REPORTED speech

1 We change direct speech into reported speech by putting the main verb further into the past.

Present simple --> Past simple

Present continuous --> Past continuous

Present perfect simple --> Past perfect simple

Past simple --> Past perfect simple

am / is / are going to --> was / were going to

We don’t change the past perfect simple: ‘They had eaten.’  --> She said that they had eaten.

2 Most modals do not change form in reported speech.

However, will, can and must do change.

will --> would 

can  --> could 

must -->  had to

‘I will call her.’  --> He said he would call her.

3 No changes: generally, English speakers do not change the tense if what is said is still true or has not happened yet, and they believe the speaker. 

"I hate doing grammar exercises!" --> She told me that she hates doing grammar exercises. (she told me this a few months ago but I'm sure that it is still true) 

We also change the pronouns and possessive adjectives which refer to ‘who’ the speaker is talking about.

‘We arrived early,’ he said. --> He said that they had arrived early.

We also change time and place expressions.

Time expressions:

now --> then, at that moment

today / tonight --> that day / night

this (week / month) --> that (week / month)

yesterday --> the day before

last (week / month ) --> the (week / month) before

(two days) ago --> (two days) earlier

tomorrow --> the next / following day

next (week) --> the next / following week

Place expressions:

this --> that

these --> those

here --> there

The reporting verbs say and tell have the same meaning, but are used differently:

say (+ that) + reported speech --> They said (that) they had lived in Tirana.

BUT tell + indirect object (+ that) + reported speech. --> They told me (that) they had lived in Tirana.

We use tell + object (+ not) + to + infinitive for reporting orders and instructions, but we don’t use say. --> ‘Don’t drive fast!’  He told me not to drive fast.

1 We use this structure for reported commands:

subject + verb + object + to infinitive

‘Sit down!’  --> He ordered them all to sit down

1.1. For negative commands, use not before to.

‘Don’t forget to send me a text.’  --> She reminded him not to forget to send her a text.

1.2. We can use verbs such as ask, tell, order, remind and warn to give commands in reported speech.

‘Be quiet!’ --> The librarian told us to be quiet.

4 We use suggest or recommend in reported suggestions:

‘Lets go to the beach.’  --> Tom suggested that we go to the beach. / Tom suggested going to the beach.

1 Reported questions have a different word order to direct questions, but we change the tenses in the same way.

Verb + subject (direct question)

‘How old are you?’ she asked.

Subject + verb (reported question)

She asked me how old I was.

2 Question words:

2.1.  If a direct question uses question words such as who, why, when, how or what, we repeat the question word in the reported question.

‘How tall is he?’ --> She asked me how tall he was.

2.2. If a direct question doesn’t use question words, we use if or whether in the reported question.

‘Are you hungry?’ Mum asked us.

Mum asked us if / whether we were hungry.