Quoted / Reported Speech
Who said or thought it?
Signification
A structure that reports speech, thought, belief, command, or question directly or indirectly.
Comment le repérer
Ask whose words or thoughts are being represented.
Exemples
said|told|asked|thought|quoted
he said that|she asked if|according to him
She said that she was tired.
Visual guide
SPEAKER / THINKER
She said [that she was tired].
[reported thought]
Ask: whose words?
→ She represents them.
Direct quote: She said, "I am tired." Indirect report: She said [that she was tired]. Check shifts: I→she, am→was.
Vue par langue
Dans votre langue maternelle
Reported speech uses reporting verbs, que, pronoun shifts, and sequence of tenses.
Elle a dit qu’elle était fatiguée.
She said that she was tired.
Dans votre langue d’apprentissage
L’anglais distingue les citations directes et le discours rapporté avec des verbes de parole, des changements de temps, des pronoms adaptés et une ponctuation spécifique.
She said that she was tired.
that she was tired = proposition de discours rapporté
Les apprenants ont souvent du mal avec le changement de temps, la ponctuation des citations et les changements de pronoms ou de repères temporels.
Same block, different coding
Both languages use this block strongly, but they signal it differently. Focus on form changes, not only meaning.