Reported speech.

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What is reported speech?

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Reported speech is a way of conveying what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. It often involves changing the tense and pronouns.

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How do you change present tense to past tense in reported speech?

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In reported speech, present tense verbs are usually changed to past tense. For example, 'I like apples' becomes 'He said he liked apples.'

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What happens to the pronouns in reported speech?

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Pronouns often change to match the perspective of the speaker. For example, 'I' may change to 'he' or 'she'.

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What is the rule for changing 'say' in reported speech?

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When reporting speech, 'say' can be changed to 'said' to indicate that the statement was made in the past.

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How do you report a question?

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To report a question, use 'ask' instead of 'say' and change the sentence structure. For example, 'Where are you?' becomes 'He asked where I was.'

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What is the structure of a reported statement?

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The structure is usually: Subject + reporting verb + that + reported speech. For example, 'She said that she was tired.'

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How do you report commands or requests?

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Use 'tell' or 'ask' and change the structure. For example, 'Close the door' becomes 'He told me to close the door.'

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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' may change to 'that day' and 'tomorrow' to 'the next day.'

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What is an example of reporting a negative statement?

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For example, 'I don't like ice cream' becomes 'She said she didn't like ice cream.'

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How do you report a statement with a modal verb?

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Modal verbs may change in reported speech. For example, 'I can swim' becomes 'He said he could swim.'