Sometimes you need to tell people about your conversations and change direct speech into indirect speech. When you do this, you need to make sure that the tenses are correct.
For example, Karen says to Peter: "My job is very interesting." Peter then wants to report this conversation to Sarah a week later. He says: "Karen said that her job was interesting."
When you report a conversation, the tense changes:
"My job is very interesting" becomes: She said that her job was very interesting.
Tense changes
"I'm going swimming" - She said she was going swimming.
"I haven't seen the film" - She said she hadn't seen the film.
"I have been working all morning" - She said she had been working all morning.
"I was working all week" - She said she had been working all week.
"He went on holiday to Greece" - She said he had gone on holiday to Greece.
Sentences that are already in the "had done" form remain the same:
"I hadn't seen him before" - She said she hadn't seen him before.
Reporting modal verbs
Modal verbs also go back one tense.
Will becomes would.
For example: "I will see him later" - She said she would see him later.
Can becomes could.
For example: "I can swim" - She said she could swim.
May becomes might.
For example: "It may become colder over night" - He said it might become colder over night.
Direct speech using would, could, might and should all stay the same in reported speech.
"You should speak more" - He said I should speak more.
Reporting questions
When you report questions, the word order changes to look like a normal statement.
For example: "Can you help me?" - She asked me if I could help her.
"What's the time?" - He asked her what the time was.
Other changes
Time expressions also change in reported speech.
today - that day
tomorrow - the day after / the next day
yesterday - the day before / the previous day
now - then
next week - the week after
last week - the week before / the previous week
Other expressions that change:
here - there
this - that
9 comments on “Reported Speech”
I want to support some other changes in this part:
- Tonight - that night
- These - Those
- Ago - Before or earlier.
- Tomorrow - the day after / the next day / the following day.
- Next week / month / year -> the next week / month / year or the following week / month / year.
- Last week / month / year -> the week / month / year. before or the previous week / month / year.
I do not know how to change "Come in!" into indirect speech.
He asked her to come in.
He invited her in.
"What did you see in the distance?" she asked me.
How it is indirect speech ?
Thanks a lot: Éva
She asked me what I could see in the distance.
She asked me what I saw in the distance.
Mother: " i'm going to the mall to buy you new shoes."
( a minute later …)
My sister: where's mom.
what should i answer to my sister?
Should i say, " she said she was going to the mall to buy me new shoes." ?
Yes, this is correct.
simple present——–simple past
present countinous—past countinous
simple past————past perfect
present perfect——–past perfect
were you working last week?
indirect:
she asked me if I had been working the previous week
is it correct? do I have to put "if"?
Yes, to both questions.
I would like to add that, in instances where the reporting clause verb is present, the reporting statement tense is also in the present tense. Example 1., Kofi says:I am a man. I will report indirectly as, Kofi says that he is a man. 2.,Elom tells me:I go to school often. I will report indirectly as, Elom tells me that she goes to school often.
NB: i could put the direct speeches examples in cotation marks because i cannot find the on my new key board–please bear with me.
she wondered if i could help her
she said that she would marry me
she asked me to lend her some money
for commannds:
the teacher to the boys" try to do it yourselves"
the teacher told the boys to try to do it themeselves
"take the medicine regularly"
the doctor advised me to take the medicine regularly