Indirect Speech Grammar Reference
Reported Speech: Statements and Tense Changes
When converting direct speech into reported speech, several changes occur in the sentence structure, specifically regarding tenses, pronouns, and time expressions.
Examples of Statements
- She said: "You have stolen my money." → She said (that) he had stolen her money.
- Anny said: "I am hungry." → Anny said (that) she was hungry.
Changes in Verbal Tenses
- Present Simple ("I go home") → Past Simple (She said she went home).
- Present Continuous ("I am going home") → Past Continuous (She said she was going home).
- Past Simple ("I went home") → Past Perfect or Past Simple (She said she had gone home or went home).
- Past Continuous ("I was going home") → Past Perfect Continuous or Past Continuous (She said she had been going home or was going home).
- Present Perfect ("I have gone home") → Past Perfect (She said she had gone home).
- Present Perfect Continuous ("I have been going home") → Past Perfect Continuous (She said she had been going home).
- Shall/Will ("I will go home") → Would (She said she would go home).
- Can/May ("I can swim") → Could/Might (She said she could swim).
Special Cases and Exceptions
a) General Truths: He said, "Honesty is the best policy." → He said that honesty is/was the best policy.
b) Advice: For should, ought to, had better, or must, use the pattern: advised + object + to-infinitive.
Example: "You should read this book," she said. → She advised me to read that book.
Pronouns, Possessives, and Deictics
Pronouns and Possessives: He said, "I've forgotten the combinations of my safe." → He said that he had forgotten the combinations of his safe.
Deictics (Time and Place Expressions)
- This → That
- Tonight → That night
- Next month → The following month
- Last year → The previous year
- Here → There
- Yesterday → The day before
- Tomorrow → The following day
- Today → That day
Reporting Questions
Yes/No Questions
She asked, "Are you cold?" → She asked (me) if/whether I was cold.
Wh- Questions
He asked, "What are you doing here?" → He asked (him) what he was doing there.
Orders, Commands, Advice, and Warnings
For reporting verbs such as ask, tell, advise, invite, warn, expect, remind, force, persuade, order, teach, recommend, encourage, allow, or permit, use the pattern: Verb + object (me/him/her...) + (not) to-infinitive.
- "Get out of my room," she said. → She told me to get out of her room.
- "Don't touch my camera," he said. → He told her not to touch his camera.
For verbs like promise, offer, or threaten, use: Verb + to-infinitive.
Example: He said: "I'll go, don't worry." → He promised to come.
For verbs like admit, deny, or suggest, use: Verb + -ing.
Example: She said: "Why don't we go to the cinema?" → She suggested going to the cinema.