Direct speech vs Reported speech:
Direct speech Reported speech She says, "I like fish." She says that she likes fish. She said, "I'm visiting Paris next weekend" She said that she was visiting Paris the following weekend.
Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
---|---|
Simple Present
He said: "I am happy" |
Simple Past
He said that he was happy |
Present Progressive
He said: "I'm looking for my keys" |
Past Progressive
He said that he was looking for his keys |
Simple Past
He said: "I visited New York last year" |
Past Perfect Simple
He said that he had visited New York the previous year. |
Present Perfect
He said: " I've lived here for a long time " |
Past Perfect
He said that he had lived there for a long time |
Past Perfect
He said: "They had finished the work when I arrived" |
Past Perfect
He said that they had finished the work when he had arrived" |
Past Progressive
He said: "I was playing football when the accident occurred" |
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football when the accident had occurred |
Present Perfect Progressive
He said:"I have been playing football for two hours." |
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been playing football for two hours |
Past Perfect Progressive
He said: "I had been reading a newspaper when the light went off" |
Past Perfect Progressive
He said that he had been reading a newspaper when the light had gone off |
Future Simple (will+verb)
He said: "I will open the door." |
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would open the door. |
Conditional (would+verb)
He said: "I would buy Mercedes if I were rich" |
Conditional (would+verb)
He said that he would buy Mercedes if he had been rich" |
Modal | Direct speech | Reported speech |
---|---|---|
can | "I can do it." | He said he could do it. |
may | "May I go out?" | He wanted to know if he might go out. |
must | "She must apply for the job." | He said that she must/had to apply for the job. |
will | "They will call you." | He told her that they would call her. |
Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
---|---|
Time Expressions | |
today | that day |
now | then |
yesterday | the day before |
… days ago | … days before |
last week | the week before |
next year | the following year |
tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
Place | |
here | there |
Demonstratives | |
this | that |
these | those |
Types of questions | Direct speech | Reported speech |
---|---|---|
With question word (what, why, where, how...) | "Why" don’t you speak English?” | He asked me why I didn’t speak English. |
Without question word (yes or no questions) | “Do you speak English?” | He asked me whether / if I spoke English. |
Direct speech | Reported speech |
---|---|
“Nancy,do the exercise.“ | He told Nancy to do the exercise. |
"Nancy, give me your pen, please." | He asked Nancy to give him her pen. |
Direct speech | Indirect speech |
---|---|
"Where does Peter live?" | She asked him where Peter lived. |
"Where are you going?" | She asked where I was going. |
"Why is she crying?" | He asked why she was crying. |
Direct speech | Indirect speech |
---|---|
"Do you speak English?" | He asked me if I spoke English. |
"Are you British or American?" | He asked me whether I was British or American. |
"Is it raining?" | She asked if it was raining. |
"Have you got a computer?" | He wanted to know whether I had a computer. |
"Can you type?" | She asked if I could type. |
"Did you come by train?" | He enquired whether I had come by train. |
"Have you been to Bristol before?" | She asked if I had been to Bristol before. |
Direct speech | Indirect speech |
---|---|
"What is your name?" he asked me. | He asked me what my name was. |
"How old is your mother?", he asked. | He asked how old her mother was. |
The policman said to the boy, "Where do you live?" | The policeman asked the boy where he lived. |
"What time does the train arrive?" she asked. | She asked what time the train arrived. |
"When can we have dinner?" she asked. | She asked when they could have dinner. |
Peter said to John, "Why are you so late?" | Peter asked John why he was so late. |