REPORTED SPEECH (INDIRECT SPEECH)

Reported speech is also called indirect speech. Reported speech refers to using a noun clause to report what someone has said. No quotation marks are used. Notice the changes in the verb forms from quoted speech to reported speech in the following examples.

NO	QUOTED SPEECH	REPORTED SPEECH
1	She said, "i watch TV every day."	She said (that) she watched TV every day.
2	She said, "i am watching TV."	She said she was watching TV.
3	She said, "i have watched TV."	She said she had watched TV.
4	She said, "watched TV."	She said she had watched TV.
5	She said, "i will watch TV."	She said she would watch TV.
6	She said, "i am going to watch TV."	She said she was going to watch TV.
7	She said, "i can watch TV."	She said she could watch TV.
8	She said, "i may watch TV."	She said she might watch TV.
9	She said, "i might watch TV."	She said she might watch TV.
10	She said, "i must watch TV."	She said she had watched TV.