REPORTED SPEECH

Reported speech is when you tell somebody else what you or a person said before.
We can report in two ways:
1.- Direct speech: Is the persons exact words and put them in question marks (
)
2.- Reported Speech or Indirect Speech: Another speaker repeats the exact
meaning of what is said, but not the same words. We have to make some changes,
especially in tenses.
The verbs that we are going to use are SAY, TELL. The meaning is the same, but
the grammar is different.
Tell is always followed by an object (me, her, his friend, etc).(Its more personal)
Say is followed by that + clause(Its general).

DIRECT SPEECH VS REPORTED SPEECH:

REPORTING STATEMENT or INDIRECT SPEECH
When we report something, we need to make changes to:
pronouns
time
place and time expression
1- Pronouns
In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says
what.
Example:
She said, My dad likes roast chicken. She said that her dad liked roast chicken.
Mary said, I am visiting my grandma today.
- Mary said (that) she was visiting
her grandma that day

2.- TIME WORDS

If we report something around the same time, then we probably do not need to
make any changes to time words. But if we report something at a different time,
we need to change time words. Look at these example sentences:

He said: "It was hot yesterday." He said that it had been hot the day
before.

He said: "We are going to swim tomorrow." He said they were going to
swim the next day.

Here is a list of common time words, showing how you change them for reported
speech or indirect speech.:
direct speech
now
today
tonight
tomorrow
yesterday
last night
this week
last month
next year
two minutes ago
in one hour

reported speech
then, at that time
that day, on Sunday, yesterday
that night, last night, on Sunday night
the next day/ the following day, on Sunday, today
the day before/ the previous day, on Sunday
the night before/ the previous night, on Sunday night
that week, last week
the month before/ the previous month, in May
the following year, in 2014
two minutes before
one hour later

3.- PLACE WORDS

If we are in the same place when we report something, then we do not need to
make any changes to place words. But if we are in a different place when we
report something, then we need to change the place words. Look at these
examples:

He said: "It is cold in here." He said that it was cold in there.

He said: "How much is this book?" He asked how much the book was.

direct speech
indirect speech
here
there, in Starbucks
this
that
this book
the book, that book, War and Peace
in this room
in the room, in that room, in the kitchen
Examples of the main changes in tense:
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
Simple Present
Simple Past
He said: "I am happy"
He said that he was happy
Present Progressive
Past Progressive
He said: "I'm looking for my keys"
He said that he was looking for his keys
Simple Past
Past Perfect Simple
He said: "I visited New York last year"
He said that he had visited New York the previous year.
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
He said: " I've lived here for a long time
He said that he had lived there for a long time
"
Past Perfect
Past Perfect
He said: "They had finished the work
He said that they had finished the work when he had
when I arrived"
arrived"
Past Progressive
Past Perfect Progressive
He said: "I was playing football when
He said that he had been playing football when the

the accident occurred"

Present Perfect Progressive
He said:"I have been playing football
for two hours."
Past Perfect Progressive
He said: "I had been reading a
newspaper when the light went of"
Future Simple (will+verb)
He said: "I will open the door."
Conditional (would+verb)
He said: "I would buy Mercedes if I
were rich"

accident had occurred

Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football for two hours
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been reading a newspaper when the
light had gone of
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would open the door.
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would buy Mercedes if he had been rich"