REPORTED SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH

CHANGE OF TIME AND PLACE REFERENCE

Time/place references are also changed in reported speech

Examples:
"I will see you here tomorrow", she said. She said that she would see me there the next day.

The most common of these changes are shown below:

Today
that day

"I saw him today", she said.
She said that she had seen him that day.

Yesterday
the day before

"I saw him yesterday", she said.
She said that she had seen him the day before.

The day before yesterday
two days before

"I met her the day before yesterday", he said.
He said that he had met her two days before.

Tomorrow
the next/following day

"I'll see you tomorrow", he said
He said that he would see me the next day.

The day after tomorrow
in two days time/ two days later

"We'll come the day after tomorrow", they said.
They said that they would come in two days time/ two days later.

Next week/month/year
the following week/month/year

"I have an appointment next week", she said.
She said that she had an appointment the following week.

Last week/month/year
the previous/week/month/year

"I was on holiday last week", he told us.
He told us that he had been on holiday the previous week.

ago
before

"I saw her a week ago," he said.
He said he had seen her a week before.

this (for time)
that

"I'm getting a new car this week", she said.
She said she was getting a new car that week.

this/that (adjectives)
the

"Do you like this shirt?" he asked
He asked if I liked the shirt.

here
there

He said, "I live here".
He told me he lived there.



Other changes:
In general, personal pronouns change to the third person singular or plural, except when the speaker reports his own words:

I/me/my/mine, you/your/yours him/his/her/hers
we/us/our/ours, you/your/yours they/their/theirs:

He said: "I like your new car." He told her that he liked her new car.

I said: "I'm going to my friend's house." I said that I was going to my friend's house.