Most of you are having difficulties with the Reported Speech. Here is a simple explanation I hope it will help you. Have a look and then do...
Most of you are having difficulties with the Reported Speech. Here is a simple explanation I hope it will help you. Have a look and then do the exercises.
Direct speech | Indirect speech | Direct Speech | Indirect speech |
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Present simple | Past simple | go | went |
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Present progressive | Past progressive | am/is/are going | was/were going |
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Past simple | Past perfect | went | had gone |
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Past progressive | Past perfect progressive | was/were going | had been going |
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Present perfect simple | Past perfect | has/have gone | had gone |
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Present perfect progressive | Past perfect progressive | has/have been going | had been going |
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Future | Conditional I | will go | would go |
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Remember that when you form the reported speech you have to pay attention to the pronouns. |
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Examples: | Susan said: "My parents are clever scientists." |
| Susan said (that) her parents were clever scientists. |
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| Tom said: "I like PE best." |
| Tom said (that) he liked PE best. |
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| They said: "We went swimming with our friends." |
| They said (that) they had gone swimming with their friend. |
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| Betty said: "Sam told me the truth." |
| Betty said (that) Sam had told her the truth. |
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| Direct speech | Indirect speech | |
She said | I - my - me | she - her - her | |
He said | I - my - me | he - his - him | |
They said | they - their - them | we - our - us |
You and your: |
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They told her / him / me / them / us: "George loves you." |
They told her / him / me / them / us (that) George loved her / him / me / them / us. |
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They told her / him / me / them / us: "George loves your sister." |
They told her / him / me / them / us (that) George loved her / his / my / their / our sister. |
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They told her / him / me / them / us: "You are clever." |
They told her / him / me / them / us (that) she / he / I / they / we was / were clever.
Expressions of time and place must also be changed.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
Time | now | then |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before |
| tomorrow | the next / following day |
| last week, month,... | the previous week, month,... |
| next week, month,... | the following week, month,... |
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Place | here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
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Examle: She said: "I have already seen Carol today." |
She said (that) she had already seen Carol that day.
Exersice 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3
Exercise 4 Exercise 5 Exercise 6
Exercise 7 Exercise 8 |
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