And also the Past Perfect Progressive Tense doesn’t change.

3. State the rules for conversion of future tenses into reported speech

There are rules to follow while converting the future tenses to reported speech.

In general, the Future Simple Tense changes into would. And also the future Progressive Tense changes into “would be”. The Future Perfect Tense changes into “would have”. The Future Perfect Progressive Tense changes into “would have been”.

Ex: I will be attending the wedding.

She said that she would be attending the wedding.

4. Give examples for conversion of  ‘can ‘, ‘can’t’ and ‘will’,’’won’t’ 

5. Give some examples for reported requests and reported orders.  

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Reported Speech: How old are you?

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Reported Speech

Learn how to use  reported speech in English. Reported speech is also known as  indirect speech  and is used to tell somebody else what another person said. Using  reported speech in English can sometimes be difficult for non-native speakers as we (usually) change the verbs, pronouns and specific times.

Keep reading to understand how to use reported speech and download this free English lesson!

Let’s study reported speech !

Reported speech vs. direct speech.

When we want to tell somebody else what another person said, we can use either direct speech  or  reported speech .

When we use d irect speech, we use the same words but use quotation marks, “_”. For example:

Scott said, “I am coming to work.  I will be late because there is a lot of traffic now.”

When we use r eported speech, we usually change the verbs, specific times, and pronouns. For example:

Scott said that he was coming to work.  He said that he would be late because there was a lot of traffic at that time.

How do we use reported speech ?

Since reported speech is usually talking about the past, we usually change the verbs into the past. It is always necessary to change the verbs when the action has finished or is untrue.

We do not always change the verbs.  When you are reporting an action that is still current or true, it is not necessary to change the verb tense. For example:    

How old are you?  “ I am twenty-seven years old .” She said she is twenty-seven years old.

We usually follow the rules below.  When we are reporting speech, we are usually talking about the past; therefore, we change the verbs into the past.

Reporting Questions

We use a special form when we report questions:  

WH-Questions:    

Where is + Tom’s house ?   He asked where Tom’s house + was.

Where does Tom live?  He asked where Tom lived.

Yes/No Questions:  

Does Tom live in Miami?  She asked if Tom  lived in Miami.

Is Tom happy?  She asked if Tom was happy.

Say vs. Tell

Say Something

June:  “I love English .”

June said (that) she loved English.

Tell Someone Something

June:  “I love English.”

June told me (that) she loved English.

Modal Verbs and Reported Speech

Must, might, could, would, should , and ought to stay the same in re ported   s peech .  We usually change may to might .

Infinitives and Reported Speech

Infinitives  stay the same in reported speech:

“ I am going to the store to buy milk.”  He said he was going to the store to buy milk.

We also use infinitives when reporting orders and commands, especially when using tell .

“ Do  your homework.   Don’t use a dictionary!!”  He told me to do to my homework and not to use a dictionary.

Reporting Suggestions

When we are reporting another speakers suggestions, we can use a special form with suggest, recommend, or propose .

SUGGEST/ RECOMMEND/PROPOSE   +   (*THAT)   +    SUBJECT PRONOUN   +   **V1

SUGGEST/ RECOMMEND/PROPOSE   +   V1 + ING

“I think you should visit Viscaya.”     →  He suggested we visit Viscaya.  He suggested visiting Viscaya.

“Try to get there early to get good seats.”    →   He recommended we get there early to get good seats.

*That is often omitted in speech.

**The verb is always in the base form. We do not use third person.

Reporting Statements

A reported statement  begins with an introductory clause and is followed by the ‘information’ clause.  The speaker may choose different words, but the meaning remains unchanged.  Some formal words to introduce a reported statement or response are: declared, stated, informed, responded, replied, etc.

“I don’t agree with these new rules. I am not going to accept this change!” →  He declared that he was in disagreement with the new rules and stated that he would not accept the changes.

Free English Lesson PDF Download

Reported Speech ~ Exercises and Practice

A. Change each direct speech example into the reported speech . The first one has been done for you.

• Michelle said, “I love my Chihuahua, Daisy.”

Michelle said that she loved her Chihuahua, Daisy.

2. Republicans said, “We don’t support Obama’s plan to raise taxes.”

__________________________________________________________.

3.With her mouth full, Sarah said, “I am eating mashed potatoes.”

4. John Lee said, “This year, I will not pay my taxes.”

5. Lebron said, “I am going to win the championship next year.”

6. Patty said, “I can’t stomach another hamburger. I ate one yesterday.”

B. Rewrite the sentences/questions below using reported / indirect speech . Always change the tense, even though it is not always necessary. You can use ‘said’, ‘told me’ , or ‘asked’ .

1. Sarah:   “I am in the shower right now.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. John:   “I dropped my son off at school this morning.”

3. Samuel: “I am going to the beach with my sister this afternoon.”

4. John: “Jessica will call you later.”

5. The girls: “Who does John live with?”

6. Our classmate: “Did we have any homework last night?”

7. Sarah: “I am moving to Tokyo because I want to learn Japanese.”

8. John: “Why do you have an umbrella?”

9. The students: “Our teacher can’t find her books anywhere.”

10. Sarah and Jillian: “Is John British?”

11. Steve: “I’m going to the beach so that I can play volleyball.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

12. Ann: “Where is the bathroom?”

13. My parents: “What are you going to do with your life?”

14. Sarah: “I ate breakfast before I came to school.”

C. Your friend Megan is very nosy (she always wants to know what’s going on) so she constantly asks questions about your life and the lives of your friends. Rewrite her questions using the reported questions form. The first one has been done for you .

1. Why do you date Ryan?

She asked me why I dated Ryan.

2. How much money do you make at your new job?

________________________________________________________________________________

3. Does Ryan think I’m pretty?

4. Where is your favorite restaurant?

5. Do I look good in these jeans?

6. Can I borrow some twenty bucks?

D. Your American grandfather is telling you about how things used to be. Using the reported speech , tell your friends what he said.

“In the 1930s, people were very poor. They ate watery soup and hard bread. Many people lost their jobs. To make matters worse, a horrible drought ruined most of the farmland in the American midwest. People went to California to look for a better life. They picked strawberries in the hot California sun.”

Did you download this lesson? If not, don’t forget to download this free English lesson.

If you have any questions about English grammar, please contact us via email us or just comment below. I hope this lesson helped you understand how to use reported speech in English.

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Reported Speech: Questions

Changing questions from direct speech to reported speech can be a little difficult.

However, before we talk about how to do this properly, I want to show you a very easy way to do it. When you speak English, it is always okay to just repeat the question exactly the same as you heard it.

For example, if Janes asks you:

• “How are you?”

Now you want to tell Bill what Jane asked you, then you can simply just say:

• Janes asked me, “How are you?”

And when you are speaking, you do not need to worry about the quotation marks (“). So, your sentence will sound 100% natural. This is the easy way to do it.

Now, let’s look at the proper way to change questions to reported speech. This is the way that you will see in grammar books and it is also used a lot by native speakers. So, you may choose to use the easy way above, but you definitely need to know this way too.

Here are the things you need to know.

1. Use the verb “ask” for questions. We can put a person after the verb “ask”, but it is not necessary.

• Tara asked, “What is your name?” She asked me what my name is.
• Greg asked, “When will Mark leave?” Greg asked when Mark will leave.

2. Questions in reported speech are not actually questions. They are sentences. Therefore, they use the same word order as sentences. This is the thing that gives most English learners a hard time.

Pay attention to how the word order changes.

• Can you swim well? She asked me if I can swim well.

“I can swim well” is like a sentence.

Here are some more examples.

• “Where is the bank?” She asked where the bank is.
• “Who are you?” They asked me who I was.
• “Would you like some coffee?” He asked me if I would like some coffee.

3. In general, we change present tense verbs to the past tense in reported speech.

• “How old are you?” She asked me how old I was.

Past tense verbs usually do not change.

• “What did you eat last weekend?” He asked me what I ate last weekend.

But if you want to emphasize that something happened in the past, you can use the past perfect tense.

• “What did you eat last weekend?” He asked me what I had eaten last weekend.

4. We use “if” with yes/no questions.

• “Is it cold?” Bill asked if it is cold.
• “Was it fun?” They asked me if it was fun.
• “Have you been to China?” She asked if I had been to China.
• “Can you speak English?” He asked me if I could speak English.
• “Would you like to see a movie with me?” Henry asked Mary if she would like to see a movie with him.

For other questions, use the question word from the question.

• “What is your name?” She asked me what my name is.
• “Where did you go?” They asked her where she went.
• “When will you go?” He asked her when she will go.
• “Where will you live?” Pete asked me where I would live.

Because of the change in word order, reported questions can be harder for English learners than reported sentences.

Keep practicing and this will become easy and you will begin to do it naturally.

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100 Reported Speech Examples: How To Change Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of communicating what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. For example, if your friend said, “ I am going to the store ,” in reported speech, you might convey this as, “ My friend said he was going to the store. ” Reported speech is common in both spoken and written language, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversations.

Reported Speech: Changing Pronouns

Pronouns are usually changed to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, “I” in direct speech may become “he” or “she” in reported speech, depending on the context. Here are some example sentences:

Reported Speech: Reporting Verbs

Reported speech: tense shifts.

When converting direct speech into reported speech, the verb tense is often shifted back one step in time. This is known as the “backshift” of tenses. It’s essential to adjust the tense to reflect the time elapsed between the original speech and the reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how different tenses in direct speech are transformed in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Changing Time and Place References

Reported speech: question format.

When converting questions from direct speech into reported speech, the format changes significantly. Unlike statements, questions require rephrasing into a statement format and often involve the use of introductory verbs like ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’. Here are some examples to demonstrate how questions in direct speech are converted into statements in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Omitting Quotation Marks

Reported speech quiz.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Reported speech

Reported speech is how we represent the speech of other people or what we ourselves say. There are two main types of reported speech: direct speech and indirect speech.

Click on a topic to learn more about reported speech.

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Tim Cocks has reported from all over Africa for Reuters for the past two decades (aside from a stint covering the Iraq war in 2008/9). In his current role, he covers politics, climate change, diplomacy and human interest. Previously he was bureau chief for West & Central Africa. A story on the environmental disaster of Ghana’s artisanal gold mining won him a SABEW award for best feature in 2019. He is also the author of ‘Lagos:Supernatural City’, an intimate portrait of the life in Africa’s biggest metropolis.

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Trump has some immunity in D.C. election interference case, Supreme Court rules: Highlights

What to know about the supreme court's ruling on trump's immunity appeal.

• The Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump has some immunity from prosecution in his federal election interference case. The 6-3 decision, which is complex, further delays special counsel Jack Smith's prosecution.
• Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, rejected Trump's broad immunity claims and said Trump has immunity only for his "official" acts as president. The high court did not determine what constitutes an official act in this case, leaving that to the lower court.
• The court's liberal justices issued blistering dissents . In her dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the ruling "breaks new and dangerous ground."
• President Joe Biden gave brief remarks from the White House this evening on the court's ruling , calling it a "dangerous precedent."

Trump’s Georgia election case gets more complications after immunity decision

Dareh Gregorian

The Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision is expected to add new twists to Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis’ already stalled racketeering case against Trump and his allies.

The Georgia case, which involves some of the same issues in special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump on federal election interference charges, was officially paused last month until at least October, when an appeals court will hear arguments from Trump and some of his co-defendants challenging the presiding judge’s decision not to disqualify Willis as prosecutor.

Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has yet to set a trial date, and one of the motions pending before him is Trump’s bid to get the charges tossed out on presidential immunity grounds.

Read the full story here.

Trump slams Biden after White House remarks on immunity ruling

Katherine Koretski

Trump said tonight that Biden's remarks from the White House were meant to distract from his performance on the campaign trail.

"Another attack by Crooked Joe Biden against his Political Opponent. This is a really bad and incompetent guy. Wanted to deflect from his horrible campaign performance!" Trump said on his social media site, Truth Social.

Special counsel isn't planning to ask the Supreme Court to quickly send Trump case back to lower court

Ken Dilanian

Reporting from Washington

Special counsel Jack Smith is not, as of now, planning to ask the Supreme Court to move more quickly than usual to issue its official judgment based on today’s ruling.

The final judgment is what triggers the process for the case to get back to the district court. As it stands, the Supreme Court’s mandate will not issue for at least 32 days.

It’s unclear why Smith’s office is not asking for this to happen faster. One interpretation is that either way, there won’t be a trial before the election so there is no longer any time pressure.

Trump moves to postpone sentencing and set aside hush money verdict

Laura Jarrett

Zoë Richards

Trump's attorneys in his New York hush money case indicated in a letter to the presiding judge that they want him to postpone sentencing and set aside the trial verdict as a result of the Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling.

The lawyers said they want to brief state Judge Juan Merchan on the relevance of the high court's immunity decision and an argument that decision confirmed that the Manhattan district attorney should not have been able to offer evidence at trial about Trump’s official acts.

Trump's attorneys are seeking to throw out his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and postpone next week’s sentencing, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

News of the motion was first reported by The New York Times.

Trump's attorneys pointed to an element of the Supreme Court opinion that limits what evidence can be used at trial. The motion comes 10 days before Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in the New York trial.

The district attorney’s office declined to comment.

‘I dissent’: Biden attacks Supreme Court immunity ruling

Ginger Gibson Senior Washington Editor

Biden tonight called  the Supreme Court decision  on presidential immunity “a terrible disservice to the people of this nation.”

“This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each, each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States. [With] today’s Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, that fundamentally changed for all practical purposes,” Biden said.

Biden said the decision means there are now “virtually no limits on what the president can do,” a sentiment that echoed the dissents written by the liberal justices on the court.

“I dissent,” Biden said in concluding his brief remarks from the White House.

Biden says immunity ruling means there are 'virtually no limits' on presidential power

Biden said tonight that the Supreme Court's ruling means there are “virtually no limits” on presidential power.

He said voters deserved to have an answer through the courts before Election Day about what took place on Jan. 6, 2021.

"Now, because of today's decision, that is highly, highly unlikely. It's a terrible disservice to the people of this nation," he said.

Biden added that the high court's ruling means voters in November will be charged with deciding whether they want to elect Trump "now knowing he’ll be more emboldened to do whatever he pleases, whenever he wants to do it."

President Biden speaking about the decision

Biden is beginning to speak in remarks that are expected to be brief and in response to the decision.

Trump hailed the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, while the White House said that “nobody is above the law” and the country needs leaders like Biden. NBC News’ Hallie Jackson reports.

Biden to deliver remarks tonight on Trump immunity ruling

Tara Prindiville

The White House this evening said that Biden will deliver remarks at 7:45 p.m. about today's presidential immunity ruling.

Biden was initially scheduled to return to the White House from Camp David, Maryland, after 8 p.m.

House Republicans sue Merrick Garland over Biden audiotapes

Across the street from the Supreme Court, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee today sued Attorney General Merrick Garland as part of its effort to obtain audiotapes from special counsel Robert Hur’s interview of Biden tied to his handling of classified documents.

"Garland violated, and continues to violate, his legal obligation by refusing to produce to the Committee the audio recordings of the Special Counsel’s interviews with President Biden and Mark Zwonitzer when those recordings are not covered by executive privilege, and, even if they were, executive privilege has been waived," House atto r neys wr ote .

The panel’s lawsuit seeks a court order requiring Garland to produce the audio recordings of Hur's interviews with Biden and Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter of Biden's 2017 memoir.

The panel had previously issued a subpoena to Garland, and the GOP-controlled House  voted to hold him in contempt  last month for refusing to release the special counsel's recordings. The Justice Department declined to bring contempt charges against Garland.

Biden in May asserted executive privilege  over the recordings with Hur, which were released in transcripts in March.

'Five alarm fire': Immunity ruling raises fears about future lawless presidents

Lawrence Hurley Supreme Court reporter

When President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon in 1974, it was under the assumption that his predecessor could have been prosecuted for his efforts to impede the investigation into the Watergate scandal.

But under the new rule implemented by the Supreme Court today that partially immunized Donald Trump in his election interference case, there may not have been any need for such a pardon.

“Richard Nixon would have had a pass,” John Dean, Nixon’s White House counsel, said on a call with reporters today.

Immunity ruling will delay Trump’s Jan. 6 case until after the election

Ryan J. Reilly

Daniel Barnes is reporting from the federal courthouse.

The Supreme Court’s  presidential immunity decision  will further delay Trump’s Washington  criminal case  related to his  efforts to stop the transfer of power  in the lead-up to the  Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol , virtually guaranteeing that Trump’s trial won’t start before Election Day.

Instead, the high court’s ruling sets the stage for hearings before U.S. District Judge  Tanya Chutkan  on what allegations in special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment should be considered official acts and, therefore, potentially immune from prosecution. Her ultimate decisions could then be subjected to further appeal, meaning that a Trump trial is unlikely to happen until well into 2025. If Trump wins in November, a trial is unlikely to happen at all.

Hillary Clinton says she joins Sotomayor in fear for democracy

Daniel Arkin

Hillary Clinton reacted to the Supreme Court's immunity ruling on X, writing that she agreed with the final line of Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissenting opinion: "With fear for our democracy, I dissent."

"It will be up to the American people this November to hold Donald Trump accountable," Clinton said.

Former Capitol Police officer says court 'stripped the guardrails of democracy'

Former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who was at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, was outside the Supreme Court for the decision today.

In a statement, he said, "The Supreme Court just further stripped the guardrails of democracy. It’s Absurd and dangerous."

He added: "The GOP and right wing leaning Supreme Court have gone rogue, detached from reality and abandoned the truth. If Biden invokes a mob and sends it to attack the Supreme Court/congress, would the GOP accept that or hold Biden accountable?"

Posting a picture on X of an article with the headline "The President Can Now Assassinate You, Officially," he also said, "The Supreme Court failed to recognize that they themselves could be targeted."

No word from McConnell or Thune today

Frank Thorp V producer and off-air reporter

Neither Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell nor Senate Minority Whip John Thune has issued a statement since the immunity ruling.

But notably, after McConnell voted to acquit Trump in his second impeachment trial, the Senate GOP leader said “former presidents are not immune from being held accountable” in both criminal and civil courts.

"In the language of today, President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office as an ordinary citizen unless the statute of limitations is run, still liable for everything he did while he was in office," he said. "He didn’t get away with anything yet. Yet. We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one."

Durbin says Alito and Thomas should have recused themselves from Trump immunity case

Kathryn Gilroy

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin condemned Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito for not recusing themselves from the Trump immunity case.

"It is disgraceful that Justice Thomas and Alito brazenly refused to recuse themselves from this case," Durbin said. "As I've said before, the appearance of impropriety or partiality require recusal. Until Chief Justice Roberts uses his existing authority to enact an enforceable code of conduct, I will continue to push to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act. "

Democrats had called for Alito to recuse himself from two Trump-related cases over two controversial flags that were flown outside his homes in Virginia and New Jersey. Calls for Thomas to recuse himself from the cases center on trips he took that were paid for by billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow and that he failed to disclose on his financial forms. Both justices declined to step aside.

Thomas has also for years faced criticism over the political activism of his wife, Ginni Thomas .

Thomas suggests he believes special counsel's appointment was illegal: 'A private citizen cannot criminally prosecute anyone'

In his concurrence, Justice Clarence Thomas weighs in on the question argued before Judge Aileen Cannon the other day: whether Jack Smith’s appointment was legal. Thomas strongly suggested he believes that it was not, in part because no law establishes the current office of special counsel.

"I write separately to highlight another way in which this prosecution may violate our constitutional structure," Thomas wrote. "In this case, the Attorney General purported to appoint a private citizen as Special Counsel to prosecute a former President on behalf of the United States. But, I am not sure that any office for the Special Counsel has been 'established by Law,' as the Constitution requires."

He added that "if there is no law establishing the office that the Special Counsel occupies, then he cannot proceed with this prosecution. A private citizen cannot criminally prosecute anyone, let alone a former President." 

Alina Habba says 'justices made the right decision'

Trump legal spokesperson Alina Habba said on Fox News that she thinks "that the justices made the right decision" and that the "American people think that these cases should have never existed."

Citing Nixon v. Fitzgerald, Habba said that "absolute immunity is important for all presidents. I’ve said it time and time again. I’ve argued on immunity for President Trump, and I think they did get right that they recognize absolute immunity exists."

She added: “It is a good day when court rest recognizes constitutional rights of presidents and the executive branch, but we should never have been in this situation to start with. This is a disgrace to America,” and “it’s election interference at its finest.”

Habba also said she doesn't "see how this case could go forward before the election."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she will seek to impeach justices

Elleiana Green Elleiana Green is a Digital Politics intern with NBC News

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said in a statement posted to X that today's Supreme Court ruling is an "assault on American democracy" and that she intends to file articles of impeachment.

"The Supreme Court has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control," she added.

She did not say which justices she intends to target — six voted with the majority.

The House is controlled by Republicans, meaning her effort is unlikely to get traction.

What the immunity decision would mean for evidence in Trump's federal election interference trial

Today’s decision sets out a lot of rules about what evidence can or cannot be used in Trump’s election interference trial, assuming we ever get there.

As part of today’s ruling, the court held if a certain allegation in the indictment is determined to be an “official act,” prosecutors cannot introduce “testimony or private records of the President probing the official act itself.”

However, the court has left a narrow path for prosecutors to show jurors evidence of official acts if, and only if, that evidence can be found in the public record. 

“But of course the prosecutor may point to the public record to show the fact that the President performed the official act,” Roberts writes. “And the prosecutor may admit evidence of what the President allegedly demanded, received, accepted, or agreed to receive or accept in return for being influenced in the performance of the act.”

So if there is a video of Trump speaking to the media or otherwise discussing any of the acts in the indictment — such as the call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn Biden's win — those statements could be introduced as evidence.

What prosecutors would not be able to do is put someone like Mark Meadows or another presidential adviser on the witness stand and have them tell jurors about their discussions with Trump. 

Speaker Mike Johnson calls ruling a 'victory'

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, said “today’s ruling by the Court is a victory for former President Trump and all future presidents, and another defeat for President Biden’s weaponized Department of Justice and Jack Smith.”

He adds in a statement: "The Court clearly stated that presidents are entitled to immunity for their official acts. This decision is based on the obviously unique power and position of the presidency, and comports with the Constitution and common sense. As President Trump has repeatedly said, the American people, not President Biden’s bureaucrats, will decide the November 5th election.”

What was it like inside the Supreme Court today?

Gary Grumbach

Rebecca Shabad

When Chief Justice John Roberts announced that he had the opinion in the Trump immunity case, nearly everyone in the courtroom gallery was on the edge of their seats.

All eight present justices (Justice Neil Gorsuch was absent today) were looking ahead into the gallery during the introduction of the opinion.

Roberts ticked through the various official duties of a president, including commanding the nation’s armed forces, to appoint judges — even on this court, he said — and to oversee international diplomacy.

“Not all the actions that the president takes are within the exclusive theater” of official duties, Roberts said, but the ones that are must be protected. “The president must be able to govern” without risk of prosecution or imprisonment, Roberts said. 

“No immunity,” Roberts said, “applies to the president’s unofficial conduct.” That line, however, is clearly where the justices in the majority stopped. “Drawing that decision can be difficult,” he said, lamenting that neither the district court nor appeals court provided guidance on how to distinguish between official and unofficial conduct.

Roberts listed seven reasons why the court made the decision it did, including what he called a lack of precedent, that the “issues are quite difficult,” and that lower courts did not provide the above guidance. 

Roberts then prebutted Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent, saying that the minority dissenters believe today’s decision will lead to “dire consequences.” If they did not make the decision they did today, Roberts said that “the end result would be an executive branch that cannibalizes itself.” 

“The president is not above the law,” Roberts said as he wrapped up his majority opinion read.  

During Sotomayor’s dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas seemed to have a hard time keeping his eyes open, and at times was leaning so far back in his chair, it appeared to be testing the limits of the chair’s flexibility. Roberts and Samuel Alito were reading along with Sotomayor, while Alito, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Brett Kavanaugh were looking into and around the gallery.

A “president’s use of any official power for any purpose, even the most corrupt purpose,” is now almost certain to be immune from prosecution, Sotomayor said. “The majority invents immunity through brute force.”

She then took the court through a few examples of actions she believes the president can now take, with this newfound-immunity. Order the Navy Seal Team Six to assassinate a political rival? “Immune. He’s the commander-in-chief,” she said with snark.

“With fear for our democracy, I along with the framers, dissent," she said.

Biden campaign fundraises off Supreme Court immunity ruling

Sahil Kapur

In a new fundraising email a few hours after the immunity ruling, the Biden campaign wrote to supporters: "If Trump wins again, he’ll be even more dangerous and unhinged because he knows the courts won’t hold him back."

The campaign wrote that the "Supreme Court just granted Donald Trump breathtaking immunity from prosecution," and added: "We cannot overstate how unprecedented this ruling is. One of the dissenting opinions states if the president '[o]rders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival' they will be 'Immune'" — quoting Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissent.

The email encouraged recipients to donate, providing links to do so.

Stefanik says immunity decision is a 'historic victory' for the rule of law

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. and a Trump vice president contender, said the president "must have immunity" in order for a presidency to "function properly" in a statement posted on X.

She added, "Today's Supreme Court decision is a historic victory for President Donald Trump, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the American people."

Hakeem Jeffries says SCOTUS set a "dangerous precedent"

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a press release that "no one, including the twice-impeached former President, should be above the law. The Constitution is sacredly obligatory upon all. That’s what makes America special. "

He adds "Today’s Supreme Court decision to grant legal immunity to a former President for crimes committed using his official power sets a dangerous precedent for the future of our nation. The Framers of the Constitution envisioned a democracy governed by the rule of law and the consent of the American people. They did not intend for our nation to be ruled by a king or monarch who could act with absolute impunity. House Democrats will engage in aggressive oversight and legislative activity with respect to the Supreme Court to ensure that the extreme, far-right justices in the majority are brought into compliance with the Constitution."

Judiciary Committee to "continue to oversee" the judicial system

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said on X that "the Judiciary Committee will continue to oversee dangerous lawfare tactics in our judicial system."

He added that "hyper-partisan prosecutors like Jack Smith cannot weaponize the rule of law to go after the Administration's chief political rival, and we hope that the Left will stop its attacks on President Trump and uphold democratic norms."

Pelosi says the Supreme Court has 'gone rogue' in it's immunity decision

In a press release , Rep. Nancy Pelosi said the Supreme Court's credibility has been "further diminished  in the eyes of all those who believe in the rule of law.”

The Supreme Court has "gone rogue" as the "claim of total presidential immunity is an insult to the vision of our founders, who declared independence from a King," she said.

Trump says all criminal and civil cases against him should now be dropped

Basking in a win at the Supreme Court, Trump said all of the cases against him should now be dropped, including a civil case that covered business practices from before he took office.

He continued to assert that Biden is behind the prosecutions he faces, a point he frequently makes with no evidence to back it up.

“Today’s Historic Decision by the Supreme Court should end all of Crooked Joe Biden’s Witch Hunts against me, including the New York Hoaxes — The Manhattan SCAM cooked up by Soros backed D.A., Alvin Bragg, Racist New York Attorney General Tish James’ shameless ATTACK on the amazing business that I have built, and the FAKE Bergdorf’s 'case,'" Trump wrote on his social media page Truth Social, adding in all capital letters: "Proud to be an American."

Trump allies praise immunity decision

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson responded on X, saying, "Today’s HISTORIC SCOTUS victory on presidential immunity has stopped Biden and the Department of 'Justice' from their attempt to twist the law in order to persecute his political opponents."

He added that "they know they can’t beat him at the ballot box so they tried to tie him up in their campaign of lawfare. Luckily, SCOTUS held the line against tyranny showing that America is still a country that upholds the rule of law.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., posted on X that "the Supreme Court isn't 'protecting Trump.' SCOTUS is simply ensuring the ruthless Biden admin follows the RULE OF LAW!"

Steve Bannon says ‘I’m proud of going to prison’ as he enters lockup

Summer Concepcion

Shortly before reporting to prison on a four-month sentence for defying congressional subpoenas, Bannon said his imprisonment makes him a “political prisoner” of Democrats.

“I’m a political prisoner of Nancy Pelosi. I’m a political prisoner of Merrick Garland. I’m a political prisoner of Joe Biden, the corrupt Biden establishment,” he said in remarks to reporters in front of the prison.

“It’s Nancy Pelosi and Merrick Garland that made me a martyr, right?” he continued. “But martyrs die, and I’m far from dead, baby.”

Bannon said he is “proud" to serve his prison sentence, arguing that he is standing up to “tyranny” by Democrats.

“I am proud to go to prison. If this is what it takes to stand up to tyranny, if this is what it takes to stand up to the Garland corrupt criminal DOJ, if this is what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, if this is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden, I’m proud to do it,” he said.

Bannon also decried Trump’s sentencing on all 34 courts in his hush money trial in New York on July 11, saying that his own four-month prison sentence is “nothing” compared to Trump’s “very sham trial.”

Sen. Blumenthal calls conservative justices ‘nakedly partisan hacks’ in immunity ruling

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the Supreme Court has “put lawbreaking presidents like Donald Trump above the law” in what he called a “cravenly political decision to shield President Trump” and delay his criminal trial.

In a statement, Blumenthal, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the ruling bestows “an unwise and unjust broad shield for him and other presidents who flout and flagrantly abuse their office.”

“This is a license for authoritarianism,” he said. “My stomach turns with fear and anger that our democracy can be so endangered by an out-of-control Court. The members of Court’s conservative majority will now be rightly perceived by the American people as extreme and nakedly partisan hacks — politicians in robes.”

Sen. Vance says decision may 'destroy all of Jack Smith's case'

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio and a Trump vice president contender, posted on X that the ruling was "a massive win, not just for Trump but the rule of law."

He continued saying, "I'm still digesting but this may well destroy all of Jack Smith's case against the president."

Justice Barrett says Trump still should stand trial

Alana Satlin

Justice Amy Coney Barrett issued a concurring opinion, agreeing with the majority that Trump has some immunity from prosecution but that the decision shouldn't get in the way of his standing trial.

"A President facing prosecution may challenge the constitutionality of a criminal statute as applied to official acts alleged in the indictment,” she said, noting that the court rejected Trump's broader immunity claims. “If that challenge fails, however, he must stand trial."

She also said she agreed with the dissent's opinion that immune conduct should still be allowed to be used as evidence in his trial.

"I appreciate the [majority's] concern that allowing into evidence official acts for which the President cannot be held criminally liable may prejudice the jury," but, "the Constitution does not require blinding juries to the circumstances surrounding conduct for which Presidents can be held liable."

Dissent says the president is 'now a king above the law'

Another scathing line from Sotomayor's dissent:

Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today. Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.

Steve Bannon arrives at Connecticut prison to begin sentence for defying congressional subpoenas

Vaughn Hillyard

Steve Bannon has arrived to report to prison at Danbury, Connecticut. Supporters standing outside of the prison chanted his name upon his arrival.

Bannon, an ally of Trump who has pushed his baseless claims of a rigged 2020 election, was sentenced to four months in prison for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the House Jan. 6 committee, which requested his testimony in its probe into the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

Bannon told NBC News that he is set to be released from prison Oct. 31, the week before the November presidential election.

Schumer says it's a 'sad day for our democracy'

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said "This is a sad day for America and a sad day for our democracy," in a statement posted to X.

A “disgraceful decision” by the Supreme Court, Schumer said the decision will allow the former President to “weaken our democracy by breaking the law.”

Schumer added, "Treason or incitement of an insurrection should not be considered a core constitutional power afforded to a president."

Donald Trump Jr. says ruling was 'solid'

Former President Donald Trumps oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., posted on Truth Social after the Supreme Court ruling.

"Solid SCOTUS ruling today. I'm sure the corrupt prosecutors and Dc judge will work overtime to continue their lawfare. It's all they have left."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says Supreme Court made the 'right decision'

Awaiting Steve Bannon's arrival at federal prison in Danbury, Conn., Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told NBC News that the Supreme Court made the "right decision" in Trump's immunity case. She also said special counsel Jack Smith should be "defunded."

Any official acts can't be used as evidence at trial

In writing his decision, Roberts made clear that anything the lower court determines to be an "official act" cannot be used as evidence in a criminal trial — meaning it's entirely off limits to prosecutors even if it would corroborate evidence deemed unofficial.

"Presidents cannot be indicted based on conduct for which they are immune from prosecution. On remand, the District Court must carefully analyze the indictment’s remaining allegations to determine whether they too involve conduct for which a President must be immune from prosecution," Roberts wrote. "And the parties and the District Court must ensure that sufficient allegations support the indictment’s charges without such conduct. Testimony or private records of the President or his advisers probing such conduct may not be admitted as evidence at trial."

Roberts argues liberal dissenters are having a 'disproportionate' reaction to immunity ruling

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing in his majority opinion, appeared to argue that the liberal justices overreacted to the court’s decision in their dissents.

"As for the dissents, they strike a tone of chilling doom that is wholly disproportionate to what the Court actually does today," Roberts wrote.

The three justices who make up the court's liberal bloc — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — all dissented from the court's majority opinion and argued that it created a dangerous new precedent for American presidents.

Sotomayor, for example, wrote that she lodged her dissent “with fear for our democracy."

In dissent, Jackson lays out process for determining whether president has immunity

In her dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared to run through the process by which the U.S. legal system could decide whether a president has immunity, based on the language of the majority opinion in Trump v. U.S.

"From the structure of the paradigm, it appears that the first decision point is whether the alleged criminal conduct involves one of the President’s 'core' powers," Jackson wrote. "If so (and apparently regardless of the degree to which the conduct implicates that core power), the President is absolutely immune from criminal liability for engaging in that criminal conduct. If not, then one must proceed to consider whether the conduct qualifies as an 'official' act or 'unofficial' act of that President."

"If the crime is an official act, the President is presumptively immune from criminal prosecution and punishment," Jackson added. "But even then, immunity still hinges on whether there is any legal or factual basis for concluding that the presumption of immunity has been rebutted. Alternatively, if the charged conduct is an unofficial act (a determination that, incidentally, courts must make without considering the President’s motivations, ante, at 18), the President is not immune."

Jackson argues immunity decision 'breaks new and dangerous ground'

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in her dissent, accused the conservative justices who wrote the majority opinion in Trump v. U.S. of breaking "new and dangerous ground," departing from what she characterized as a tradition of "individual accountability."

"With that understanding of how our system of accountability for criminal acts ordinarily functions, it becomes much easier to see that the majority’s ruling in this case breaks new and dangerous ground," Jackson wrote.

"Departing from the traditional model of individual accountability, the majority has concocted something entirely different: a Presidential accountability model that creates immunity — an exemption from criminal law— applicable only to the most powerful official in our Government," she added.

She goes on later in the dissent to say, "even a hypothetical President who admits to having ordered the assassinations of his political rivals or critics, or one who indisputably instigates an unsuccessful coup, has a fair shot at getting immunity under the majority’s new Presidential accountability model."

Trump praises immunity decision: 'Big win for our Constitution and democracy'

Minutes after the Supreme Court ruled that he has some immunity in his federal election case, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to tout the ruling.

"Big win for our Constitution and democracy. Proud to be an American!" Trump wrote in all caps.

In blistering dissent, Sotomayor says immunity decision 'reshapes' presidency

In an impassioned dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor blasted the court's majority decision in Trump v. U.S., writing in part that the opinion permanently changes the nature of the American presidency.

"Today’s decision to grant former Presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the Presidency," Sotomayor wrote. "It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of Government, that no man is above the law. Relying on little more than its own misguided wisdom about the need for 'bold and unhesitating action' by the President, ante, at 3, 13, the Court gives former President Trump all the immunity he asked for and more."

"Because our Constitution does not shield a former President from answering for criminal and treasonous acts, I dissent," Sotomayor added.

She added in her opinion, “The indictment paints a stark portrait of a President desperate to stay in power.”

Biden campaign says immunity ruling doesn't change what happened on Jan. 6

Gabe Gutierrez

A senior Biden campaign adviser said that today's ruling "doesn't change the facts" about what happened on Jan. 6, 2021.

"Donald Trump snapped after he lost the 2020 election and encouraged a mob to overthrow the results of a free and fair election," the adviser said. "Trump is already running for president as a convicted felon for the very same reason he sat idly by while the mob violently attacked the Capitol: he thinks he’s above the law and is willing to do anything to gain and hold onto power for himself."

The adviser said that Trump "has only grown more unhinged" since Jan. 6.

“He’s promising to be a dictator ‘on day one,’ calling for our Constitution to be ‘terminated’ so he can regain power, and promising a “bloodbath” if he loses," the adviser said. "The American people already rejected Donald Trump’s self-obsessed quest for power once — Joe Biden will make sure they reject it for good in November.”

It's a complicated decision

This isn't like some Supreme Court decisions we see come down where it is immediately clear what the outcome will mean.

There will be a lot of reading and explaining before the whole scope of the decision is clear.

Supreme Court rules Trump has some immunity in federal election interference case, further delaying trial

Reporting from the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Donald Trump has immunity for some of his alleged conduct as president in his federal election interference case but maybe not for other actions, adding another obstacle to a trial taking place.

In a novel and potentially consequential case on the limits of presidential power, the justices rejected Trump’s broad claim of immunity, meaning the charges will not be dismissed, but said some actions closely related to his core duties as president are off-limits to prosecutors.

Read more about the decision here.

Roberts wrote the Trump immunity decision

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority decision in the Trump immunity ruling.

It's a complicated ruling — attempting to draw a line between official and unofficial acts.

"This case poses a question of lasting significance: When may a former President be prosecuted for official acts taken during his Presidency? In answering that question, unlike the political branches and the public at large, the Court cannot afford to fixate exclusively, or even primarily, on present exigencies. Enduring separation of powers principles guide our decision in this case. The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law. But under our system of separated powers, the President may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for his official acts. That immunity applies equally to all occupants of the Oval Office," Roberts wrote.

Protesters outside Supreme Court

Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court ahead of a decision on Trump’s claim of immunity from criminal prosecution.

Second decision is Moody v. NetChoice

The second decision of the day, announced just after 10:20 a.m. ET, is a ruling in Moody v. NetChoice. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the majority opinion, which was 9-0.

“Our unanimous agreement regarding NetChoice’s failure to show that a sufficient number of its members engage in constitutionally protected expression prevents us from accepting NetChoice’s argument regarding these provisions. In the lower courts, NetChoice did not even try to show how these disclosure provisions chill each platform’s speech," Kagan wrote.

Without explanation, Trump says immunity decision could have a 'bigger impact' on Biden than him

Jake Traylor

In a pretaped interview with radio host John Fredericks that aired this morning, Trump said he thinks the immunity ruling will have "a bigger impact on Joe Biden" than himself.

“You know, the immunity statement that’s coming out, they say on Sunday, on Monday, that is going to be very interesting to see what happens, but I think it has a bigger impact on Joe Biden than it has on me, actually,” Trump said, without explaining. 

Trump has suggested that if he returns to office, he could prosecute Biden or other political foes.

Asked what he thinks will happen at his hush money sentencing hearing next week, Trump said he believes “there should be no sentence.” He was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records and faces a range of possible sentences, including probation, a fine or prison time.

Trump also spoke about Biden staying in the race and said people are saying they “can’t get him out” but could maybe use the 25th amendment if necessary.  

First decision is Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

The first decision released just after 10 a.m. is Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. It's a 6-3 decision written by Justice Barrett.

As expected, there are two boxes of decisions

There are two boxes of decisions in the Supreme Court press room, which was expected.

The Supreme Court’s decision to rule in favor of a Jan. 6 rioter could be seen as a win for former Donald Trump’s base, but it may have the opposite effect on independent voters in battleground states. NBC News’ Kristen Welker and Danny Cevallos analyze the implications on the 2024 election.

Today's decisions expected soon

It's 10 a.m. ET, which means today's Supreme Court rulings will start coming in shortly. We're expecting three decisions today, including an opinion in the high-stakes Trump immunity case.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi urges Supreme Court to rule against Trump in immunity claim

Alexandra Marquez

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said she hoped the court would rule against Trump’s claim of immunity, telling MSNBC’s Jen Psaki, “If the court tomorrow says that the former president is above the law, they will have done a grave disservice to justice in our country.”

She added, “Let us hope that they ... show us some allegiance to their oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and that just because you’re president doesn’t mean you’re immune from prosecution if you break the law.” 

Where does Trump's election interference case stand?

Megan Lebowitz

Trump's election interference trial could be delayed until after the November election, depending on how the justices rule this morning.

The Supreme Court could send the case to a lower court for decisions about which of Trump's actions could be considered official acts, which would further delay the case.

If a trial is delayed until after the election and Trump is re-elected, there are questions about whether he would pardon himself.

How an appeals court ruled on Trump's immunity

A federal appeals court in February ruled against Trump's argument that he was immune from prosecution for alleged acts while president.

The court noted that "former President Trump has become citizen Trump," dismissing Trump's assertion that former presidents have immunity.

"But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution," the appeals court said.

Supreme Court set to rule on Trump immunity in election interference case

The Supreme Court on Monday is expected to issue its long-anticipated ruling on whether former President Donald Trump can claim immunity from prosecution for at least some of his actions in seeking to overturn the 2020 election.

Chief Justice John Roberts announced Friday that Monday would be the last day of rulings in the current nine-month court term, with the Trump case one of four yet to be decided.

The rulings will be issued one by one, starting at 10 a.m., with the Trump case likely to be the last.

The court has already faced fierce criticism from the left — both for hearing the Trump case in the first place, thereby preventing a trial from taking place in March, and for taking so long to decide it, making it difficult if not impossible for a trial to begin before the election.

Trump faces a four-count indictment for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, in which a mob of his supporters sought to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election.

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Usher BET Awards Acceptance Speech Muted After He Starts Cursing

Usher curse-filled bet awards speech censored ... rips absentee fathers.

12:23 PM PT -- BET is blaming an "audio malfunction" for Usher 's muted speech and ponied up an apology via The Hollywood Reporter .

Usher got deep reliving hardships of his life and career during the 2024 BET Awards -- but the TV audience missed much of his Lifetime Achievement speech, because he made the censors work overtime!!!

#BETAwards Two years in a row but this time during the legendary Usher’s speech. Whoever is in charge of sound -never again. This was a cultural moment and we missed 99% of it. We catching him at the end of his speech. 🥴😒 https://t.co/nwP7eIWaLH pic.twitter.com/ltMp5VYW2E — 🖤✊🏾 (@Missssssbeeee) July 1, 2024 @Missssssbeeee

Fans posted their frustration on social media and it was clear why they were upset -- BET was forced to mute big chunks of his speech, due to Usher dropping some colorful language.

It started harmlessly enough, Usher credited the team who joined him onstage -- L.A. Reid , Jermaine Dupri , Bryan-Michael Cox , etc. -- as being fatherly figures in his life.

But, then Usher laid into his late father -- Usher Raymond III -- for giving him his name, but not much else and thanked his mother for taking on both roles.

He told the audience, "You have to have a forgiving heart in order to understand the true pitfalls and hardships of a Black man in America."

The R&B megastar called on all Black fathers to step up and also pledged his support for newly minted teammates LeBron James and his son Bronny .

His choice to drop several f-bombs in the opening lines of his speech, forced BET's hand to play it safe and avoid any potential fines.

Usher's brash language came shortly after his mega tribute starring Childish Gambino , Teyana Taylor , Keke Palmer , Victoria Monet , Chlöe , Coco Jones , Tinashe , Marsha Ambrosius and Latto performing a melody of his hit records.

He earned the right to pop his s**t!!!

Originally Published -- 8:40 AM PT

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English Notes

English notes latest questions, the teacher said to me, “how old are you” change into indirect speech.

Indirect Speech: The teacher asked me how old I was.

Explanation: When the reporting verb is in the past (said) and the direct speech is in the present indefinite tense (simple present tense), then the indirect (reported) speech will change into the past indefinite tense.

Present Indefinite Tense > Past Indefinite Tense.

And if the sentence is interrogative, we use the reporting verbs – asked, enquired, etc.

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