1. When someone reports what he or another person said before, he can use both:
He uses the same words than those
pronounced in the moment of speaking:
Direct
Speech He asked: “Where are you going?”
The teacher told me: “Open the window!”
He uses a reporting verb and makes the
necessary changes on the sentence:
Indirect
Speech
He asked where he was going.
The teacher told me to open the window.

2. Reporting verbs are verbs like:
say tell ask wonder add explain
want to know refuse deny shout cry
When we report a sentence, we need to make the necessary
changes in:
a) Verb tenses.
b) Pronouns.
c) Time expressions.

3. a) Changes in verb tenses.
As the verb in the reporting sentence is usually in the past tense, we need to
change the verb of the sentence it was previously said following these rules:
Simple present Simple past
He said that
Tom is at home. Tom was at home.
Present continuous Past continuous
He said that
We are dancing. they were dancing.

4. Simple past Past perfect
He said that
She drove home. she had driven home.
Past continuous Past perfect continuous
He said that
You were sleeping. he had been sleeping.
Present perfect Past perfect
He said that
He has just arrived home. he had just arrived home.
Past perfect Past perfect
He said that
She had had lunch at two. she had had lunch at two.

5. Simple Future Conditional
He said that
I will live in Paris. he would live home.
Conditional Conditional
He said that
We would visit you if... he would visit him if...
Can Could
He said that
You can play the guitar. she could play the guitar.
Must Had to
He said that
I must go out.. he had to go out.

6. b) Changes in pronouns.
I he / she my / me his – her / him - her
You he / she your / you his – her / him - her
He he his / him his / him
She she her her
It it its / it its / it
We they our / us their / them
They they their / them their / them

7. c) Other changes.
this that yesterday the day before
now then tomorrow the following day
here there next the following
there there last the previous
REMARK!!!
When the reporting verb is in present,
no tense change is needed.

8. REPORTED
QUESTIONS.
Reported questions do not have the same word order as direct questions have:
- 'Do' / 'Does' / 'Did' are not used. - They are introduced by the
interrogative pronoun.
- The subject precedes the verb.
- If there is no interrogative
- Question marks are not used. pronoun, they are introduced by
'if' or 'whether'.
Where are you? He wanted to know where he was.
Does he like cheese? He asked if he liked cheese.

9. REPORTED ORDERS,
ADVICE OR SUGGESTIONS.
Orders, advice and suggestions are often reported using the infinitive.
Be careful! I told Mark to be careful.
Don't play on the floor! He asked her not to play on the floor.
You should stay in bed. Mum adviced him to stay in bed.
Let's go to the cinema! He suggested to go to the cinema.