Master English Grammar

Reported Speech – Say vs. Tell

Learn how to report what someone else said using say and tell in different sentence structures.

What Is Reported Speech?

Reported speech is when we share what someone else said, without using their exact words. We often use say and tell to introduce reported statements.

Why Is This Important?

Using reported speech allows us to relay conversations in a natural way and adjust verb tenses correctly.

Key Points

Use say when no object follows
- He said he was tired.
- She said that she would be late.
Use tell when an object follows
- He told me he was tired.
- She told us that she would be late.

Rules for Using Reported Speech
Use say for general reported speech without a direct object
He said he was hungry.
She said that she loved chocolate.
Use tell when there is a direct object
He told me he was hungry.
She told us that she loved chocolate.
Special Cases & Exceptions:
Some verbs change tense when switching from direct to reported speech.
Verb tenses usually shift back in reported speech.
Direct: 'I am happy.' → Reported: He said he was happy.
Direct: 'She will come.' → Reported: She said she would come.

Direct_speech	Reported_speech
'I am tired.'	He said he was tired.
'We are leaving now.'	They said they were leaving then.
'She will help you.'	She told me she would help me.

Quick Examples

Here are common examples of reported speech with 'say' and 'tell'.

Learn More with Video Lessons

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the creators of these videos. These are publicly available resources used to provide additional information on the topic.