A form of a sentence that expresses the meaning of quoted speech or writing from the point of view of the reporter. wh- clauses, if/whether clauses, and that clauses are used to express reported speech after a communication verb. e.g. He said that he was tired. We asked if they could come early.

This is also known as ‘indirect speech’ and is a report of what someone said, without actually using the words that were spoken. For example, My mother said she was coming today.

Another name for indirect speech. Speech which is reported using a report structure rather than the exact words used by the speaker. E.g. He said that we should expect him to be late for dinner. (Contrast to the direct speech: He will be late for dinner.)

a grammatical construction in which reports are made of something that was said, written, or thought (e.g., She said she was going home); also called indirect speech.

quotes which, because of how they are phrased, do not need speech marks, e.g. Beckham then said how delighted he was to be back in England.