Reported Speech

Reported Speech is about reporting what another person has

said. For example : 

Direct speech                                                   Reported speech

He says:"i like red color"                 He says that he likes red color.

-in reported speech, things change according to the situation so

following the rule will led to correct transformation.

Direct speech                                                        Reported speech

-Present simple                                        -Past simple

I am a student.                                         He said he was a student.

-Present continuous                                 -Past continuous

I am having dinner with my family.     He said he was having

                                                                       dinner with his family.

-Present perfect simple                        -Past perfect simple

I have been to America two times.      He said he had been to

                                                                     America two times.

-Present perfect continuous            -Past perfect continuous

I have been playing hard.                  He said he had been                                                                                                 playing  hard.

-Past simple                                          -Past perfect

I bought a new house.                          He said he had bought a

                                                                      new house.

-Past continuous                                -Past perfect continuous

It was raining yesterday.                      He said it had been 

                                                                     raining the previous day.

-Past perfect                                                  -Past perfect

The film had started when i arrived.       No change

-Past perfect continuous                  -Past perfect continuous

I had already been living i France for four years .            No      

                                                                                                   change

-Yes or No questions:

Direct speech :                                  

The teacher asked us :"do you like this lesson".

Reported speech:

The teacher asked us if we liked that lesson.

-"Wh" questions :

Direct speech:

Sali asked me :"where is your red dress".

Reported speech:

Sali asked me where my red dress was.

-Other verbs and time references also change as:

Will                                                               Would

I will come and meet you soon.          He said he would come and

                                                                         meet me soon.

Can                                                                 Could 

I can swim .                                                 He said he could swim.

Must                                                               Had to

All tickets must be bought in advance.              He said that all the

                                                  tickets Had to be bought in advance.

Shall                                                               Should

What shall we do about the film?        He asked what we

                                                                    should do about the film.  

May                                                             Might 

May i smoke?                                         He asked if he might smoke.  


Now                                      Then
Today                                   That day
Here                                      There
This                                       That
This week                             That week
Tomorrow               The following day , the next day, the day after. Yesterday                           The previous day , the day before.
Last week                            The previous week , the week before.
Two weeks ago                    Two weeks before.
Tonight                                  That night.

-Personal pronouns change:

Subject pronouns                         Object pronouns
I                                                         Me

You                                                   You

He                                                    Him

She                                                  Her

It                                                      It

We                                                 Us

They                                              Them

Possessive pronouns                       Reflexive pronouns

My                                                       Myself

Your                                                    Yourself/yourselves

His                                                      Himself

Her                                                     Herself

Its                                                       Itself

Our                                                    Ourselves

Their                                                  Themselves