DIRECT vs INDIRECT SPEECH

"It is too late to apologize," I said.

• I said it was too late to apologize.

• I said it has been too late to apologize.

• I said it is too late to apologize.

"I have replied to them," claimed Peter.

• Peter claimed that he has replied to them.

• Peter claimed that he had replied to them.

• Peter claimed that he replies to them.

"I met you yesterday," he told me.

• He told me he meets me the previous day.

• He told me he has met me the previous day.

• He told me he me had met me the previous day.

"I may lend you some money," promised Bill.

• Bill promised he might lend me some money.

• Bill promised he may lend me some money.

• Bill promised he lends me some money.

"I am calling my mum because of the boat trip," she said.

• She said she calls her Mum because of the boat trip.

• She said she has called her Mum because of the boat trip.

• She said she was calling her Mum because of the boat trip.

Peter admitted that he had never met us.

• "I have never met you" admitted Peter.

• "I had never met you" admitted Peter.

• "I have never meet you" admitted Peter.

Bob said that at one o'clock he had been doing nothing.

• "At one o'clock I am doing nothing," said Bob.R.

• "At one o'clock I was doing nothing," said Bob.R.

• "At one o'clock I were doing nothing," said Bob.R.

He claimed that someone had screamed in the garden.

• "Someone screamed in the garden," he claimed.

• "Someone screams in the garden," he claimed.

• "Someone is screaming in the garden," he claimed.

We called them that we were walking in the Central Park.

• "We have been walking in the Central Park," we called them.

• "We are walking in the Central Park," we called them.

• "We had been walking in the Central Park," we called them.

They explained that they had closed down the previous year.

• "We close down last year," they explained.

• "We were closing down last year," they explained.

• "We closed down last year," they explained.