Question

IN REPORTED SPEECH
when do we use TOLD and SAID

Answer 1

yesOften when I am teaching I overhear students say something like “he say me, it’s good“, or “I tell, it’s good.” It’s a small mistake and still easy to understand the essence of what they want to communicate, but it can make a big difference in someone’s first impression of you if you eliminate these small grammatical errors. So let’s have a look at the differences between these two often confused verbs: say and tell.

These verbs are very important when we use reported speech.
What is reported speech you ask? As the name of the language structure suggests, reported speech is the form of language we use when we are reporting something.

Here is an example to help us understand:

If I tell you “you look great“, that is direct speech. I am telling you, you look great. There is no one else involved. The thought goes directly from my brain to yours.

However, let’s imagine that I am horribly shy so instead of telling you directly I tell your friend that I think you look great. In this case then, your friend could report this back to you using reported speech. They would say: “Josh said you looked great,” or “Josh told me that you looked great.”

Notice what happens to the form of the verb in reported speech; it shifts back a tense. The verb in the direct speech example is in the present simple, but once we put the sentence in reported speech the verb shifts back to the simple past.

In this case then, your friend could report this back to you using reported speech. They would say: “Josh saidyou looked great,” or “Josh told me that you looked great.” Notice what happens to the form of the verb inreported speech; it shifts back a tense.

Answer 2

Ex
Ram said to me "I am going to market".
Here after said if there is an object then we use told
Ram told me that he was going to market
if there is after said nothing then said