B1 — IntermediateGrammar· Reported speech
Reported Speech
Report statements, questions and commands with the correct tense, pronoun and time changes.
16 min Medium
Backshift
- present simple -> past simple: I am tired -> He said he was tired.
- present perfect / past simple -> past perfect: I have finished -> She said she had finished.
- will -> would, can -> could, must -> had to
Questions and commands
- Yes/no question: Are you ready? -> He asked if I was ready.
- Wh- question: Where do you live? -> She asked where I lived (no do, normal word order).
- Command: Sit down -> He told me to sit down.
Time words change too: today -> that day, tomorrow -> the next day, here -> there.