{"id":5694,"date":"2026-06-22T00:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T00:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/reported-speech-taiwan-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T00:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T00:08:13","slug":"reported-speech-taiwan-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/vi\/reported-speech-taiwan-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Reported Speech: 8 Rules Taiwan Pros Master (2026) | \u9593\u63a5\u554f\u53e5\u5b8c\u6574\u6307\u5357"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every time you tell your boss what a coworker said in yesterday&#8217;s meeting, you are using <strong>reported speech<\/strong> \u2014 and in English, the rules are nothing like Chinese. A Taiwan office worker who can quote a client perfectly in Chinese will often produce sentences like &#8220;He said me he will come tomorrow&#8221; the second the conversation switches to English. The grammar is small, the consequences are large, and once you see the eight rules laid out, the mistakes mostly disappear.<\/p>\n<p>This guide covers <strong>reported speech (\u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8ff0)<\/strong> the way Taiwan professionals actually need it \u2014 for emails, meeting recaps, phone calls, and TOEIC Part 5. Indirect questions (\u9593\u63a5\u554f\u53e5), reporting verbs (\u5831\u544a\u52d5\u8a5e), and the tense backshift that everyone gets wrong all live inside this single grammar topic.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/reported-speech-writing-notebook.jpg\" alt=\"Taking notes on reported speech rules in a notebook | \u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8ff0\u7b46\u8a18\" style=\"max-width:100%;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>Writing down what someone said is the everyday job of reported speech. | \u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8ff0\u5c31\u662f\u628a\u5225\u4eba\u8aaa\u904e\u7684\u8a71\u518d\u8f49\u8ff0\u51fa\u4f86\u3002<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>What Is Reported Speech? \u4ec0\u9ebc\u662f\u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8ff0\uff1f<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Reported speech<\/strong> (also called <em>indirect speech<\/em>) is how you tell someone what another person said, without quoting them word-for-word. Direct speech uses quotation marks; reported speech does not. Compare:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Direct:<\/strong> Mei said, &#8220;I am tired.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reported:<\/strong> Mei said (that) she was tired.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Two things happened. The pronoun changed (I \u2192 she). The verb moved one step back in time (am \u2192 was). That second move is called the <strong>tense backshift<\/strong>, and it is the single most missed feature when Mandarin speakers switch to English. Chinese has no tense, so the verb just sits there. English forces you to step back. Skip that step and the sentence sounds wrong \u2014 even when every other word is correct.<\/p>\n<h2>Rule 1: Tense Backshift \u2014 Move Each Tense One Step Back | \u52d5\u8a5e\u6642\u614b\u5f8c\u9000\u4e00\u683c<\/h2>\n<p>When the reporting verb is in the past (<em>said, told, asked<\/em>), every tense in the quoted part moves one step back. The pattern is mechanical. Memorise the column and 80% of reported-speech errors vanish overnight.<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse:collapse; width:100%; max-width:700px; margin:0 auto;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background:#f3f3f3;\">\n<th style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Direct Speech (\u76f4\u63a5)<\/th>\n<th style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Reported Speech (\u9593\u63a5)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Present simple \u2014 I work<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Past simple \u2014 he worked<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Present continuous \u2014 I am working<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Past continuous \u2014 he was working<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Present perfect \u2014 I have worked<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Past perfect \u2014 he had worked<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Past simple \u2014 I worked<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">Past perfect \u2014 he had worked<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">will \u2014 I will work<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">would \u2014 he would work<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">can \u2014 I can work<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">could \u2014 he could work<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">may \u2014 I may work<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">might \u2014 he might work<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">must \u2014 I must work<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">had to \u2014 he had to work<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The truth is, most Taiwan learners try to skip this rule because Chinese verbs do not move. They produce sentences like &#8220;<em>He said he is busy<\/em>&#8221; when the boss asked yesterday. Native ears hear that immediately. Move the verb back. Always.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/reported-speech-office-meeting-discussion.jpg\" alt=\"Office meeting where reported speech tense backshift is used to summarize what colleagues said\" style=\"max-width:100%;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>Meeting recaps live or die on the tense backshift. | \u6703\u8b70\u91cd\u9ede\u5168\u9760\u6642\u614b\u5f8c\u9000\u4e00\u683c\u3002<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Rule 2: Pronouns and Time Words Shift With the Speaker | \u4ee3\u540d\u8a5e\u8207\u6642\u9593\u8a5e\u8ddf\u8457\u8f49\u63db<\/h2>\n<p>When you report someone&#8217;s words, the world flips around <em>your<\/em> position, not theirs. <strong>I<\/strong> becomes <strong>he\/she<\/strong>. <strong>You<\/strong> often becomes <strong>I<\/strong> ho\u1eb7c <strong>T\u00f4i<\/strong>. <strong>Hi\u1ec7n nay<\/strong> becomes <strong>then<\/strong>, <strong>today<\/strong> becomes <strong>that day<\/strong>, <strong>tomorrow<\/strong> becomes <strong>the next day<\/strong>, <strong>yesterday<\/strong> becomes <strong>the day before<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Direct:<\/strong> &#8220;I will email you tomorrow,&#8221; she said.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reported:<\/strong> She said she would email me the next day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The reason this slips: in Chinese, &#8220;\u660e\u5929&#8221; can stay as &#8220;\u660e\u5929&#8221; in either form. In English, the moment the reporting verb is past, every time anchor moves with it.<\/p>\n<h2>Rule 3: Say vs Tell \u2014 Pick the Right One Every Time | say \u8207 tell \u7684\u5dee\u5225<\/h2>\n<p>This is the single most common Taiwan office mistake in reported speech. <strong>Say<\/strong> never takes an indirect object without &#8220;to.&#8221; <strong>Tell<\/strong> always takes a person directly after it. There is no overlap.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Correct:<\/strong> C\u00f4 \u1ea5y <em>n\u00f3i<\/em> (that) she was late.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Correct:<\/strong> C\u00f4 \u1ea5y <em>told me<\/em> (that) she was late.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sai:<\/strong> C\u00f4 \u1ea5y <em>said me<\/em> she was late.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sai:<\/strong> C\u00f4 \u1ea5y <em>told<\/em> she was late.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A clean memory hook: <em>tell<\/em> needs an audience, <em>say<\/em> stands alone. If you ever want to mention the listener, switch to <em>tell<\/em> or add &#8220;to&#8221; \u2014 <em>She said to me\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/say-vs-tell-coworkers-coffee-conversation.jpg\" alt=\"Two coworkers practicing say vs tell over coffee | say tell \u5dee\u5225\" style=\"max-width:100%;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>&#8220;She told me\u2026&#8221; not &#8220;She said me\u2026&#8221; \u2014 the office difference that cuts both ways. | \u300cShe told me\u2026\u300d\u624d\u5c0d\u3002<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Rule 4: Reported Questions Drop the Inversion | \u9593\u63a5\u554f\u53e5\u4e0d\u5012\u88dd<\/h2>\n<p>This is where <strong>indirect questions (\u9593\u63a5\u554f\u53e5)<\/strong> trip up almost every Taiwan learner. In a direct question, the auxiliary verb jumps in front of the subject. In a reported question, it goes back behind. The word order returns to a normal statement.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Direct:<\/strong> &#8220;Where do you live?&#8221; he asked.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reported:<\/strong> He asked where <em>I lived<\/em>. (NOT &#8220;where did I live&#8221;)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Direct:<\/strong> &#8220;What time is the meeting?&#8221; she asked.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reported:<\/strong> She asked what time <em>the meeting was<\/em>. (NOT &#8220;what time was the meeting&#8221;)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Drop the question mark. Drop the inversion. Drop the auxiliary <em>do\/does\/did<\/em> if it was only there to form the question. The subject sits in front of the verb again, like an ordinary statement. This rule alone is worth 30 points on the TOEIC reading section.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/indirect-questions-phone-call-business.jpg\" alt=\"Business phone call using indirect questions and reported speech | \u5546\u696d\u96fb\u8a71\u9593\u63a5\u554f\u53e5\" style=\"max-width:100%;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>On the phone, almost every reported question becomes an indirect question. | \u96fb\u8a71\u4e0a\u5e7e\u4e4e\u6bcf\u500b\u554f\u984c\u90fd\u662f\u9593\u63a5\u554f\u53e5\u3002<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Rule 5: Yes\/No Reported Questions Use &#8220;If&#8221; or &#8220;Whether&#8221; | Yes\/No \u9593\u63a5\u554f\u53e5\u7528 if\/whether<\/h2>\n<p>A Yes\/No question has no <em>wh-<\/em> word, so reported speech needs a connector. Use <strong>if<\/strong> in casual contexts and <strong>whether<\/strong> in formal contexts. Whether sounds cleaner with &#8220;or not&#8221; attached.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Direct:<\/strong> &#8220;Are you coming?&#8221; he asked.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reported:<\/strong> He asked if I was coming. \/ He asked whether I was coming.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Direct:<\/strong> &#8220;Did the client confirm?&#8221; she asked.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reported:<\/strong> She asked whether the client had confirmed (or not).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In emails, <em>whether<\/em> is the safer choice. Business writing prefers it for the same reason: it forces the reader to consider both sides. Closely linked is the <a href=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/vi\/question-tags-taiwan-2026\/\">question tags rule set<\/a> that Taiwan professionals also need for confirmations.<\/p>\n<h2>Rule 6: Reported Commands and Requests Use Infinitives | \u547d\u4ee4\u53e5\u548c\u8acb\u6c42\u53e5\u7528\u4e0d\u5b9a\u8a5e<\/h2>\n<p>When you report an order, a request, advice, or a warning, the structure changes completely. You drop the original verb and use <strong>to + base verb<\/strong> after the listener.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Direct:<\/strong> &#8220;Send the report by Friday,&#8221; the manager said.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reported:<\/strong> The manager told me <em>to send<\/em> the report by Friday.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Direct:<\/strong> &#8220;Don&#8217;t open that email,&#8221; she warned.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reported:<\/strong> She warned me <em>not to open<\/em> that email.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Direct:<\/strong> &#8220;Please review the slides,&#8221; he asked.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reported:<\/strong> He asked me <em>to review<\/em> the slides.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Negative commands take <strong>not<\/strong> before <em>\u0110\u1ebeN<\/em>, never after it. &#8220;<em>He told me to not go<\/em>&#8221; sounds wrong; &#8220;<em>He told me not to go<\/em>&#8221; is correct. The same infinitive pattern works with <em>advise, warn, order, beg, remind, encourage, invite, instruct, urge<\/em> \u2014 a long list of useful office verbs.<\/p>\n<h2>Rule 7: Reporting Verbs Carry Tone \u2014 Pick the Right One | \u5831\u544a\u52d5\u8a5e\u50b3\u9054\u8a9e\u6c23<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;Said&#8221; and &#8220;told&#8221; are safe and neutral. But English has dozens of <strong>reporting verbs<\/strong> that show <em>how<\/em> something was said. Picking the right one upgrades your writing from textbook to professional.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Neutral:<\/strong> say, tell, state, mention<\/li>\n<li><strong>Confident:<\/strong> claim, insist, maintain, argue, assert<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tentative:<\/strong> suggest, propose, hint, imply<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ti\u00eau c\u1ef1c:<\/strong> complain, deny, refuse, accuse, threaten, warn<\/li>\n<li><strong>Agreement:<\/strong> agree, admit, confirm, acknowledge, promise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Compare the difference: <em>&#8220;He said the deadline was unrealistic&#8221;<\/em> so v\u1edbi <em>&#8220;He insisted the deadline was unrealistic&#8221;<\/em> so v\u1edbi <em>&#8220;He complained the deadline was unrealistic.&#8221;<\/em> Same sentence, three different colours of meaning. In professional emails, reporting verbs are how you signal tone without sounding rude. The <a href=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/vi\/english-modal-verbs-taiwan-2026\/\">modal verbs guide<\/a> works well alongside this \u2014 modals soften, reporting verbs colour.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/reporting-verbs-english-teacher-whiteboard.jpg\" alt=\"Teacher writing English reporting verbs on a chalkboard | \u5831\u544a\u52d5\u8a5e\u6559\u5b78\" style=\"max-width:100%;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>The right reporting verb makes your meaning sharper. | \u9078\u5c0d\u5831\u544a\u52d5\u8a5e\uff0c\u8a9e\u610f\u66f4\u7cbe\u6e96\u3002<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Rule 8: When NOT to Backshift the Tense | \u4ec0\u9ebc\u6642\u5019\u4e0d\u9700\u8981\u6642\u614b\u5f8c\u9000<\/h2>\n<p>The textbook rule is &#8220;always backshift after a past reporting verb.&#8221; Real English breaks that rule in three useful situations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Universal truths and current facts:<\/strong> &#8220;She said water boils at 100\u00b0C.&#8221; (Backshifting would imply it stopped being true.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>The reported information is still happening or still true:<\/strong> &#8220;He told me he lives in Taipei.&#8221; (He still lives there.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>The reporting verb is present:<\/strong> \u201c&quot;C\u00f4 \u1ea5y <em>says<\/em> she is busy.&#8221; (No shift needed because the report itself is now.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is the move that separates B1 from B2 learners. Apply the backshift mechanically and your English sounds like a textbook. Decide when to keep the present tense and your English sounds alive. The <a href=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/vi\/passive-voice-taiwan-2026\/\">passive voice rules<\/a> follow a similar logic \u2014 when meaning trumps mechanics, real English breaks its own rules.<\/p>\n<h2>Common Mistakes Taiwan Learners Make | \u53f0\u7063\u5b78\u751f\u5e38\u72af\u932f\u8aa4<\/h2>\n<p>After teaching reported speech to office workers, cram school students, and TOEIC candidates for two decades, the same six mistakes show up in nearly every class. Watch your own writing for these:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Forgetting the backshift<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;She said she <em>l\u00e0<\/em> coming&#8221; \u2192 should be &#8220;she <em>was<\/em> coming.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Saying &#8220;said me&#8221;<\/strong> \u2014 copy the Chinese \u300c\u4ed6\u8ddf\u6211\u8aaa\u300d directly. Use <em>told me<\/em> ho\u1eb7c <em>said to me<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keeping inversion in indirect questions<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;He asked <em>where did I work<\/em>&#8221; \u2192 &#8220;He asked <em>where I worked<\/em>.&quot;\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Translating \u300c\u4ed6\u554f\u6211\u8aaa\u300d word-for-word<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;He asked me said\u2026&#8221; The English just says &#8220;He asked me\u2026&#8221; or &#8220;He asked me whether\u2026&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mixing up if and whether in formal writing<\/strong> \u2014 emails prefer <em>whether<\/em>, especially with &#8220;or not.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reporting commands with &#8220;that&#8221;<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;He told me <em>that<\/em> send the report&#8221; \u2192 &#8220;He told me <em>\u0110\u1ebeN<\/em> send the report.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/reported-speech-taiwan-student-studying-english.jpg\" alt=\"Taiwan student studying reported speech grammar rules at a desk\" style=\"max-width:100%;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>Most reported speech errors disappear after a focused week of practice. | \u96c6\u4e2d\u7df4\u7fd2\u4e00\u9031\uff0c\u5927\u591a\u6578\u932f\u8aa4\u5c31\u6d88\u5931\u3002<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Reported Speech in Real Work Situations | \u8077\u5834\u5be6\u969b\u61c9\u7528<\/h2>\n<p>The grammar rules are only half the job. Reported speech shows up constantly in Taiwan offices, and the contexts shape how natural the sentence sounds:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Meeting recap emails.<\/strong> \u201c<em>Karen confirmed that the launch date had been pushed to August, and Tom asked whether we could prepare a revised budget by Friday.<\/em>&#8221; \u2014 two reported clauses in one sentence, both backshifted, both with the right reporting verb.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forwarding client requests.<\/strong> \u201c<em>The client asked if we could lower the price by 10% and warned that they would consider other suppliers if we couldn&#8217;t.<\/em>&#8221; \u2014 notice <em>warned<\/em> carries more weight than <em>n\u00f3i<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Phone message follow-ups.<\/strong> \u201c<em>Hi Vivian, Mr. Chen called this morning and asked when the shipment would arrive. He also mentioned that he had emailed you the new PO.<\/em>&#8221; \u2014 reporting two pieces of information cleanly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Performance reviews.<\/strong> \u201c<em>You mentioned last quarter that you wanted more leadership exposure \u2014 let&#8217;s talk about projects where you could lead.<\/em>&#8221; \u2014 reported speech makes feedback specific and traceable.<\/p>\n<h2>Watch: Master Reported Speech in 15 Minutes<\/h2>\n<p>English with Greg breaks the three core steps down with quick examples \u2014 a useful second pass after reading this guide.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Mi9UPE2C91I\" title=\"Master Reported Speech in 15 Minutes\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Quick Reference: Reported Speech Cheat Sheet | \u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8ff0\u901f\u67e5\u8868<\/h2>\n<table style=\"border-collapse:collapse; width:100%; max-width:700px; margin:0 auto;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background:#f3f3f3;\">\n<th style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">If the direct speech says\u2026<\/th>\n<th style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">The reported version uses\u2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">A statement<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">said (that) \/ told (someone) that\u2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">A wh- question<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">asked + wh-word + statement order<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">A yes\/no question<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">asked if \/ asked whether\u2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">A command<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">told (someone) to + base verb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">A negative command<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">told (someone) not to + base verb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">A request<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">asked (someone) to + base verb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">A warning<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">warned (someone) (not) to + base verb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">A suggestion<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #ccc; padding:8px;\">suggested + -ing \/ suggested (that) + clause<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/reported-speech-english-grammar-books.jpg\" alt=\"Stack of English grammar books covering reported speech and indirect questions\" style=\"max-width:100%;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>Print the cheat sheet, keep it in your desk drawer, and watch your writing change in a week. | \u5370\u51fa\u4f86\u653e\u62bd\u5c5c\uff0c\u4e00\u9031\u5f8c\u5beb\u4f5c\u5c31\u4e0d\u4e00\u6a23\u3002<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>The Next Step<\/h2>\n<p>Pick one email you wrote last week. Find every sentence that reports what someone else said. Rewrite each one with the rules above \u2014 backshift the verb, fix the say\/tell split, drop the question inversion. That one exercise will teach you more than any textbook drill, because the sentences come from your own desk. Reported speech is not a grammar topic \u2014 it is the daily fabric of professional English in Taiwan.<\/p>\n<h2>Ngu\u1ed3n<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/learnenglish.britishcouncil.org\/grammar\/english-grammar-reference\/reported-speech-statements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">British Council LearnEnglish \u2014 Reported speech: statements<\/a> \u2014 the official LearnEnglish reference for backshift and pronoun rules.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/learnenglish.britishcouncil.org\/grammar\/english-grammar-reference\/reported-speech-questions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">British Council LearnEnglish \u2014 Reported speech: questions<\/a> \u2014 covers indirect questions and if\/whether.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/grammar\/british-grammar\/reported-speech\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cambridge Dictionary Grammar \u2014 Reported speech<\/a> \u2014 full reference with British and American usage notes.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.perfect-english-grammar.com\/reported-speech.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Perfect English Grammar \u2014 Reported Speech<\/a> \u2014 exercises and printable worksheets.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britishcouncil.org.tw\/blog\/How-to-use-English-reported-speech\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">British Council Taiwan \u2014 \u82f1\u8a9e\u4e2d\u7684\u300creported speech (\u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8a9e)\u300d\u662f\u4ec0\u9ebc<\/a> \u2014 bilingual explanation for Taiwan learners.<\/li>\n<\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reported speech rules every Taiwan pro needs \u2014 tense backshift, say vs tell, indirect questions, reporting verbs. 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