reported speech what does it mean

When turning direct speech into reported speech, we may have to change all or some of the following:

• the pronouns
• information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page)
• the tense (backshift)

If the reporting verb is in the simple past (e.g. said, told, asked, replied … ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table below). This is known as backshifting .

The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.

If the reporting verb is in the simple present (e.g. says, tells, asks, replies … ), then the tense remains unchanged.

While the tense remains unchanged, we often still have to change the verb form to match the new pronouns.

that after a reporting verb

We often omit the word that after a reporting verb, especially in spoken language and informal contexts.

When turning questions into reported speech, we follow the same rules as for declarative sentences: we change the pronouns as well as the time and place markers and backshift the tense as needed.

In addition, we also have to bear in mind the following:

• instead of that , we use a question word after the reporting verb; if there is no question word, we use whether / if instead
• questions in reported speech follow declarative sentence word order (subject + verb)
• we don’t use the auxiliary verb do/did for questions in reported speech; instead, the main verb appears in the simple past without an auxiliary verb
• put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions.

Questions in reported speech do not end in a question mark.

When turning orders, demands and requests into reported speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information.

We don’t have to pay attention to the tense – we simply use an infinitive rather than a conjugated verb.

If the imperative is negated, then we use not + infinitive .

To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive .

say vs. tell

The words say and tell are not interchangeable.

• say = say something
• tell = say something to someone

Head over to the vocabulary section to learn more about the difference between say and tell .

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Table of Contents

Direct speech and reported speech

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) gives the meaning of what someone said, not the exact words, while direct speech gives the exact words of the speaker, enclosed in quotation marks (or inverted commas.

With reported speech, we do not use quotation marks.

We use that  to connect the introduction with the reported words. Using the connecting word that  is optional.

• Direct: I am going to help you,” he said.
• Reported: He said (that) he was going to help us.

Introductory verbs

There are certain verbs that we use to introduce reported speech. Here are the most common of them. (More introductory verbs with examples are given below.)

1. say / said

• Direct: “I need a break,” she said.
• Reported: She said (that) she needed a break.

2. tell / told

• Direct: “I need a break,” she said to me.
• Reported: She told me (that) she needed a break.

3. ask / asked

• Direct: “Are you ready?” she asked  me.
• Reported: She asked me if I was ready.

Note: Unlike told and asked , with the verb said ,  we do not mention the person to whom the words were said.

Change of verb tenses 

Because speech is often reported after it was said, verb tenses in the original statements change.

Here is a summary of tense changes with examples

When not to change verb tenses?

If the speech is reported immediately , the tense does not change. 

• Direct: “It is hot these days,” she said.
• Reported: She said it is hot these days.

If the introductory verb used is in the present simple, future simple or present perfect , we do not change verb tense.

• Direct: “This information is confidential.”
• Reported: She says this information is confidential.
• Reported: She has said this information is confidential.
• Reported: She will say this information is confidential.

In addition, tense does not change when we talk about general truths, permanent states, and conditions .

• Direct: He said, “Earth travels around the sun. ” 
• Reported: He said Earth travels around the sun.

We do not change verb tense when we report wishes, preferences, and unreal past.

• Direct: He said, “I wish I could fly. ” 
• Reported: He said he wishes he could fly.

⇔  Try this quiz on reporting statements.

How to report imperatives

To report imperative verbs (commands, requests, suggestions), we use an infinitive verb and we use tell / told or ask / asked , but not say / said. 

Other verbs that can be used to report imperatives are: a dvise, order, beg, etc.

• Direct: “ Open the door.” 
• Reported: He told me to open the door.
• Direct: “Will you pass the salt, please?” 
• Reported: He asked me to pass the salt.
• Direct: “ Forgive my son, please.” 
• Reported: He begged me to forgive his son.

To report a negative imperative, we use not to infinitive .

• Direct: “ Don’t open this document.” 
• Reported: He ordered them not to open that document.

With the verb suggest, we use that-clause or verb-ing.

• Direct: “I suggest that you go to the doctor.” 
• Reported: He suggested that I (should) go to the doctor.
• Direct: “I suggest that you take a home remedy.” 
• Reported: He suggested taking a home remedy.

⇔  Take a quiz on how to report imperatives.

How to report questions

When we report questions we change the helping verb-subject order to subject-helping verb/verb .

We follow the same rules of tense changes.

Yes/No questions

We use if or whether to connect the introduction with reported words.

• Direct: “ Are you tired?” 
• Reported: He asked me if I was tired.
• Direct: “ Does she   eat tuna fish?” 
• Reported: He asked me if she ate tuna fish.
• Direct: “ Did they arrive ?” 
• Reported: He asked me if they had arrived .
• Direct: “ Has she resigned ?” 
• Reported: He asked me whether she had resigned or not.

Wh-questions

• Direct: “What are you doing ?” 
• Reported: He wanted to know what I was doing .
• Direct: “When will they arrive ?” 
• Reported: He wanted to know when they would arrive.
• Direct: “What has she eaten ?” 
• Reported: He wanted to know what she had eaten.
• Direct: “When do they wake up ?” 
• Reported: He wanted to know when they woke up .
• Direct: “Why did they leave early?” 
• Reported: He wanted to know why they had left early.

⇔  Take a quiz on how to report questions.

Change of time expressions

Because the time of reported speech is later than that of direct speech, time reference will be different. As a result, time expressions in reported speech change according to the context.

This is a table of the most common time expressions and how they change.

Special introductory verbs

Sometimes we use verbs other than say , tell , ask to introduce reported speech. We need to choose an appropriate reporting verb  because each verb expresses how the reporting person interprets the speech.  Here are some of these verbs with examples.

advise somebody to infinitive

• “ You should visit the doctor.”
• She advised me to visit a doctor.

accuse somebody of verb-ing

• “ You spoiled my plan.”
• She accused me of spoiling her plan.

admit verb-ing

• “ I broke the screen.”
• She admitted breaking the screen.

apologize for + verb-ing

• “ I apologize for breaking the screen.”
• She apologized for breaking the screen.
• “ I was the one who developed the app.”
• She boasted that she had developed the app.
• “ I fixed the errors in the program.”
• She claimed that she had fixed the errors in the program.

complain that

• “ The place is not clean.”
• She complained that the place was not clean.

demand that

• “Pull down the curtains immediately.”
• She demanded that I should pull down the curtains immediately.

deny verb-ing

• “ I didn’t use your laptop.”
• She denied using (or having used) my laptop.

encourage somebody to infinitive

• “ You should read more about the topic.”
• She encouraged me to read more about the topic.

inform somebody that

• “ The parental meeting will be tomorrow.”
• She informed us that the parental meeting would be the following day.

insist that

• “ You have to pay immediately.”
• She insisted that I had to pay immediately.

refuse to infinitive

• “ I won’t let you use my car.”
• She refused to lend me her car.

remind somebody to

• “ Remember to switch off the lights.”
• She reminded me to switch off the lights.
• “ Our company ranking has improved.”
• The manager stated that the company ranking had improved.

threaten to infinitive

• “ If you keep annoying me, I will tell the teacher.”
• She threatened to tell the teacher if he kept annoying her.

suggest verb-ing

• “ Why don’t you try the new software?”
• She suggested trying the new software.

warn somebody to infinitive

• “ Don’t throw the ball.”
• She warned him not to throw the ball.

More resources on the Site:

Reported Speech (Statements) Quiz

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StoryLearning

Learn A Language Through Stories

A Comprehensive Guide To Reported Speech In English

There are times when someone tells you something and you’ll have to report what they said to someone else.

How can you do this in English?

You’ll need to know how to use what's called reported speech in English and this is what you’ll learn in this blog post.

What Is Reported Speech In English?

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of retelling what someone else has said without repeating their exact words. 

For example, let’s say you have a friend called Jon and one called Mary. Mary has organised a house party and has invited you and Jon. 

Jon, however, is not feeling well. He says to you, “Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today.” 

A few days after the party, you meet Sarah. She’s another one of your friends and she was at the party too, but she arrived late – a moment before you left. You only had time to say hello to each other. 

She asks you, “I saw you at the party but I didn’t see Jon. Where was he?”

When Sarah asks you, “Where was Jon?” you can say, 

“Jon said, ‘Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today’.”

However, it would be more natural to use indirect speech in this case. So you would say, “Jon said he couldn’t come to the party. He had spent all day working outside under the rain and he felt ill that day .” 

Did you notice how the sentence changes in reported speech?

Here’s what happened:

• “I” became “he”
• “Cannot” became “couldn’t”
• “Spent” became “had spent”
• “I feel ill today” became “he felt ill on that day” 

Let’s take a closer look at how we form reported speech.

How To Form Reported Speech In English

To form reported speech, you might have to make a few changes to the original sentence that was spoken (or written). 

You may have to change pronouns, verb tenses, place and time expressions and, in the case of questions, the word order.

There are certain patterns to learn for reporting promises, agreements, orders, offers, requests, advice and suggestions.

Let’s have a look at all these cases one by one.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Verb Tenses

In general, when we use reported speech, the present tenses become past tenses.  

We do this because we are often reporting someone else’s words at a different time (Jon’s words were spoken 3 days before you reported them to Sarah).

Here’s an example:

Jenny (on Saturday evening) says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”(present tenses)

Matt (on Sunday morning) talks to James and says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home. (past tenses)

So this is how different verb tenses change:

Simple Present → Simple Past

DIRECT: I need money.

INDIRECT: She said she needed money.

Present Progressive → Past Progressive

DIRECT: My French is improving.

INDIRECT: He said his French was improving.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

DIRECT: This has been an amazing holiday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it had been an amazing holiday.

What if there is a past simple form of the verb in direct speech? Well, in this case, it can stay the same in reported speech or you can change it to past perfect .

Past Simple → Past Simple Or Past Perfect

DIRECT: I didn’t go to work.

INDIRECT: Mary said that she didn’t go to work / Mary said that she hadn’t gone to work 

Past Perfect Tenses Do Not Change

DIRECT: I arrived late because I had missed the bus.

INDIRECT: He said he arrived (or had arrived) late because he had missed the bus.

Modal verbs like “can,” “may,” and “will” also change in reported speech.

Will → Would

DIRECT: The exam will be difficult.

INDIRECT: They said that the exam would be difficult.

Can → Could

DIRECT: I can’t be there.

INDIRECT: He told me he couldn’t be there.

May → Might

DIRECT: We may go there another time.

INDIRECT: They said they might go there another time.

However, past modal verbs don’t change (would, must, could, should, etc.) don’t change in reported speech.

DIRECT: It would be nice if we could go to Paris.

INDIRECT: He said it would be nice if we could go to Paris.

Here are some other examples:

So, in summary, 

• am/is → were
• do/does → did
• have/has → had
• had done → had done
• will → would
• can → could
• may → might
• could → could
• would → would
• like/love/buy/see → liked/loved/bought/saw or had liked/ had loved/had bought/had seen.

You make these verb tense shifts when you report the original words at a different time from when they were spoken. However, it is often also possible to keep the original speaker’s tenses when the situation is still the same.

For example, 

1. DIRECT: I am feeling sick.

   INDIRECT: She said she is feeling sick.

2. DIRECT: We have to leave now.

   INDIRECT: They said they have to leave now.

3. DIRECT: I will call you later.

   INDIRECT: He said he will call me later.

4. DIRECT: She is not coming to the party.

   INDIRECT: He said she is not coming to the party.

5. DIRECT: They are working on a new project.

   INDIRECT: She said they are working on a new project.

What about conditional sentences? How do they change in reported speech?

Sentences with “if” and “would” are usually unchanged.

DIRECT: It would be best if we went there early.

INDIRECT: He said it would be best if they went there early.

But conditional sentences used to describe unreal situations (e.g. second conditional or third conditional sentences) can change like this:

DIRECT: If I had more money I would buy a new car.

INDIRECT: She said if she had had more money, she would have bought a new car OR She said if she had more money, she would buy a new car.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Pronouns

In reported speech, because you’re reporting someone else’s words, there’s a change of speaker so this may mean a change of pronoun.

An example:

Jenny says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”

Matt says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home.” 

In this example, Jenny says “I” to refer to herself but Matt, talking about what Jenny said, uses “she”.

So the sentence in reported speech becomes:

• Jenny said that she didn’t like . . . ( not Jenny said that I didn’t like . . .)

Some other examples:

1 . DIRECT: I have been studying for hours.

   INDIRECT: He said he had been studying for hours.

2. DIRECT: I don’t like that movie.

   INDIRECT: She said she didn’t like that movie.

3. DIRECT: He doesn't like coffee.

   INDIRECT: She said he doesn't like coffee.

4. DIRECT: We have a new car.

   INDIRECT: They told me they had a new car.

5. DIRECT: We are going on vacation next week.

    INDIRECT: They said they are going on vacation next week.

Reported Speech In English: Place And Time Expressions

When you’re reporting someone’s words, there is often a change of place and time.  This may mean that you will need to change or remove words that are used to refer to places and time like “here,” “this,” “now,” “today,” “next,” “last,” “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” and so on. 

Check the differences in the following sentences:

DIRECT: I'll be back next month.

INDIRECT: She said she would be back the next month , but I never saw her again.

DIRECT: Emma got her degree last Tuesday.

INDIRECT: He said Emma had got her degree the Tuesday before.

DIRECT: I had an argument with my mother-in-law yesterday .

INDIRECT: He said he’d had an argument with his mother-in-law the day before .

DIRECT: We're going to have an amazing party tomorrow.

INDIRECT: They said they were going to have an amazing party the next day.

DIRECT: Meet me here at 10 am.

INDIRECT: He told me to meet him there at 10 am.

DIRECT: This restaurant is really good.

INDIRECT: She said that the restaurant was really good.

DIRECT: I'm going to the gym now.

INDIRECT: He said he was going to the gym at that time.

DIRECT: Today is my birthday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it was her birthday that day .

DIRECT: I'm leaving for Europe next week.

INDIRECT: She said she was leaving for Europe the following week.

Reported Speech In English: Word Order In Questions

What if you have to report a question? For example, how would you report the following questions?

• Where’s Mark?
• When are you going to visit your grandmother?
• What do I need to buy for the celebration?
• Where are your best friend and his wife staying?
• Do you like coffee?
• Can you sing?
• Who’s your best friend?
• What time do you usually wake up?
• What would you do if you won the lottery?
• Do you ever read nonfiction books?

In reported questions, the subject normally comes before the verb and auxiliary “do” is not used.

So, here is what happens when you're reporting a question:

DIRECT: Where’s Mark?

INDIRECT: I asked where Mark was. 

DIRECT: When are you going to visit your grandmother?

INDIRECT: He wanted to know when I was going to visit my grandmother.

DIRECT: What do I need to buy for the celebration?

INDIRECT: She asked what she needed to buy for the celebration.

DIRECT: Where are your best friend and his wife staying?

INDIRECT: I asked where his best friend and his wife were staying.

DIRECT: Do you like coffee?

INDIRECT: I asked if she liked coffee.

DIRECT: Can you sing?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I could sing.

DIRECT: Who’s your best friend?

INDIRECT: They asked me who my best friend was. 

DIRECT: What time do you usually wake up?

INDIRECT: She asked me what time I usually wake up.

DIRECT: What would you do if you won the lottery?

INDIRECT: He asked me what I would do if I won the lottery.

DIRECT: Do you ever read nonfiction books?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I ever read nonfiction books.

You might have noticed that question marks are not used in reported questions and you don’t use “say” or “tell” either.

Promises, Agreements, Orders, Offers, Requests & Advice

When you’re reporting these, you can use the following verbs + an infinitive:

Here are some examples:

DIRECT SPEECH: I’ll always love you.

PROMISE IN INDIRECT SPEECH: She promised to love me.

DIRECT SPEECH: OK, let’s go to the pub.

INDIRECT SPEECH: He agreed to come to the pub with me.

DIRECT SPEECH: Sit down!

INDIRECT SPEECH: They told me to sit down OR they ordered me to sit down.

DIRECT SPEECH: I can go to the post office for you.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She offered to go to the post office.

DIRECT SPEECH: Could I please have the documentation by tomorrow evening?

INDIRECT SPEECH: She requested to have the documentation by the following evening.

DIRECT SPEECH: You should think twice before giving him your phone number.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She advised me to think twice before giving him my phone number.

Reported Speech In English

All right! I hope you have a much clearer idea about what reported speech is and how it’s used. 

And the good news is that both direct and indirect speech structures are commonly used in stories, so why not try the StoryLearning method ? 

You'll notice this grammatical pattern repeatedly in the context of short stories in English.

Not only will this help you acquire it naturally, but you will also have a fun learning experience by immersing yourself in an interesting and inspiring narrative.

Have a wonderful time learning through books in English !

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Reported speech

Speech can be direct and indirect, or reported. 

When you express your thought orally or in writing, it is direct speech. We usually put it in quotes.

When you communicate what someone else said, it is reported speech.

Reported statements

Sue: "I am hungry."

Sue says (that)  she is hungry.

To transfer a positive or a negative sentence to reported speech, we need two parts:

• the main part (she says that... / he claims that... / they deny that...),
• the dependent part which is the transformed direct speech.

Pay attention

In the reported speech, we must replace the pronouns. Otherwise, we won't keep the meaning.

Mary: "I am glad to help you!"

Mary says she is glad to help me . BUT NOT Mary says I am glad to help you.

You should also be careful with  time indicators (today, now, next week etc.) not to lose the idea of the original direct statement.

The word  that  can be used or left out, both options are correct.

Backshift of tenses in reported speech

When we have a sentence that consists of the main and the dependent part we need to be careful with the verb tenses. The tense in the main part affects the tense in the dependent part. This is called backshifting.

If the main part is in the present simple (e.g., "she says...", "he tells me..."), the dependent part remains unchanged.

John: "I have just got up."

John says he has just got up. "Says" is the present simple → no backshifting

If the main part is in the  past simple, we have to do the backshifting. Its basic principle is that the past simple in the main part "pushes" the tense of the dependent part one step back in time. This way we balance both parts of the sentence.

You can view the topic ' reported statements ' with an explanation and exercises.

Reported questions

If the direct question began with a question word (when, what, how, why and so on), then in the reported speech:

• the sentence changes from question to positive, with a direct word order
• we need to do the backshifting if we have the past simple in the main part

"Why did you leave the door open?" → She asked me why I had left the door open.

"Where have you been?" → She asked me where I had been.

If the direct question didn't have a question word (it was a yes/no question), we add the word "if" to transform it into reported speech. The rules of backshifting are the same.

"Will it rain tomorrow?" → They wanted to know if it would rain the next day.

"Can I lend your pen for a second?" → I asked if I could lend his pen for a second.

You can also view the topic ' reported questions ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.

Reported requests and demands

If we want to transform somebody's demand or request into reported speech, we say:

• tell somebody to do something — for reported commands
• ask somebody to do something — for reported requests

If the imperative was negative (don't go, don't do), we put "not" before "to":  tell somebody not to do something.

"Do not cross the red line, please!" → The officer told us not to cross the red line.

"Could you put the flowers in the vase, please?" → She asked me to put the flowers in the vase.

You can also view the topic ' reported requests & demands ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.

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Reported Speech in English

“Reported speech” might sound fancy, but it isn’t that complicated.

It’s just how you talk about what someone said.

Luckily, it’s pretty simple to learn the basics in English, beginning with the two types of reported speech: direct (reporting the exact words someone said) and indirect (reporting what someone said without using their exact words ).

Read this post to learn how to report speech, with tips and tricks for each, plenty of examples and a resources section that tells you about real world resources you can use to practice reporting speech.

How to Report Direct Speech

How to report indirect speech, reporting questions in indirect speech, verb tenses in indirect reported speech, simple present, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, simple past, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, simple future, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, authentic resources for practicing reported speech, novels and short stories, native english videos, celebrity profiles.

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Direct speech refers to the exact words that a person says. You can “report” direct speech in a few different ways.

To see how this works, let’s pretend that I (Elisabeth) told some people that I liked green onions.

Here are some different ways that those people could explain what I said:

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” Elisabeth said.

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” she told me. — In this sentence, we replace my name (Elisabeth) with the pronoun she.

In all of these examples, the part that was said is between quotation marks and is followed by a noun (“she” or “Elisabeth”) and a verb. Each of these verbs (“to say,” “to tell [someone],” “to explain”) are ways to describe someone talking. You can use any verb that refers to speech in this way.

You can also put the noun and verb before what was said.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like spaghetti.”

The example above would be much more likely to be said out loud than the first set of examples.

Here’s a conversation that might happen between two people:

1: Did you ask her if she liked coffee?

2: Yeah, I asked her.

1: What did she say?

2. She said, “Yeah, I like coffee.” ( Direct speech )

Usually, reporting of direct speech is something you see in writing. It doesn’t happen as often when people are talking to each other. 

Direct reported speech often happens in the past. However, there are all kinds of stories, including journalism pieces, profiles and fiction, where you might see speech reported in the present as well.

This is sometimes done when the author of the piece wants you to feel that you’re experiencing events in the present moment.

For example, a profile of Kristen Stewart in Vanity Fair  has a funny moment that describes how the actress isn’t a very good swimmer:

Direct speech: “I don’t want to enter the water, ever,” she says. “If everyone’s going in the ocean, I’m like, no.”

Here, the speech is reported as though it’s in the present tense (“she says”) instead of in the past (“she said”).

In writing of all kinds, direct reported speech is often split into two or more parts, as it is above.

Here’s an example from Lewis Carroll’s “ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ,” where the speech is even more split up:

Direct speech: “I won’t indeed!” said Alice, in a great hurry to change the subject of conversation. “Are you—are you fond—of—of dogs?” The Mouse did not answer, so Alice went on eagerly: “There is such a nice little dog near our house I should like to show you!”

Reporting indirect speech is what happens when you explain what someone said without using their exact words.

Let’s start with an example of direct reported speech like those used above.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like coffee.”

As indirect reported speech, it looks like this:

Indirect speech: Elisabeth said she liked coffee.

You can see that the subject (“I”) has been changed to “she,” to show who is being spoken about. If I’m reporting the direct speech of someone else, and this person says “I,” I’d repeat their sentence exactly as they said it. If I’m reporting this person’s speech indirectly to someone else, however, I’d speak about them in the third person—using “she,” “he” or “they.”

You may also notice that the tense changes here: If “I like coffee” is what she said, this can become “She liked coffee” in indirect speech.

However, you might just as often hear someone say something like, “She said she likes coffee.” Since people’s likes and preferences tend to change over time and not right away, it makes sense to keep them in the present tense.

Indirect speech often uses the word “that” before what was said:

Indirect speech: She said that she liked coffee.

There’s no real difference between “She said she liked coffee” and “She said that she liked coffee.” However, using “that” can help make the different parts of the sentence clearer.

Let’s look at a few other examples:

Indirect speech: I said I was going outside today.

Indirect speech: They told me that they wanted to order pizza.

Indirect speech: He mentioned it was raining.

Indirect speech: She said that her father was coming over for dinner.

You can see an example of reporting indirect speech in the funny video “ Cell Phone Crashing .” In this video, a traveler in an airport sits down next to another traveler talking on his cell phone. The first traveler pretends to be talking to someone on his phone, but he appears to be responding to the second traveler’s conversation, which leads to this exchange:

Woman: “Are you answering what I’m saying?”

Man “No, no… I’m on the phone with somebody, sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.” (Direct speech)

Woman: “What was that?”

Man: “I just said I was on the phone with somebody.” (Indirect speech)

When reporting questions in indirect speech, you can use words like “whether” or “if” with verbs that show questioning, such as “to ask” or “to wonder.”

Direct speech: She asked, “Is that a new restaurant?”

Indirect speech: She asked if that was a new restaurant. 

In any case where you’re reporting a question, you can say that someone was “wondering” or “wanted to know” something. Notice that these verbs don’t directly show that someone asked a question. They don’t describe an action that happened at a single point in time. But you can usually assume that someone was wondering or wanted to know what they asked.

Indirect speech: She was wondering if that was a new restaurant.

Indirect speech: She wanted to know whether that was a new restaurant.

It can be tricky to know how to use tenses when reporting indirect speech. Let’s break it down, tense by tense.

Sometimes, indirect speech “ backshifts ,” or moves one tense further back into the past. We already saw this in the example from above:

Direct speech: She said, “I like coffee.”

Indirect speech: She said she liked coffee.

Also as mentioned above, backshifting doesn’t always happen. This might seem confusing, but it isn’t that difficult to understand once you start using reported speech regularly.

What tense you use in indirect reported speech often just depends on when what you’re reporting happened or was true.

Let’s look at some examples of how direct speech in certain tenses commonly changes (or doesn’t) when it’s reported as indirect speech.

To learn about all the English tenses (or for a quick review), check out this post .

Direct speech: I said, “I play video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I played video games (simple past) or I said that I play video games  (simple present).

Backshifting into the past or staying in the present here can change the meaning slightly. If you use the first example, it’s unclear whether or not you still play video games; all we know is that you said you played them in the past.

If you use the second example, though, you probably still play video games (unless you were lying for some reason).

However, the difference in meaning is so small, you can use either one and you won’t have a problem.

Direct speech: I said, “I’m playing video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I was playing video games (past continuous) or I said that I’m playing video games (present continuous).

In this case, you’d likely use the first example if you were telling a story about something that happened in the past.

You could use the second example to repeat or stress what you just said. For example:

Hey, want to go for a walk?

Direct speech: No, I’m playing video games.

But it’s such a nice day!

Indirect speech: I said that I’m playing video games!

Direct speech: Marie said, “I have read that book.”

Indirect speech: Marie said that she had read that book (past perfect) or Marie said that she has read that book (present perfect).

The past perfect is used a lot in writing and other kinds of narration. This is because it helps point out an exact moment in time when something was true.

The past perfect isn’t quite as useful in conversation, where people are usually more interested in what’s true now. So, in a lot of cases, people would use the second example above when speaking.

Direct speech: She said, “I have been watching that show.”

Indirect speech: She said that she had been watching that show (past perfect continuous) or She said that she has been watching that show (present perfect continuous).

These examples are similar to the others above. You could use the first example whether or not this person was still watching the show, but if you used the second example, it’d probably seem like you either knew or guessed that she was still watching it.

Direct speech: You told me, “I charged my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had charged your phone (past perfect) or You told me that you charged your phone (simple past).

Here, most people would probably just use the second example, because it’s simpler, and gets across the same meaning.

Direct speech: You told me, “I was charging my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had been charging your phone (past perfect continuous) or You told me that you were charging your phone (past continuous).

Here, the difference is between whether you had been charging your phone before or were charging your phone at the time. However, a lot of people would still use the second example in either situation.

Direct speech: They explained, “We had bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Indirect speech: They explained that they had bathed the cat on Wednesday. (past perfect)

Once we start reporting the past perfect tenses, we don’t backshift because there are no tenses to backshift to.

So in this case, it’s simple. The tense stays exactly as is. However, many people might simplify even more and use the simple past, saying, “They explained that they bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Direct speech: They said, “The cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time!”

Indirect speech: They said that the cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time. (past perfect continuous)

Again, we don’t shift the tense back here; we leave it like it is. And again, a lot of people would report this speech as, “They said the cat was going outside and getting dirty for a long time.” It’s just a simpler way to say almost the same thing.

Direct speech: I told you, “I will be here no matter what.”

Indirect speech: I told you that I would be here no matter what. (present conditional)

At this point, we don’t just have to think about tenses, but grammatical mood, too. However, the idea is still pretty simple. We use the conditional (with “would”) to show that at the time the words were spoken, the future was uncertain.

In this case, you could also say, “I told you that I will be here no matter what,” but only if you “being here” is still something that you expect to happen in the future.

What matters here is what’s intended. Since this example shows a person reporting their own speech, it’s more likely that they’d want to stress the truth of their own intention, and so they might be more likely to use “will” than “would.”

But if you were reporting someone else’s words, you might be more likely to say something like, “She told me that she would be here no matter what.”

Direct speech: I said, “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Indirect speech: I said that I would be waiting for your call. (conditional continuous)

These are similar to the above examples, but apply to a continuous or ongoing action.

Direct speech: She said, “I will have learned a lot about myself.”

Indirect speech: She said that she would have learned a lot about herself (conditional perfect) or She said that she will have learned a lot about herself (future perfect).

In this case, using the conditional (as in the first example) suggests that maybe a certain event didn’t happen, or something didn’t turn out as expected.

However, that might not always be the case, especially if this was a sentence that was written in an article or a work of fiction. The second example, however, suggests that the future that’s being talked about still hasn’t happened yet.

Direct speech: She said, “By next Tuesday, I will have been staying inside every day for the past month.”

Indirect speech: She said that by next Tuesday, she would have been staying inside every day for the past month (perfect continuous conditional) or She said that by next Tuesday, she will have been staying inside every day for the past month (past perfect continuous).

Again, in this case, the first example might suggest that the event didn’t happen. Maybe the person didn’t stay inside until next Tuesday! However, this could also just be a way of explaining that at the time she said this in the past, it was uncertain whether she really would stay inside for as long as she thought.

The second example, on the other hand, would only be used if next Tuesday hadn’t happened yet.

Let’s take a look at where you can find resources for practicing reporting speech in the real world.

One of the most common uses for reported speech is in fiction. You’ll find plenty of reported speech in novels and short stories . Look for books that have long sections of text with dialogue marked by quotation marks (“…”). Once you understand the different kinds of reported speech, you can look for it in your reading and use it in your own writing.

Writing your own stories is a great way to get even better at understanding reported speech.

One of the best ways to practice any aspect of English is to watch native English videos. By watching English speakers use the language, you can understand how reported speech is used in real world situations.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Celebrity profiles, which you can find in print magazines and online, can help you find and practice reported speech, too. Celebrity profiles are stories that focus on a famous person. They often include some kind of interview. The writer will usually spend some time describing the person and then mention things that they say; this is when they use reported speech.

Because many of these profiles are written in the present tense, they can help you get used to the basics of reported speech without having to worry too much about different verb tenses.

While the above may seem really complicated, it isn’t that difficult to start using reported speech.

Mastering it may be a little difficult, but the truth is that many, many people who speak English as a first language struggle with it, too!

Reported speech is flexible, and even if you make mistakes, there’s a good chance that no one will notice.

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Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) in English – Summary

How to use reported speech.

If you have a sentence in Direct Speech, try to follow our 5 steps to put the sentence into Reported Speech..

• Define the type of the sentence (statement, questions, command)
• What tense is used in the introductory sentence?
• Do you have to change the person (pronoun)?
• Do you have to backshift the tenses?
• Do you have to change expressions of time and place?

1. Statements, Questions, Commands

Mind the type of sentences when you use Reported Speech. There is more detailed information on the following pages.

• Commands, Requests

2. The introductory sentence

If you use Reported Speech there are mostly two main differences.

The introductory sentence in Reported Speech can be in the Present or in the Past .

If the introductory sentences is in the Simple Present, there is no backshift of tenses.

Direct Speech:

• Susan, “ Mary work s in an office.”

Reported Speech:

• Introductory sentence in the Simple Present → Susan says (that)* Mary work s in an office.
• Introductory sentence in the Simple Past → Susan said (that)* Mary work ed in an office.

3. Change of persons/pronouns

If there is a pronoun in Direct Speech, it has possibly to be changed in Reported Speech, depending on the siutation.

• Direct Speech → Susan, “I work in an office.”
• Reported Speech → Susan said (that)* she worked in an office.

Here I is changed to she .

4. Backshift of tenses

If there is backshift of tenses in Reported Speech, the tenses are shifted the following way.

• Direct Speech → Peter, “ I work in the garden.”
• Reported Speech → Peter said (that)* he work ed in the garden.

5. Conversion of expressions of time and place

If there is an expression of time/place in the sentence, it may be changed, depending on the situation.

• Direct Speech → Peter, “I worked in the garden yesterday .”
• Reported Speech → Peter said (that) he had worked in the garden the day before .

6. Additional information

In some cases backshift of tenses is not necessary, e.g. when statements are still true. Backshift of tenses is never wrong.

• John, “My brother is at Leipzig university.”
• John said (that) his brother was at Leipzig university. or
• John said (that) his brother is at Leipzig university.

when you use general statements.

• Mandy, “The sun rises in the east.”
• Mandy said (that) the sun rose in the east. or
• Mandy said (that) the sun rises in the east.

* The word that is optional, that is the reason why we put it in brackets.

• You are here:
• Grammar Explanations
• Reported Speech

Reported Speech

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• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Reported speech is the report of one speaker or writer on the words spoken, written, or thought by someone else. Also called reported discourse .

Traditionally, two broad categories of  reported speech  have been recognized: direct speech  (in which the original speaker's words are quoted word for word) and indirect speech (in which the original speaker's thoughts are conveyed without using the speaker's exact words). However, a number of linguists have challenged this distinction, noting (among other things) that there's significant overlap between the two categories. Deborah Tannen, for instance, has argued that "[w] hat is commonly referred to as reported speech or direct quotation in conversation is  constructed dialogue ."

Observations

• " Reported speech is not just a particular grammatical form or transformation , as some grammar books might suggest. We have to realize that reported speech represents, in fact, a kind of translation , a transposition that necessarily takes into account two different cognitive perspectives: the point of view of the person whose utterance is being reported, and that of a speaker who is actually reporting that utterance." (Teresa Dobrzyńska, "Rendering Metaphor in Reported Speech," in Relative Points of View: Linguistic Representation of Culture , ed. by Magda Stroińska. Berghahn Books, 2001)

Tannen on the Creation of Dialogue

• "I wish to question the conventional American literal conception of ' reported speech ' and claim instead that uttering dialogue in conversation is as much a creative act as is the creation of dialogue in fiction and drama. 
• "The casting of thoughts and speech in dialogue creates particular scenes and characters--and . . . it is the particular that moves readers by establishing and building on a sense of identification between speaker or writer and hearer or reader. As teachers of creative writing exhort neophyte writers, the accurate representation of the particular communicates universality, whereas direct attempts to represent universality often communicate nothing." (Deborah Tannen, Talking Voices: Repetition, Dialogue, and Imagery in Conversational Discourse , 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2007)

Goffman on Reported Speech

• "[Erving] Goffman's work has proven foundational in the investigation of reported speech itself. While Goffman is not in his own work concerned with the analysis of actual instances of interaction (for a critique, see Schlegoff, 1988), it provides a framework for researchers concerned with investigating reported speech in its most basic environment of occurrence: ordinary conversation. . . .
• "Goffman . . . proposed that reported speech is a natural upshot of a more general phenomenon in interaction: shifts of 'footing,' defined as 'the alignment of an individual to a particular utterance . . .' ([ Forms of Talk ,] 1981: 227). Goffman is concerned to break down the roles of speaker and hearer into their constituent parts. . . . [O]ur ability to use reported speech stems from the fact that we can adopt different roles within the 'production format,' and it is one of the many ways in which we constantly change footing as we interact . . .."(Rebecca Clift and Elizabeth Holt, Introduction. Reporting Talk: Reported Speech in Interaction . Cambridge University Press, 2007)

Reported Speech in Legal Contexts

• "​ [R]eported speech occupies a prominent position in our use of language in the context of the law. Much of what is said in this context has to do with rendering people's sayings: we report the words that accompany other people's doings in order to put the latter in the correct perspective. As a consequence, much of our judiciary system, both in the theory and in the practice of law, turns around the ability to prove or disprove the correctness of a verbal account of a situation. The problem is how to summarize that account, from the initial police report to the final imposed sentence, in legally binding terms, so that it can go 'on the record,' that is to say, be reported in its definitive, forever immutable form as part of a 'case' in the books." (Jacob Mey, When Voices Clash: A Study in Literary Pragmatics . Walter de Gruyter, 1998)
• Topic In Composition and Speech
• Direct Speech Definition and Examples
• Dialogue Guide Definition and Examples
• Thesis: Definition and Examples in Composition
• Definition and Examples of Transitional Paragraphs
• Indirect Speech Definition and Examples
• What Is Attribution in Writing?
• Definition and Examples of Body Paragraphs in Composition
• How to Use Indirect Quotations in Writing for Complete Clarity
• Definition and Examples of Hypocrisis in Rhetoric
• Division: Outlining the Parts of a Speech
• drawl (speech)
• agrammatism
• Definition and Examples of Anti-Language
• Performative Verbs
• Constructed Dialogue in Storytelling and Conversation

• June 25, 2020

Reported Speech in English: What It is and How to Use It

Sometimes we may wish to report the words of others. In fact, this is quite a regular occurrence in any language.

There are two ways to do this: reported (indirect) speech, and direct speech.

Here’s how they work.

Direct speech

As the name would suggest, direct speech is when you directly report the words of another person.

“I’ll see you at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said.

Direct speech can always be identified in written speech through the use of speech marks (sometimes known as quotation marks). Please note that single or double marks can be used depending on the habit of the individual user.

Direct speech is the easier of the two options because it does not involve any grammatical or structural changes to the original sentence.

Reported (indirect) speech

Reported speech involves grammatical, and sometimes structural, changes.

Here is an example of the same sentence as above but this time delivered in reported speech.

“I’ll see you at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said. (direct speech)

He said (that) he would see me at the meeting today. (reported/indirect speech)

Aa can be seen, considerable changes have been made to the original sentence. First of all, the speech marks have been removed. Next, we must consider the verb tense used. Fortunately, the rules covering this are written in stone:

As can be seen from the above table, the original verb tense must be adapted accordingly. Let us look at the original examples once more:

The verb tense in the original, direct speech sentence (‘will’) has been adapted to ‘would’ as necessary. This reflects the difference in time between when the comment was originally made, and when it was reported.

This fact is made most obviously clear when the present tense is adapted to the past, as follows:

“I want to talk to you,” she said.

She said that she wanted to talk to me.

As is dictated, ‘want’ has become wanted’ because the request is now clearly in the past.

Please note that, on some occasions, adapting the present tense to the past tense may not be necessary. For example:

“I like pizza,” she said.

She said she likes/liked pizza.

Because we can assume the state to still be true, the present tense is also correct in the reported sentence. 

Other changes

Let us look once more at the original pair of sentences:

As well as the verb tense, both the subject and object have been adapted, and so has the time expression.

Of course, these amendments are all relative. Who was talking to who, and what is the time relationship between when the original sentence was communicated, and when it was reported? Always bear in mind these considerations when using reported speech.

Reported questions

Questions are a little bit different, and must be adapted in their own unique way. Generally speaking, there are two types of questions, and each must be considered separately.

• “What is your name?” he asked.
• “Do you like pizza?” she asked.

The first question is an ‘information’ question, requiring some kind of specific detail in the answer. The second question, meanwhile, is quite simply a ‘yes/no’ question, where detail is optional.

Here are the changes that must be made to each question in reported (indirect) speech

• He asked me what my name was/is.
• She asked me if I liked pizza.

In the ‘information’ question, the original sentence must be restructured so it is now no longer a question, but an affirmative statement. That is because, when reported, it is no longer a question. The verb tense should also be adapted as per the rules with all reported speech transitions.

In the ‘yes/no’ question, the sentence must also be adapted, with the word ‘if’ (or ‘whether’) replacing the auxiliary. Again, the verb tense must be changed accordingly.

Reporting verbs

In the examples in this article we have included the classic reporting verbs ‘said’ and ‘asked’. ‘Tell’ is another classic.

In truth, these verbs are incredibly uninformative. In reality, they tell us nothing about the emotion or feeling of what was communicated.

Therefore, it is better to run through the many options of reporting verbs we have at our disposal to select an option which best describes the sentiment of the words. Of course, in formal or business English you may want to stay with the neutral words of ‘say’, ‘ask’ and ‘tell’, but to be a little more descriptive, why not check out some of these options:

There are almost countless others. Give your language more color by choosing something more descriptive.

And don’t forget, the Linguix AI-powered writing assistant can provide you not only with the grammatical and structural amendments that you need to be correct in your writing, but can also be used to adapt your style so it is suitable to your audience. Get lists of synonyms to help you identify the perfect word, too. 

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Reported speech

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Reported speech (also known as indirect speech) is when we report what somebody has said. Native speakers use reported speech very often.

• Structures of reported speech He told me he would be late.
• Structures of reported questions She asked if it was better to wait.

Related Posts

• Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): word order in reported speech sentences
• Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): reported speech
• Structures of reported speech
• Make someone do, be made to do
• Grammar rules
• Intermediate grammar exercise (B1 level): verb + object + to infinitive structure
• Confusing words: say, tell
• Structures of reported questions
• Elementary vocabulary exercise (A1 level): opposites of verbs
• How to start and end a business email

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Reported Speech Definition

Reported speech.

Jump to: Definition | Related Entries |

Reported Speech (also called Indirect Speech ) is used to communicate what someone else said, but without using the exact words. A few changes are necessary; often a pronoun has to be changed and the verb is usually moved back a tense , where possible.

• EG: He said that he was going to come. (The person's exact words were "I'm going to come.")

Direct & Indirect Speech

Related to 'Reported Speech'

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Reported Speech - English Grammar

When we are finding out how to learn English grammar online, the way to present spoken words as reported or direct speech is an important skill to acquire. Reported speech is sometimes called indirect speech, to contrast with direct speech.

Direct Speech

Although this piece is mainly focussed on reported speech, in order to understand this fully a good knowledge of how to write direct speech is really important.

Direct speech refers to the actual words that are spoken by a person, or character, in a story . We have rules to show this.

Punctuation of Direct Speech

There are many rules and conventions of punctuating direct speech (sometimes called dialogue):

Speech Marks : The actual words spoken appear between speech marks (it does not matter whether these are single or double, as long as the writer is consistent). All other punctuation appears within the speech marks.

‘How do you feel today?’ I asked.

End of dialogue : Often, when writing direct speech, the speaker will be identified with something like he said , or cried Joan . If this comes after a piece of direct speech, then that direct speech will usually end with a comma, although it can use a question mark, ellipses or exclamation mark, but not a full stop.

Sentences: Direct speech is considered a sentence within its own right, and is punctuated accordingly.

Paragraphing: Every time there is a change of speaker there should be a new paragraph. Normally, unless just a few words are being spoken, direct speech should begin a new paragraph.

Reported Speech

However, often a writer simply wants to carry the gist, or meaning, of the actual words a person uses . This is when indirect speech comes into play. Not only is this punctuated differently (none of the rules specific to direct speech apply – reported speech is punctuated as normal prose), but sometimes the tense of verb forms can change.

In reported speech tenses, pronouns and adverbial phrases often (but not always) change. The tables and examples below illustrate this. Firstly, we look at tense.

Direct speech

‘I regularly exercise,’ he said.

He said that he exercises regularly.

Present Continuous

‘I am repairing the car,’ said John.

John said that he was repairing the car.

‘He ate his dinner,’ said Mum.

Mum said that he had eaten his dinner.

Present Perfect

‘I have been shopping,’ said my wife.

My wife told me that she had been shopping.

Past Perfect

‘I just finished the test,’ said the boy.

The boy said that he had just finished the test.

Present Perfect Continuous

They stuttered, ‘We have been waiting for your call.’

They stuttered that they had been waiting for her call.

Past Continuous

‘I was working,’ he explained.

He explained that he had been working .

‘I will be paying in my salary on Tuesday,’ he said.

He said that he  would be paying in his salary on Tuesday.

Future Continuous

‘I’ll be visiting on Thursday,’ she explained.

She explained that she would be visiting on Thursday.

Pronouns in Reported Speech

Next we will consider how pronouns can be changed when shifting from direct to reported speech. There are rules to remember. They are complex, but can soon be learned.

First Person Pronoun – we, I, me, mine, us, our

If we are talking about a third person pronoun (for example: she, it, he, their etc) then the pronoun changes.

‘I love football,’ he told me. He told me that he loves football.

If we are talking about another first person then the pronoun, then the pronoun does not change.

I said, ‘I love football.’ I said that I love football.

Second Person Pronoun – you, yours

The pronoun changes to fit with the object of the sentence.

She said to me, ‘You are my hero!’ She said to me that I was her hero. ‘You are my hero,’ she said to him. She said to him that he was her hero.

Third Person Pronoun – she, he, it, they, his, him, them, his

The pronoun is not changed when direct speech is switched to reported speech.

‘It will fall over,’ he said. He said that it would fall over.

Adverbial changes in Reported Speech

Adverb is direct speech

Adverb in reported speech

**This ** He said, ‘I like this.’

**That ** He said that he liked that.

**These ** ‘How much are these?’ he asked.

**Those ** He asked how much those were.

**Here ** ‘Here it is!’ she shouted.

**There ** She shouted that it was there.

**Now ** ‘I want it now,’ screamed the child.

**Then ** The child screamed that he wanted it then.

**Today ** ‘It will arrive today,’ said the postman.

**That day ** The postman said that it would arrive that day.

**Yesterday ** ‘I was upset yesterday,’ said Bill.

**The previous day, the day before ** Bill said that he had been upset the day before.

**Tomorrow **‘I will tell you tomorrow,’ promised Fred.

**The next day **Fred promised that he would tell me the next day.

**Ago **‘It happened long ago,’ said the T Rex.

**Before **The T Rex said that it had happened long before.

These rules can seem confusing, but a good way to practice them is to take direct speech from a book, or from a quote in a newspaper, and try putting it into reported speech. The rules in this article can then be used to check that you have the right idea.

Similar article:  Ten Top Study Tips for Passing Your English Exams

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September 15, 2024: apparent trump assassination attempt.

What we covered here

• The FBI said it “is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination ” of Donald Trump at his Florida golf club. Trump was not harmed in the incident.
• The Secret Service had spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence and agents fired at a man who was in the bushes along the perimeter, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. The suspect fled in a car and was detained after being stopped on the highway.
• The person detained is Ryan Wesley Routh , according to three law enforcement sources. Routh , who owns a small construction company in Hawaii, had criticized Trump on social media and is a staunch supporter of Ukraine .
• The suspect was 300 to 500 yards away from Trump . Law enforcement found an AK-47-style rifle, GoPro camera and backpacks where the suspect was positioned.

Our live coverage of the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump has moved here.

Routh wanted to create a foreign force to protect Taiwan. But some listed volunteers said they'd never heard of him

Ryan Routh had repeatedly called for bolstering Taiwan’s defenses against China and hoped to set up a foreign legion akin to that in Ukraine . 

The man, who was detained in connection with an apparent attempt to assassinate former president Donald Trump on Sunday, is listed as an “International Volunteer Center Coordinator” on a website named Taiwan Foreign Legion. 

The group claims it is “recruiting former military and civilians from around the world” willing to defend Taiwan in the event of a war with China. 

CNN reached out to over a dozen people listed as “supporters” on the group’s website. But several said they had not heard of the group or its activities, and some had never heard of Routh.  

All claimed they did not know how their names and contact information had been shared on the pro-Taiwan website. 

Unlike Ukraine, Taiwan does not have an official foreign legion. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry declined to comment on Routh. 

China’s ruling Communist Party says Taiwan is part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and has vowed to take the island by force if necessary.

The US is bound by law to supply the self-governing island with weapons to defend itself, and support for Taiwan is a rare issue of broadly bipartisan consensus in Washington. 

Ryan Routh criticized Trump in his self-published book on the Ukraine war

Ryan Wesley Routh decried Donald Trump as an “idiot,” a “buffoon” and a “fool” in his self-published book on the war in Ukraine and geopolitics.

The 58-year-old, who was detained Sunday in connection with an  apparent assassination attempt on Trump , wrote last year about his unsuccessful efforts to aid Ukraine in its war against Russia and also weighed in on multiple global crises.

Routh wrote that the former US president’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 was a “tremendous blunder” that drove Tehran closer to Moscow, which it has supplied with drones that have caused devastation across Ukraine.

Routh also gave his opinions on the political situation in Afghanistan, and urged Afghan refugees to fight for Ukraine.

He also wrote about Taiwan, North Korea and Venezuela, drawing comparisons between the authoritarian rule of President Nicolas Maduro and the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

Appearing to reference his former support for Trump, Routh wrote that he must take part of the blame for electing him as president, writing: “but I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake.”

How global leaders are reacting to the apparent Trump assassination attempt

Leaders around the world are condemning the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump and offering their support.

Here’s what they’re saying:

• Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife Sara were “shocked by the second assassination attempt against President Trump and were relieved to hear that it too failed. But we should not rely on luck,” he said in a post to X , adding that he hopes “all measures will be taken to ensure that such deadly attacks on a candidate for the US presidency will be foiled in advance.”
• Australia: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed “concern” and said it is “a good thing” Trump is safe. “Everyone wants the democratic process to be peaceful and to be orderly,” he told reporters.
• Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is glad to hear Trump is “safe and unharmed” in a post on X . This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world.”
• Hungary : Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a longtime Trump supporter, said on X : “It is clear that President Trump’s life is in danger, until his victory.”

Here's what we know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump

The FBI said it “is investigating what  appears to be an attempted assassination ” of Donald Trump at his Florida golf club,  just two months after  an attempt to kill the Republican presidential nominee at a Pennsylvania rally.

The former president was not harmed.

Ryan Wesley Routh , a 58-year-old owner of a small construction company in Hawaii, has been detained in connection with Sunday’s incident, according to three law enforcement sources.

Here’s what happened:

• Gunshots during golf:  Trump was moving between  holes five and six  at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach with donor Steve Witkoff when gunshots went off. The golf game was a last-minute addition to Trump’s schedule, sources said.
• Secret Service spots a rifle:  A Secret Service agent  spotted a rifle barrel  sticking out of a fence and agents fired at a man in the bushes along the perimeter, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. Bradshaw said his office was alerted at 1:30 p.m. ET that the Secret Service had fired gunshots. The person was 300 to 500 yards away from Trump, an official said. The suspect then fled in a car .
• Witness spots a man in the bushes:  A witness  saw the suspect  run from the bushes and took a picture of his car that led to the suspect’s apprehension.
• Highway chase:  Police flooded Interstate 95 before stopping the suspect’s car and detaining him. The suspect was not armed when law enforcement officials took him out of the car, and he has not made any statements. The person in custody is  Routh , according to three law enforcement sources.
• Evidence found in bushes:  Law enforcement officials found an AK-47-style rifle with a scope; two backpacks that had ceramic tiles in them to augment a bulletproof vest; and a GoPro where the suspect was positioned. “This whole set-up indicates a very high level of pre-planning,” former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe told CNN .
• Mental health assessment: Investigators expect a federal court in South Florida will require “a mental health assessment” of Routh before any possible criminal proceedings, a law enforcement source told CNN . 

Man detained in apparent assassination attempt was strong supporter of Ukraine

Ryan Wesley Routh , who authorities suspect was planning to attack former President Donald Trump as he played a round of golf, was a staunch supporter of Ukraine and visited the country in 2022.

Routh traveled to Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than two years ago, according to video and images geolocated by CNN to Kyiv’s Independence Square, as well as interviews with foreign press .

Video shows Routh attended a rally at the square in support of Ukrainian troops on May 1, 2022, and visited the same location about six weeks later, where a photo shows him standing beside a Ukraine flag emblazoned with an appeal for international volunteers to support the war effort

In an April 2022 video by AFP in Kyiv, Routh called Putin a “terrorist” and said “he needs to be ended.”

A representative from Ukraine’s foreign legion told CNN that Routh had contacted them several times but that he was never part of the military unit in which overseas volunteers fight.

Routh also expressed support for Ukraine on social media. In dozens of posts on X in 2022, he said he was willing to die in the fight and that “we need to burn the Kremlin to the ground.” 

Routh then used Facebook to encourage foreigners to fight in the war. He tried to enlist Afghan conscripts in a flurry of posts, beginning in October 2023, presenting himself as an off-the-books liaison for the Ukrainian government.  

This post has been updated with more information on Routh’s time in Ukraine.

"He was never part of the Legion," Ukrainian officer says of Ryan Routh

A representative from Ukraine’s foreign legion confirmed with CNN that Ryan Wesley Routh had contacted them several times but said he was never part of the military unit in which overseas volunteers fight.

Shaguri said “the best way to describe his messages is — delusional ideas.”

Routh expressed support for Ukraine in dozens of X posts in 2022, saying he was willing to die in the fight and that “we need to burn the Kremlin to the ground.”

He also visited Ukraine in 2022, according to video and photos geolocated by CNN as well as media interviews he gave while there. 

Routh then used his Facebook account last year to encourage foreigners to fight in the war. He tried to enlist Afghan conscripts in a flurry of posts, beginning in October 2023, presenting himself as an off-the-books liaison for the Ukrainian government.

Journalist who interviewed Ryan Routh in Ukraine describes meeting an "idealistic" man

Newsweek Romania journalist Remus Cernea, who met the man detained in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Ukraine on several occasions, told CNN he was surprised by Ryan Routh ’s involvement in the incident.

Cernea first met Routh in Kyiv’s Independence Square in June of 2022, where Routh was rallying people to join the foreign legion or to help Ukraine through various humanitarian aid organizations.

At the time, Routh gave Newsweek Romania an interview where he said:

When Cernea met Routh again about a year later, he said, Routh was visibly frustrated that more people had not come to Ukraine’s help.

“Why aren’t there thousands of people here in Kyiv coming to support and join the foreign legion, why aren’t they here?” Cernea remembers him lamenting.

What we know about the man detained after apparent assassination attempt on Trump

Ryan Wesley Routh , a 58-year-old owner of a small construction company, has been detained in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump  in Florida, according to three law enforcement sources.

Here’s what we know about him:

• Trump detractor: A frequent Trump critic on social media, Routh posted on X about the assassination attempt on the former president in July, encouraging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to visit those wounded at the rally. “Trump will never do anything,” Routh wrote.
• North Carolina ties: Routh was registered as an “unaffiliated” voter in the state in 2012. He also voted in North Carolina’s Democratic primary in March of this year, according to public records.
• Brushes with the law: Routh was arrested in 2002 after being pulled over by police and allegedly putting his hand on a firearm before barricading himself in a business. He was also ordered to pay tens of thousands to plaintiffs in civil suits and has been repeatedly accused by state and federal authorities of failing to pay his taxes on time.
• Silent when apprehended: Routh stayed silent when detained, according to local state attorney David Aronberg. “It looked like a person who has done this before, not necessarily this crime, but someone who has had repeated interactions with law enforcement,” he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
• Support for Ukraine: Routh expressed support for Ukraine in dozens of X posts in 2022, saying he was willing to die in the fight and that “we need to burn the Kremlin to the ground.” He also visited Ukraine . In a video shot by AFP in Kyiv in 2022, Routh called Putin a “terrorist” and urged people to come fight for Ukraine. Routh also tried to enlist Afghan conscripts to fight in the war, presenting himself as an off-the-books liaison for the Ukrainian government.
• Views on global politics: In a self-published book , Routh weighed in on the political situations in Afghanistan, Taiwan, and North Korea. He further detailed his support for Ukraine, and said he tried to enlist in the war but was turned away at the Poland-Ukraine border.
• Affordable-housing builder: Routh said on his LinkedIn page that he started a company in 2018 called Camp Box Honolulu in Hawaii, which builds storage units and tiny houses. A  story in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser said he donated a structure for homeless people.
• Son speaks out: Oran Routh said he hopes everything has “just been blown out of proportion” and it’s not like his father “to do anything crazy, much less violent.” He called his father “a loving and caring father, and honest hardworking man.”

This post has been updated with the latest developments.

Ryan Routh self-published a book. Here's what it said about his time in Ukraine

Ryan Wesley Routh , the 58-year-old man detained Sunday in connection with an  apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump  in Florida, self-published a book last year detailing his efforts to support Ukraine in the war against Russia.

In the 291-page book, Routh described his disillusionment with the war in Ukraine, which he called “unwinnable.”

The book also discussed the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the political situation in Taiwan, which has faced growing military threats from China.

The book, released on Amazon with no publisher listed, is titled: “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the end of Humanity.” CNN has not independently verified his accounts in the book.

In it, Routh describes how he had traveled to the Poland-Ukraine border in an effort to enlist in the war — but “at 56 with absolutely no military experience I was reluctantly turned away by the staff” at the border office.

Instead, he tried to enlist more fighters for the war effort — traveling to Kyiv and setting up a makeshift volunteer center at Independence Square before it was disassembled by police. He then “lost all arguments and calls to city hall,” he writes, and spent several months camped out in protest at various locations around the city.

“I had given every ounce of motivation and energy that I could muster for Ukraine and came up empty handed,” he said, describing his unsuccessful attempts to build drones for the Ukrainian army with a team of international engineers. 

Israeli prime minister expresses shock after apparent Trump assassination attempt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was shocked after hearing about the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

“Sara and I were shocked by the second assassination attempt against President Trump and were relieved to hear that it too failed. But we should not rely on luck,” he wrote on X .

Law enforcement expects court to order "mental health assessment" of suspect, source says 

Federal agents investigating an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Sunday expect a federal court in South Florida will require “a mental health assessment” of Ryan Wesley Routh before any possible criminal proceedings, a law enforcement source told CNN. 

Based on numerous “unusual rants” believed to be posted by Routh online regarding international geopolitical events, the source said federal investigators expect his mental health will be examined as part of court proceedings to determine whether he is fit for any trial. 

No charges have been filed, but mental health assessments are not uncommon in cases involving threats to federal officials by individuals who may be experiencing mental health issues, the source said. CNN is attempting to determine if Routh has attorney representation. 

Analysis: Apparent assassination attempt on Trump has unpredictable political consequences

There’s no political playbook for how to deal with  another apparent assassination attempt  against a major-party presidential candidate within weeks of an election.

Yet that’s where the rival campaigns now find themselves after what looks like a second  attempt to kill Republican nominee Donald Trump  in the latest twist to a political season defying precedent and highlighting the nation’s deep polarization.

Twice within two months, America has narrowly avoided seeing a major political figure assassinated during an election season — and the toxic forces that such an outrage could unleash in a country wracked by visceral partisan divides.

That such incidents happen at all speaks to the undercurrent of violence that is a constant shadow over American politics, one that is exacerbated by the easy availability of firearms. Both nominees now address outdoor crowds from behind bulletproof screens. There will now be fresh fears that a tempestuous period running up to Election Day could take the country further down a dark road.

After decades without an assassination attempt against a high-level executive branch official, a haunting reality has been revived this year: those who offer themselves for the highest office are potentially putting their lives on the line.

Read the full analysis.

Trump thanks Secret Service and law enforcement for after apparent assassination attempt

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday thanked the US Secret Service and other law enforcement officials after an apparent assassination attempt while he was golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The former president was not harmed in the incident. He had been golfing with donor Steve Witkoff when shots were fired, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Roads around Trump International Golf Club still closed nine hours after apparent assassination attempt

The presence of law enforcement outside Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach remains heavy, and the road nearest the apparent assassination attempt was still closed nine hours after the incident, CNN Correspondent Randi Kaye reported from the scene.

Heavily trafficked roads around the golf club are also still closed and there has been a regular stream of police vans going in and out of the gates.

At Summit Boulevard, just in front of the golf club gate, there are a lot of bushes between where the 5th and 6th hole comes together, Kaye said, where perhaps somebody could have poked their way through until they reached the fence.

The person detained in connection with the apparent assassination attempt is Ryan Wesley Routh , according to three law enforcement sources.

Trump International Golf Club abuts three heavily trafficked roads: Kirk Road, Summit Boulevard and Congress Avenue. The Palm Beach International Airport is also nearby.

Man detained in connection with apparent Trump assassination attempt stayed "silent" when apprehended

The man detained in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Florida remained silent when he was apprehended by law enforcement, according to a local state attorney. 

Aronberg did not name the suspect but said he had a “rap sheet.” 

The person detained is Ryan Wesley Routh , according to three law enforcement sources. 

Aronberg described the apparent assassination attempt as “another too close for comfort incident.” But he also praised the US Secret Service for quickly spotting the alleged shooter and firing shots at him. 

"Bewildered why we’re in this situation for a second time," Florida Democratic Rep. says

Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, who serves on the bipartisan task force investigating the assassination attempt on Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July, said people in Congress are “bewildered why we’re in this situation for a second time.”

He says the protocols and resources committed to the former president “seem to be wholly inadequate,” especially in outdoor environments.

Moskowitz said that, although much remains unknown, the man detained in connection with the apparent assassination attempt on Trump on a golf course should not have been able to obtain a firearm in the state of Florida. He said it should not be ruled out that the man may have brought the weapon into the state.

Motorist details "insane" scene on interstate with suspect after apparent assassination attempt on Trump

Motorist Daniel Rodriguez told CNN that he and his family were driving back to Orlando on the I-95 interstate from a soccer match when they encountered a “wild scene” as sheriff’s deputies stopped a suspect after an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

Rodriguez said that they initially thought it was an accident.

Rodriguez said they were then stuck in traffic for two hours.

Trump's golf outing was last-minute decision, sources say

Former President Donald Trump’s golf game on Sunday was a last-minute addition to his schedule, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Trump had no public events on his schedule for Sunday.

"I condemn political violence," Harris says

Vice President Kamala Harris said she is “disturbed” and condemns “political violence” after an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Sunday.

“I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence,” Harris said in a statement released by the White House on Sunday night.

FBI launching global investigation into apparent assassination attempt on Trump, source says

The FBI’s investigation into an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Florida has gone global as officials work to flesh out the background of Ryan Wesley Routh, the individual detained, a law enforcement source tells CNN.

Authorities are working to obtain search warrants on social media accounts believed to be associated with Routh, the source said.

Some of Routh’s suspected online activity also involved using platforms headquartered outside the United States, the source said, which will involve working with international partners to identify everything the FBI possibly can about the detained individual.

The FBI is also aware of Routh’s suspected online claims about foreign travel, the source said, which will be part of the bureau’s investigation.

While early in the investigation, authorities have not identified any co-conspirators potentially targeting Trump, the source said.

The man authorities detained had prior run-ins with the law, records show

Records from North Carolina, dating back a couple decades, show that the man detained in the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Sunday has had previous scrapes with the law.   

In 2002, Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested after he was pulled over by police and allegedly put his hand on a firearm and then drove and barricaded himself in a business, according to a Greensboro News & Record article that year that cited police. Law enforcement confirmed the arrest to CNN on Sunday.  

Public records reveal several court cases involving Routh since the 1990s.  

State and federal authorities have repeatedly accused him of failing to pay his taxes on time. For example, he faced a federal tax lien in 2008 of about $32,000, according to court records. 

In 1998, the state alleged he committed an offense related to a “worthless check,” though that case was dismissed.  

Separately, judges have ordered him to pay tens of thousands of dollars to plaintiffs in various civil suits. 

Routh’s eldest son, Oran, told CNN via text that Routh was “a loving and caring father, and honest hardworking man.”  

The son wrote, “I don’t know what’s happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little I’ve heard it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent.” 

Man detained in apparent assassination attempt on Trump criticized former president on social media 

A 58-year-old man detained Sunday in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Florida is a self-employed affordable housing builder in Hawaii who went on social media to weigh in on politics and current events, at times criticizing the former president.  

Ryan Wesley Routh , who authorities suspect was planning to attack the former president as he played a round of golf, posted comments on an X account linked to him referencing the assassination attempt on Trump in July.   

Routh tagged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, in separate posts, encouraging them to visit those injured at the rally. 

“You and Biden should visit the injured people in the hospital from the Trump rally and attend the funeral of the murdered fireman. Trump will never do anything for them,” he wrote in a post directed at Harris. 

In an April post on X tagging Biden’s presidential account, he wrote Biden’s campaign should be: “called something like KADAF. Keep America democratic and free. Trumps should be MASA …make Americans slaves again master. DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.”  

Acting Secret Service Director Rowe heads to Florida after attempted Trump assassination

Ronald Rowe, acting director of the US Secret Service, is traveling to Florida in the wake of the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, a law enforcement source familiar with the matter told CNN.

The official declined to comment on Rowe’s itinerary. 

Rowe has been in the top job at the Secret Service since  Kimberly Cheatle resigned  in July amid scrutiny over security lapses related to the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

Rowe also visited the site of the Butler shooting, and he has testified on Capitol Hill and briefed members of Congress about the investigation into that shooting. Rowe has been asked to brief lawmakers about the Florida incident as well.  

DeSantis says Florida will conduct its own investigation into "attempted assassination"

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his state will conduct “its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination” of former President Donald Trump, his one-time GOP primary opponent, in West Palm Beach.

“The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee,” DeSantis  wrote on X.

Biden "relieved" Trump was unharmed in assassination attempt

President Joe Biden commended the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, saying he was “relieved” to hear that Trump was unharmed.

He also condemned political violence or “any violence” and said that he has directed his team to ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources necessary to protect the former president.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of reported speech in English

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• contextualize
• etymological
• etymologically
• inflected language
• pathetic fallacy
• philological
• philologically
• portmanteau word

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

reported speech | American Dictionary

Examples of reported speech, translations of reported speech.

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Word of the Day

leave no stone unturned

to do everything you can to achieve a good result, especially when looking for something

Treasure troves and endless supplies (Words and phrases meaning ‘source’)

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