Reported Speech

Day 1: Statements (2)

If you want to report a statement, you need to learn the change of tenses with more details. You also need to learn other necessary changes, e.g. time phrases.

1. Tenses 時態

When the reporting verb is in the present tense, the tense in the reported speech does not change. 如果轉述詞是現在時，那麼轉述句中的時態不變。

When the reporting verb is in the past, the tense in reported speech changes like this: 如果轉述詞是過去時， 那麼轉述句中的時態也相應作出變化：

1. Simple Present becomes Simple Past. 一般現在時變成一般過去時。

2. Present Continuous becomes Past continuous. 現在進行時變成過去進行時。

3.Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect. 現在完成時變成過去完成時。

4.Simple Past becomes Past Perfect/remains unchanged. 一般過去時變成過去完成時或者保持不變。

5.Past Perfect remains the same. 過去完成時保持不變。

6.“Will” becomes “would”. “Shall” becomes “should”.

7.“May” becomes “might”. “Can” becomes “could”.

8.“Must” becomes “had to”.

Examples:-

Simple Present

Direct. She said, “I am happy.”

Report. She said that she was happy.

Present Continuous

Direct. John said, “I am going to school.”

Report. John said that he was going to school.

Present Perfect

Direct. Mother said, “I have written a letter.”

Report. Mother said that she had written a letter.

Simple Past

Direct. He said, “I ate the cake.”

Report. He said that he had eaten the cake.

Can

Direct. She said, “I can sing.”

Report. She said that she could sing.

Notes: Simple present tense is still used in reported speech for universal truth.

如果轉述的內容是真理或者不變的事實，則永遠用現在時。

Direct Speech: May said, ‘The earth moves around the sun.’

Reported Speech: May said that the earth moves around the sun.

2. Other Necessary Changes

Other necessary changes are as follows:

“This” becomes “that”.

“Now” becomes “then” or “at once”

“These” becomes “those”.

“Here” becomes “there”.

“Ago” becomes “before”.

“Thus” becomes “so”.

“Today” becomes “that day”.

“Tonight” becomes “that night”

“Tomorrow” becomes “the next day” or “the following day”.

“The day after tomorrow” becomes “in two days’ time”.

“Yesterday” becomes “the previous day” or “the day before”.

“Last night” becomes “the night before” or “the previous night”.

e.g. Direct. He said, “I shall go there to-morrow morning.”

Reported. He said that he would go there the next morning.

Direct. She said, “I must go now”.

Reported. She said that she had to go at once.

Direct. He said, “I saw him yesterday.”

Reported. He said that he had seen him the day before.

Direct. Mary said, “This is mine.”

Reported. Mary said that that was hers.