reported speech in films

Reported Speech

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Reported Statements

Here's how it works:

We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. ( Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell' .) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:

• Direct speech: I like ice cream.
• Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. (As I'm sure you know, often, we can choose if we want to use 'that' or not in English. I've put it in brackets () to show that it's optional. It's exactly the same if you use 'that' or if you don't use 'that'.)

But , if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:

• Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

* doesn't change.

• Direct speech: The sky is blue.
• Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

Click here for a mixed tense exercise about practise reported statements. Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

• Direct speech: Where do you live?
• Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.
• Direct speech: Where is Julie?
• Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.

• Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
• Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

Click here to practise reported 'wh' questions. Click here to practise reported 'yes / no' questions. Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

• Direct speech: Close the window, please
• Or: Could you close the window please?
• Or: Would you mind closing the window please?
• Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

• Direct speech: Please don't be late.
• Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

• Direct speech: Sit down!
• Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

• Click here for an exercise to practise reported requests and orders.

• Click here for an exercise about using 'say' and 'tell'.
• Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

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100 Reported Speech Examples: How To Change Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of communicating what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. For example, if your friend said, “ I am going to the store ,” in reported speech, you might convey this as, “ My friend said he was going to the store. ” Reported speech is common in both spoken and written language, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversations.

Reported Speech: Changing Pronouns

Pronouns are usually changed to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, “I” in direct speech may become “he” or “she” in reported speech, depending on the context. Here are some example sentences:

Reported Speech: Reporting Verbs

Reported speech: tense shifts.

When converting direct speech into reported speech, the verb tense is often shifted back one step in time. This is known as the “backshift” of tenses. It’s essential to adjust the tense to reflect the time elapsed between the original speech and the reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how different tenses in direct speech are transformed in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Changing Time and Place References

Reported speech: question format.

When converting questions from direct speech into reported speech, the format changes significantly. Unlike statements, questions require rephrasing into a statement format and often involve the use of introductory verbs like ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’. Here are some examples to demonstrate how questions in direct speech are converted into statements in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Omitting Quotation Marks

Reported speech quiz.

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• Reported Speech

Reported Speech - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Reported speech or indirect speech is the form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time. This article will help you with all that you need to know about reported speech, its meaning, definition, how and when to use them along with examples. Furthermore, try out the practice questions given to check how far you have understood the topic.

Table of Contents

Definition of reported speech, rules to be followed when using reported speech, table 1 – change of pronouns, table 2 – change of adverbs of place and adverbs of time, table 3 – change of tense, table 4 – change of modal verbs, tips to practise reported speech, examples of reported speech, check your understanding of reported speech, frequently asked questions on reported speech in english, what is reported speech.

Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message.

Now, take a look at the following dictionary definitions for a clearer idea of what it is.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

Reported speech is a little different from direct speech . As it has been discussed already, reported speech is used to tell what someone said and does not use the exact words of the speaker. Take a look at the following rules so that you can make use of reported speech effectively.

• The first thing you have to keep in mind is that you need not use any quotation marks as you are not using the exact words of the speaker.
• You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech.

• You can use verbs like said, asked, requested, ordered, complained, exclaimed, screamed, told, etc. If you are just reporting a declarative sentence , you can use verbs like told, said, etc. followed by ‘that’ and end the sentence with a full stop . When you are reporting interrogative sentences, you can use the verbs – enquired, inquired, asked, etc. and remove the question mark . In case you are reporting imperative sentences , you can use verbs like requested, commanded, pleaded, ordered, etc. If you are reporting exclamatory sentences , you can use the verb exclaimed and remove the exclamation mark . Remember that the structure of the sentences also changes accordingly.
• Furthermore, keep in mind that the sentence structure , tense , pronouns , modal verbs , some specific adverbs of place and adverbs of time change when a sentence is transformed into indirect/reported speech.

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

As discussed earlier, when transforming a sentence from direct speech into reported speech, you will have to change the pronouns, tense and adverbs of time and place used by the speaker. Let us look at the following tables to see how they work.

Here are some tips you can follow to become a pro in using reported speech.

• Select a play, a drama or a short story with dialogues and try transforming the sentences in direct speech into reported speech.
• Write about an incident or speak about a day in your life using reported speech.
• Develop a story by following prompts or on your own using reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written. Check them out.

• Santana said that she would be auditioning for the lead role in Funny Girl.
• Blaine requested us to help him with the algebraic equations.
• Karishma asked me if I knew where her car keys were.
• The judges announced that the Warblers were the winners of the annual acapella competition.
• Binsha assured that she would reach Bangalore by 8 p.m.
• Kumar said that he had gone to the doctor the previous day.
• Lakshmi asked Teena if she would accompany her to the railway station.
• Jibin told me that he would help me out after lunch.
• The police ordered everyone to leave from the bus stop immediately.
• Rahul said that he was drawing a caricature.

Transform the following sentences into reported speech by making the necessary changes.

1. Rachel said, “I have an interview tomorrow.”

2. Mahesh said, “What is he doing?”

3. Sherly said, “My daughter is playing the lead role in the skit.”

4. Dinesh said, “It is a wonderful movie!”

5. Suresh said, “My son is getting married next month.”

6. Preetha said, “Can you please help me with the invitations?”

7. Anna said, “I look forward to meeting you.”

8. The teacher said, “Make sure you complete the homework before tomorrow.”

9. Sylvester said, “I am not going to cry anymore.”

10. Jade said, “My sister is moving to Los Angeles.”

Now, find out if you have answered all of them correctly.

1. Rachel said that she had an interview the next day.

2. Mahesh asked what he was doing.

3. Sherly said that her daughter was playing the lead role in the skit.

4. Dinesh exclaimed that it was a wonderful movie.

5. Suresh said that his son was getting married the following month.

6. Preetha asked if I could help her with the invitations.

7. Anna said that she looked forward to meeting me.

8. The teacher told us to make sure we completed the homework before the next day.

9. Sylvester said that he was not going to cry anymore.

10. Jade said that his sister was moving to Los Angeles.

What is reported speech?

What is the definition of reported speech.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

What is the formula of reported speech?

You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech. Subject said that (report whatever the speaker said)

Give some examples of reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written.

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Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, Exceptions

👉 Quiz 1 / Quiz 2

Advanced Grammar Course

What is reported speech?

“Reported speech” is when we talk about what somebody else said – for example:

• Direct Speech: “I’ve been to London three times.”
• Reported Speech: She said she’d been to London three times.

There are a lot of tricky little details to remember, but don’t worry, I’ll explain them and we’ll see lots of examples. The lesson will have three parts – we’ll start by looking at statements in reported speech, and then we’ll learn about some exceptions to the rules, and finally we’ll cover reported questions, requests, and commands.

So much of English grammar – like this topic, reported speech – can be confusing, hard to understand, and even harder to use correctly. I can help you learn grammar easily and use it confidently inside my Advanced English Grammar Course.

In this course, I will make even the most difficult parts of English grammar clear to you – and there are lots of opportunities for you to practice!

Backshift of Verb Tenses in Reported Speech

When we use reported speech, we often change the verb tense backwards in time. This can be called “backshift.”

Here are some examples in different verb tenses:

Reported Speech (Part 1) Quiz

Exceptions to Backshift in Reported Speech

Now that you know some of the reported speech rules about backshift, let’s learn some exceptions.

There are two situations in which we do NOT need to change the verb tense.

No backshift needed when the situation is still true

For example, if someone says “I have three children” (direct speech) then we would say “He said he has three children” because the situation continues to be true.

If I tell you “I live in the United States” (direct speech) then you could tell someone else “She said she lives in the United States” (that’s reported speech) because it is still true.

When the situation is still true, then we don’t need to backshift the verb.

But when the situation is NOT still true, then we DO need to backshift the verb.

Imagine your friend says, “I have a headache.”

• If you immediately go and talk to another friend, you could say, “She said she has a headache,” because the situation is still true
• If you’re talking about that conversation a month after it happened, then you would say, “She said she had a headache,” because it’s no longer true.

No backshift needed when the situation is still in the future

We also don’t need to backshift to the verb when somebody said something about the future, and the event is still in the future.

Here’s an example:

• On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Friday .”
• “She said she ‘ll call me on Friday”, because Friday is still in the future from now.
• It is also possible to say, “She said she ‘d (she would) call me on Friday.”
• Both of them are correct, so the backshift in this case is optional.

Let’s look at a different situation:

• On Monday, my friend said, “I ‘ll call you on Tuesday .”
• “She said she ‘d  call me on Tuesday.” I must backshift because the event is NOT still in the future.

Review: Reported Speech, Backshift, & Exceptions

Quick review:

• Normally in reported speech we backshift the verb, we put it in a verb tense that’s a little bit further in the past.
• when the situation is still true
• when the situation is still in the future

Reported Requests, Orders, and Questions

Those were the rules for reported statements, just regular sentences.

What about reported speech for questions, requests, and orders?

For reported requests, we use “asked (someone) to do something”:

• “Please make a copy of this report.” (direct speech)
• She asked me to make a copy of the report. (reported speech)

For reported orders, we use “told (someone) to do something:”

• “Go to the bank.” (direct speech)
• “He told me to go to the bank.” (reported speech)

The main verb stays in the infinitive with “to”:

• She asked me to make a copy of the report. She asked me  make  a copy of the report.
• He told me to go to the bank. He told me  go  to the bank.

For yes/no questions, we use “asked if” and “wanted to know if” in reported speech.

• “Are you coming to the party?” (direct)
• He asked if I was coming to the party. (reported)
• “Did you turn off the TV?” (direct)
• She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.” (reported)

The main verb changes and back shifts according to the rules and exceptions we learned earlier.

Notice that we don’t use do/does/did in the reported question:

• She wanted to know did I turn off the TV.
• She wanted to know if I had turned off the TV.

For other questions that are not yes/no questions, we use asked/wanted to know (without “if”):

• “When was the company founded?” (direct)
• She asked when the company was founded.” (reported)
• “What kind of car do you drive?” (direct)
• He wanted to know what kind of car I drive. (reported)

Again, notice that we don’t use do/does/did in reported questions:

• “Where does he work?”
• She wanted to know  where does he work.
• She wanted to know where he works.

Also, in questions with the verb “to be,” the word order changes in the reported question:

• “Where were you born?” ([to be] + subject)
• He asked where I was born. (subject + [to be])
• He asked where was I born.

Reported Speech (Part 2) Quiz

Learn more about reported speech:

• Reported speech: Perfect English Grammar
• Reported speech: BJYU’s

If you want to take your English grammar to the next level, then my Advanced English Grammar Course is for you! It will help you master the details of the English language, with clear explanations of essential grammar topics, and lots of practice. I hope to see you inside!

I’ve got one last little exercise for you, and that is to write sentences using reported speech. Think about a conversation you’ve had in the past, and write about it – let’s see you put this into practice right away.

Master the details of English grammar:

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Reported Speech in English

“Reported speech” might sound fancy, but it isn’t that complicated.

It’s just how you talk about what someone said.

Luckily, it’s pretty simple to learn the basics in English, beginning with the two types of reported speech: direct (reporting the exact words someone said) and indirect (reporting what someone said without using their exact words ).

Read this post to learn how to report speech, with tips and tricks for each, plenty of examples and a resources section that tells you about real world resources you can use to practice reporting speech.

How to Report Direct Speech

How to report indirect speech, reporting questions in indirect speech, verb tenses in indirect reported speech, simple present, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, simple past, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, simple future, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, authentic resources for practicing reported speech, novels and short stories, native english videos, celebrity profiles.

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Direct speech refers to the exact words that a person says. You can “report” direct speech in a few different ways.

To see how this works, let’s pretend that I (Elisabeth) told some people that I liked green onions.

Here are some different ways that those people could explain what I said:

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” Elisabeth said.

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Direct speech: “I like green onions,” she told me. — In this sentence, we replace my name (Elisabeth) with the pronoun she.

In all of these examples, the part that was said is between quotation marks and is followed by a noun (“she” or “Elisabeth”) and a verb. Each of these verbs (“to say,” “to tell [someone],” “to explain”) are ways to describe someone talking. You can use any verb that refers to speech in this way.

You can also put the noun and verb before what was said.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like spaghetti.”

The example above would be much more likely to be said out loud than the first set of examples.

Here’s a conversation that might happen between two people:

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1: Did you ask her if she liked coffee?

2: Yeah, I asked her.

1: What did she say?

2. She said, “Yeah, I like coffee.” ( Direct speech )

Usually, reporting of direct speech is something you see in writing. It doesn’t happen as often when people are talking to each other. 

Direct reported speech often happens in the past. However, there are all kinds of stories, including journalism pieces, profiles and fiction, where you might see speech reported in the present as well.

This is sometimes done when the author of the piece wants you to feel that you’re experiencing events in the present moment.

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For example, a profile of Kristen Stewart in Vanity Fair  has a funny moment that describes how the actress isn’t a very good swimmer:

Direct speech: “I don’t want to enter the water, ever,” she says. “If everyone’s going in the ocean, I’m like, no.”

Here, the speech is reported as though it’s in the present tense (“she says”) instead of in the past (“she said”).

In writing of all kinds, direct reported speech is often split into two or more parts, as it is above.

Here’s an example from Lewis Carroll’s “ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ,” where the speech is even more split up:

Direct speech: “I won’t indeed!” said Alice, in a great hurry to change the subject of conversation. “Are you—are you fond—of—of dogs?” The Mouse did not answer, so Alice went on eagerly: “There is such a nice little dog near our house I should like to show you!”

Reporting indirect speech is what happens when you explain what someone said without using their exact words.

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Let’s start with an example of direct reported speech like those used above.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like coffee.”

As indirect reported speech, it looks like this:

Indirect speech: Elisabeth said she liked coffee.

You can see that the subject (“I”) has been changed to “she,” to show who is being spoken about. If I’m reporting the direct speech of someone else, and this person says “I,” I’d repeat their sentence exactly as they said it. If I’m reporting this person’s speech indirectly to someone else, however, I’d speak about them in the third person—using “she,” “he” or “they.”

You may also notice that the tense changes here: If “I like coffee” is what she said, this can become “She liked coffee” in indirect speech.

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However, you might just as often hear someone say something like, “She said she likes coffee.” Since people’s likes and preferences tend to change over time and not right away, it makes sense to keep them in the present tense.

Indirect speech often uses the word “that” before what was said:

Indirect speech: She said that she liked coffee.

There’s no real difference between “She said she liked coffee” and “She said that she liked coffee.” However, using “that” can help make the different parts of the sentence clearer.

Let’s look at a few other examples:

Indirect speech: I said I was going outside today.

Indirect speech: They told me that they wanted to order pizza.

Indirect speech: He mentioned it was raining.

Indirect speech: She said that her father was coming over for dinner.

You can see an example of reporting indirect speech in the funny video “ Cell Phone Crashing .” In this video, a traveler in an airport sits down next to another traveler talking on his cell phone. The first traveler pretends to be talking to someone on his phone, but he appears to be responding to the second traveler’s conversation, which leads to this exchange:

Woman: “Are you answering what I’m saying?”

Man “No, no… I’m on the phone with somebody, sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.” (Direct speech)

Woman: “What was that?”

Man: “I just said I was on the phone with somebody.” (Indirect speech)

When reporting questions in indirect speech, you can use words like “whether” or “if” with verbs that show questioning, such as “to ask” or “to wonder.”

Direct speech: She asked, “Is that a new restaurant?”

Indirect speech: She asked if that was a new restaurant. 

In any case where you’re reporting a question, you can say that someone was “wondering” or “wanted to know” something. Notice that these verbs don’t directly show that someone asked a question. They don’t describe an action that happened at a single point in time. But you can usually assume that someone was wondering or wanted to know what they asked.

Indirect speech: She was wondering if that was a new restaurant.

Indirect speech: She wanted to know whether that was a new restaurant.

It can be tricky to know how to use tenses when reporting indirect speech. Let’s break it down, tense by tense.

Sometimes, indirect speech “ backshifts ,” or moves one tense further back into the past. We already saw this in the example from above:

Direct speech: She said, “I like coffee.”

Indirect speech: She said she liked coffee.

Also as mentioned above, backshifting doesn’t always happen. This might seem confusing, but it isn’t that difficult to understand once you start using reported speech regularly.

What tense you use in indirect reported speech often just depends on when what you’re reporting happened or was true.

Let’s look at some examples of how direct speech in certain tenses commonly changes (or doesn’t) when it’s reported as indirect speech.

To learn about all the English tenses (or for a quick review), check out this post .

Direct speech: I said, “I play video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I played video games (simple past) or I said that I play video games  (simple present).

Backshifting into the past or staying in the present here can change the meaning slightly. If you use the first example, it’s unclear whether or not you still play video games; all we know is that you said you played them in the past.

If you use the second example, though, you probably still play video games (unless you were lying for some reason).

However, the difference in meaning is so small, you can use either one and you won’t have a problem.

Direct speech: I said, “I’m playing video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I was playing video games (past continuous) or I said that I’m playing video games (present continuous).

In this case, you’d likely use the first example if you were telling a story about something that happened in the past.

You could use the second example to repeat or stress what you just said. For example:

Hey, want to go for a walk?

Direct speech: No, I’m playing video games.

But it’s such a nice day!

Indirect speech: I said that I’m playing video games!

Direct speech: Marie said, “I have read that book.”

Indirect speech: Marie said that she had read that book (past perfect) or Marie said that she has read that book (present perfect).

The past perfect is used a lot in writing and other kinds of narration. This is because it helps point out an exact moment in time when something was true.

The past perfect isn’t quite as useful in conversation, where people are usually more interested in what’s true now. So, in a lot of cases, people would use the second example above when speaking.

Direct speech: She said, “I have been watching that show.”

Indirect speech: She said that she had been watching that show (past perfect continuous) or She said that she has been watching that show (present perfect continuous).

These examples are similar to the others above. You could use the first example whether or not this person was still watching the show, but if you used the second example, it’d probably seem like you either knew or guessed that she was still watching it.

Direct speech: You told me, “I charged my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had charged your phone (past perfect) or You told me that you charged your phone (simple past).

Here, most people would probably just use the second example, because it’s simpler, and gets across the same meaning.

Direct speech: You told me, “I was charging my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had been charging your phone (past perfect continuous) or You told me that you were charging your phone (past continuous).

Here, the difference is between whether you had been charging your phone before or were charging your phone at the time. However, a lot of people would still use the second example in either situation.

Direct speech: They explained, “We had bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Indirect speech: They explained that they had bathed the cat on Wednesday. (past perfect)

Once we start reporting the past perfect tenses, we don’t backshift because there are no tenses to backshift to.

So in this case, it’s simple. The tense stays exactly as is. However, many people might simplify even more and use the simple past, saying, “They explained that they bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Direct speech: They said, “The cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time!”

Indirect speech: They said that the cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time. (past perfect continuous)

Again, we don’t shift the tense back here; we leave it like it is. And again, a lot of people would report this speech as, “They said the cat was going outside and getting dirty for a long time.” It’s just a simpler way to say almost the same thing.

Direct speech: I told you, “I will be here no matter what.”

Indirect speech: I told you that I would be here no matter what. (present conditional)

At this point, we don’t just have to think about tenses, but grammatical mood, too. However, the idea is still pretty simple. We use the conditional (with “would”) to show that at the time the words were spoken, the future was uncertain.

In this case, you could also say, “I told you that I will be here no matter what,” but only if you “being here” is still something that you expect to happen in the future.

What matters here is what’s intended. Since this example shows a person reporting their own speech, it’s more likely that they’d want to stress the truth of their own intention, and so they might be more likely to use “will” than “would.”

But if you were reporting someone else’s words, you might be more likely to say something like, “She told me that she would be here no matter what.”

Direct speech: I said, “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Indirect speech: I said that I would be waiting for your call. (conditional continuous)

These are similar to the above examples, but apply to a continuous or ongoing action.

Direct speech: She said, “I will have learned a lot about myself.”

Indirect speech: She said that she would have learned a lot about herself (conditional perfect) or She said that she will have learned a lot about herself (future perfect).

In this case, using the conditional (as in the first example) suggests that maybe a certain event didn’t happen, or something didn’t turn out as expected.

However, that might not always be the case, especially if this was a sentence that was written in an article or a work of fiction. The second example, however, suggests that the future that’s being talked about still hasn’t happened yet.

Direct speech: She said, “By next Tuesday, I will have been staying inside every day for the past month.”

Indirect speech: She said that by next Tuesday, she would have been staying inside every day for the past month (perfect continuous conditional) or She said that by next Tuesday, she will have been staying inside every day for the past month (past perfect continuous).

Again, in this case, the first example might suggest that the event didn’t happen. Maybe the person didn’t stay inside until next Tuesday! However, this could also just be a way of explaining that at the time she said this in the past, it was uncertain whether she really would stay inside for as long as she thought.

The second example, on the other hand, would only be used if next Tuesday hadn’t happened yet.

Let’s take a look at where you can find resources for practicing reporting speech in the real world.

One of the most common uses for reported speech is in fiction. You’ll find plenty of reported speech in novels and short stories . Look for books that have long sections of text with dialogue marked by quotation marks (“…”). Once you understand the different kinds of reported speech, you can look for it in your reading and use it in your own writing.

Writing your own stories is a great way to get even better at understanding reported speech.

One of the best ways to practice any aspect of English is to watch native English videos. By watching English speakers use the language, you can understand how reported speech is used in real world situations.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Celebrity profiles, which you can find in print magazines and online, can help you find and practice reported speech, too. Celebrity profiles are stories that focus on a famous person. They often include some kind of interview. The writer will usually spend some time describing the person and then mention things that they say; this is when they use reported speech.

Because many of these profiles are written in the present tense, they can help you get used to the basics of reported speech without having to worry too much about different verb tenses.

While the above may seem really complicated, it isn’t that difficult to start using reported speech.

Mastering it may be a little difficult, but the truth is that many, many people who speak English as a first language struggle with it, too!

Reported speech is flexible, and even if you make mistakes, there’s a good chance that no one will notice.

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Reported Speech: Video, Story, Examples, and Exercises

Watch the video, read the lesson, and do the exercises:.

In English, there are two different ways to say what someone else said: direct speech and reported speech . 

Direct speech means to say exactly what someone else said by using quotation marks around their words. 

• “ We will be arriving at 2:00,” the pilot said.
• The teacher said, “You may begin your quiz now.” 

Reported speech (also called indirect speech ) is when we tell someone what a person, newspaper, book, or something else said without using their exact words. 

• Direct Speech: “The meeting is tomorrow,” he said.
• Reported Speech: He said that the meeting is tomorrow.
• Direct Speech: “The weather was beautiful,” she stated.
• Reported Speech: She told me that the weather was beautiful.
• Direct Speech: She said, “I worked there on Mondays.”
• Reported speech: She said she had worked there on Mondays.
• Direct Speech: “I am sorry,” he cried.
• Reported Speech: He said he was sorry. 

In reported speech , we often change the tense of the verbs. This is called backshifting.

Learn more about Direct and Reported Speech in English with this workbook: Direct Speech and Reported Speech . 

This series is also included in the Best Deal: Full Package of All Store Products + Bonuses . 

Backshifting Verbs in Reported Speech

When you quote someone in direct speech, you do not need to change any words. You simply put the exact statement between quotation marks. 

But when you report a statement in reported speech , you usually need to make some changes to the verbs. When reporting what someone said in the past, the tenses of the verbs in the reported statement often go one step backwards. This is called a backshift . 

• Direct Speech: “The dog is tired,” she stated.
• Reported Speech: She told me that the dog was tired.

In the example above, the verb tense backshifts from simple present (is tired) to the simple past (was tired). 

• Direct Speech: She said, “I baked the cake.”
• Reported Speech: She said that she had baked the cake.

In this example, the verb tense backshifts from simple past (baked) to the past perfect (had baked). 

Some grammar books will tell you that you should always backshift verbs in reported speech , but native speakers do not always do that. 

For example : She said that she baked the cake.

Backshift Tips

Here are a few tips to help you decide if you should or should not backshift. 

• Direct Speech: “We purchased a new car,” he stated.
• Reported Speech: He stated that they purchased a new car.

You can change the past tense to past perfect to emphasize that it happened in the past, but native speakers do not always do this.

• He stated that they had purchased a new car. 

In this example, had is optional. Many native speakers would not use it.

• Direct Speech: “That restaurant serves healthy food,” Sara said.
• Reported Speech: She said that the restaurant serves healthy food.

If the restaurant still serves healthy food, then you do not need to backshift because the statement is still true. It is acceptable to backshift, but not necessary.

However, if the situation has changed, and the statement is no longer true, then you should backshift. 

For example, if the restaurant is no longer in business or does not serve healthy food options anymore, then you should backshift to the past tense because the statement is now false.

• She said that the restaurant served healthy food.

• Direct Speech: “You should watch the movie,” Tim said.
• Reported Speech: Tim said I should watch the movie.
• Direct Speech: “I would have called you if you had asked,” she replied.
• Reported Speech: She told me that she would have called me if I had asked.

Reported Questions

A reported question is when we tell someone what another person asked. The most common reporting verb for questions is asked .

• Direct Speech: “Do you need help?” he asked.
• Reported Speech: He asked me if I needed help.
• Direct Speech: “Did you say goodbye?” she wondered.
• Reported Speech: She asked me if I had said goodbye. (Also acceptable: She asked me if I said goodbye.)
• Direct Speech: “What time should you arrive,” my mother questioned.
• Reported Speech: My mother asked what time we should arrive.

Notice when reporting questions, you do not need a question mark. The sentence is a statement, not a question. 

Using “That” in Reported Speech

In reported speech , the word that is optional. 

• She said that she walked the dog this morning. 
• She said she walked the dog this morning.
• They told me that they would arrive by midnight. 
• They told me they would arrive by midnight. 
• My father said that I should help.
• My father said I should help.

Part A: Complete the reported speech for each pair of sentences. There may be more than one correct answer.

“It was a good movie,” Steven told me.

Steven told me [ that] it was a good movie.

• The doctor said, “You should exercise more.” The doctor said ______________________________________________
• “I will text you tomorrow,” she promised. She promised ______________________________________________
• “I can help you,” my brother said. My brother said ______________________________________________
• “You are going to be late!” he warned. He warned me ______________________________________________
• The teacher said, “I will not accept late work.” The teacher said ______________________________________________
• “We went out last night,” Larry declared. Larry said ______________________________________________
• Mom said, “You should brush your teeth.” Mom told me ______________________________________________
• “The baby was sleeping when Nick arrived,” she stated. She told me ______________________________________________
• “He hadn’t been there before,” they said. They said ______________________________________________
• The girl cried, “I do not like onions!” The girl told me  ______________________________________________

Part B: Change each direct question into a reported question.

“Is your brother at home?” he asked me.

He asked me if my brother was at home .

• “Are you from London?” she asked. She asked me if ______________________________________________
• He wondered, “Is the bus stop next to the train station?” He asked me if ______________________________________________
• “Is this bread fresh?” Tom asked. Tom asked me if ______________________________________________
• Lilly questioned, “Do you drink tea?” Lilly asked me if ______________________________________________
• “Do you like your job?” Tina wondered. Tina asked me if ______________________________________________
• Stacy asked, “Will you walk to school with me?” Stacy asked if ______________________________________________
• “What are you doing?” the teacher wondered. The teacher asked me ______________________________________________
• “How often do you visit your mother?” she asked. She asked me ______________________________________________
• “Where is Elm Street?” he wanted to know. He asked me ______________________________________________
• She questioned, “Do you like milk in your coffee?” She asked me if ______________________________________________

Part C: Retell John’s story in reported speech by filling in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs.

DIRECT SPEECH VERSION:

John said, “Last weekend, I visited San Francisco, California. Have you been there? I have actually never been there before. I had planned to visit my sister there, but she was out of town for work. So, I toured the city alone. I saw many sights. I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge. It is almost 2 miles long! Then, I took a ferry to Alcatraz Island. I toured the prison. It was spooky! I may have seen a ghost… I also saw the Golden Gate Park. It is so beautiful! I will definitely visit again in the future. On my last day, I spent time in Chinatown. I was eating a traditional Chinese dinner, when I realized there is one more destination I must visit. So I took a tour of the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. My fortune cookie said, ‘A true traveler’s journey is never complete.’ That is true because I am already planning my next journey! Would you like to come with me?”

REPORTED SPEECH VERSION:

John told me that he _________________ San Francisco, California, last weekend.  He _________________ me if I had _________________ there. He said that he had never actually _________________ there before. John mentioned that he had _________________ to _________________ his sister there, but she _________________  out of town for work, so he _________________ the city alone. He told me that he _____ many sights. He described how he had _________________ over the Golden Gate Bridge. He mentioned that it _________________ almost 2 miles long! Then, John recalled that he _________________ a ferry to Alcatraz Island and _________________ the prison. John explained that it _________________ spooky, and that he _________________ a ghost there! John continued by telling me that he _________________ the Golden Gate Park. John emphasized that it _________________ beautiful, and that he _________________ definitely _________________ again. On his last day, John said that he _________________ time in Chinatown. He remembered that he had _________________ a traditional Chinese dinner, when he _________________ that there was one more destination to visit. He explained that he _________________ the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. He commented that his fortune cookie had said that his journey _________________ never _________________ complete. John said that it _________________ true because he _________________ already _________________ his next journey. He asked me if I _________________ like to _________________ with him!

Part A: There may be more than one correct answer. (Remember, that is optional.)

• The doctor said you should exercise more.  The doctor said that you should exercise more.
• She promised she would text me tomorrow. She promised that she would text me tomorrow.
• My brother said he could help me. My brother said that he could help me.
• He warned me I was going to be late. He warned me that I was going to be late.
• The teacher said she would not accept late work. The teacher said that she would not accept late work.
• Larry said they went out last night. Larry said that they went out last night. Larry said that they had gone out last night.
• Mom told me to brush my teeth. Mom told me I should brush my teeth. Mom told me that I should brush my teeth.
• She told me the baby had been sleeping when Nick arrived. She told me that the baby had been sleeping when Nick arrived.
• They said he hadn’t been there before. They said that he hadn’t been there before.
• The girl told me she did not like onions. The girls told me that she did not like onions.
• She asked me if I was from London.
• He asked me if the bus stop was next to the train station.
• Tom asked me if the bread was fresh.
• Lily asked me if I drank tea .
• Tina asked me if I liked my job .
• Stacy asked if I would walk to school with her . 
• The teacher asked me what I was doing . 
• She asked me how often I visited my mother .
• He asked me where Elm Street was .
• She asked me if I liked milk in my coffee .

John told me that he visited San Francisco, California, last weekend.  He asked me if I had been there. He said that he had never actually been there before. John mentioned that he had planned to visit his sister there, but she was out of town for work, so he toured the city alone. He told me that he saw many sights. He described how he had driven over the Golden Gate Bridge. He mentioned that it is almost 2 miles long! Then, John recalled that he took a ferry to Alcatraz Island and toured the prison. John explained that it was spooky, and that he might have seen a ghost there! John continued by telling me that he saw the Golden Gate Park. John emphasized that it was beautiful, and that he would definitely visit again. On his last day, John said that he spent time in Chinatown. He remembered that he had been eating a traditional Chinese dinner, when he realized that there was one more destination to visit. He explained that he toured the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. He commented that his fortune cookie had said that his journey would never be complete. John said that it was true because he was already planning his next journey. He asked me if I would like to go with him!

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Practise reported speech with Vogue interviews

• Famous People
• Games and Role Plays

Grammar - reported speech

LESSON OVERVIEW

This lesson plan demonstrates how we can use videos to teach grammar. This worksheet deals with reported speech and is based on a video, “Vogue 73 Questions with Nicole Kidman”. And here is the best part. You can choose whatever video interview you want to show your students. Vogue provides a lot of 73 questions videos with different celebrities, models, actresses, sportspeople (around 40). You can decide what your students might be interested in most and use it to practise reported speech – the lesson plan is developed in such a way that it gives you flexibility to choose whichever video you want.

PRESENTATION & PRACTICE (REPORTED SPEECH)

This reported speech lesson plan starts with a fake interview consisting of four questions and answers. Students need to read it and complete the table with direct and reported speech sentences. Next, they move to rules. They have to study the table and choose the correct option to form grammar rules about reported speech . Monitor your class and make sure that everyone understands how reported speech works. Finally, student practise using the structure. They need to rewrite provided sentences which represent different tenses and include time markers so that they can practise all aspects of reported speech.

Tell your students that they’re going to watch an interview with a famous person. Below you can find a video interview with Nicole Kidman that we’ve chosen. The 73 questions format by Vogue is a bit demanding. It’s a single shot video during which the interviewer asks a lot of random questions as the interviewee is giving a tour of their houses. What we usually do is to let students watch first 90 seconds of the video so they get familiar with the format. After this intro, you may also ask them to predict what kind of questions might be asked. In the listening comprehension task, students have to write down 7 answers they hear in the video. Remind your students that they don’t need to remember and understand all the questions and answers. Those Vogue videos are a bit long so it’s up to you whether you want to play the whole video or just a few minutes. After that, using the answers they wrote down, students have to report what this famous person said.

PRODUCTION (PRACTISING REPORTED SPEECH WITH ROLE PLAY)

Next, students move to t he production stage where they’ll practise newly-learnt grammar structure orally. First, they have to choose one famous person they would like to speak to if they had such an opportunity. Then, they write 5 questions they would ask such a person. Try to monitor and check whether your students have created correct direct questions. Students work in pairs and give each other the name of the person they’ve chosen to interview. They have around 2 minutes to prepare for an interview with their partner, who will have to take on the role of that celebrity . It doesn’t really matter if they know the celebrity – let them improvise and not to worry whether their answers are true. Students who ask questions have to remember as many answers as they can. Finally, using reported speech, they have to tell the group/other people in the class what this famous person, i.e. their partner, said, e.g. Michelle Obama said that….

EXTRA WORKSHEET – Reporting verbs with movie quotes

As the lesson plan is all about reported speech, we want to supplement it with some reporting verbs so that your students can practise using more diverse vocabulary. With our worksheet called Movie quotes you should know! , your students will learn some classic movie quotes and use them to practise using reported speech. On top of that, there is a semi-controlled production task where students need to be a bit creative and come up with some original celebrity quotes and then report them.

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Hi, Could you explain this answer please as I am little confused about it When we report questions, we should have the same/different word order than in questions. Answer shows different word order.

Yes, exactly. When we report a question, we have to change the word order as it is no longer a question (and in writing there is no question mark). The word order is like that of a normal statement (subject-verb-object).

My students’ve found Nicole’s accent to be quite challenging to understand, so I substituted it with a different actress – Sarah Jessica Parker ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W511rtnnlZM&t=135s ). For B1 students that video was perfect.

Thanks for your comment! Exactly, we can choose here any interview by Vogue which we find suitable for our students.

Thank you for your help! I could find the worksheets! Excellent materials!!

Thank you! very useful! I am learning all about computing skills these days! Thank you for the help!

Hi! Thanks for the class. I’d just like to let you know there’s a mistake on the worksheet and the slides: Activity 1 (direct speech – indirect speech): “I’ve always dreamt of seeing you in that show” said Joe’s father Joe’s father said that he ______________ of seeing me in your show!

You probably forgot to change the pronouns in the indirect speech sentence.

The class was amazing, though! Thanks for everything!

Hi! Thanks for spotting that! You’re correct. We’ve just updated the worksheets and the slides 🙂

Hi! I think, there is a mistake in the sentence in the reported speech: David said that Joe is a master at storytelling! I guess, Joe was, right?

Hi there! Actually, it’s not a mistake and the sentence you’ve mentioned refers to the rule in the next exercise (ex. 2), i.e. ‘if something that a person says is still true we can keep the same tense’.

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Elon Musk Shares Manipulated Harris Video, in Seeming Violation of X’s Policies

The billionaire owner of the social media platform X reposted a video that mimics Vice President Kamala Harris’s voice, without disclosing that it had been altered.

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By Ken Bensinger

• July 27, 2024

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has waded into one of the thorniest issues facing U.S. politics: deepfake videos.

On Friday night, Mr. Musk, the billionaire owner of the social media platform X, reposted an edited campaign video for Vice President Kamala Harris that appears to have been digitally manipulated to change the spot’s voice-over in a deceptive manner.

The video mimics Ms. Harris’s voice, but instead of using her words from the original ad, it has the vice president saying that President Biden is senile, that she does not “know the first thing about running the country” and that, as a woman and a person of color, she is the “ultimate diversity hire.”

In addition, the clip was edited to remove images of former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, and to add images of Mr. Biden. The original, unaltered ad , which the Harris campaign released on Thursday, is titled “We Choose Freedom.”

The version posted on X does not contain a disclaimer, though the account that first uploaded it Friday morning, @MrReaganUSA, noted in its post that the video was a “parody.” When Mr. Musk reposted the video on his own account eight hours later, he made no such disclosure, stating only, “This is amazing,” followed by a laughing emoji.

Mr. Musk’s post, which has since been viewed 98 million times, would seem to run afoul of X’s policies, which prohibit sharing “synthetic, manipulated or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm.”

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The Kamala Harris coconut tree meme, explained as best we can

Lexie Schapitl

Rachel Treisman

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on July 10 in Dallas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

For more on Biden's decision and the now open 2024 race, head to the NPR Network's live updates page .

In the weeks before President Biden announced he would not be seeking reelection , some Democrats online rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party’s new nominee. And their symbol became the coconut tree.

Not long after Biden announced on Sunday he was dropping out of the race, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tweeted out just three emojis : a coconut, a palm tree and an American flag. EMILYs LIST, the PAC focused on electing Democratic women, explicitly endorsed Harris in a tweet and, in a more subtle show of support, also added the tree and the coconut to its username. And Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii posted a picture of himself climbing up a coconut tree , adding, "Madam Vice President, we are ready to help."

🥥 🌴 🇺🇸 — Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) July 21, 2024

So how did the coconut tree emerge as the emblem of Harris' most devoted, or at least most-online followers? It's a story more than a year in the making.

Why are we even talking about coconut trees?

The “coconut tree” meme originates from a May 2023 speech Harris gave at a White House event for advancing opportunities for Hispanic Americans.

At one point near the end of her remarks, Harris talked about how the initiative's work would be focused on young people, but it should also take into account the needs of their families, teachers and communities, "because none of us just live in a silo."

We’re proud to endorse @kamalaharris as the next president of the United States because we know she is a qualified accomplished leader. She is the only candidate positioned to win against Trump in November, and the best voice to define the stakes in this election! #allinforkamala pic.twitter.com/CmdgImMaDz — EMILYs List 🥥🌴 (@emilyslist) July 21, 2024

"Everything is in context," Harris said, before launching into the now-famous anecdote.

"My mother ... would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, 'I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?' " Harris said with a laugh. "You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."

The moment was first meme’d in earnest in February of this year, when for a period of time, one could not open X, formerly known as Twitter, without seeing clips of or oblique references to those remarks.

this video is literally like medicine to me. i watch it once every week or two and every time i do i get an enduring hit of light euphoria for the next 45 minutes pic.twitter.com/eIF6Rwiir0 — charlie squire (@evil_female) February 9, 2024

But the meme took on new life this summer , after President Biden’s disastrous debate performance fueled speculation that he might step aside as the Democratic nominee. Harris’ supporters, also known as the KHive, were waiting in the wings.

Since then, the moment has been remixed into Charli XCX’s “ Von Dutch ” and Britney Spears’ " Gimme More ." Democratic operatives have spoken of being “ coconut-pilled .” The meme flourished into 2028 debate fan fiction . Google searches for "coconut tree" started climbing in the U.S. in early July.

Like all of us, the coconut tree moment exists in the context of all in which it lives and what came before it. Which is to say, it’s part of a larger set of memes surrounding Kamala Harris’ political persona. Harris has been spawning memes longer than she’s been vice president. We Did It, Joe , is likely the most well-known. But her laugh , her bus , her dance moves and her love of Venn diagrams have all become social media fodder.

We did it, @JoeBiden . pic.twitter.com/oCgeylsjB4 — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020

So why did the coconut tree break through?

It's impossible to say why any particular meme — political or otherwise — catches fire over another. But part of Harris’ persona as portrayed on the internet is just that she   brings an energy that’s in stark contrast to President Biden and former President Donald Trump.

“We want something to laugh at and laugh with. And that's what Kamala does. And I think the coconut tree clip is a perfect example of that,” said Rebecca Jennings, a senior correspondent at Vox covering internet culture. 

Put another way, Harris — even being 59 and the incumbent vice president —represented something new in a campaign defined by old. And that stoked some enthusiasm among voters who were very unenthused.

“There's a sense of, like, nihilism that's like – OK, we have to do this again , and we have to do Trump and Biden again ,” Jennings said. “And so when you see clips of Kamala, it's like, well, at least that's fun to watch. At least it's, you know, not the same thing we've been seeing on screens for 10 years. It's a break in the just the drudgery of what what everyone thought this election was going to be.”

Young Democrats — among the most dissatisfied with Biden as a candidate, and the most online — also helped fuel the movement. As Washington Post internet culture reporter Taylor Lorenz wrote : "Harris’s new online prominence could help give the Democratic Party new prominence with young people — including major content creators — who are hesitant to vote for Biden again due to his climate policies, support of Israel’s war in Gaza, mishandling of the ongoing pandemic, and signing a bill that could ban TikTok."

One man's gaffe is another man's meme

From the coconut trees to the Venn diagrams, the Harris memes embrace what detractors might consider a gaffe. Trump, for instance, has dubbed Harris " laughing Kamala ," saying the laugh makes her seem "crazy."

Take another example, which grew out of one of Harris' go-to lines dating back to her 2020 presidential run: “I can imagine what can be, unburdened by what has been.”

The RNC compiled a supercut of Harris being "unburdened" and shared it on social media, arguing that it shows she is “unoriginal, annoying, and highly incompetent.” But the attacks aren’t sticking, as her supporters have taken ownership of the line and the laughter.

Jennings said it’s reminiscent of the critiques hurled at Trump throughout his political career, only to be welcomed by his base.

“People like the fact that he was saying offensive things,” Jennings said. "And I think it's strange for Republicans to kind of now be on the other end of that – which is making all these, you know, memes and videos of Kamala being goofy and quirky and the left being like, “Hell, yeah, brother.”

• election 2024
• Kamala Harris
• internet memes

• English ESL Worksheets
• Grammar Topics
• Reported Speech (Indirect speech)

Movie quotes - reported speech

Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony: All you need to know

Picture by Florian Hulleu/Paris 2024

Ambitious, historic, spectacular – these are some of the words used to describe the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony since the first plans were unveiled three years ago.

Set to be the first Olympic Games Opening Ceremony held outside a stadium , the 26 July celebration will transform the French capital into a stadium and theatre as the traditional parade of athletes takes place in boats along the Seine, passing the most iconic Parisian landmarks.

Here is all you need to know about the Opening Ceremony.

• Paris 2024 day-by-day highlights: When to catch the top moments from the Olympic Games
• Twelve of the biggest athletes to watch at Paris 2024

When will the Opening Ceremony be held?

The Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place on Friday, 26 July .

The event will start at 19:30 CEST and is expected to last more than three hours.

Why is this ceremony historic?

Paris 2024 will mark the first time in history of the Olympic Summer Games that the Opening Ceremony is held outside a stadium.

Instead of familiar images of athletes marching out along an athletics track, guests and viewers will be treated to a colourful river parade through the heart of the French capital.

The Seine , the city’s main water artery, will substitute for the traditional track, the quays will become spectator stands , while the setting sun reflecting off famous Parisian landmarks will provide the backdrop for the event.

This outdoor concept also makes Paris 2024 the largest Opening Ceremony in terms of audience and geographical coverage .

What is the route of the parade?

The parade route along the Seine is a visual journey through Parisian history and architecture.

The Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes is the starting point for the flotilla, which will then continue west for 6 kilometres along the Seine, passing under historic bridges and by iconic landmarks, such as the Notre-Dame and the Louvre , as well as some Games venues, including the Esplanade des Invalides and the Grand Palais .

Grouped on the boats with their national teams, the athletes will ultimately arrive opposite the Trocadero – the esplanade across from the Eiffel Tower – where the official protocols will be carried out, the Olympic cauldron lit, and the Paris 2024 Games officially declared open.

How many athletes will take part?

Almost 100 boats carrying an estimated 10,500 athletes will float along the Seine during the parade. The larger of the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) represented in the parade will have boats to themselves, while the smaller ones will share boats.

Camera equipment set up on the decks will allow spectators to see the athletes up close and witness their emotions.

What entertainment performances can we expect?

Thomas Jolly , a French theatre director and actor, is overseeing the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies as artistic director .

While most of the entertainment acts remain under wraps, based on the hints so far, we can expect a show on a grand scale with an eclectic mash up of the old and the new. Speaking to the media in January, Jolly said that he wants to showcase the contrasting cultures of France, be that opera or rap, thus bringing together all the pieces that form the nation's diverse cultural identity.

For his part, ceremonies choreographer Maud Le Pladec promised that every bridge along the parade route will have dancers on it. Le Pladec will lead 400 dancers out of the total 3,000 artists who are set to take part in the Paris 2024 Opening and Closing Ceremonies, all decked out in one-of-a-kind costumes by Daphne Burki .

The French television presenter serves as the costume director for the show, leading a team of hundreds of dressmakers, hair stylists and makeup artists. Burki’s focus on sustainability also means there will be many vintage and upcycled pieces used in the ceremonies, mixed in with newer creations.

What will the athletes be wearing?

Artists will not be the only ones showing their style at the Opening Ceremony. With a line-up of luxury brands designing athlete uniforms, expect the Olympians to shine as well.

Team USA mix preppy jackets with jeans for a cool, all-American look, while Italian athletes will show up in casual, dark blue sets . Hosts France worked with a luxury brand to come up with vests and jackets that tie in with the general Paris 2024 look.

Other teams, such as Canada, Great Britain and Sweden , opted for a more athleisure look, all evoking the colour palettes of their national flags.

Some nations went even further with the patriotic details. Mongolian outfits have already created a buzz on social networks for their intricate embroidery and traditional silhouettes .

Brazil and Guatemala ’s looks are also sure to turn heads. Brazil’s denim jackets feature animals that are native to the country, while the Guatemalan athletes are dressed up in folkloric hats and bags to make a colourful statement on the Seine.

What are the different ways to watch the Opening Ceremony?

Almost 600,000 people will be able to enjoy the Opening Ceremony in person. True to its slogan, “Games Wide Open”, Paris 2024 tried to make the event accessible to as many people as possible by taking it outside of the traditional stadium setting.

There were 222,000 free tickets available to watch the parade from the upper banks of the Seine, in addition to 104,000 paid tickets on the lower quays. This marks the first Opening Ceremony where most spectators will not pay an admission fee – another historic milestone for Paris 2024.

Those in Paris who could not get tickets will be able to watch the Opening Ceremony on 80 giant screens set up throughout the city.

An additional 1.5 billion people from around the world are expected to tune into the television broadcasts of the ceremony.

Find the Paris 2024 Media Rights Holders in your country here .

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Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she boards Air Force Two after a campaign event July 23, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP)

'Border czar'? Kamala Harris assigned to tackle immigration's causes, not border security

If your time is short.

In March 2021, President Joe Biden tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with working alongside officials in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to address the issues driving people to leave those countries and come to the United States.

The Biden-Harris administration said it would focus on five key issues: economic insecurity, corruption, human rights, criminal gang violence and gender-based violence.

Border security and management is the Homeland Security secretary’s responsibility.

Vice President Kamala Harris might soon get a new official title: 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. In the meantime, Republicans have revived a title they gave her in 2021: "border czar." 

Claims that President Joe Biden named Harris the "border czar" and that she is responsible for overseeing U.S. border enforcement gained prominence at the Republican National Convention as the party sought to link her to his immigration policy. 

The refrain intensified once Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris. It was echoed in ads and by Trump campaign surrogates, including Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance , the Republican vice presidential nominee.

"Here’s Biden appointing Kamala Harris to be his border czar to deal with illegal immigration," a narrator says in a video the Republican National Committee posted on its X account, @GOP. "And here are a record number of illegal immigrants — 10 million and counting — flooding over the border after Harris was put in charge of stopping illegal immigration."

We’ve repeatedly fact-checked claims about the number of people entering the U.S. illegally under Biden. The federal data tracks how many times officials encountered a person trying to cross the southern border, but it doesn’t reflect the number of people let in. And if one person tries to cross the border multiple times, that counts as multiple encounters, even if it’s the same person. 

For this fact-check, we’re focused on the scope of Harris’ border responsibilities. 

"Border Czar Kamala Harris' reversal of President Trump's immigration policies has created an unprecedented and illegal immigration, humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border," Trump campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told PolitiFact in a statement. 

But Biden didn’t put Harris in charge of overseeing border security.

In a meeting with Harris in March 2021 , Biden said Harris would lead U.S. diplomatic efforts and work with officials in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to stem migration to the U.S. Biden said that when he was vice president, he "got a similar assignment" and that the Obama administration secured $700 million to help countries in Central America.

"One of the ways we learned is that if you deal with the problems in country, it benefits everyone. It benefits us, it benefits the people, and it grows the economies there," Biden said then.

Biden asked Harris "to be the chief diplomatic officer with Central American countries" and address the root causes that make people leave their home countries, said Michelle Mittelstadt, communications director for the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. 

Managing the border "has always been" the Homeland Security secretary’s role, Mittelstadt said.

Biden tasked Harris with addressing the root causes influencing people’s decisions to migrate to the United States.

"I’ve asked her … to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help — are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border," Biden said in March 2021.

Biden held a similar role as vice president to former President Barack Obama. In a 2015 New York Times opinion piece, Biden said he would work with the Northern Triangle’s leaders on security, anti-corruption and investment efforts in the region.

"Donald Trump’s administration didn’t really sustain this strategy, but what Harris sought to revive in 2021 ran along the same lines," said Adam Isacson, defense oversight director at Washington Office on Latin America, a group advocating for human rights in the Americas. 

Within weeks of Biden’s remarks about Harris’ role, Republicans including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., began calling Harris the " border czar " often in tandem with pointing out she had not yet been to the border.

In April 2021, when a reporter asked Harris whether she would visit the border, she said that her role is addressing the factors that make people leave their home countries, not managing the border.

Featured Fact-check

"The president has asked (Homeland Security) Secretary (Alejandro) Mayorkas to address what is going on at the border. And he has been working very hard at that, and it’s showing some progress because of his hard work," Harris said at an event . "I have been asked to lead the issue of dealing with root causes in the Northern Triangle, similar to what the then-vice president did many years ago."

Harris said she’d focus on economic struggles, violence, corruption and food insecurity in the countries. 

In June 2021, Harris visited El Paso, Texas, with Mayorkas. They outlined their responsibilities to reporters. Harris said she was addressing "the root causes of migration, predominantly out of Central America," and Mayorkas said, "It is my responsibility as the Secretary of Homeland Security to address the security and management of our border."

But this distinction didn’t stop critics from linking Harris with U.S.-Mexico border security. 

"The administration’s messaging on this in mid-2021 was not as clear as it should have been," Isacson said. "But at no time did Harris or the White House state that her duties included the U.S.-Mexico border, or border security."

Immigration experts said it’s hard to measure Harris’ success in her role, and that a "root causes" approach implies that the results will be seen long term, not immediately.

In July 2021, the administration published a strategy , with Harris writing the lead message, for confronting the factors that drive migration in Central America. The plan focused on economic insecurity, corruption, human rights, criminal gang violence and gender-based violence.

In March 2024, the administration said it secured more than $5.2 billion in private sector investments to the region. However, only about $1 billion has been distributed, the Partnership for Central America, a group working with the administration, reported .

The White House said the investments have generated more than 70,000 new jobs in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, provided job training to 1 million people and expanded digital access to 4.5 million people. 

"Still, her engagement on this issue has been sporadic," Isacson said. "She has not traveled very often to the region or otherwise sought to make ‘root causes in Central America’ a central theme of her vice presidency."

Illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador has dropped since 2021. Encounters with people from other countries, Venezuela, have risen . 

"But it’s hard to prove that U.S. assistance is a central reason" for the Northern Triangle countries’ decline, Isacson said.

The issues pushing people to leave Central American countries "are extremely complex and require deep restructuring of so much in those societies," said Cecilia Menjivar, a sociology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles who specializes on immigration. "So it’s very difficult for one person to change all that, even if it is a powerful person."

Immigration patterns at the U.S.-Mexico border have more to do with conditions in Latin American countries than "any U.S. policy," Mittelstadt said. 

For example, a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela has displaced nearly 8 million people since 2014, according to the United Nations. Political, economic and security crises in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Ecuador have also led to more migration from these countries, Mittelstadt said. 

In contrast, immigration encounters with people from El Salvador have dropped in past years, partly because of the country’s crime crackdown .

The Republican National Committee said Biden appointed Harris "to be his border czar to deal with illegal immigration...Harris was put in charge of stopping illegal immigration."

Biden tasked Harris with addressing the root causes that drive migration to the United States. He did not task her with controlling who and how many people enter the southern U.S. border. That's the Homeland Security secretary’s responsibility.

Experts say that seeing the results of addressing root causes driving people out of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras  — violence, economic insecurity and corruption — takes time.

The statement contains an element of truth, but it ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.

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Our Sources

Truth Social, post , July 22, 2024

The Hill, House Republicans tee up vote condemning Harris as ‘border czar’ , July 23, 2024

C-SPAN, Sen. J.D. Vance campaign rally in Radford, Virginia , July 22, 2024

GOP, post on X , July 21, 2024

PolitiFact, Francis Suarez’s misleading claim about millions of migrants getting free cellphones, plane tickets , July 28, 2024

PolitiFact, There aren’t 20 million to 30 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally, as Sen. Marco Rubio claimed , June 11, 2024

The White House, Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris in a meeting on immigration , March 24, 2021

PolitiFact, Central America and the root causes of migration to the US , June 7, 2021

The New York Times, Joe Biden: A Plan for Central America , Jan. 29, 2015

The White House, Remarks by Vice President Harris at virtual roundtable of experts on the Northern Triangle , April 14, 2021

The White House, Remarks by Vice President Harris, Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, Chairman Durbin, and Representative Escobar in press gaggle , June 25, 2021

Fox News, Obama-era DHS secretary: 'There's a real problem' when you have 'bipartisan outrage' , July 23, 2024

The White House, FACT SHEET: Strategy to address the root causes of migration in Central America , July 29, 2021

The White House, FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris announces public-private partnership has generated more than $5.2 billion in private sector commitments for Northern Central America , March 25, 2024

Migration Policy Institute, Shifting patterns and policies reshape migration to U.S.-Mexico border in major ways in 2023 , October 2023

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Venezuela crisis explained , April 17, 2024

PolitiFact, Donald Trump fact-check: 2024 RNC speech in Milwaukee full of falsehoods about immigrants, economy , July 19, 2024

CBS News, The facts about Kamala Harris' role on immigration in the Biden administration , July 23, 2024

Email interview, Michelle Mittelstadt, communications director for the Migration Policy Institute, July 22, 2024

Email interview, Adam Isacson, defense oversight director at Washington Office on Latin America, July 22, 2024

Email interview, Henry Ziemer, research associate for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, July 22, 2024

Email interview, Cecilia Menjivar, sociology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, July 22, 2024

Statement, Karoline Leavitt,  Trump campaign national press secretary, July 23, 2024

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'Border czar'? Kamala Harris assigned to tackle immigration's causes, not border security

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