Reported Speech: Statements

What Is It?

Reported Speech: Statements refers to indirect reporting of what someone said.

B1-B2 reference topic in Reported Speech.

Why Use It?

Report messages without quotation marks.
Shift pronouns, time words, and tense when needed.
Use reporting verbs such as said and told.

Formation and Patterns

Use	Pattern	Example
Basic report	`said (that) + clause`	She said that she was ready.
With listener	`told + person + clause`	He told me he had finished.
No backshift needed	`present report + same tense`	She says she is ready.

Common Mistakes

Using told without a person.
Backshifting when the information is still clearly true and the reporting verb is present.
Forgetting to change I, you, here, and today from the original context.

Exceptions & Nuances

That is often optional after say and tell, but it can make long reports clearer.