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Reported Speech

Perfect english grammar.

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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• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: statements

Do you know how to report what somebody else said? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said.

direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said. indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films. direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef. direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel. indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. worked ) than the tense originally used (e.g. work ). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns.

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.

'I travel a lot in my job.' Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job. 'The baby's sleeping!' He told me the baby was sleeping. 'I've hurt my leg.' She said she'd hurt her leg.

Past simple and past continuous

When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.

'We lived in China for five years.' She told me they'd lived in China for five years. 'It was raining all day.' He told me it had been raining all day.

Past perfect

The past perfect doesn't change.

'I'd tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.' He said he'd tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.

No backshift

If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense.

'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her. 'I'm working in Italy for the next six months.' He told me he's working in Italy for the next six months. Maybe I should visit him! 'I've broken my arm!' She said she's broken her arm, so she won't be at work this week.

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

'I enjoy working in my garden,' said Bob. Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden. 'We played tennis for our school,' said Alina. Alina told me they'd played tennis for their school.

However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don't change.

'I'm working on my thesis,' I said. I told her that I was working on my thesis. 'We want our jobs back!' we said. We said that we wanted our jobs back.

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

'This is my house.' He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.] He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.] 'We like it here.' She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.] She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.] 'I'm planning to do it today.' She told me she's planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.] She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]

In the same way, these changes to those , now changes to then , yesterday changes to the day before , tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before .

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 2

Language level

Hello Team. If the reporting verb is in the present perfect, do we have to backshift the tenses of the direct speech or not?    For example: He has said, "I bought a car yesterday."    

1- He has said that he bought a car yesterday.

2- He has said that he had bought a car the previous day.

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Hello Ahmed Imam,

It's not necessary to backshift the verb form if the situation being reported is still true. For example:

"I'm a doctor"

She told me she is a doctor. [she was a doctor when she said it and she is still doctor now]

She told me she was a doctor. [she was a doctor when she said it and may or may not still be a doctor now]

The reporting verb in your example would be 'said' rather than 'has said' as we are talking about a particular moment in the past. For the other verb both 'bought' and 'had bought' are possible without any change in meaning. In fact, when the verb is past in the original sentence we usually do not shift the verb form back.

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello again. Which one is correct? Why?

- He has said that he (will - would) travel to Cairo with his father.

The present perfect is a present form, so generally 'will' is the correct form.

In this case, assuming that the man said 'I will travel to Cairo', then 'will' is the correct form. But if the man said 'I would travel to Cairo if I had time to do it', then 'would' would be the correct form since it is part of a conditional statement.

I think you were asking about the first situation (the general one), though. Does that make sense?

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Thank you for the information. It states that If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. I wonder if it is still correct to change the tense in this example: 'London is in the UK', he said. to He said London was in the UK. Or  it has to be the present tense. 

Hello Wen1996,

Yes, your version of the sentence is also correct. In this case, the past tense refers to the time the speaker made this statement. But this doesn't mean the statement isn't also true now.

Good evening from Turkey.

Is the following example correct: Question: When did she watch the movie?

She asked me when she had watched the movie. or is it had she watched the movie. 

Do Subjects come before the verbs? Thank you. 

Hello muratt,

This is a reported question, not an actual question, as you can see from the fact that it has no question mark at the end. Therefore no inversion is needed and the normal subject-verb word order is maintained: ...she had watched... is correct.

You can read more about this here:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/reported-speech-questions

Thank you for your response.

Hello Sir, kindly help with the following sentence-

She said, "When I was a child I wasn't afraid of ghosts." 

Please tell me how to write this sentence in reported/ indirect speech.

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REPORTED SPEECH – How can I use it correctly?

In today’s blog we are going to look at how you can use this correctly. Below I’ve broken down everything for you in a step by step manner. There are examples with info graphics, and I’ve included my YouTube video lesson for all my visual learners as well. Let’s get started! Reported Speech comes from Direct Speech.

Direct Speech is exactly what someone says . Reported Speech is repeating someone else’s words .

Let’s look at 2 examples:

Professor Albert: Direct Speech

Students : Reported Speech. They are reporting Professor Albert’s words.

Trainer: Direct Speech.

Student: Reported Speech. Brenda is reporting her trainer’s words.

SAY and TELL are reporting verbs. We need these two verbs to report other people’s words.

SAY + (that): Amy said (that) she loved horses.

SAY + to + object + (that): Amy said to me (that) she loved horses.

TELL + object + (that): Amy told me (that) she loved horses.

(that) is optional.

COMMON MISTAKES!

Amy said me that she loved horses.

☑Amy told me that she loved horses.

Eric said Jack about his holiday.

☑Eric told Jack about his holiday.

My dad told to me that he was going to visit next week.

☑My dad said to me that he was going to visit next week.

SAY or TELL? How can I use these verbs correctly?

Tense Change in Reported Speech

When you use reported speech, many times the verb from direct speech changes. Think about the verb going one step backwards.

Present Simple → Past Simple

Direct Speech: I eat a lot of fruit. Reported Speech: Mary said that she ate a lot of fruit. / Mary told me that she ate a lot of fruit.

Present Continuous → Past Continuous 

Direct Speech: Our English is improving . Reported Speech: My students said that their English was improving . / My students told me that their English was improving. 

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

Direct Speech: I have been to France many times. Reported Speech: Gary said that he had been to France many times. / Gary told me that he had been to France many times.

Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous

Direct Speech: I’ ve been working out a lot lately. Reported Speech: My sister said that she had been working out  a lot lately. / My sister told me that she had been working out a lot lately.

Past Simple → Past Perfect 

Direct Speech: I bought a new car. Reported Speech: Jessica said that she that she had bought a new car. / Jessica told me that she had bought a new car.

Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous

Direct Speech: I was working as a chef. Reported Speech: Max said that he had been working as a chef. / Max told me that he had been working as a chef.

Past Perfect → Past Perfect (It stays the same!)

Direct Speech: I had gone to work. Reported Speech: Carla said that she had gone to work. / Carla told me that she had gone to work.

Past Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous (It stays the same!) 

Direct Speech: We had been agonizing over our mortgage for months. Reported Speech: Our neighbours said that they had been agonizing over their mortgage for months. / My neighbours told us that they had been agonizing over their mortgage for months.

Future Simple (WILL) → Would 

Direct Speech: You will be famous one day. Reported Speech: Rebecca said that I would be famous one day. / Rebecca told me that I would be famous one day.

Modal Verb Tense Change

Can → could .

Direct Speech: I can help you later. Reported Speech: My teacher said that she could help me later. / My teacher told me that she could help me later.

(Possibility) May → Might 

Direct Speech: I may go out later. I’m not sure. Reported Speech: George said that he might go out later. / George told me that he might go out later.

(Possibility) Might → Might (It stays the same!) 

Direct Speech: I might watch a Star Wars film later. Reported Speech: My flatmate said that she might watch a Star Wars film later. / My flatmate told me that she might watch a Star Wars film later.

(Obligation) Must → Had to

Direct Speech: Everyone must be here by 7 a.m. tomorrow. Reported Speech: Our boss said that we had to be here by 7 a.m. tomorrow. / Our boss told us that we had to be here by 7 a.m. tomorrow.

Should → Should (It stays the same!)

Direct Speech: You look tired Ramiro. You should sleep. Reported Speech: My girlfriend said that I should sleep. / My girlfriend told me that I should sleep.

Would → Would (It stays the same!)

Direct Speech: It would be nice to see you later. Reported Speech: Sarah said that it would be nice to see me later. / Sarah told me that it would be nice to see me later.

We DO NOT need to change the verb form if the information is STILL TRUE NOW.

So, remember earlier:

You can also say: Mary said that she eats a lot of fruit. (This information is still true now.) 

Direct Speech: Our English is improving. Reported Speech: My students said that their English was improving. / My students told me that their English was improving.

You can also say: My students said that their English is improving. (This information is still true now.) 

This is a lot of information to remember. This list is in my Free Library! Subscribe for the password: 

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Thank you so much for reading! I hope you found it helpful.

Don’t forget to check out my youtube channel ,  instagram ,   facebook  and  other blogs., see you next time arnel , related posts.

Adverb Clauses – where, when, how, why

How To Use Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

MUST or HAVE TO? modals of obligation, probability, deductions

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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 can be quite challenging for English language learners because in order to change direct speech into reported speech, one must change the perspective and tense of what was said by the original speaker or writer. In this guide, we will explain in detail how to change direct speech into indirect speech and provide lots of examples of reported speech to help you understand. Here are the key aspects of converting direct speech into reported speech.

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:

• Direct : “I am going to the park.” Reported : He said he was going to the park .
• Direct : “You should try the new restaurant.” Reported : She said that I should try the new restaurant.
• Direct : “We will win the game.” Reported : They said that they would win the game.
• Direct : “She loves her new job.” Reported : He said that she loves her new job.
• Direct : “He can’t come to the party.” Reported : She said that he couldn’t come to the party.
• Direct : “It belongs to me.” Reported : He said that it belonged to him .
• Direct : “They are moving to a new city.” Reported : She said that they were moving to a new city.
• Direct : “You are doing a great job.” Reported : He told me that I was doing a great job.
• Direct : “I don’t like this movie.” Reported : She said that she didn’t like that movie.
• Direct : “We have finished our work.” Reported : They said that they had finished their work.
• Direct : “You will need to sign here.” Reported : He said that I would need to sign there.
• Direct : “She can solve the problem.” Reported : He said that she could solve the problem.
• Direct : “He was not at home yesterday.” Reported : She said that he had not been at home the day before.
• Direct : “It is my responsibility.” Reported : He said that it was his responsibility.
• Direct : “We are planning a surprise.” Reported : They said that they were planning a surprise.

Reported Speech: Reporting Verbs

In reported speech, various reporting verbs are used depending on the nature of the statement or the intention behind the communication. These verbs are essential for conveying the original tone, intent, or action of the speaker. Here are some examples demonstrating the use of different reporting verbs in reported speech:

• Direct: “I will help you,” she promised . Reported: She promised that she would help me.
• Direct: “You should study harder,” he advised . Reported: He advised that I should study harder.
• Direct: “I didn’t take your book,” he denied . Reported: He denied taking my book .
• Direct: “Let’s go to the cinema,” she suggested . Reported: She suggested going to the cinema .
• Direct: “I love this song,” he confessed . Reported: He confessed that he loved that song.
• Direct: “I haven’t seen her today,” she claimed . Reported: She claimed that she hadn’t seen her that day.
• Direct: “I will finish the project,” he assured . Reported: He assured me that he would finish the project.
• Direct: “I’m not feeling well,” she complained . Reported: She complained of not feeling well.
• Direct: “This is how you do it,” he explained . Reported: He explained how to do it.
• Direct: “I saw him yesterday,” she stated . Reported: She stated that she had seen him the day before.
• Direct: “Please open the window,” he requested . Reported: He requested that I open the window.
• Direct: “I can win this race,” he boasted . Reported: He boasted that he could win the race.
• Direct: “I’m moving to London,” she announced . Reported: She announced that she was moving to London.
• Direct: “I didn’t understand the instructions,” he admitted . Reported: He admitted that he didn’t understand the instructions.
• Direct: “I’ll call you tonight,” she promised . Reported: She promised to call me that night.

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:

• Direct: “I am eating.” Reported: He said he was eating.
• Direct: “They will go to the park.” Reported: She mentioned they would go to the park.
• Direct: “We have finished our homework.” Reported: They told me they had finished their homework.
• Direct: “I do my exercises every morning.” Reported: He explained that he did his exercises every morning.
• Direct: “She is going to start a new job.” Reported: He heard she was going to start a new job.
• Direct: “I can solve this problem.” Reported: She said she could solve that problem.
• Direct: “We are visiting Paris next week.” Reported: They said they were visiting Paris the following week.
• Direct: “I will be waiting outside.” Reported: He stated he would be waiting outside.
• Direct: “They have been studying for hours.” Reported: She mentioned they had been studying for hours.
• Direct: “I can’t understand this chapter.” Reported: He complained that he couldn’t understand that chapter.
• Direct: “We were planning a surprise.” Reported: They told me they had been planning a surprise.
• Direct: “She has to complete her assignment.” Reported: He said she had to complete her assignment.
• Direct: “I will have finished the project by Monday.” Reported: She stated she would have finished the project by Monday.
• Direct: “They are going to hold a meeting.” Reported: She heard they were going to hold a meeting.
• Direct: “I must leave.” Reported: He said he had to leave.

Reported Speech: Changing Time and Place References

When converting direct speech into reported speech, references to time and place often need to be adjusted to fit the context of the reported speech. This is because the time and place relative to the speaker may have changed from the original statement to the time of reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how time and place references change:

• Direct: “I will see you tomorrow .” Reported: He said he would see me the next day .
• Direct: “We went to the park yesterday .” Reported: They said they went to the park the day before .
• Direct: “I have been working here since Monday .” Reported: She mentioned she had been working there since Monday .
• Direct: “Let’s meet here at noon.” Reported: He suggested meeting there at noon.
• Direct: “I bought this last week .” Reported: She said she had bought it the previous week .
• Direct: “I will finish this by tomorrow .” Reported: He stated he would finish it by the next day .
• Direct: “She will move to New York next month .” Reported: He heard she would move to New York the following month .
• Direct: “They were at the festival this morning .” Reported: She said they were at the festival that morning .
• Direct: “I saw him here yesterday.” Reported: She mentioned she saw him there the day before.
• Direct: “We will return in a week .” Reported: They said they would return in a week .
• Direct: “I have an appointment today .” Reported: He said he had an appointment that day .
• Direct: “The event starts next Friday .” Reported: She mentioned the event starts the following Friday .
• Direct: “I lived in Berlin two years ago .” Reported: He stated he had lived in Berlin two years before .
• Direct: “I will call you tonight .” Reported: She said she would call me that night .
• Direct: “I was at the office yesterday .” Reported: He mentioned he was at the office the day before .

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:

• Direct: “Are you coming to the party?” Reported: She asked if I was coming to the party.
• Direct: “What time is the meeting?” Reported: He inquired what time the meeting was.
• Direct: “Why did you leave early?” Reported: They wanted to know why I had left early.
• Direct: “Can you help me with this?” Reported: She asked if I could help her with that.
• Direct: “Where did you buy this?” Reported: He wondered where I had bought that.
• Direct: “Who is going to the concert?” Reported: They asked who was going to the concert.
• Direct: “How do you solve this problem?” Reported: She questioned how to solve that problem.
• Direct: “Is this the right way to the station?” Reported: He inquired whether it was the right way to the station.
• Direct: “Do you know her name?” Reported: They asked if I knew her name.
• Direct: “Why are they moving out?” Reported: She wondered why they were moving out.
• Direct: “Have you seen my keys?” Reported: He asked if I had seen his keys.
• Direct: “What were they talking about?” Reported: She wanted to know what they had been talking about.
• Direct: “When will you return?” Reported: He asked when I would return.
• Direct: “Can she drive a manual car?” Reported: They inquired if she could drive a manual car.
• Direct: “How long have you been waiting?” Reported: She asked how long I had been waiting.

Reported Speech: Omitting Quotation Marks

In reported speech, quotation marks are not used, differentiating it from direct speech which requires them to enclose the spoken words. Reported speech summarizes or paraphrases what someone said without the need for exact wording. Here are examples showing how direct speech with quotation marks is transformed into reported speech without them:

• Direct: “I am feeling tired,” she said. Reported: She said she was feeling tired.
• Direct: “We will win the game,” he exclaimed. Reported: He exclaimed that they would win the game.
• Direct: “I don’t like apples,” the boy declared. Reported: The boy declared that he didn’t like apples.
• Direct: “You should visit Paris,” she suggested. Reported: She suggested that I should visit Paris.
• Direct: “I will be late,” he warned. Reported: He warned that he would be late.
• Direct: “I can’t believe you did that,” she expressed in surprise. Reported: She expressed her surprise that I had done that.
• Direct: “I need help with this task,” he admitted. Reported: He admitted that he needed help with the task.
• Direct: “I have never been to Italy,” she confessed. Reported: She confessed that she had never been to Italy.
• Direct: “We saw a movie last night,” they mentioned. Reported: They mentioned that they saw a movie the night before.
• Direct: “I am learning to play the piano,” he revealed. Reported: He revealed that he was learning to play the piano.
• Direct: “You must finish your homework,” she instructed. Reported: She instructed that I must finish my homework.
• Direct: “I will call you tomorrow,” he promised. Reported: He promised that he would call me the next day.
• Direct: “I have finished my assignment,” she announced. Reported: She announced that she had finished her assignment.
• Direct: “I cannot attend the meeting,” he apologized. Reported: He apologized for not being able to attend the meeting.
• Direct: “I don’t remember where I put it,” she confessed. Reported: She confessed that she didn’t remember where she put it.

Reported Speech Quiz

Thanks for reading! I hope you found these reported speech examples useful. Before you go, why not try this Reported Speech Quiz and see if you can change indirect speech into reported speech?

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7 Musical Hits to Get You Teaching Reported Speech Through Song

Mama said, there’ll be days like this.

There’ll be days like this, mama said.

As you can see from the above example, reported speech is used to summarize or convey what was said in the past.

An important part of conversational English, reported speech can be difficult for some students to learn if they don’t already have a grasp on verb tenses.

But with the help of reported speech songs, you can teach your students how to use reported speech while rocking out to some of their favorite music .

Songs to Practice Reported Speech

• 1. “She Has No Time” by Keane

2. “Norwegian Wood” by The Beatles

3. “what goes around… comes around” by justin timberlake, 4. “apologize” by timbaland featuring onerepublic, 5. “can’t help falling in love” by elvis presley, 6. “somebody that i used to know” by gotye, 7. “photograph” by nickelback, direct speech vs. reported speech, activities to teach your students reported speech, listen and fill in the blanks, change reported speech into direct speech, change direct speech to the correct version of reported speech.

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1.  “She Has No Time” by Keane

This song is useful because of its simple and uncomplicated lyrics. Also, there are a few nice idiomatic phrases in the song, like “goes her own way.”

The use of reported speech in this song is a little atypical. Instead of being in the past tense, it’s in present simple and “that” is omitted from the phrases. Still, the song is great for showing students that there are always exceptions to grammar rules.

Reported speech:

She says she has no time for you now;

She says she has no time

This song is chock-full of examples of reported speech. It’s also fairly short and easy to understand.

“Norwegian Wood” provides an example of direct speech ( We talked until two and then she said, “it’s time for bed” ), which is a nice contrast to the instances of reported speech. The song includes important words, like  asked, told and said.

She asked me to stay; 

And she told me to sit anywhere. 

She told me she worked in the morning…

I told her I didn’t.

A typical, angst-filled love song which most students will probably be able to relate to on some level.

“What Goes Around… Comes Around” is a song with many examples of direct speech. As a result, this will make your students work extra hard to identify the true examples of reported speech.

You said that you were moving on now;

And maybe I should do the same.

“Apologize” has some great examples of reported speech, as well as some  nice metaphors , like: “I’m holding on a rope; got me ten feet off the ground.”  You can use this song to dive deeper into metaphors and similes with your more advanced students.

As with many of the songs on this list, “Apologize” has a lot of repetition in the lyrics and chorus. This gives your students several chances to pick up on the reported speech.

You tell me that you need me; 

Then you go and cut me down;

You tell me that you’re sorry; 

Didn’t think I’d turn around 

That it’s too late to apologize; 

It’s too late.

I said it’s too late to apologize. 

This song only has one example of reported speech, but it’s a short and very sweet tune.

This song also provides some nice examples of direct speech, like when the singer asks the listener,  “Shall I stay? Would it be a sin, if I can’t help falling in love with you?”

Reported speech: 

Wise men say; 

Only fools rush in.

Gotye uses a lot of reported speech in his hit song, “Somebody That I Used to Know.”

The lyrics may be a little advanced for beginners, as they tell a rather elaborate and involved story, but your students may enjoy the challenge. I recommend playing the song several times for them, so they can catch all the instances of reported speech.

Like when you said you felt so happy you could die; 

Told myself that you were right for me…

Well, you said that we would still be friends…

You said that you could let it go; 

And I wouldn’t catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know.

Again, this song tells a fairly detailed story by relating to the memories of the singer’s childhood.

In a way, the whole song is an example of direct speech to the listener. However, there are some useful examples of reported speech sprinkled throughout the lyrics, too.

The cops hated us hangin’ out; 

They say somebody went and burned it down. 

We said someday we’d find out how it feels; 

To sing to more than just the steering wheel. 

It’s important to remind your students that English has direct speech and reported speech, also known as “indirect speech.”

Explain to your students that direct speech is often indicated with quotation marks.

Direct speech example:   The teacher said,  “You must learn proper grammar.”

Reported speech, in contrast, is typically used for describing things people said in the past. Words such as tell, say  and  ask are used to report what was said to the listener.

Reported speech example:   The teacher said  that   we  must learn proper grammar. 

In reported speech, the personal pronouns often change and you typically add “that”  after the verb.

Maximize the learning experience by carefully considering what songs you’ll be using, then adjust the activities accordingly. For example, if your class is lower-level students, you may want to pick a song with simple, easy-to-understand lyrics to make these activities more accessible.

Below are some exciting activities using music to teach reported speech.

This activity is great for warming up your class.

Pick a song that includes reported speech, then create a worksheet using the lyrics from that song by removing all uses of reported speech from the lyrics and replacing them with blanks.

For example, the song “Norwegian Wood” by The Beatles would look like this:

_______ to stay; 

And ______ to sit anywhere. 

_____ she worked in the morning…

_____ I didn’t.

Before beginning the activity, spend some time in class going over the general rules of reported speech with your students. When ready, pass out the worksheet to the class and give them a moment to read over the lyrics.

Tell the class that you’re going to play the song one time as a warm-up and that they shouldn’t write on the worksheet yet. Instead, they should carefully listen to the song and make note of any words they don’t understand. Once the song has finished, go over any new words and expressions with the class.

The second time, play the song again and have your students listen while completing their worksheets. Once the music has finished, let your students share their findings. Make any corrections needed.

You can pair this activity with a session on FluentU , where students can watch music videos (and other authentic English videos like movie trailers, news segments and inspirational talks). Once students have heard the chosen song a few times, you can ask them to watch it in the FluentU program, where they’ll be able to check the meaning of any word by clicking on it in the subtitles.

Students can also compare their attempts to fill out the reported speech lyrics with the transcript that accompanies every FluentU video. While they watch, they can add unfamiliar words to their flashcard decks directly from the video player. For homework, they can study these flashcards with practice exercises that adapt to every individual student’s learning speed.

This is a good activity for testing student’s recognition of reported speech, as well as highlighting the differences between reported and direct speech.

Pick a song to play for the class, instructing them to identify and write down all of the examples of reported speech they hear in the song. At the end of the song, ask students to share their results. Make sure they correctly identify all samples of reported speech from the song, and write the answers on the whiteboard so everyone can check their answers and correct their mistakes.

Once finished, have your students work individually or in pairs to change reported phrases into direct speech. Don’t forget to save time at the end of class for students to share their results and make any necessary corrections.

This activity will require a little bit of prep time before class.

First, decide on the songs you’ll use for the lesson. Then, convert the speech in each song into direct speech and create a worksheet listing all of the direct speech conversions.

Determine whether you want students to work in pairs or as individuals, then hand out the worksheets. Instruct the class to change the direct speech back to reported speech while listening to the song.

Begin by playing the song (or songs) for your class. I recommend playing it more than once so they can hear the reported speech in the song. At the end of each song, have the students rewrite their sentences—be sure to give them ample time to complete the exercise. After finishing, go over the results in class, correcting any mistakes you come across.

Another option is to have the students complete the worksheet before listening to the songs. Once they’ve finished writing, play the songs so they can check their answers. The benefit of performing the activity this way is that it gives your students extra listening practice as they’re checking their answers.

As you can see, music is a great tool for teaching English! These are just some of the many songs that make use of reported speech, too.

Add these popular tunes to your next lesson on reported speech, or find some other songs to use in the classroom . Your students will surely remember learning more about reported speech through music!

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Rageh Omaar: ITV newsreader 'receiving medical care' after on-screen behaviour worries fans

The 56-year-old appeared to be struggling to read his news bulletin on Friday, stumbling over words and prompting concern online.

Saturday 27 April 2024 15:58, UK

ITV News presenter Rageh Omaar is "receiving medical care" after becoming "unwell" live on-air, the TV channel says.

Omaar, 56, was presenting News At Ten on Friday when he appeared to be struggling to read the news bulletins, stumbling over words, prompting concern online.

ITV pulled the show from its scheduled re-run on ITV+1, telling viewers that the channel was "temporarily unable to bring you our +1 service".

Afterwards, an ITV News spokesperson said: "We are aware that viewers are concerned about Rageh Omaar's wellbeing.

"Rageh became unwell while presenting News at Ten on Friday and is now receiving medical care.

"He thanks everyone for their well wishes."

No further details were given and it is unclear what was happening to Omaar during the broadcast.

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He was previously a senior foreign correspondent for the BBC, rising to prominence during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Sky News has chosen not to use the footage

Trump hush money trial day 6 highlights: David Pecker testifies, judge hears gag order arguments

What to know about trump's trial today.

• Judge Juan Merchan will wait until later to rule after a hearing today on whether Donald Trump violated his gag order with social media posts attacking likely witnesses. Court ended at 2 p.m. today for Passover.
• During testimony, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker detailed making up the piece the publication ran about Sen. Ted Cruz's father knowing John F. Kennedy's assassin. He also detailed working with Michael Cohen to target Trump's 2016 primary opponents.
• Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. He has pleaded not guilty and denied a relationship with Daniels.
• Here is what you missed from Day 5.

Teens use day off from school to attend Trump trial

A few teens opted to spend their day in Trump's trial.

Ted Cruz uninterested in talking about Pecker testimony

Sahil Kapur

Asked to respond to Pecker’s testimony on the stories about him, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said: “Not interested in revisiting ancient history.”

Pro-Trump protesters gather outside the courthouse

Kyla Guilfoil

A few pro-Trump protesters have gathered outside of the courthouse as Trump prepares to depart for the day.

The group is holding a "Trump 2024" banner, a handwritten poster that reads "Kangaroo Court" and another banner that reads "Make America Great Again" under Trump's name.

Trump calls gag order 'unconstitutional' as he leaves courtroom

Trump complained again about his gag order, calling it "unconstitutional" as he left the courthouse for the day.

"I'm not allowed to defend myself and yet other people are allowed to say whatever they want about me. It's very, very unfair," Trump told reporters outside of the courtroom.

Trump went on to again call Merchan a "highly conflicted judge" who should recuse himself from the case.

The court is done for the day

Daniel Arkin

The trial went into recess at 2 p.m. ET — an early wrap because of Passover.

They'll be back on Thursday.

Pecker recounts conversation with Trump about McDougal

Pecker said that Trump called him about McDougal and asked what the publishing executive thought. Pecker told Trump that McDougal had an offer from ABC’s "Dancing with the Stars."

Pecker suggested to Trump that he buy McDougal's story. Trump demurred and said: "Anytime you do something like this, it always comes out."

Pecker persisted. Trump said he wanted to talk to Cohen and that he would call back in a couple of days.

Cohen told Pecker to stop talking on a landline and use Signal instead

Summer Concepcion

Pecker said at this point he went from talking to Cohen a couple times a week to speaking with him everyday, sometimes twice a day, when the story of McDougal’s alleged affair with Trump emerged.

Pecker recalled Cohen instructed him to not talk over a landline, but use the messaging app Signal instead because it’s encrypted and messages would be destroyed.

“I still to this day don’t know whether that’s true or not,” Pecker said.

We have less than 10 minutes left today

The court is expected to recess early for the day, at 2 p.m. ET, because of Passover.

Pecker starts testifying about Karen McDougal

Gary Grumbach

Pecker just started testifying about another central figure in this case: Karen McDougal, the former Playboy model who claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 — a claim the former president has denied.

Pecker is likely to provide details about how the National Enquirer paid to "catch and kill" McDougal's story about her sexual relationship with Trump to prevent his 2016 presidential campaign from getting bad press.

McDougal is expected to take the witness stand during this trial.

Pecker waited to release doorman story until after the election after Cohen's request

Jillian Frankel

Pecker has now testified that he held off publishing the doorman's story until after the 2016 election because Cohen had asked him to.

Pecker went on to say that he had wanted to release Dino Sajudin from the exclusivity agreement, but Cohen had requested that he not do so until after the election, to ensure that the story didn't break on other outlets.

According to a December 9, 2016 email from then-AMI general counsel Cameron Stracher to Dino Sajudin, the Enquirer confirmed that doorman was released from the exclusivity agreement.

Pecker believed the doorman's story was false, but he paid for it anyway

Pecker testified that the agreement was amended to pay Sajudin within five days — even though the publishing executive had concluded that his story about Trump's supposed illegitimate child was "1,000% untrue."

Pecker explained that he ponied up the cash to make sure that Sajudin didn't take his claims elsewhere and embarrass Trump's presidential campaign.

“I made the decision to buy the story because of the potential embarrassment to the campaign and Mr. Trump," Pecker testified.

Pecker says he agreed to pay $30K for doorman's story

Pecker testified that he negotiated to pay $30,000 for a story sourced by Trump's doorman.

Pecker said that after he agreed to pay for the story, Cohen said "the boss," referring to Trump, was very pleased.

“I’ll pay for it," Pecker said during his testimony, recounting the exchange with Cohen. "This’ll be a very big story. I believe it’s important he should be removed from the market, so we’ll acquire the story."

Prosecutor cuts off Pecker

Pecker said he spoke to Howard to verify whether the story about Trump having a child with the housekeeper in the penthouse was true, and he recalled saying that there should be a source agreement with Dino Sajuddin and that he should take a polygraph.

Steinglass abruptly cut Pecker off.

“What you’re about to say, don’t say that,” Steinglass told Pecker.

Trump's eyes closed as prosecutors ask Pecker about illegitimate child claim

Trump's eyes were closed and he did not seem to have any visible reaction as Steinglass started asking Pecker about Dino Sajudin, a doorman at Trump Tower who purportedly tried to sell a story about Trump fathering an illegitimate child with a maid who worked at the New York City skyscraper.

"Dino was in the market selling a story that Donald Trump fathered an illegitimate girl with a maid in — at — at Trump Tower," Pecker said, explaining that he learned about Sojudin from former National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard, who purportedly got a tip from one of his sources.

Pecker testified that, when he learned about Howard's tip, he "immediately" called Cohen and "told him exactly what I was told." Pecker said that Cohen told him the doorman's claim was "absolutely not true, but I'll check it out."

Pecker interpreted Cohen's comments as a denial that Trump had fathered a child with a maid. He testified that he reached out to Cohen because "anything I heard in the marketplace about Donald Trump, I would run by Michael Cohen."

The publishing executive testified that he instructed Howard to buy Sojudin's story and take it off the market.

Trump sitting alone during bench conference

Trump is sitting alone at the defense table while his lawyers and the prosecutors have a meeting at the judge's bench.

The meeting was called after Trump lawyer Emil Bove raised an objection to prosecutor Joshua Steinglass' attempt to put some exhibits into evidence.

Analysis: Steinglass using Pecker to expand evidence

Steinglass is asking a series of questions to allow the admission of AMI business records, including texts and emails, into the trial's evidence that Pecker himself might not be on.

This is important because as the chairman and CEO during the time period in question, Pecker can authenticate these records and get them into evidence.

Analysis: DA's office finally identifies what they allege was the underlying crime

The defense is objecting to Steinglass asking about Bannon's requests on hearsay grounds, arguing that they have had no notice that Bannon was considered a co-conspirator.

Steinglass’ response includes an important point: Bannon's requests to Pecker are relevant to the “primary” underlying crime that Trump was trying to commit or conceal under New York Election Law 17-152.

Bragg's office has not identified with any precision what the crime is that Trump allegedly intended to commit or conceal. Through this sidebar about an evidentiary objection, Steinglass has now admitted that New York Election Law 17-152, which prohibits conspiracies to promote the election of a specific candidate through unlawful means, is that “primary” predicate.

Trump lawyers object to Steven Bannon evidence

Pecker talked about his discussions with Steve Bannon, one of Trump's former campaign and White House strategists.

Pecker testified that Trump had told him that he and Bannon would “work very well together,” and Bannon then asked whether Pecker could send him other Enquirer issues for Bannon’s review.

It appears that Steinglass is trying to elicit evidence about requests Bannon made purportedly on behalf of the campaign. Emil Bove, one of Trump's lawyers, has objected, and they are now having a sidebar.

The prosecution agreed to stop asking Pecker about Bannon — but this seems to be a point that will continue to come up.

Jury is taking a short break

Rebecca Shabad is in Washington, D.C.

The jury is taking a short break.

Pecker explains genesis of baseless Enquirer article about Ted Cruz's father

Pecker has testified that the National Enquirer pushed negative articles about Trump's opponents in the 2016 GOP primary, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. The publishing executive was just asked about an Enquirer article claiming that the Republican lawmaker's father, Rafael Cruz, associated with Lee Harvey Oswald before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Pecker claimed that former Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard and the magazine's research department had worked on the article. "We mashed the photos and the different picture with Lee Harvey Oswald ... we mashed the two together," Pecker testified. "That's how that story was prepared — created, I would say."

In the heat of the 2016 GOP primary, Trump pointed to that Enquirer article to support his conspiracy theory, saying that the tabloid's claim that it had photographic evidence of a link between the elder Cruz and Oswald was credible.

Pecker says Cohen would call him after GOP presidential debates to discuss which candidate to target next

Pecker said Cohen would call him after the Republican presidential debates.

Based on the success that some of the other GOP candidates had, Cohen would direct him and Enquirer editor-in-chief Howard on which candidate to target next.

Prosecutor asks David Pecker about arrangement with Michael Cohen

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked David Pecker what the ultimate objective was of the arrangement that involved him notifying Michael Cohen about negative stories about Trump and other women.

"What was the purpose of notifying Michael Cohen when you came upon stories like that?" Steinglass asked.

Pecker said of Cohen, "He would try to vet it himself, see if the story was true or not.”

Pecker explains how the agreement was implemented

Pecker testified that his arrangement with Trump and Cohen was not put into writing. It was essentially an agreement among friends.

However, Pecker quickly put a plan in motion. When he returned to his office, Pecker met with former National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard. Pecker described the Trump Tower meeting to Howard, outlining the arrangement and describing the agreement as "highly private and confidential."

“I did not want anyone else to know what this agreement I had,” Pecker testified. “So that’s why I kept it — that’s why I wanted it very confidential.” 

Pecker asked Howard to notify the tabloid's West Coast and East Coast bureau chiefs that any stories that came in about Trump or the 2016 election must be vetted and brought straight to Pecker — and "they'll have to be brought to Cohen," the publishing executive testified.

Pecker informed Howard that the whole arrangement needed to stay a secret because it was being carried out to help Trump's presidential campaign.

Pecker provides inside look at the National Enquirer's operations

Laura Jarrett

This jury is getting a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of the country's most popular tabloids through the ultimate insider.

Pecker is being frank and not mincing words. His speech is halting at times and careful, but he doesn't sugarcoat the facts — at least as he understands them. Pecker is explaining why both he and Trump benefited from him running storylines against the Clintons in the Enquirer.

Pecker says stories on the Clintons were a top-seller for the Enquirer that 'pleased' Trump and Cohen

Pecker said stories on former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, were published in the Enquirer because Bill Clinton's involvement with women was another top-seller for the tabloid.

“It was of mutual benefit,” he said, to portray “Hillary Clinton as an enabler of Bill Clinton’s womanizing” and that he offered to keep doing that, which “pleased” Trump and Cohen.

Pecker testifies about women selling their stories to tabloids

Pecker is testifying about his August 2015 meeting with Trump and Cohen. When prosecutors asked Pecker how the subject of Trump accusers coming forward came up, the media businessman replied that it was common for women to call up magazines such as the National Enquirer to sell their stories, "or I might hear in the marketplace that those stories were circulated."

Trump was known as "the most eligible bachelor who dated the most beautiful women," Pecker said, appearing to ignore the fact that Trump had been married for many years at the time of the meeting.

Pecker testifies about 2015 meeting with Trump and Cohen

Pecker is testifying about a August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower attended by Trump and Cohen — as well as Hope Hicks, who apparently came in and out of the room. Pecker said he received a phone call from Cohen explaining that "the boss wanted to see me."

"Most of the time when I got a call from Michael Cohen," Pecker said, "he wanted something."

Pecker said it was there that he agreed to help Trump.

"Thinking about it as I did previously, I said what I would do is I would run or publish positive stories about Mr. Trump, and I would publish negative stories about his opponents," Pecker testified.

Pecker says Cohen invited him to Trump's presidential campaign launch

Pecker said that he was at Trump’s presidential campaign launch in June 2015 and that he had received an invitation from Cohen to attend.

Prosecutors displayed a 2015 email from Cohen to Pecker.

Cohen wrote to invite Pecker to to Trump Tower. “As a friend, I would love if you could make it. Let me know so I can save you a seat next to me on the atrium floor. No one deserves to be there more than you.” 

Pecker highlights Trump's rising popularity following 'The Apprentice'

Pecker said that when Trump launched "The Apprentice" and then "Celebrity Apprentice," the interest in him among the National Enquirer's readership “skyrocketed.”

Pecker added that every time the Enquirer studied which cover subjects would sell best, Trump was the No. 1 celebrity and was viewed by the public as "the boss."

Pecker went on to say he had discussed with Trump a poll the Enquirer ran about his running for president, in which 80% of the magazine’s readership said they wanted him to run. Shortly after, Trump was interviewed on NBC's "TODAY" show and cited the Enquirer poll when asked about his aspiration to run for president.

Prosecutors seem to be using Pecker to introduce other key players in the case

Prosecutors appear to be using Pecker's testimony partly as a way to help familiarize jurors with other major figures in Trump's orbit, including his personal lawyer Michael Cohen and former aide Hope Hicks. Cohen and Hicks are both expected to testify during this trial.

Cohen blasts Trump in a statement: 'Truth will prevail'

Sarah Fitzpatrick

After arguments over the gag order in which posts Trump made about Cohen were the subject of debate, Cohen blasted Trump in a statement to NBC News, noting the time he spent behind bar s after he pleaded guilty in 2018 to a series of charges, which include his involvement in sending payments to silence Daniels and Karen McDougal after they claimed to have had affairs with Trump.

“After the Trump administration had me remanded to solitary confinement for a total of 51 days, I learned that I am much stronger than I ever imagined," he said. "Strong enough to ensure that truth will prevail over Donald and his acolytes’ incessant lying and denigration of me; in the court hallways or his UNtruth Social platform. Regardless. no one is above the law.”

Pecker said that Trump as a businessman micromanaged

Steinglass asked Pecker how he would describe Trump as a businessman and Pecker said that he was very detail oriented.

“I would describe Mr. Trump as very knowledgeable. I would describe him very detail oriented. I would describe him almost micromanaging," he said. “Looking at all the aspects of whatever the issue was.”

He added, “I thought that his approach to money, he was very cautious and very frugal.” 

Analysis: Why prosecutors are asking about Pecker's history with Trump

The purpose of all of this background information the state is eliciting from Pecker is to show they weren’t passing acquaintances, they were in frequent communication and increasingly after Trump announced his candidacy in 2015.

That way, when he talks about the key meeting with Trump and Cohen at Trump Tower (where prosecutors allege the "catch and kill" scheme was hatched), he has more credibility with the jury.

Pecker says he considered 'Donald' a friend

Pecker said that he considered Trump a friend up until 2017.

"I called him Donald," Pecker said, a fact the prosecution elicited to show the pair's proximity.

Pecker said that he and Trump spoke monthly or quarterly or, if something was about to be national news, more frequently. He added that they saw each other roughly once or twice a quarter. By 2015, when Trump announced he was running for president, Pecker saw him more frequently, approximately once a month.

Pecker details how he met Trump and their work on a magazine

Pecker said he has had a “great relationship” with Trump over the years and helped him launch a quarterly magazine called Trump Style, that Pecker managed.

He described meeting Trump at Mar-a-Lago in the late '80s through a client, Ronald Perelman, who introduced them to each other.

Asked by Joshua Steinglass whether his relationship with Trump changed after he acquired the National Enquirer, Pecker said that from 1989 to 1999 he was responsible for a French publishing company and had a lot of discussions with Trump regarding celebrities. He described Trump as being very helpful on the matter by introducing him to executives in New York and advising him about parties. He said that Trump called to congratulate him when he bought the Enquirer and that he knew a few of the editors there.

Pecker says he paid Trump for news from 'The Apprentice'

Pecker said that he would pay Trump for news and content from NBC's "The Apprentice" and said it was mutually beneficial.

The former National Enquirer publisher said it helped the magazine and he said that if there were a controversy on the show, he would get the information directly from Trump first. He said it benefited his magazine from 2004 to 2014.

Witnesses must walk by Trump to get to stand

In order to get to the stand, witnesses need to walk by the defense table — which means passing by Trump.

Court is back in session

Court has resumed after a brief recess. Pecker will now take the stand.

Trump assails Merchan on social media after gag order hearing

Trump went after Merchan in a post on social media at 11 a.m. ET, following the contentious gag order hearing.

"Highly conflicted, to put it mildly, Judge Juan Merchan, has taken away my constitutional right to free speech," Trump wrote in an all-caps message on Truth Social. "Everybody is allowed to talk and lie about me, but I am not allowed to defend myself."

"This is a kangaroo court," the former president added, "and the judge should recuse himself."

Merchan has already denied a motion from the defense that he recuse himself from the trial.

Judge says he will reserve judgment, calls for a break

Merchan said that he will "reserve a decision" on whether Trump violated his gag order through posting on social media.

It's noteworthy that Merchan has decided to reserve judgment on the issue. If there’s truly harm in allowing the former president to post about potential witnesses in the middle of the trial, then every day that this goes on unaddressed theoretically affects the proceedings. It's unclear when the judge will rule.

Merchan called for a short break at about 10:45 a.m. ET, with the court set to reconvene at 11 a.m. ET.

Judge blasts Trump's lawyer over 'credibility'

Merchan's apparent frustrations with Blanche just reached a boiling point.

"Mr. Blanche, you’re losing all credibility with this court,” Merchan said. The judge's remark came after Blanche argued that Trump is trying hard to comply with the gag order.

Judge seems to be moving toward putting Trump under oath

Merchan continued to ask Blanche if it’s the former president's position that by reposting, he did not believe he violated the gag order.

“I’d like to hear that," the judge said, implying that he might want Trump to confirm under oath that this is his position.

Court debates whether a repost is an endorsement

Blanche and Merchan are engaged in a back-and-forth about whether a repost by Trump constitutes an endorsement.

Blanche argued that Trump’s reposting of an article on his Truth Social platform does not qualify as an endorsement.

Merchan pressed Blanche to show him what case law he has to support that.

Blanche replied, “I don’t have case law ... but it’s just common sense, your honor.”

Analysis: Blanche starts to lose steam

Blanche is starting to struggle in his defense as the court moves on to Trump's social media posts about Mark Pomerantz, a former prosecutor who oversaw the Manhattan District Attorney Office’s investigation into Trump, and Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, who has testified against him.

Blanche says this is not an attack on Cohen; it is an attack on the system or, more specifically, on the DA’s office for not prosecuting Cohen for lying on the stand while Allen Weisselberg was prosecuted for perjury and is in jail.

Merchan again presses, “What statement is this responding to?” Blanche says he is not responding to a statement so much as he is complaining about two systems of justice in this courtroom. Merchan sounds incredulous: “He’s saying there are two systems of justice  in this courtroom ?” Blanche sounds sheepish, “Yes, your honor.”

Judge is getting frustrated with Trump's lawyer

Merchan is getting frustrated with Blanche.

“I am asking a question!” Merchan said to the Trump lawyer. “I keep asking you over and over to give me an example, and I’m not getting an answer.”

Merchan said it is now 10:30 a.m. and the jury is going to be here and said he doesn't want to keep them waiting.

Trump's lawyer insists gag order was not willfully violated

Blanche is arguing that there was "absolutely no willful violation of the gag order" in the former president's activity on social media.

In his remarks to the judge, Blanche appears to be making the case that Trump's posts on Truth Social should be distinguished from the content he reposts from others on the platform, including witnesses who are not subject to the gag order.

Prosecutor describes and reads from Trump post quoting Fox News host

Conroy described and read from Trump's Truth Social post from last Wednesday, which Conroy called "very troubling."

Conroy described how Trump quoted Fox News host Jesse Watters claiming that there were undercover liberal activists lying to the judge to get onto the jury. Watters, however, didn't actually mention the jury in his comments on air; Conroy said Trump added that himself.

Prosecutor slams Trump's 'ominous' social media posts

Conroy rejected the Trump team's argument that the former president's posts on social media were attempts to defend himself as a presidential candidate, not a criminal defendant.

"Throwing 'MAGA' into a post doesn't make it political," Conroy said. "If anything, it makes it more ominous."

Conroy then pushed back against the Trump team's argument that the defendant's "reposts" on social media did not violate a gag order. The prosecutor insisted that contention "flies in the face of common sense."

"We are not yet seeking an incarceratory penalty," Conroy said, but the "defendant seems to be angling for that."

A note on the gag order in the hush money trial

It’s worth noting that Merchan’s order outlining what the former president can and cannot say doesn’t prohibit him from talking about any witness at any time for anything. It’s more narrow than that and the judge has already picked up on the scope this morning. The order says he’s prohibited from talking about witnesses to the extent it concerns their “potential participation in the investigation or in this criminal proceeding.”

Merchan expanded a partial gag order this month after Trump waged online attacks against his daughter , who has worked at a progressive digital marketing agency that has collaborated with many Democratic candidates. Bragg has argued that Trump was in contempt of court for violating the gag order. Prosecutors say Trump has continued to violate it, including as recently as yesterday when he again called Cohen a liar in remarks at the courthouse.

Man arrested outside court's overflow room

Police officers just arrested a man outside the overflow room, according to a pool report from the hallway. He had been escorted out of the room right as the court went into session.

The man appeared to be arguing with police about where he was sitting and whether he could get into the courtroom.

The officers asked the man to leave. But he refused and was detained.

No Trump family members are in court today

Katie S. Phang

As Trump settles in for another day of his trial, there do not appear to be any of his family members present in court.

Judge says purpose of hearing is to determine whether Trump should be held in contempt

Merchan said the purpose of the gag order hearing is to "find out whether the defendant Mr. Trump should be held in contempt for one or all of these violations.”

Prosecutor Christopher Conroy said he's going to present documents and social media posts from Trump that show that he violated the judge's gag order.

“Each of them violates the court’s April 1 order. That is a lawful order of this court," he said.

Conroy said that Trump violated the gag order again after the trial session yesterday when he spoke to cameras.

“Yesterday, here in this building, right outside those doors," he said. “The defendant violated the order again, on camera. He did it right here in the hallway outside.”

Conroy referenced how Trump railed against Michael Cohen and his lies in those remarks.

"The court should hold him in contempt for each of the 10 posts," he said.

Trump rants about pro-Palestinian campus protests before entering the courtroom

Shortly before he headed into the courtroom, Trump condemned the ongoing pro-Palestinian campus protests across the country.

Trump acknowledged the “interesting” protests happening outside the court during his hush money trial, saying that protesters “want to protest peacefully” and that there’s “more police presence here than anyone’s ever seen for blocks.”

Trump then took aim at what he described as “very radical people wanting to rip the colleges down."

“And that’s a shame. But it all starts with Joe Biden, the signals he puts out are so bad,” he said, criticizing Biden for his approach to Israel’s war against Hamas. Biden has repeatedly said that Israel has a right to defend itself even as he criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war.

Two 14-year-olds join in watching the trial on their day off from school

Katherine Doyle

Susan Kroll

Two Upper West Side teens joined the crowd inside the courthouse this morning, planning to spend their day off from school by watching Trump's trial.

Owen Berenbom and Hope Harrington, childhood friends who are both 14 years old, are seated alongside reporters in the second to last row of overflow seating.

Owen said he met up with Hope outside her home at 7:20 a.m. before taking the subway downtown to Canal Street.

“This is the trial of the century,” Owen said, adding that he did not want to miss the chance to see it unfold up close.

Hope said that it took some work to persuade her parents and they would not let her go alone. However, as an aspiring lawyer, Hope said, she is excited to be there and has followed coverage of the trial closely.

“I asked Owen how much he would bet that Trump falls asleep in the trial,” she said.

The morning begins with a bench meeting

Merchan and the lawyers are having a bench conference, a discussion outside the hearing of the jury.

Trump is in his seat. At one point, the former president's eyes were shut and he moved his head slightly from side to side.

He is the lone person at the defense table.

Trump’s lawyers argue ‘democracy’ in response to ‘porn star payoff’ allegations. What you missed on Day 5 of his trial.

More than a year after securing an indictment, New York prosecutors for the first time yesterday laid out their case against Trump in a courtroom, weaving a story they say will prove that the former president, along with his “fixer” and a tabloid publisher, conspired to cover up hush money payments.

“This case is about a criminal conspiracy. Trump orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election,” said Matthew Colangelo, a lawyer with Bragg’s office. “Then he covered up that criminal scheme by lying in his New York business records over and over and over again.” 

The prosecution detailed allegations of a sensational tabloid scheme to “catch and kill” stories that could prove damaging to Trump, a plan, the DA’s office said, that was elicited with Trump’s blessing and that he was directly implicated in.

“You’ll hear defendant’s own voice on a tape,” Colangelo said.

Here’s what else you missed on the fifth day of the trial .

No school? 13-year-old opts to watch Trump trial

Ben Shapiro, a 13-year-old New Yorker who has the day off from school because of Passover, decided to spend the day in court watching the trial.

Ben was first in line and said he was surprised by how few New Yorkers had shown up: “There are only 12 people in the entire city?” he said.

A classmate’s dad — a judge at the court — told him to get here before 7 a.m. He said he woke his mom up shortly after 5 a.m. to take the subway to Centre Street. The waiting paid off — Ben got a seat in the courtroom.

It took some light pressure to convince his parents, he said. “At first, they were like, ‘No, you’re not. That’s crazy.’ But then they were like, ‘OK,’” and agreed to come with him.

“We didn’t think he was serious — but then he wouldn’t stop asking about it,” his dad, Aaron Shapiro, said.

Ben said he is not doing this because he wants to be a lawyer or even necessarily a journalist. He’s just interested in politics and “kind of” interested in seeing Trump, though it will probably be a one-time thing.

“I feel like after like five hours, it’ll kind of get boring,” he said. “You go once and you can be like, ‘I went there.’”

Gingrich likens Trump hush money trial to 'some of the civil rights workers in Mississippi in the 1960s'

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally, said in an appearance on Fox News’ "Hannity" last night that the hush money trial is comparable to “some of the civil rights workers in Mississippi in the 1960s.”

Gingrich echoed Trump’s claims that Merchan is a “totally corrupt judge” and that Bragg is a “totally corrupt district attorney,” saying that he’s worried they are going to try to put the former president behind bars.

“I think this is so horrendous, that there has to be some way to reach out to the Supreme Court — this is literally like some of the civil rights workers in Mississippi in the 1960s. The New York system is now so deeply corrupted and it’s so bitterly, deeply anti-Trump,” he said.

Gingrich also repeated Trump’s attacks on Merchan’s daughter , who has worked at a progressive digital marketing agency that has worked with many Democratic candidates, which had prompted the judge to expand a partial gag order.

“This is about corruption, it has nothing to do with honesty. And what worries me is it’s a genuine threat to Donald Trump,” he said. “I mean, I think any step that will put him close to a New York prison is an extraordinarily dangerous step. And I would hope that there is some legal way to block it and make sure that it never happens because the thugs he’s dealing with are totally out of control, have total contempt for the rule of law and, frankly, are unworthy of being in the offices they hold on.”

Trump heads to court

Brittany Kubicko

The former president has left Trump Tower and is headed to the courthouse, where the judge will start the day with a hearing on whether Trump has violated his gag order with comments on social media attacking likely witnesses.

Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Trump focused on the intent of his alleged crimes in their opening statements, while the defense targeted the credibility of those expected to testify.

Analysis: Trump perks up as testimony begins in hush money trial

Jonathan Allen

No one will ever accuse Trump of being woke. But over a few hours yesterday, he transformed from an uninterested observer at his own hush money trial — eyes shut at times — to a highly attentive defendant in chief.

Maybe it was the chance to stare the full jury in the eyes, which he did when the jurors sat in their box — against the wall to his right — and when they entered and exited the courtroom. Perhaps it was onetime ally and alleged co-conspirator David Pecker testifying against him from a dozen or so feet away. Or it could just have been that all the talk was finally about him — after jury selection and arguments over legal points last week.

Sitting in a wood-paneled courtroom in Manhattan seemingly designed to induce sleep — like a 1950s junior high school or any branch office of a state’s department of motor vehicles — Trump leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes at the start of the fifth day of his trial. But after Merchan dispensed with rote procedural matters, including a long set of instructions for jurors, Trump began to focus more intently on the other key players in the room.

Read the full story here

Judge in Trump trial to hold hearing on gag order before witness testimony resumes

Dareh Gregorian

Trump’s social media posts about likely witnesses will be the first order of business today when court is back in session for the historic  criminal trial  of a former president.

The day is scheduled to begin with a hearing about whether Trump should be held in  contempt  over a series of posts on Truth Social that prosecutors argue violated a  gag order  Merchan issued this month prohibiting him from publicly attacking witnesses and jurors. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is also likely to cite comments Trump made to reporters yesterday, when he repeatedly called  Michael Cohen , an expected key witness, a liar.

The DA’s office is seeking the maximum $1,000 fine for each of the 10 posts it says violated the order, along with an order that Trump remove the posts from his social media platform. It also wants Merchan to warn Trump that any future violations risk not just additional fines, but also as long as 30 days in jail.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche contends his client hasn’t violated the April 1 order.