Reported speech: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Q: What is reported speech?

Passing on someone's words without quoting them exactly. Direct speech repeats the words in quotation marks: Ana said, “I'm running late.” Reported speech, also called indirect speech, builds them into your own sentence: Ana said she was running late. The pronouns and often the tense change, because you're speaking from your own place and time.

Q: What are the tense changes in reported speech?

The verb moves one tense back into the past. This is called backshift: am , is and are become was or were , the present simple becomes the past simple, have done becomes had done , will becomes would and can becomes could . The past simple can become the past perfect, though in speech it often stays: He said they had moved or He said they moved .

Q: Do you always change the tense in reported speech?

No, the tense can stay in two cases. After a present reporting verb, keep it: Lena says the build is ready . After said , something that is still true can stay in the present too: He said he works from home on Fridays . When the situation is over, backshift: Last week she said she was on vacation . The Business English B2 lesson's scheme sets out both cases.

Q: How do you form reported questions?

Statement order after asked if or a question word. Yes/no questions take if or whether : “Do you need help?” becomes She asked if I needed help . Wh- questions keep their question word: “Why is it late?” becomes He asked why it was late . Drop do , does , did and the question mark, and when who is the subject, nothing moves: She asked who was coming .

Q: What's the difference between say and tell?

Tell needs a person after it; say doesn't. He told me the server was down , but He said the server was down . The usual mistake is He said me ; to name the listener after say , add to : He said to me that the server was down . For orders and instructions, use tell + person + to : She told us to restart it .

Q: What are reporting verbs?

Verbs that name what the speaker did. Instead of He said I should try again , you can write He encouraged me to try again . Each one has its pattern: suggest and deny take -ing or that , offer and refuse take to , advise and remind take a person + to . She suggested me to call is the classic mistake: She suggested calling .

Q: How do I teach reported speech to ESL students?

Start with statements, then questions, then requests. In English for IT B1, learners turn a client's complaints and questions into call notes, so said + one tense back, asked if and asked him to all have a real purpose. Business English B2 goes deeper into say vs tell and when to keep the tense, and English for IT B2 and C1 move on to reporting verbs in feedback and meeting notes.

Q: What are good reported speech activities and games?

Games where students pass on what someone else said. In a message chain, one student tells a partner a fact, and the partner reports it to a third: She said she had two cats . Or pairs interview each other and report the answers to the group. Each lesson also has a speaking chapter: a messenger chat the student completes alone, then a game such as Spin the wheel or Open the box, played with a partner or the teacher.

Q: Are there interactive reported speech exercises?

Yes, starting with the ones on this page. They come from the lessons below, which have the full set of drag-and-drop, gap-fills, tables to complete and quizzes on direct and indirect speech, say and tell , reported questions and reporting verbs. In an edio.ai account, students see each answer checked as they go, and a free trial opens every lesson in the library.

Q: Can I use these lessons one-to-one or for homework?

Yes, with one student, live or between classes. Live, the student works in their own account while you lead in sync, and the two of you play the speaking game. As homework, the drills mark themselves, while some tasks come back to you for review.

Levels B1 to C1 13 lesson plans · 4 drill lessons Exercises that check themselves

Reported speech is how we pass on what someone said or asked: “Is the app down?” becomes She asked if the app was down. This page collects 13 ready-made reported speech lessons from the edio.ai library, levels B1 to C1, with topics such as a client call, feedback at work and meeting notes. Below, you can play exercises taken from the lessons, compare the rules their grammar schemes teach, and choose a lesson by level. Each one is interactive and in American English, and its drills check every answer as students go.

Start free trial Try the exercises

Reported speech lesson plans and drills

13 lesson plans and 4 drill lessons, B1 to C1. Lesson plans are whole lessons with reading, listening and speaking; drill lessons are 45 to 46 self-checking exercises with no new words.

Try the reported speech exercises

One exercise from each of 6 lessons. These are the same exercises your students do in edio.

Reported speech explained

We use reported speech to tell someone what another person said, asked or wanted, often some time later: in a call summary, a message for a colleague or meeting notes. After a past verb such as said or asked, the verb usually moves one tense back, and pronouns follow the new speaker: “I'm busy” becomes He said he was busy.

Statements: said + one tense back

After said, each verb steps back once: is becomes was, the present simple becomes the past simple, have done becomes had done, and will and can become would and could. So “We can't log in” turns into They said they couldn't log in.

Change	They said	You report
am / is / are → was / were	“The app is broken.”	He said the app was broken.
present simple → past simple	“It doesn't work.”	She said it didn't work.
am / is / are + -ing → was / were + -ing	“I'm checking the app.”	He said he was checking the app.
have / has + past participle → had + past participle	“We've lost some data.”	They said they had lost some data.
will → would	“I'll call you.”	She said she would call me.
can → could	“I can't see my money.”	He said he couldn't see his money.

From the lesson "The client said it was broken" (English for IT B1)

Pronouns and time words

The speaker's I and my become he, she, his or her. Swap today, tomorrow and yesterday for that day, the next day and the day before only if you report on a later day.

They say	You report
I, my	he / she, his / her
you, your (to you)	me, my
today	that day
tomorrow	the next day
yesterday	the day before

From the lesson "The client said it was broken" (English for IT B1)

Say or tell: is there a person after the verb?

Tell always has a person after it: She told us the room was booked. Say has none, or adds to before one: She said (to us) that the room was booked. After both verbs, that can be dropped.

say: no person after it

Martin said (that) the samples were ready.
With a person, add to: He said to me that he was busy.
Before the exact words: Priya said, "Let's start."

tell: always a person after it

Martin told me (that) the samples were ready.
He told Ana about the cupping.
She told us to wait.

From the lesson Reporting Back (Business English B2)

Questions and requests: asked if, asked someone to

Reported questions use statement order, with no do, did or question mark: “Where is it?” becomes She asked where it was, and yes/no questions take if or whether. Requests and orders take a person + to: He told us not to wait.

Direct	Reported	Pattern
"Do you need more?"	He asked if / whether we needed more.	asked + if / whether + subject + verb
"When is Ana back?"	He asked when Ana was back.	asked + question word + subject + verb: no do / did, no ?
"Who is going to taste them?"	He asked who was going to taste them.	who is the subject, so nothing moves
"Could you call me, Ana?"	He asked Ana to call him.	ask someone to + verb
"Don't worry about the jargon."	He told me not to worry about it.	tell someone (not) to + verb
"I'll send my notes."	He promised to send his notes.	promise to + verb
"Would you like me to host a cupping?"	He offered to host a cupping.	offer to + verb
"Remember to book a room, Tom."	Jess reminded Tom to book a room.	remind someone to + verb
"Spot coffee is already in the warehouse."	Ana explained (to Tom) that spot coffee was already there.	explain (to someone) that …
"We've just opened a cupping room."	He mentioned that they had just opened one.	mention (to someone) that …

From the lesson Reporting Back (Business English B2)

Reporting verbs: -ing, to, person + to

Verbs such as suggest, offer and warn name what the speaker did, and each has its own pattern: suggested taking a break, offered to help, warned me to check, apologized for missing the call.

Pattern	Verbs	Example
verb + -ing	suggest, recommend, admit, deny	Kenji suggested practicing it out loud.
verb + that + clause	suggest, recommend, admit, deny, explain, point out, agree	Kenji pointed out that “messy” was a judgment.
verb + person + to + verb	encourage, advise, remind, warn (also tell, ask, persuade)	He encouraged Amara to give the feedback live.
verb + to + verb	offer, agree, refuse (also promise)	Kenji offered to play Iryna.
verb + for + -ing	apologize (to someone) for	Amara apologized for raising it.
not + to / -ing	not goes before to or the -ing form	He warned her not to start with a question.

From the lesson Feedback that helps (English for IT B2)

Verbs that show the speaker's attitude

Some verbs also show how a point was made. State is neutral, claim means the writer isn't sure, admit accepts something bad, concede accepts the other side's point, insist holds firm and deny says it isn't true: She denied changing the settings.

Verb	What it tells the reader	Example
state	neutral and formal: a plain fact	Maya stated that the launch date would not change.
claim	the speaker says it's true, but the writer isn't sure	The vendor claims its service never loses a message.
admit	the speaker accepts something bad, often about themselves	Priya admitted that she'd been a bit stubborn.
concede	the speaker accepts a point from the other side	Priya conceded that a managed service would cut the on-call load.
insist	the speaker says it firmly, against disagreement	Tom insisted that a second cluster meant twice the alerts.
deny	the speaker says it isn't true	Tom denied being against Kafka.

From the lesson Meeting Notes and Follow-ups (English for IT C1)

Questions about reported speech

What is reported speech?

Passing on someone's words without quoting them exactly. Direct speech repeats the words in quotation marks: Ana said, “I'm running late.” Reported speech, also called indirect speech, builds them into your own sentence: Ana said she was running late. The pronouns and often the tense change, because you're speaking from your own place and time.

What are the tense changes in reported speech?

The verb moves one tense back into the past. This is called backshift: am, is and are become was or were, the present simple becomes the past simple, have done becomes had done, will becomes would and can becomes could. The past simple can become the past perfect, though in speech it often stays: He said they had moved or He said they moved.

Do you always change the tense in reported speech?

No, the tense can stay in two cases. After a present reporting verb, keep it: Lena says the build is ready. After said, something that is still true can stay in the present too: He said he works from home on Fridays. When the situation is over, backshift: Last week she said she was on vacation. The Business English B2 lesson's scheme sets out both cases.

How do you form reported questions?

Statement order after asked if or a question word. Yes/no questions take if or whether: “Do you need help?” becomes She asked if I needed help. Wh- questions keep their question word: “Why is it late?” becomes He asked why it was late. Drop do, does, did and the question mark, and when who is the subject, nothing moves: She asked who was coming.

What's the difference between say and tell?

Tell needs a person after it; say doesn't. He told me the server was down, but He said the server was down. The usual mistake is He said me; to name the listener after say, add to: He said to me that the server was down. For orders and instructions, use tell + person + to: She told us to restart it.

What are reporting verbs?

Verbs that name what the speaker did. Instead of He said I should try again, you can write He encouraged me to try again. Each one has its pattern: suggest and deny take -ing or that, offer and refuse take to, advise and remind take a person + to. She suggested me to call is the classic mistake: She suggested calling.

How do I teach reported speech to ESL students?

Start with statements, then questions, then requests. In English for IT B1, learners turn a client's complaints and questions into call notes, so said + one tense back, asked if and asked him to all have a real purpose. Business English B2 goes deeper into say vs tell and when to keep the tense, and English for IT B2 and C1 move on to reporting verbs in feedback and meeting notes.

What are good reported speech activities and games?

Games where students pass on what someone else said. In a message chain, one student tells a partner a fact, and the partner reports it to a third: She said she had two cats. Or pairs interview each other and report the answers to the group. Each lesson also has a speaking chapter: a messenger chat the student completes alone, then a game such as Spin the wheel or Open the box, played with a partner or the teacher.

Are there interactive reported speech exercises?

Yes, starting with the ones on this page. They come from the lessons below, which have the full set of drag-and-drop, gap-fills, tables to complete and quizzes on direct and indirect speech, say and tell, reported questions and reporting verbs. In an edio.ai account, students see each answer checked as they go, and a free trial opens every lesson in the library.

Can I use these lessons one-to-one or for homework?

Yes, with one student, live or between classes. Live, the student works in their own account while you lead in sync, and the two of you play the speaking game. As homework, the drills mark themselves, while some tasks come back to you for review.

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Reported speech: ESL lesson plans and exercises

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Feedback that helps

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Meeting Notes and Follow-ups

Try the reported speech exercises

Reported speech explained

Statements: said + one tense back

Pronouns and time words

Say or tell: is there a person after the verb?

Questions and requests: asked if, asked someone to

Reporting verbs: -ing, to, person + to

Verbs that show the speaker's attitude

Questions about reported speech

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Verbs

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Teach reported speech with ready-made lessons