CEFR B2 · 5 min
My best manager at Merivale never gave direct orders. He said things like: ‘I was wondering if you might have thought about checking the private dining room.’ Reported to a colleague later: ‘He suggested I check the private dining room.’ That gap — between what was said and how we report it — is where grammar and social intelligence meet.
Today's focus: Reported speech: tense backshift; said/told/asked; reporting verbs
Tense backshift (move one step back):
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| am/is/are | was/were |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| past simple | past perfect (had done) |
Said vs told: say (+ that) / tell (+ person + that): ‘He said he was tired.’ / ‘He told me he was tired.’
Examples in context
Try it — click to reveal the answer
▶ Report this: ‘I will call you tomorrow.’ (She said…)
Time expressions also change in reported speech: ‘today’ → ‘that day’; ‘yesterday’ → ‘the day before’.
▶ Which is correct? (a) ‘He said me he was tired.’ (b) ‘He told me he was tired.’ (c) ‘He told that he was tired.’
‘He said he was tired’ ✓ (no object). ‘He told me he was tired’ ✓ (with object). ‘He said me…’ ✗.
▶ What reporting verb fits? ‘Don’t touch the wine glasses.’ (The sommelier _____ us not to touch them.)
‘Warn’ carries a sense of danger or consequence. ‘Tell’ is neutral. ‘Instruct’ is formal.
Move tenses one step back in reported speech. Use said (that) without an object, told + person with one. Choose your reporting verb carefully — it carries the speaker’s tone.
Independent project; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification. Cambridge CELTA course completed — 120 supervised teaching hours and four written assignments validated to the required standard.