REPORTING STATEMENTS

When converting from direct to indirect speech a certain number of changes are necessary:
1- TENSES 3.- OTHER CHANGES:
DIRECT INDIRECT DIRECT INDIRECT
Present Simple Past Simple
Present Continuous Past Continuous today that day/ the same day
Present Perfect Past Perfect
Past Simple Past Perfect yesterday the day before
Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous the day before yesterday two days before
Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Future Simple Conditional tomorrow the following day
the day after tomorrow in two days’ time
2.- PRONOUNS AND POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES:
First and second person pronouns may shift to the third this; these that; those
person; second person pronouns may change to the first here there
person. The same applies to possessive adjectives.
E.g. ago before
DIRECT: He shouted, ‘You are telling lies’ now then
INDIRECT: He shouted at me, saying that I was telling last week/year/month/etc the previous week/ year/
lies. next week/month/year/etc the following
week/month

PRACTICE
Change
Changethe
thefollowing
followingindirect sentences
sentences into
into directspeech:
reported speech:
1.-
1.-She ‘I needexplained that she had telephoned at
help desperately.’
ten o’clock, but nobody had answered.
He said ---------------------------------------------------------------
‘I2.- ‘I’m sorry, I’m afraid I can’t lend you
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2.- He said he would help me if he could, but it
anything.’
was
Shedifficult.
replied -----------------------------------------------------------
‘I3.- ‘I had some money, but it was stolen from
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3.-
myHe apologised for being late. He explained
room.’
he had told
Peter beenme held up in a traffic jam.
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‘I4.- ‘We’ll send you an e-mail next week,’ they
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4.- The tourist
promised me. guide told us that the bridge had
been
Theybuilt the previous year.
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‘The
5.- ‘My bridge car------------------------------------------------------------
has been stolen. I’ll call the police.’
5.-
HeMy husband said he was having lunch in the
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pub.
6.- ‘My father came to England fifty years ago
‘Iand has been living here ever since.’
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6.-
PeterMrstold Brown me said she was delighted that we
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had come to visit her.
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‘I7.- ‘I don’t need your help today. I’ll be busy
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7.- She promised
tomorrow however.’ she wouldn’t go there again.
‘IHe told his secretary
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8.- The producer said that the new programme
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would start in two days’ time.
----------------------------
The
8.- I canprogramme
new remember the early aeroplanes.’
The old man said
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