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 changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions.

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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 to the party"' becomes 'She said that she would go to the party.'

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How do you report a question?

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When reporting a question, the structure changes. For example, 'He asks, "Where are you going?"' becomes 'He asked where I was going.'

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What is the rule for reporting commands?

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Commands are reported using 'to' + base form of the verb. For example, 'He says, "Close the door"' becomes 'He told me to close the door.'

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

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

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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, 'now' changes to 'then', 'today' changes to 'that day', and 'tomorrow' changes to 'the next day'.

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How do you report a statement that includes a modal verb?

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

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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, often changing the tense and pronouns.

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How do you report speech when the reporting verb is in the present tense?

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If the reporting verb is in the present tense, the original tense may not change. For example, 'He says, "I am happy"' remains 'He says he is happy.'