2015-07-04
547
Change of tense
When we report what someone said, the verb forms often move one tense into the past.
‘I believe that what I am doing is right’, she said, ‘I will continue to fight for justice.’
She said she believed that what she was doing was right, and that she would continue to fight for justice.
Verb forms change in the following way:
| Direct speech (the actual words) | Reported speech (indirect speech) |
| Present Simple (do) | Past Simple (did) |
| Present Continuous (is doing) | Past Continuous (was doing) |
| Present Perfect (has done) | Past Perfect (had done) |
| Past Simple (did) | Past Perfect (had done) |
| Past Continuous (was doing) | Past Perfect Continuous (had been doing) |
| Past Perfect (had done) | no change possible |
| Past Perfect Continuous (had been doing) | no change possible |
Modals are used in direct speech:
- use the past forms of modals: can ® could
will ® would
may ® might
must ® had to
‘I must pay my phone bill’ ® He said he had to pay his phone bill.
- those which do not have a past form do not change: would, could, might and should
‘I might come later’ ® She said she might come later.
Reported questions
- use ask, want to know or wonder to report questions
- after wh-questions, the question word is used as a conjunction
The police asked (him) where he had been.
They wanted to know what time he arrived home.
- with yes/no questions if or whether are used
Ben wondered if/whether you wanted to come round for dinner
| I ® she/he ours ® theirs today ® that day tomorrow ® the next day yesterday ® the previous day | this ® that these ® those here ® there now ® then |
In reported speech it is necessary to change the pronouns, adjectives and adverbs:
|
|
|
