a year etc.

ago a year before/the previous year

“I saw her the day before yesterday”, he said. 🡺 He said he’d seen her two days
before.
“I’ll do it tomorrow”, he promised. 🡺 He promised that he would do it the next day.
She said, “My father died a year ago”. 🡺 She said that her father had died a year
before/the previous year.
B. But if the speech is made and reported on the same day these time changes are not necessary: At
breakfast this morning he said, “I’ll be very busy today”. 🡺 At breakfast this morning he said that he
would be very busy today.
C. here can become there but only when it is clear what place is meant:
At the station he said, “I’ll be here again tomorrow”. 🡺 He said that he’d be there
again the next day.
Usually here has to be replaced by some phrase:
She said, “You can sit here, Tom”. 🡺 She told Tom that he could sit beside her.

STATEMENTS IN INDIRECT SPEECH: TENSE CHANGES NECESSARY

A. Indirect speech can be introduced by a verb in a present tense: He says that ... This is usual when we
are:
a. reporting a conversation that is still going on
b. reading a letter and reporting what it says
c. reading instructions and reporting them
d. reporting a statement that someone makes very often, e.g. Tom says that he’ll never get
married.
When the introductory verb is in a present, present perfect or future tense we can report the direct
speech without any change of tense:
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PAUL (phoning from the station): I’m trying to get a taxi.
ANN (to Mary, who is standing beside her): Paul says he is trying to get a taxi.
B. But indirect speech is usually introduced by a verb in the past tense. Verbs in the direct speech have
then to be changed into a corresponding past tense. The changes are shown in the following table.

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

1.Simple Present 1Simple Past
“I never eat meat”, he explained. = He explained (that) he never ate meat.
2.Present Continuous 2.Past Continuous
“I’m waiting for Ann”, he said. = He said (that) he was waiting for Ann.
3.Present Perfect 3.Past Perfect
“I have found a flat”, he said. = He said (that) he had found a flat.
4.Present Perfect Continuous 4.Past Perfect Continuous
He said, “I’ve been waiting for ages”. = He said (that) he had been waiting for ages.
5.Simple Past 5.Past Perfect
“I took it home with me”, she said. = She said (that) he had taken it home with her.
6.Future 6.Conditional
He said, “I will/shall be in Paris on Monday”.7 = He said (that) he would be in Paris on Monday.7.
Future Continuous Conditional Continuous
“I will/shall be using the car myself on the 24h”, she = She said (that) she’d been using the car herself on
said. the 24th.
8.Conditional 8.Conditional
I said, “I would like to see it”. = I said (that) I would like to see it.
 Reported Speech
ENGLISH GRAMMAR

All those changes represent the distancing effect of the reported speech. Common sense, together
with the time aspect from the speaker’s point of view, are more important than the rules when
making the usual changes.

QUESTIONS IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct question: He said, “Where is she going?”
Indirect question: He asked where she was going.
A. When we turn direct questions into indirect speech, the following changes are necessary: a. tenses,
pronouns and possessive adjectives, and adverbs of time and place change as in statements.
b. the interrogative form of the verb changes to the affirmative form.
c. the question mark is omitted in indirect questions.
B. If the introductory verb is say, it must be changed to a verb of inquiry, e.g. ask, wonder, want to
know etc.
He said, “Where is the station?” 🡺 He asked where the station was.
C. ask can be followed by the person addressed (indirect object):
He asked, “What have you got in your bag?” 🡺 He asked (me) what I had got in my
bag.
But wonder and want to know cannot take an indirect object, so if we wish to report a question
where the person addressed is mentioned, we must use ask.
He said, ”Mary, when is the next train?” 🡺 He asked Mary when the next train was.
D. If the direct question begins with a question word (when, where, who, how, why etc.) the question
word is repeated in the indirect question:
He said, “Why didn’t you put on the brake?” 🡺 He asked (her) why she hadn’t put on
the brake.
She said, “What do you want?” 🡺 She asked (them) what they wanted.
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E. If there is no question word, if or whether must be used:
“Is anyone there?” he asked 🡺 He asked if/whether anyone was there.

COMMANDS, REQUESTS, ADVICE IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct command: He said, “Lie down, Tom”.
Indirect command: He told Tom to lie down.
Indirect commands, requests, advice are usually expressed by a verb of command/request/advice + object
+ infinitive.
A. The following verbs can be used: advise, ask, beg, command, order, remind, tell, warn etc.
He said, “Get your coat, Tom!” 🡺 He told Tom to get his coat.
B. Negative commands, requests etc. are usually reported by not + infinitive:
“Don’t swim out too far, boys”, I said 🡺 I warned/told the boys not to swim out too far.

EXCLAMATIONS IN INDIRECT SPEECH

Exclamations usually become statements in indirect speech. The exclamation mark
disappears. a. Exclamations beginning What (a) ... or How ... can be reported by:
- exclaim/say that:
He said, “What a dreadful idea!” or “How dreadful!” 🡺 He exclaimed that it
was a dreadful idea/was dreadful.
- give an exclamation of delight/disgust/horror/relief/surprise etc.
- if the exclamation is followed by an action we can use the construction with an