Reported Speech
Reporting what people said and shifting tenses.
Tense shift
After said / told the tense usually moves “one step back”.
“I'm tired.” → She said she was tired.am → was
“I will come.” → He said he would come.will → would
“I saw it.” → She said she had seen it.past → past perfect
say or tell, and other changes
tell + person (told me), say without a person (said that). Time and place words change too.
He told me (that) he was busy.
today → that day, tomorrow → the next day
“Where do you live?” → She asked where I lived.no question word order
Tip: No question word order in reported questions: “She asked where did I live” ✗ → “She asked where I lived” ✓.
Sample quiz questions
- “I am hungry.” → He said he ___ hungry.
- “I will call you.” → She said she ___ me.
- He ___ me that he was leaving.
- The sentence “She asked me where did I work.” is grammatically correct.
Take the interactive quiz for this lesson (6 questions)
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