1. Reported Speech
Dragana Filipović

2. Direct Speech Quoting someone’s actual words:
“I knew the answer,” he said.
“Do you take sugar?” she asked.
“Let’s go swimming,” Peter suggested.

3. Common reporting verbs
add admit advise agree
announce answer ask beg brag claim
demand explain insist order persuade
promise remind reply report say
suggest tell think warn whisper

4. Reporting Statements “I can’t help you.”
He admitted that he can’t help us.
“I’m very clever.”
 He thinks he’s very clever.

5. No change of tenses
When we report the statements that were made in the present, we don’t change the tense of the original (direct) speech.
“Intelligent life in the universe does not exist.”
 He says that intelligent life in the universe does not exist.

6. We don’t need to change the tense when we report things which are ‘timeless’, e.g. scientific theories.
Already in ancient times, some philosophers believed that matter consists of atoms.

7. Change of tenses
When we report the statements that were made in the past, we change the tense of the original (direct) speech.
“My mobile phone has been out of action all day.”
 He said that his mobile phone had been out of action all day.

8. Tense Change

9. Present Simple  Past Simple
“I want to buy it.”
He said that he wanted to buy it.
Present Continuous  Past Continuous
I’m writing a letter.”
He said that he was writing a letter.

10. Present Perfect  Past Perfect
“I’ve come to mend your car.”
He said (that) he had come to mend my car.
Present Perfect Continuous  Past Perfect Continuous
“We’ve been living here for years.”
 He said (that) they’d been living there for years. (‘d = had)

11. Past Simple  Past Perfect
“I saw your brother.”
He said (that) he had seen my brother.
He said (that) he saw my brother. (We need not change the tense if the order of events is clear.)
Past Continuous  Past Perfect Continuous
“I was trying to do it.”
 He said (that) he had been trying to do it.

12. will  would can  could “I’ll help you.”
He said (that) he would help me.
can  could
“I can do it.”
 He said (that) he could do it.

13. may  might must  had to (or: must) “I may do it.”
He said (that) he might do it.
must  had to (or: must)
“I must go.”
He said (that) he had to go.
He said (that) he must go.

14. The Past Perfect Simple and Continuous do not change!
“They had arrived an hour early.”
 I said they had arrived an hour early.

15. Changes of Pronoun and Adverb
Alex said, “I’ll meet you here again tomorrow at 3.30.”
 Alex said he would meet us there again the next day at 3.30.

16. here  there
ago  before
before  earlier
last week  the week before
next week  the next week / the week after / the following week
now  then / that day / at that moment
this  that / the
these  those / the

17. this morning  that morning
today  that day
tomorrow  the next day
tonight  that night
yesterday  the day before / the previous day

18. 