Reported speech: indirect speech Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. In indirect speech , the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command. direct indirect reported clause statement ‘I’m tired,’ I said. I told them ( that ) I was tired . that -clause question ‘Are you ready?’ the nurse asked Joel. ‘Who are you?’ she asked. The nurse asked Joel if/whether he was ready . She asked me who I was . if- clause /whether- clause wh- clause command ‘Leave at once!’ they ordered. They ordered us to leave at once . to -infinitive clause Indirect speech: reporting statements Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations: The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as t
