Verb Changes
Present Simple Past Simple
Present Continuous Past Continuous
Past Simple Past Perfect
Present Perfect Past Perfect
Future (will / shall) Conditional (would)
Note: past continuous and past perfect don’t change in reported speech!
Modal Verbs
Can Could
Will Would
May Might
Must / have to Had to
Note: Could, might, ought to, should and would don’t change in reported
speech!
Expressions of Place and Time
This / these That / those
Here There
Now Then
Today / tonight That day / “that night
Yesterday the day before / the previous
Tomorrow day
Ago the next day / the following
day
before
Note: The verb tenses and expressions can remain the same if a sentences
expresses something which is still true or hasn’t happened yet.
1.“The Earth moves round the Sun.”
The teacher explained ( that) the Earth moves round the Sun. (general
truth)
2. “Bob is leaving tomorrow.”
She said (that) Bob is leaving tomorrow. (He hasn’t left yet! )
1- Reporting Statements
We use a reporting verb (say, tell, add, inform, exclaim…) followed by
a “that” clause. In spoken English “that” can be omitted.
Personal pronouns and possessive adjectives change according to the
context:
* “I’ll lend you my car.”
He told me (that) he would lend me his car.
1
Carol said ….
Richard told me ….
c) “We want to buy these books but we haven’t brought enough money!”
They exclaimed ….
Mike said …
e) “Our friends went to the party yesterday but they didn’t like it very much.
She told ….
He confirmed ….
i) “I’m eighteen years old. I was previously employed in a large shop in this town
and I was considered to be very capable.
Peter asked me ……
2
b) “Did you see that documentary on tv last night?”
He wanted to know …
I asked him ….
They inquired ….
Imperative to - infinitive
Reporting verbs: order, tell, ask, warn, advise, promise,
suggest …
The person addressed must be included after the
introductory verb
They suggested …
3
The doctor advised him …
I accused him of …