A reported statement conveys what someone said using your own words, inside a single sentence. The core pattern is:
The two workhorse verbs are say and tell. They share the same job but follow different rules about objects.
Both sentences carry the same meaning. The difference is purely grammatical: tell takes a person as its object, say does not.
Say vs. tell
This distinction is the single most common source of error in reported statements. The rule is absolute.
| VERB | NEEDS A PERSON OBJECT? | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
| say | no | Daniel said (that) he was busy. |
| tell | yes | Daniel told Maria (that) he was busy. |
Say can never be followed directly by the listener: she said me is wrong in every context. Tell requires one: she told that it was cold is incomplete — the reader expects to know who was told.
A small note on tell: a handful of fixed expressions drop the object — tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a story, tell the time, tell a joke. These are idioms and do not extend to general reporting.
The word "that"
The linker that introduces the reported clause. In everyday speech and writing it is usually optional.
Both are correct. Keep that in formal writing, long sentences, or wherever dropping it would make the clause harder to read. Omit it in conversation and informal messages, where it often sounds heavy.
That never takes a comma before it, and it never appears twice — one per reported clause.
Negative reported statements
To report a negative statement, negate the verb inside the reported clause in the normal way. The reporting verb itself stays positive.
A negative reporting verb (didn't say, didn't tell me) means something different — that the act of saying did not happen — and is not the same as reporting a negative statement.
Other reporting verbs
Beyond say and tell, several verbs follow the same verb + (that) + clause pattern. They add nuance: how the speaker said it, or what kind of statement it was.
- mention — She mentioned that the office would be closed on Friday.
- explain — He explained that the form needed two signatures.
- reply — Anna replied that she had already seen the film.
- answer — Daniel answered that he would think about it.
- add — The manager added that overtime would be paid.
- remark — She remarked that the weather had improved.
- claim — The witness claimed that the car had run a red light.
Most of these behave like say: no person object between the verb and that. Tell remains the outlier that requires one.
Common mistakes
Wrong object with say
Missing object with tell
"That" in the wrong place
Mixing direct and reported forms
Negation on the wrong verb