Reported Speech

When using source material whether it's a statement, part of a class discussion, or from a text or article, information can not be copied. Stealing or copying another's ideas is called plagiarism.  In order to avoid plagiarism, quoting and paraphrasing are used. Quoting uses the exact words of another whether it be spoken or written and is also called Direct Speech. 

On the other hand, Indirect Speech or paraphrasing does not use the exact words but restates another's idea maintaining the exact meaning and giving credit to the source.  Like Direct Speech, Indirect or Reported Speech can come from written and spoken sources.
When quoting, quotation marks are used at the beginning and end of the quote, but when paraphrasing no punctuation is used.

Example of Quoting: Pat said, "American colleges and universities forbid students to plagiarize."
Example of Paraphrasing: Pat warned students attending an American college or university that plagiarism was not permitted.

Sometimes a quote can be interrupted.  In that case, both parts of the quote need punctuation.
Example: "American colleges and universities," Pat said, "forbid students to plagiarize."

Remember to use correct punctuation when quoting statements. Some of the general rules are:
1.  Quotation marks ("...") are used both at the beginning and at the end of a quote.
2.  The first word of a quote needs to have a capital.
3.  All end punctuation, a period (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation point (!), must be inside of the quotation marks.
4. When the quote comes after the person who said it is mentioned or in the middle of the sentence, use a comma.

Using Indirect Speech with Statements

When converting Direct into Indirect Speech, remember to:
1. Remove punctuation especially the quotation marks.
2. Chang the pronouns when needed.
Example (Direct Speech):  Pat said, "I started teaching at Union County College in 1986."
             (Indirect Speech): Pat said (that) she had started teaching at the college in 1986.
3. That after the speaker is optional.
4. Change time and place words.
5. In the above example, notice the change in the verb tense.  The quote always occurs before the reporting; therefore, the verb tense in the Indirect Speech has to be one step back in the past.

Direct Quote and Verb Tense

Indirect Speech and Verb Tense

Present Time:
Simple Present
Present Continuous
Present Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous

Past Time:
Simple Past
Past Continuous
Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous

Past Time:
Simple Past
Past Continuous
Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect Time:
Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous

Future Time:
Simple Future
Future Continuous
Future Perfect
Future Perfect Continuous

Future Perfect Time:
Conditional
Conditional and Continuous
Conditional Perfect
Conditional Perfect Continuous

Command

Infinitive

Passive Voice

Follow the verb tenses above

Using Indirect Speech with Questions

When Changing from Direct to Indirect Speech , the above rules apply.  In addition, there are two other points to remember:
1. In place of that in statements, whether or if is used in Yes/No Questions.  In Information questions the question word is used.
Example (Direct Speech): Pat asked the class, "Did you email me the assignment?"
                                         Pat asked a student, "When did you send it?"
             (Indirect Speech): Pat asked the class if ( whether) the students had emailed her the assignment.
                                          Pat asked the student when he had mailed the assignment.
2. Although the quote is a question, the reported speech is not; in fact, it is a statement.  As a result, the word order has to change to start the statement with the subject.
Example (Direct Speech): Ana asked Maria, "What time is it?"
             (Indirect Speech): Ana asked Maria what time it was.

Using Indirect Speech with Commands

When changing a quote that uses a command to reported speech, use the infinitive (to).  In the negative, use not (not to).
Example (Direct Speech):   Pat told the class, "Come on time, and turn off all cell phones."
                                         Pat said, "Don't come late, and don't leave your phone on."

            (Indirect Speech):  Pat told the class to come on time and to turn off all phones.
                                          Pat told the students not to come late and not to leave their phones on.