Grammarly Direct and Reported Speech
Grammarly Direct and Reported Speech is a guide published on the Grammarly blog that explains the difference between direct speech and reported speech. The guide covers when to use each form, rules for backshifting tenses and changing pronouns and time and place words, reporting questions and commands, alternative reporting verbs, common mistakes and a set of frequently asked questions.
100% Free (unlimited): The complete guide, with its examples, rules and frequently asked questions, is open to every reader on the Grammarly blog, with no account and no payment. You can read it online whenever you need to check a rule.
How It Helps Your Business English
The article defines direct and reported speech, then compares them for structure, quotation marks, tense, pronouns, tone and punctuation. Six rules cover backshifting and the cases where the tense stays, pronoun changes, time and place words, longer sentences and dropping that. Later sections handle questions and orders, common mistakes and frequent questions.
Use the table of contents to go straight to the point you need. The six rules are the core of the page: read each one with its examples, then cover the reported version and rebuild it yourself. The section on alternative reporting verbs shows how the verb you choose colours what the speaker meant, and the list of common mistakes is a quick check on your own habits.
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