Reported Speech

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What is reported speech?

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Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of conveying what someone else has said without quoting their exact words.

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How do you change the present simple tense in reported speech?

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The present simple tense changes to the past simple tense in reported speech. For example, 'He says, "I eat apples"' becomes 'He said that he ate apples.'

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What happens to the future simple tense in reported speech?

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The future simple tense changes to 'would' in reported speech. For example, 'She says, "I will go"' becomes 'She said that she would go.'

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How do you report a command or request?

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To report a command or request, use 'to' + base form of the verb. For example, 'He said, "Close the door"' becomes 'He told me to close the door.'

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What is the rule for reporting questions?

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When reporting questions, the structure changes from a question format to a statement format, and the verb 'ask' is often used. For example, 'He asked, "Are you coming?"' becomes 'He asked if I was coming.'

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How do you report a statement in the present continuous tense?

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The present continuous tense changes to the past continuous tense in reported speech. For example, 'She says, "I am studying"' becomes 'She said that she was studying.'

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What is the significance of time expressions in reported speech?

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Time expressions often change in reported speech. For example, 'today' changes to 'that day', 'tomorrow' changes to 'the following day', and 'yesterday' changes to 'the previous day'.

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How do you report a statement in the past simple tense?

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The past simple tense changes to the past perfect tense in reported speech. For example, 'He said, "I saw the movie"' becomes 'He said that he had seen the movie.'

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What is the difference between direct and reported speech?

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Direct speech quotes the exact words spoken, while reported speech paraphrases what was said without quoting the exact words.

Front

How do you report a statement in the past continuous tense?

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The past continuous tense changes to the past perfect continuous tense in reported speech. For example, 'She said, "I was reading"' becomes 'She said that she had been reading.'