Explain the concept of reported speech.

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of reporting or paraphrasing what someone else has said without using their exact words. It is used to convey information or statements made by someone else in a more indirect and grammatically appropriate manner.

When using reported speech, the speaker usually changes the tense, pronouns, and other elements to match the context of the reporting situation. The reported speech is often introduced by reporting verbs such as "say," "tell," "ask," or "explain," followed by a reporting clause that indicates who said the original statement.

For example, if someone says, "I am going to the store," in reported speech, it could be paraphrased as "He/she said that he/she was going to the store." Here, the pronouns and verb tense have been changed to match the reporting situation.

Reported speech is commonly used in storytelling, interviews, news reporting, and everyday conversations when we want to convey what someone else has said without using their exact words. It allows us to summarize or rephrase statements while maintaining the meaning and context of the original speech.