Easy Word | Luyện ngữ pháp


Luyện ngữ pháp - Destination B1 - (Unit 31: Grammar - Reported speech)


Reported speech

Use Example
To report what someone else said My dad said that he’d written a song.

Form
Direct speech Reported speech
present simple
'I want to build a new house', said Jill		 past simple
Jill said she wanted to build a new house
present continuous
We are making a dress,’ they said.		 past continuous
They said they were making a dress.
present perfect continuous 'I have been drawing all day', said Debbie. past perfect continuous
Debbie said she had been drawing all day.
past simple
'Jim made a card for me yesterday', Amy said.		 past perfect simple
Amy said Jim had made a card for her the day before.
past continuous
'I was writing a poem', said Tina.		 past perfect continuous
Tina said she had been writing a poem.
will
'I will make you a scarf', my grandma said.		 would
My grandma said she would make me a scarf.
am /is/are going to
‘They are going to make a new one,’ said Joe.		 was/were going to
Joe said they were going to make a new one.
can
'I can draw quite well', Emma said.		 could
Emma said she could draw quite well.
must/have to
‘You have to visit the fashion show / she said.		 had to
She said we had to visit the fashion show
may
'I may visit the White House next week', said Polly.		 might
Polly said she might visit the White House the following week

Helpful hints

We often have to change other words apart from the verb form.

pronouns
I ➔ he/she
you ➔ I/me/they/them
we ➔ they
us ➔ them
my ➔ his/her
your ➔ my/their

time and place
here ➔ there
now ➔ then/at that moment
tomorrow ➔ the next day
tonight ➔ that night
next week ➔ the following week
yesterday ➔ the day before
last week ➔ the week before
ago ➔ before

Watch out!

We only make tense changes when the reporting verb (say, etc) is in the past.
✓ Tony says he is going to study architecture.
✓ Tony says he was going to study architecture.

We don't change the past perfect simple and the past perfect continuous.
✓ 'I had seen the picture before.’
➔ He said he had seen the picture before.

We also don’t change would, should, could and might
✓ 'I might take up painting.’
➔ She said she might take up painting.

We can use verbs like apologise, deny, promise, refuse and suggest in reported speech.
✓ Jan apologised for losing the picture.
✓ Charlotte refused to let me see her painting.
✓ He denied breaking the statue.
✓ My dad suggested going to an art gallery.
✓ Terence promised to help me decorate the house.

Exercise - A


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