Reported Speech for SPM English — Rules & Common Mistakes

What Is Reported Speech?

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is when you tell someone what another person said, without using their exact words.

Direct speech: Tom said, “I am tired.” Reported speech: Tom said that he was tired.

SPM tests reported speech in grammar questions, cloze passages, and indirectly in summary writing where you paraphrase what a text says.

The Three Key Changes

When converting direct speech to reported speech, three things change:

1. Tense Backshift

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Present simple: “I play football.”	Past simple: He said he played football.
Present continuous: “I am playing.”	Past continuous: He said he was playing.
Present perfect: “I have finished.”	Past perfect: He said he had finished.
Past simple: “I played.”	Past perfect: He said he had played.
Will: “I will go.”	Would: He said he would go.
Can: “I can swim.”	Could: He said he could swim.
May: “I may come.”	Might: He said he might come.
Must: “I must study.”	Had to: He said he had to study.

Important exceptions — no backshift needed when:

The reporting verb is in present tense: “She says she is tired.” (no change)
The statement is a general truth: He said the sun rises in the east. (no change)
The statement uses past perfect: “I had left.” → He said he had left. (already furthest back)

2. Pronoun Changes

Pronouns change to match the perspective of the reporter:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
I	he / she
me	him / her
my	his / her
we	they
us	them
our	their
you (object of report)	I / me / we

Example:

“I will bring my book,” she said. → She said she would bring her book.
“We enjoyed our trip,” they said. → They said they had enjoyed their trip.

3. Time and Place Expression Changes

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
today	that day
yesterday	the day before / the previous day
tomorrow	the next day / the following day
now	then / at that time
here	there
this	that
these	those
ago	before / earlier
last week	the week before / the previous week
next month	the following month

Example:

“I saw her yesterday,” he said. → He said he had seen her the day before.
“We will meet here tomorrow,” she said. → She said they would meet there the following day.

Reporting Statements

The standard pattern uses “said (that)”:

She said, “I like English.” → She said (that) she liked English.

“That” is optional — both versions are correct.

Other reporting verbs for statements:

told (needs an object): She told me that she liked English.
explained: He explained that the exam was difficult.
mentioned: She mentioned that she was leaving.
added: He added that he would return.
claimed: She claimed that she had finished.

Common SPM mistake: “She said me that…” ✗ Correct: “She told me that…” ✓ or “She said that…” ✓

Remember: said = no object. told = needs an object.

Reporting Questions

Yes/No Questions

Use “if” or “whether”:

“Do you like English?” she asked. → She asked if/whether I liked English.
“Are you coming?” he asked. → He asked if/whether I was coming.
“Did you finish?” she asked. → She asked if/whether I had finished.

Wh- Questions

Keep the question word, but change to statement word order (no inversion):

“Where do you live?” he asked. → He asked where I lived. (NOT “where did I live”)
“What are you doing?” she asked. → She asked what I was doing. (NOT “what was I doing”)
“When will you arrive?” he asked. → He asked when I would arrive.

Key rule: In reported questions, use statement word order — the subject comes before the verb. No question marks.

Reporting Commands and Requests

Use “told/asked/ordered + object + to-infinitive”:

“Close the door,” she said. → She told me to close the door.
“Please help me,” he said. → He asked me to help him.
“Don’t be late,” she said. → She told me not to be late.
“Don’t touch that,” the teacher said. → The teacher ordered them not to touch that.

Common SPM Mistakes

Mistake 1: Double Past

Wrong: He said he didn’t went. (double past marking) Correct: He said he didn’t go. OR He said he hadn’t gone.

Mistake 2: Keeping Question Word Order

Wrong: She asked where did I live. Correct: She asked where I lived.

Mistake 3: Using Question Marks in Reported Questions

Wrong: She asked if I was coming**?** Correct: She asked if I was coming**.**

Mistake 4: Forgetting Pronoun Changes

Wrong: Tom said I was tired. (sounds like the speaker is tired) Correct: Tom said he was tired.

Mistake 5: Using “Say” with an Object

Wrong: She said me that she was busy. Correct: She told me that she was busy. OR She said that she was busy.

Practice Exercises

Convert to reported speech:

“I am studying for SPM,” she said.
“We visited the museum yesterday,” they said.
“Do you understand the lesson?” the teacher asked.
“Where does your father work?” he asked me.
“I will help you tomorrow,” she promised.
“Don’t copy during the exam,” the teacher said.
“Can you lend me a pen?” he asked.
“I have never been to Penang,” she said.

Answers:

She said (that) she was studying for SPM.
They said (that) they had visited the museum the day before.
The teacher asked if/whether I understood the lesson.
He asked me where my father worked.
She promised (that) she would help me the next day.
The teacher told us not to copy during the exam.
He asked if/whether I could lend him a pen.
She said (that) she had never been to Penang.

Build Strong Grammar for SPM

Reported speech connects to many other grammar topics — tenses, pronouns, modal verbs, and question formation. At SPMEnglish.com.my, our grammar programme teaches these topics as a connected system, not isolated rules. WhatsApp us to strengthen your grammar systematically.

Grammar & Sentence Structure — Complete grammar programme
Direct & Indirect Speech Guide — More on speech conversion
Tenses Guide — Master all 12 tenses
Modal Verbs Guide — Can, could, should, must, might

Reported Speech for SPM English: Rules, Changes, and Common Mistakes