Reported Speech and Indirect Questions

Reported (indirect) speech — telling someone what another person said — appears constantly at work and in CLB writing/speaking ("She said that…", "He asked whether…"). It involves a few systematic changes that, once learned, become automatic.

1. The Tense Backshift

When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told, asked), the reported verb usually moves one tense "back":

Exception: if the statement is still true or a general fact, backshift is optional: "She said she lives in Calgary" is fine.

2. Pronoun, Time, and Place Shifts

Words tied to the original speaker and moment also change:

• Pronouns: "I" → "she/he"; "my" → "her/his"; "we" → "they".
• Time: now → then; today → that day; tomorrow → the next day; yesterday → the day before; ago → before.
• Place/this: here → there; this → that; these → those.

Example: "I’ll see you here tomorrow." → He said he would see me there the next day.

3. Reporting Questions — Two Key Changes

This is where even advanced learners slip. When you report a question:

1. Use statement word order — no inversion, no auxiliary "do".
2. Use "if/whether" for yes/no questions; keep the question word for wh-questions.

Common error: ✗ "She asked where did I live." → ✓ "She asked where I lived."

4. Indirect Questions for Politeness

The same word-order rule makes requests more polite — very useful in Canada:

• Direct: "Where is the washroom?"
• Polite indirect: "Could you tell me where the washroom is?" (statement order, not "where is the washroom")
• "Do you know if the bank is open?" (not "is the bank open")

5. say vs tell

• tell needs a person object: "He told me that…"
• say does not: "He said that…" (not "He said me").
• For commands/requests, use tell/ask + object + to + verb: "She told him to wait." "He asked me not to be late."

How to Master It

Do not memorise the shift table cold. Take real things people actually said to you today and report them aloud: backshift the tense, shift the pronouns/time, fix question order. Reporting genuine messages — with feedback on word order — builds the skill far faster than transformation drills.

Bottom Line

Reported speech is systematic: backshift the tense (unless still true), shift pronouns/time/place, and — the part most learners miss — use statement word order with if/whether for reported and indirect questions. Master it and you gain both an accuracy boost and a polite, professional register.