Statement Clauses
Changing statements to reported speech
Quoted vs. Reported Statements
| QUOTED STATEMENT | REPORTED STATEMENT |
|---|---|
Use a word such as said to restate something someone says. |
|
| She said, "It's raining here." |
She said that it was raining there. |
She said, "It was raining here, but it's not now." |
She said that it had been raining there, but it wasn't now. |
She said, "I'll meet you at this cafe tomorrow." |
She said that she would meet me at that cafe the next day. |
She said, "That umbrella is mine." |
She said that that umbrella was hers. |
Related page: Said Synonyms
Sentence Transformation
| CHANGES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | EMBEDDED STATEMENT | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Remove comma and quotes. |
My friend said, |
"It's raining here." |
2 |
Optionally add the relative pronoun that. |
My friend said (that) |
it is raining here. |
3 |
Adjust point of view to the speaker's:
|
My friend said |
it was raining there. |
Complex Sentence Transformation
| CHANGES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | EMBEDDED STATEMENT | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Remove comma and quotes. |
My friend said, |
"I'll meet you at this cafe tomorrow." |
2 |
Optionally add the relative pronoun that. |
My friend said (that) |
I'll meet you at this cafe tomorrow. |
3 |
Adjust point of view to the speaker's:
|
My friend said |
she would meet me at that cafe the next day. |
Synonyms
| SYNONYM | MEANING | SENTENCE |
|---|---|---|
say |
to utter words |
She said that was a good place to eat. |
state |
to say something (systematically) |
She stated she did not like politics. |
declare |
to say publicly |
She declared she was a citizen of the U.S. |
claim |
to say (take a firm position) |
She claimed she was not transporting food or drugs. |
announce |
to say publicly |
She announced she was getting married. |
Also see: Other words for said
Tense Agreement
Contrasting Same-time and Earlier Events
Same-time vs. Earlier-time Tense Agreement
| SAME –TIME EVENT | EARLIER EVENT |
|---|---|
Change the verb in the clause to the same time frame (tense) as the time of speaking to indicate same-time activities or events. |
Shift the verb to an earlier time frame (past perfect) to contrast the time of speaking to an earlier activity or event. |
She said that she saw me (while she was talking on her phone.) |
She said that she had seen me. (earlier that day) |
He announced he was resigning as CEO of the company. (during the event) |
He announced he had resigned as CEO of the company. (earlier that week) |
They declared they were Canadian citizens. (a permanent or general truth) |
They declared they had been Canadian citizens. (They no longer are Canadian citizens.) |
I claimed I was the winner. (during the event) |
I claimed I had been the winner. (at an earlier event) |
Related pages: Tense Adjustment | Formal vs. Informal Agreement
Advanced Point
Expressions
| EXPRESSION | REPORTED SPEECH |
|---|---|
Expressions are often "frozen". (An expression is two or more words that together take on a new meaning.) For this reason, it sounds awkward when tense, number or a pronoun is changed. |
When changing an expression to reported speech any change to tense, number or pronoun returns the phrase to its literal (word for word) meaning. It is often best to restate the expression in other words. |
"You are pulling my leg!" |
She said that we were joking. |
"You can't pull the wool over my eyes." |
He announced that we couldn't fool him. |
"Here it is." |
He shouted that he had found it. |
Practice
On the Road
- Change the direct quote to Statements.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.