English · Stage 5
Reporting Speech
Grammar & Punctuation — tell someone what was said: drop the quote marks and step the words back in time
✦ English📘 Stage 5 · S5⏱ ~10 min🧒 Ages 9–10★ Free to start
I can change direct speech into reported speech.
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Kavi Passes the Message On
"I am tired," yawned Owlbert. A moment later Kavi flew off to tell a friend — but the words came out a little different. "Owlbert said he was tired," Kavi reported. No quote marks, and am had stepped back to was. That is reported speech: we drop the marks and shift the tense, the pronouns and the time words.
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What your child will learn
1Drop the marks, step the words backDirect speech shows the exact words inside quote marks. Reported speech tells someone what was said — no quote marks, and the verb steps back one tense. Pronouns and time words shift too.
2Direct vs reported
3Which ones are reported speech?
4No quote marks — the verbs have stepped back
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A peek inside
Report this: "I am hungry," said Kavi.
drop the quote marks → am steps back to was → I becomes he → Kavi said he was hungry
Try this at home: Report this: "I am tired," she said.
Ready to play and learn?
Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.
Part of English · Stage 5 · S5 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.