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1) Present Simple - Past Simple: Reported Speech

The document discusses the rules for changing verbs when reporting someone's direct speech indirectly. It states that in reported speech, the tense of the verb is usually moved back one step in the past. It provides examples of changing the present simple to past simple, present continuous to past continuous, and other verb tense changes. It also notes exceptions where the tense does not change, such as for the past simple and past perfect, as well as modal verbs and situations that have not changed.

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Cavalera Max
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54 views2 pages

1) Present Simple - Past Simple: Reported Speech

The document discusses the rules for changing verbs when reporting someone's direct speech indirectly. It states that in reported speech, the tense of the verb is usually moved back one step in the past. It provides examples of changing the present simple to past simple, present continuous to past continuous, and other verb tense changes. It also notes exceptions where the tense does not change, such as for the past simple and past perfect, as well as modal verbs and situations that have not changed.

Uploaded by

Cavalera Max
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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REPORTED SPEECH

Form
In reported speech, we usually move the direct speech verb one step back in the
past.

1) Present simple -> past simple

"I know you." -> She said she knew him.

2) Present continuous -> past continuous

"I am having coffee" -> He said he was having coffee.

3) Present perfect -> past perfect

"I have finished my homework" -> He said he had finished his homework.

4) Present perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous

"I have been studying Chinese" -> She said she had been studying Chinese.

5) Is going to - > was going to

"I am going to go home" -> She said she was going to go home.

6) Future simple - > would

"I will go to the bank later" -> He said he would go to the bank later.

Notes

1) A reported statement in the past simple often stays the same:

"I drove to work" -> She said she drove to work.

2) And you can't go further back in time than the past perfect, so it stays the same
too:

"I had driven to work" -> She said she had driven to work.

3) Modal verbs: some change in reported speech:

I can/can't speak Turkish -> She said she could/couldn't speak Turkish.

I must/mustn't wash my hair -> She said she had to/didn't have to wash her
hair.
4) Some modal verbs don't change:

I could take the bus -> He said he could take the bus.

I should go to bed -> She said she should go to bed.

I might watch TV -> He said he might watch TV.

5) We dont change the verb in reported speech if the situation hasnt changed, for
example if its a fact or is generally true:

"I love you" -> She told me she loves me.

6) But we can use the past tense to show you're not certain the other person loves
her/him for example, the other person wasnt telling the truth

"I love you" -> She said she loved me.

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