Reported Speech
Reported speech (indirect speech) is used to report what someone said without quoting their exact words.
Tense Changes
When the reporting verb is in the past, tenses shift back:
- Present simple > Past simple: 'I like coffee' > She said she liked coffee.
- Present continuous > Past continuous: 'I am reading' > He said he was reading.
- Past simple > Past perfect: 'I saw him' > She said she had seen him.
- Will > Would: 'I will come' > He said he would come.
Questions in Reported Speech
Word order changes to statement order:
"Are you ready?" > She asked if I was ready. "Where do you live?" > He asked where I lived.
Time and Place Changes
now > then, today > that day, here > there, tomorrow > the next day, yesterday > the day before.