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Statements
If we want to say what other people said, thought or felt, we can use the direct and indirect
speech (reported speech).
The direct speech: "I like it," he said. "Irene is late," he thought. "I will pass the exam," she
hoped.
The reported speech: He said he liked it. He thought that Irene was late. She hoped she would
pass the exam.
The reported speech is typically introduced by verbs such as say, tell, admit, complain, explain,
remind, reply, think, hope, offer, refuse etc. in the past tense.
He said (that) he didn't want it.
She explained that she had been at the seaside.
A) Verb tenses
Present - past
"I never understand you," she told me. - She told me she never understood me.
"We are doing exercises," he explained. - He explained that they were doing exercises.
Present perfect - past perfect
"I have broken the window," he admitted. - He admitted that he had broken the window.
"I have been waiting since the morning," he complained. - He complained that he had
been waiting since the morning.
Past - past perfect
"She went to Rome," I thought. - I thought that she had gone to Rome.
"He was thinking of buying a new car," she said. - She said he had been thinking of
buying a new car.
Will - conditional
Will changes into the conditional.
I will come on Sunday," he reminded me. - He reminded me that he would come on
Sunday.
As you can see, both the past tense and the present perfect change into the past perfect.
Notes
1. I shall, we shall usually become would.
"I shall appreciate it," he said. - He said he would appreciate it.
2. I should, we should usually change into would.
"We should be really glad," she told us. - She told us they would be really glad.
3. May becomes might.
"I may write to him," she promised. - She promised that she might write to him.
B) Pronouns
Sometimes we have to use a noun instead of a pronoun, otherwise the new sentence is confusing.
"He killed them," Kevin said. - Kevin said that the man had killed them.
If we only make mechanical changes (Kevin said he had killed them), the new sentence can have
a different meaning - Kevin himself killed them.
This and these are usually substituted.
"They will finish it this year," he said. - He said they would finish it that year.
"I brought you this book," she said. - She said she had brought me the book.
"We want these flowers," they said. - They said they wanted the flowers.
Let's suppose that we talked to our friend Mary on Friday. And she said: "Greg came
yesterday." It means that Greg came on Thursday. If we report Mary's sentence on Sunday, we
have to do the following:
Mary: "Greg came yesterday." - Mary said that Greg had come the day before.
If we say: Mary said Greg had come yesterday, it is not correct, because it means that he came
on Saturday.
Bill: "She will leave tomorrow." - Bill said she would leave the next day.
Sam: "She arrived last week." - Sam said she had arrived the previous week.
Julie: "He moved a year ago." - Julie said he had moved a year before.
Note
If something is said and reported at the same time, the time expressions can remain the same.
"I will go on holiday tomorrow," he told me today. - He told me today he would go on holiday
tomorrow.
"We painted the hall last weekend," she told me this week. - She told me this week they had
painted the hall last weekend.
On the other hand, if something is reported later, the time expressions are different in the
reported speech.
Last week Jim said: "I'm playing next week."
If we say his sentence a week later, we will say:
Jim said he was playing this week.
Reported questions
Direct questions become indirect-questions with the same word order as statements. The
reporting verb say changes into ask, want to know, wonder...
"Where have you been?" he said. - He asked me where I had been.
"What time did it start?" he said. - He wanted to know what time it had started.
"Why won't he do it?" she said. - She wondered why he wouldn't do it.
In yes/no questions we use if or whether in questions. If is more common and whether is more
formal.
"Will you come?" she asked me. - She asked me if/whether I would come.
"Did he marry Sue?" she said. - She wondered if/whether he had married Sue.
The commands, requests and advice mostly have the same form in English: verb + object +
infinitive (advise, ask, beg, forbid, order, persuade, recommend, tell, urge, warn etc.).
In the direct speech we do not mention the person in the imperative. In the reported speech the
person addressed must be mentioned.
"Get up!" he said. - He told me to get up.
"Please, revise for the test," he said. - He urged me to revise for the test.
"Put on your coat," I said. - I advised him to put on his coat.
Negative commands, requests and advice are made by verb + object + not + infinitive.
"Don't hesitate," he said. - He persuaded me not to hesitate.
"Don't smoke," the doctor warned my father. - The doctor warned my father not to smoke.
Tell can introduce statements, commands, requests or advice. The form is different, however.
Similarly ask is used in reported questions, commands, requests or advice in different forms.
Conditionals
A conditional sentence is a sentence containing the word if. There are three common types* of
conditional sentence:
1. if clause > present simple tense : main clause > future tense (will)
o If you help me, I will help you.
o If I win the lottery, I will buy a new car.
o If it snows tomorrow, we will go skiing.
2. if clause > past simple tense : main clause > would
o If you knew her, you would agree with me.
o If I won the lottery, I would buy a new car.
o If it snowed tomorrow, we would go skiing.
3. if clause > past perfect tense : main clause > would have
o If you had helped me, I would have helped you.
o If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a new car.
o If it had snowed yesterday, we would have gone skiing.
o If I had a lot of money, I would buy a new car. (but I don't have a lot of money)
o If I were you, I would tell him you're sorry. (but I am not you)
o If I won the lottery, I would buy a new house. (but I don't expect to win the lottery)
o If it snowed tomorrow, we would go skiing. (but I don't have much hope that it will
snow)
3. Conditional three - to refer to the past and situations that did not happen
o If it had snowed yesterday, we would have gone skiing. (but it didn't snow, so we didn't
go skiing)
o If you had studied harder, you would have passed your test. (but you didn't study hard,
so you didn't pass your test)
o If I had known that, I would have told you. (but I didn't know, so I didn't tell you)
o If she hadn't been driving slowly, she would have had an accident. (but she was driving
slowly, so she didn't have an accident)