Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech),doesn’t use quotation marks to enclpse what the person said and it doesn’t have to be word for word.

For example :” I’m going to the cinema”,he said – he said he was going to the cinema.

Tense Change

When reporting speech the tense usually changes. Because when we use reported speech,we are usually talking about a time in the past. Note : the reporting verbs that are usually used to report imperative sentence are : Tell , other command , ask,warn remind

Simple present - Past tenses

Vita said” I eat fried rice” vita said that she ate fried rice

Simple past - Past perfect

Mother said” I went to market yesterday” - mother said (that) she had gone to market the day before.

Simple future - Past future

Dave said” I will buy an i-pod nexk week’ - Dave said (that) he would buy an i-pod the week after.

Present continuous - Past continuous

Gama said” I’m playing football” - Gama said he was playing football

Past continuous - Past perfect continuous

She said” I was teaching earlier” - she said she had been teaching earlier

-when report what someone said,don’t usually repeat their exact weords,use our words, we can use reporting words such as tell say as follow by”that clause”

example : my mother said that she got up at 4 o’clock.

In time expression and pronouns

Direct speech-----

-now

-today/tonight

-Yesterday

-tomorrow

-last week

-next week

-ago

-this/these

-here

-pronouns

Indirect speech-----

-then

-that day/that night

-the day before/the previous day

-the next/following day

-the previous week

-the following week/the week after

-before

-that/those

-there

Modal verb froms also sometimes change :

Direct speech-----

Will

Can

Must

Shall

May

Indirect speech-----

would

could

had

should

might

Note – there is no change to;could,would,should,might and ought too.

Direct speech

“I might go to the cinema”, he said

Indirect speech

He said he might go to cinema.