REPORTED SPEECH

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What is reported speech?

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Reported speech (or 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 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 am' becomes 'he said that he was'.

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

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The word 'now' changes to 'then' in reported speech.

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How do you report a statement that uses 'will'?

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When reporting a statement that uses 'will', it changes to 'would'. For example, 'I will go' becomes 'he said that he would go'.

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What happens to 'today' in reported speech?

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The word 'today' changes to 'that day' in reported speech.

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How do you report a statement that uses 'have'?

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When reporting a statement that uses 'have', it changes to 'had'. For example, 'I have' becomes 'he said that he had'.

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What is the past perfect tense in reported speech?

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The past perfect tense is used to report something that happened before another past event. For example, 'I had eaten' remains 'he said that he had eaten'.

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How do you report a question?

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To report a question, you change the structure and often use 'if' or 'whether'. For example, 'Are you coming?' becomes 'He asked if I was coming.'

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What is the rule for reporting commands?

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When reporting commands, use 'to' + verb. For example, 'Close the door' becomes 'He told me to close the door.'

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How do you report a statement that uses 'can'?

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When reporting a statement that uses 'can', it changes to 'could'. For example, 'I can swim' becomes 'he said that he could swim'.