Learn · Sentences Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

He said that he had read the book already.

B1

Sentence

Narrator

He said that he had read the book already.

Study notes

How to use in different contexts

Reporting Speech

He informed me that he had already read the book.

Summarizing a Conversation

The conversation concluded with him stating that he'd already read the book.

Adding Detail to a Narrative

When asked about the book, he casually mentioned that he had already read it.

Expressing Surprise

I was surprised to hear that he had already read the book.

Rephrased versions

Formal

He stated that he had previously read the book.

Casual

He said he'd already finished the book.

Simpler English

He said he read the book already.

Phrases to learn

had read

Past perfect tense, indicating an action completed before another past action.

already read

Completed the reading of the book prior to the current time.