Talking about what someone else has already said, also known as reported speech, involves a few special grammar rules in English. How you form reported speech will largely depend on what was said and when it was said.
The question should be “Was there a green pen on your desk yesterday?” When reporting the simple past, you SHOULD go to the past perfect. However, many native ...
No Change in Verb Tenses in Reported Speech · The introductory verb is in the Present, Present Perfect or Future. · If the reported sentence deals with a fact or ...
Reported speech: She says she likes ice cream. We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the ‘person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. On the other hand, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:
As you can see, the rules governing how to report speech can vary based on the tense of the original statement. Generally, you can’t go wrong if you follow these guidelines (from the original statement to reported speech): Simple Present -> Simple Past. Present Continuous -> Past Continuous.
Reported Speech ; shall, I shall come later, She said (that) she would come later. ; should*, I should call my mother, She said (that) she should call her mother.
Reported Speech. Click here for a list of reported speech exercises. Click here to download this explanation in PDF. Reported Statements. When do we use reported speech? Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first person said. Watch my reported speech ...
Direct Speech Reported Speech; present simple: I like ice cream: She said (that) she liked ice cream. present continuous: I am living in London: She said (that) she was living in London. past simple: I bought a car: She said (that) she had bought a car OR She said (that) she bought a car. past continuous: I was walking along the street
Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said. direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said. indirect speech: She said ...
Reported Speech Rules. Verb Tense Changes in Reported Speech. Modal Verbs and Reported Speech. Direct and Indirect Speech. Changes in Time and Place in Reported Speech. No Change in Verb Tenses in Reported Speech. Reporting Verbs in Indirect Speech. Changes of Pronouns in Reported Speech. Reported Questions in English.
Reported Speech Reported Statements When do we use reported speech? Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first person said. Here's how it works: We use a reporting verb like 'say' or 'tell'. If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy.