Class 10 / English
Class 10 English Reported Speech Notes
Focused notes on reporting statements, questions, commands, requests, tense shifts, and pronoun changes.
Topic introduction
Reported Speech changes a speaker's exact words into a reported form. Students must adjust tense, pronouns, time expressions, word order, and reporting verbs according to the sentence type.
Key points
- Change pronouns according to the speaker, listener, and context.
- Questions use statement word order after the reporting verb.
- Commands and requests are often reported with to plus verb.
Definitions
Direct speech: The exact words spoken by a person, usually written inside quotation marks.
Reported speech: A way of reporting what someone said without using the exact words.
Reporting verb: The verb that introduces the reported statement, such as said, asked, requested, or advised.
Backshift: The tense change that often happens when reporting past speech.
Examples
- Direct: She said, 'I am ready.' Reported: She said that she was ready.
- Direct: He asked, 'Are you coming?' Reported: He asked whether I was coming.
- Direct: The teacher said, 'Submit your work.' Reported: The teacher instructed the students to submit their work.
Statements and tense shifts
When the reporting verb is in the past, present tense often changes to past tense and present perfect often changes to past perfect.
Universal truths and facts may remain unchanged if the meaning is still current.
Questions and commands
Yes-no questions are reported using if or whether. Wh-questions keep the question word but use statement word order.
Commands, requests, and advice often use reporting verbs such as ordered, requested, advised, warned, or instructed.
Common mistakes
- Keeping question word order after asked, such as 'asked where was he going'.
- Forgetting to change pronouns according to the speaker and listener.
- Using that after asked in yes-no questions instead of if or whether.
- Changing universal truths unnecessarily.
- Using said to for statements incorrectly when the receiver is not mentioned.
Quick practice
- Report two yes-no questions using whether.
- Convert two commands using requested or instructed.
- Check pronoun changes in a short dialogue.
Related practice
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