REPORTED/ INDIRECT SPEECH

   

   Summary of tense changes:

   O/     Tenses are moved into the past after the reporting word in the past tense. The past
   perfect remains the same.

           I'm leaving.       Jane said she was leaving

           I'll go there.       Susan said she would go there.

           I was there.       Peter said he had been there.

           No, I hadn't forgotten.        Greg said he hadn't forgotten

   

   O/     In complex sentences, only the first verb is changed.

   I was walking home when I saw the accident.

   James said he had been walking home when he saw the accident.

   

   O/     Some words referring to persons, places and time change in indirect speech, because the
   point of reference changes.

   I'll see you here tomorrow, Jack.

   Mary told Jack she would see him there the next day.

   I gave you this yesterday.

   John said he had given it to her the day before.

   

   O/     If the reported words are `always true` or the message is repeated immediately, there
   is no change.

   Harry told me that he still likes you.

   Mary said she's too busy to come.

   

   O/     In questions there is no inversion

   Where are we going?         I asked Sue where we were going.

   Do you like hamburgers?    Charles asked me if I liked hamburgers.

   

   O/     Embedded questions:

           Could you tell me where the station is?

           I asked him where the station was.

   

   O/     Commands are reported with tell and the infinitive.

   Go away!           He told me to go away.

   

   O/     Requests are reported with ask and the infinitive.

   Please help me.         He asked her to help him.