- •In reported speech and thoughts
- •Positive form
- •Negative form
- •The Past Perfect Continuous Tense
- •Positive form
- •Reported speech
- •Reporting verbs
- •Indirect speech
- •Reported statements: with tense changes
- •Reported statements: other changes
- •Reported questions: general and alternative questions
- •Reported questions: tag questions
- •Review of reported speech
- •Reported conversations
- •Reading
- •Vocabulary:
- •Speaking
- •Social English Saying Good-bye
- •Dialogues
Reported statements: with tense changes
If the reporting verb is in the Past Tense, the tense in the reported statement is changed.
"I'm writing a letter." => She said she was writing a letter.
"I want to go home." => He said he wanted to go home.
In complex sentences, only the first verb is changed
"I was walking home when I saw the accident."
Sam said he had been walking home when he saw the accident.
Speaker's words |
Reporting verb |
Reported statements |
Present Simple "My name's Pete." "I don't like the idea." "I haven't got any money." |
She said He told (me) |
Past Simple his name was Pete, he didn't like the idea. she didn't have any money. |
Present Continuous "I'm waiting for Kate." |
Past Continuous she was waiting for Kate. |
|
Present Perfect "I haven't done my homework." |
She said He told (me) |
Past Perfect he hadn't done his homework. |
Past Simple "I stayed in a hotel for a few weeks." |
Past Simple or Past Perfect (Past Perfect is often optional) she stayed/had stayed in a hotel for a few weeks. |
|
Past Continuous "They were seeing Pam off on her plane." |
Past Perfect Continuous they had been seeing Pam off on her plane. |
|
Past Perfect "I had eaten earlier." |
Past Perfect she had eaten earlier. |
|
Will/Shall "I will phone the office from the airport." "I shall speak to him." "We'll have driven two hundred kilometres by that time." "John and Tom will probably be staying at an expensive hotel somewhere." |
Would he would phone the office from the airport. she would speak to him. we would have driven two hundred kilometres by that time. John and Tom would probably be staying at an expensive hotel somewhere. |
Can "I can speak English." |
She said He told (me) |
Could she could speak English. |
Must "I must find it out." "I must work till late." |
must or had to (=necessity in the past) she must/had to find it out. must or would have to (=necessity in the future) he must/would have to work till late. |
|
Mustn't "Lilly mustn't give up." |
mustn't or couldn't Lilly mustn't/ couldn't give up. |
Exercise 19. Write these sentences in indirect speech.
Example: "The car isn't at my house," he said. → He said that the car wasn't at his house.
1. "I can't speak any French," he said.
2. "I'm trying to do my homework," she said.
3. "I haven't been waiting long," she said.
4. "I'll have done it by then," he said.
5. "I'll be working all day," he said.
6. "I must go home to make the dinner," she said.
7. "I see Liz quite often," he said.
8. "I've been with the company for most of my life," she said.