Reported Speech — What They Actually Said
Reported Speech — What They Actually Said
Hospitality runs on reported speech. A guest says “The air conditioning is broken”, and by the time it reaches the technician it has changed tense twice and gained a “he said”. The telephone game, professionally.
Reported speech is simple once you see the machinery: everything takes one step back in time. Is → was, will → would, can → could. Say, tell, ask — three verbs run the whole system.
🎯 Language Focus
| Direct | Reported | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Present → past | “I am tired” → he said he was tired | am/is → was |
| will → would | “I’ll fix it” → she said she would fix it | promises report well |
| can → could | “I can come” → he said he could come | ability steps back |
| Past → past perfect | “I saw it” → she said she had seen it | two steps back |
| say vs tell | say (to me) / tell me | “tell” needs a person |
| ask | asked if / asked me to | “She asked if I was ok.” |
✏️ Quick Practice — Try It, Then Check
1. Report: “I am busy.” (he said)
2. Report: “I will call you.” (she said)
3. “He said me hello.” — right or wrong?
4. “Can” in reported speech?
5. Report the question: “Are you ok?” (she asked)
6. “I have finished” → reported?
7. Tell + who? “She told ___ to wait.”
8. Report this: “I don’t speak French well.”
🗣️ Your Turn (60 seconds)
Remember three things people actually said to you this week. Report them out loud with said/told/asked — one step back in every verb.
💡 Your 5-Minute Takeaway
Everything steps back: am→was, will→would, can→could, past→past perfect. say (to someone), tell someone, ask if. Three verbs, one direction: backwards.
Independent educational resource. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification. Grammar reference: Swan, Practical English Usage. Frameworks: PPP, TBLT, ESA (standard ELT methodology).