Indirect speech

Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.

Example:

She said, "I saw him." (direct speech) = She said that she had seen him. (indirect speech)

"Say" and "tell"

He said that he was tired.

He told me that he was tired.

Use 'say' when there is no indirect object:

Always use 'tell' when you say who was being spoken to (i.e. with an indirect object)