Reported Speech: Statements for CBSE Class 10

Understand Reported Speech: Statements

Reported Speech: Statements: rules and format

1. 1

   Reporting verb: said → said (no listener); said to → told (with a listener)

   Ravi said to me, "I am hungry." → Ravi told me that he was hungry.

   Never write 'said me' or 'told that' without an object.

2. 2

   Present simple → past simple

   "I live in Pune," said Arjun. → Arjun said that he lived in Pune.

3. 3

   Present continuous → past continuous

   "We are practising for the match," she said. → She said that they were practising for the match.

4. 4

   Present perfect → past perfect

   "I have lost my ID card," he said. → He said that he had lost his ID card.

5. 5

   Past simple → past perfect

   "I met the principal," she said. → She said that she had met the principal.

   In informal English the past simple is sometimes kept, but the past perfect is the safe exam answer.

6. 6

   Modals: will → would, can → could, may → might, shall → should; must → must or had to

   "I will call you tomorrow," he said. → He said that he would call me the next day.

   Could, would, should, might and ought to do not change.

7. 7

   Time and place words shift

   now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the previous day / the day before, ago → before, here → there, this → that, these → those

   Change them only when the reporting is at a different time or place.

8. 8

   No tense change when the reporting verb is present or future

   The coach says, "Practice starts at six." → The coach says that practice starts at six.

9. 9

   No tense change for universal truths and habitual facts

   The teacher said, "Water boils at 100 °C." → The teacher said that water boils at 100 °C.

10. 10

    Use a reporting verb that shows the purpose when the sentence calls for it

    "Yes, I broke the vase," said Tina. → Tina admitted that she had broken the vase.

    explained, replied, complained, informed, admitted, assured, promised

How to answer Reported Speech: Statements questions

1. 1Identify who is speaking to whom, so you can change pronouns correctly.
2. 2Choose the reporting verb: told + listener, said without a listener, or a purpose verb that fits the tone.
3. 3Move the tense one step back if the reporting verb is past (unless it is a universal truth).
4. 4Change time and place words, then read the reported sentence once to check that it makes sense without quotation marks.

Reported Speech: Statements in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Tricks to remember Reported Speech: Statements

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• One step back

  am/is → was, are → were, has/have → had, did/V2 → had + V3, will → would, can → could, may → might.

  Use it when: Say the step aloud: 'present goes past, past goes perfect'.

• Told needs a person

  told + someone; said (to someone). Never 'told that' without the listener, never 'said me'.

  Use it when: Check the reporting verb first in every item.

• Now-then, here-there

  now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the previous day, here → there, this → that.

  Use it when: Pair them like opposites to remember.

Reported Speech: Statements: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Where students lose marks in Reported Speech: Statements

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Writing 'said me' or 'told that'

  'Told' must have a listener; 'said' cannot take one directly.

  Wrong working

  She said me that she was late.

  Right working

  She told me that she was late.

  ✓Do this: told + person; said (to + person).

  Usually costs: 1 mark

• ✗Mistake: Forgetting to change the pronoun

  In reported speech, pronouns change to the reporter's point of view.

  Wrong working

  Asha said that I was tired. (Asha is speaking about herself.)

  Right working

  Asha said that she was tired.

  ✓Do this: Ask: who is 'I' in the original sentence?

  Usually costs: 1 mark

• ✗Mistake: Back-shifting a universal truth

  Facts that are always true keep the present tense.

  Wrong working

  He said that the earth moved round the sun.

  Right working

  He said that the earth moves round the sun.

  ✓Do this: Keep the present for universal truths.

  Usually costs: 1 mark

• ✗Mistake: Keeping quotation marks or question marks

  Reported statements are ordinary sentences ending with a full stop.

  ✓Do this: Remove quotation marks; end with a full stop.

  Usually costs: Accuracy, and sometimes the mark

• ✗Mistake: Repeating the reporting verb already given in the stem

  When the report begins 'The nurse informed the patient that...', you only complete the clause.

  ✓Do this: Write only the missing part.

  Usually costs: Time; can introduce errors

Practice questions on Reported Speech: Statements

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · Short answerBoard level

   Report the statement: Meena said, "I like reading mystery novels."

   Hint

   Present simple after a past reporting verb.

   Answer

   Meena said that she liked reading mystery novels. (Present simple 'like' becomes past simple 'liked'.)

2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   Choose the correct option: He said to me, "I am busy now."
   (a) He said me that he was busy then.
   (b) He told me that he was busy then.
   (c) He told me that I was busy now.
   (d) He told that he is busy now.

   Hint

   Check the reporting verb, the pronoun and 'now'.

   Answer

   (b) He told me that he was busy then. 'Said to me' → 'told me', 'I' → 'he', 'am' → 'was', 'now' → 'then'.

3. Q3 · 1 mark · Short answerHarder board level

   Complete the report: Riya said, "We have won the inter-school debate." → Riya said that ______.

   Hint

   Present perfect and the pronoun 'we'.

   Answer

   they had won the inter-school debate. ('We' → 'they', 'have won' → 'had won'.)

4. Q4 · 1 mark · Short answerHarder board level

   Identify the error in the reported sentence and correct it: The guard told that the gate would be closed at nine.

   Hint

   What must follow 'told'?

   Answer

   Error: told. Correction: said (or 'told us'). 'Told' needs a listener after it.

5. Q5 · 1 mark · Short answerHarder board level

   Report the statement: The principal said, "The school will remain closed tomorrow."

   Hint

   Modal and time word.

   Answer

   The principal said that the school would remain closed the next day. ('Will' → 'would', 'tomorrow' → 'the next day'.)

6. Q6 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

   Choose the correct option: Grandfather said, "I visited this temple ten years ago."
   (a) Grandfather said that he visited this temple ten years ago.
   (b) Grandfather said that he had visited that temple ten years before.
   (c) Grandfather said that I had visited that temple ten years ago.
   (d) Grandfather told that he had visited that temple ten years before.

   Hint

   Past simple, 'this' and 'ago'.

   Answer

   (b) Grandfather said that he had visited that temple ten years before. Past simple → past perfect, 'this' → 'that', 'ago' → 'before'.

7. Q7 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   Read the dialogue and complete the report.
   Customer: This phone stopped working within a week.
   Shopkeeper: We can replace it today.
   Report: The customer complained that (i) ______. The shopkeeper assured him that (ii) ______. (two blanks, 1 mark each)

   Hint

   Two different backshifts and two time/place words.

   Answer

   (i) that phone had stopped working within a week (ii) they could replace it that day. ('This' → 'that', 'stopped' → 'had stopped'; 'we' → 'they', 'can' → 'could', 'today' → 'that day'.)

8. Q8 · 1 mark · Short answerHOTS / competency

   The reporting verb is in the present. Report the statement and explain why the tense does or does not change: The weather report says, "Heavy rain is likely in the coastal districts."

   Hint

   Is the reporting verb past or present?

   Answer

   The weather report says that heavy rain is likely in the coastal districts. The tense does not change because the reporting verb 'says' is in the present.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.What does 'said to me' become in reported speech?Show answer

   told me.

2. 2.What does the present perfect change to?Show answer

   The past perfect (has done → had done).

3. 3.What does 'tomorrow' become?Show answer

   the next day (or the following day).

4. 4.When does the tense not change?Show answer

   When the reporting verb is present/future, or the statement is a universal truth.

5. 5.What does 'can' become after a past reporting verb?Show answer

   could.

Reported Speech: Statements: frequently asked questions