Direct and Indirect Speech: Conversion Rules
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Understanding the Basics
When converting direct speech to indirect speech (also known as reported speech), several changes typically occur in verb tenses, pronouns, and time expressions. The following tables provide a comprehensive look at these transformations.
Tense Changes
Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
Simple Present Bob said: “I love Mary.” | Simple Past Bob said that he loved Mary. |
Present Continuous Bob said: “I am writing a letter.” | Past Continuous Bob said that he was writing a letter. |
Simple Past Bob said: “I wrote a letter.” | Past Perfect Bob said that he had written a letter. |
Pronoun and Adverb Changes
Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
This (este) Bob said: “This is my car.” | That (aquele) Bob said that that was his car. (The second "that" can |