Telling Someone Else's Story

Reported speech is how you retell conversations without quoting word for word. Instead of "She said: 'I am tired,'" you say "She said she was tired." The tense shifts back one step and the pronouns adjust to match your perspective.

This skill matters because much workplace communication passes along secondhand information. You'll often say things like "The client mentioned they need the report by Friday." Getting comfortable with this retelling structure makes you sound polished and reliable.