| Reported Speech |
When we need to report what someone said, as opposed to writing direct speech, the tenses change as follows:
|
Tense in direct speech |
Tense in reported speech |
|
Present Simple I'm a teacher. I don't like this film. |
Past Simple He said he was a teacher. She said she didn't like that film. |
|
Present Continuous I'm having lunch with my parents. |
Past Continuous She said she was having lunch with her parents. |
|
Present Perfect Simple I've won the art competition twice. |
Past Perfect Simple He said he had won the art competition twice. |
|
Present Perfect Continuous I've been working very hard.
|
Past Perfect Continuous He said he had been working very hard.
|
|
Past Simple I saw the accident
|
Past Perfect He said he had seen the accident.
|
|
Past Continuous It was raining earlier. |
Past Perfect Continuous She said it had been raining earlier. |
|
Past Perfect The play had started when I arrived.
|
Past Perfect He said the play had started when he arrived |
|
Past Perfect Continuous I'd already been living in London for five years. |
Past Perfect continuous She said she had already been living in London for five years. |
|
Modals: will,can ,may,must I will be back soon I can write well I may go on a holiday I must buy a new book |
Would, could might had to He said he would be back soon She said she could write well She said she might go on a holiday He said he had to buy a new book |
Pronouns change
|
Subject |
I We you |
he , she they he, she, they, I , we |
|
Object |
Me Us You |
him, her them him, her, them, me , us |
|
possessive |
My Our your |
his, her their his, her, their, my, our |
Time phrases and other words change.
|
Direct (speaker's words) |
Reported speech |
|
Tomorrow |
The next day/ the day after/the following day |
|
Yesterday |
The day before /the previous day |
|
Here |
there |
|
This |
that |
|
These |
those |
|
Today |
That day |
|
Next (week/month/year) |
The following(week/month/ year)/the week after |
|
Ago |
before |
|
Now |
then |
|
soon |
later |
Rewrite each of the following sentences so that the new sentence has a similar meaning to the one before it,
1. "I caught five snakes in one hand."
He said that he had caught five snakes in one hand.
2. "The government will increase salaries."
The minister announced that the government would increase salaries.
3. "We were sleeping when she called us yesterday."
The boys said that they had been sleeping when she had called them the day before.
4. "I didn't give my sister the book last night."
She said that she hadn't given her sister the book the night before.