Direct speech
- Exact words in quotation marks: She said, “I am tired.”
Indirect (reported) speech
- No quotation marks; tense often shifts back: She said (that) she was tired.
- Pronouns and time words may change: today → that day.
Key idea
Direct speech quotes exact words; indirect speech reports them, usually shifting the tense back one step.
Remember
In reported speech, present tense usually changes to past (is → was).