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I have another question regarding reported speech. Are these sentences some kind of reported speech?

"I was told that she knows/knew the whole story."

If I turned it around, I think I could form a normal reported speech:

"She told me that she knows/knew the whole story."

"I was told that you would/will know this."

Turning it around:

"She told me that you would/will know this."

Is being told something counted as reported speech? Please help!

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Reported speech gives the exact words spoken; indirect speech gives the meaning which was communicated, or of the relevant portion of what was communicated.

Unless your quotation marks indicate that the entire sentences were spoken by someone, none of your examples is reported speech; they all include indirect speech.

He said "I was told that she knows the whole story." ... reported speech
BUT
I was told that she knows the whole story. ... indirect speech
I was told "She knows the whole story". ... reported speech

Bill claimed "She told me that she knew the whole story." ... reported speech
BUT
She told me that she knew the whole story. ... indirect speech
She told me "You fool! You thought you could deceive me, but I know the whole story!" ... reported speech

"I was told," he began, "that you would know this." ... reported speech
BUT
I was told that you would know this. ... indirect speech
Everybody said "Jess is a bright woman, she'll know this." ... reported speech

"She told me you would know this", he grumbled, "but apparently you don't." ... reported speech
BUT
She told me that you would know this. ... indirect speech
She told me "I don't know; but Jess was there, she will." ... reported speech

(I have ignored your alternation of past and non-past; which is appropriate in indirect speech depends on context and is not relevant here.)

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  • It may be worth noting specifically that your pre-BUT examples are reported speech, where the speech being reported is a sentence of indirect speech.
    – Hellion
    Commented May 21, 2013 at 14:49
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great question! What you're actually working with there is an example of the passive voice.

The sentence "I was told..." puts the focus on the indirect object (you) rather than the agent (the person who told you).

It's true that in the example you give, you're making a tense shift because you were told this information in the past. That's why you're thinking about reported speech. In the answer above, there's a great explanation of what indirect or reported speech is.

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