GRAMMAR MAP

Reported speech
STATEMENTS
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
Present simple Past simple
Tom said: ‘It is my new car’. Tom said it was his new car.
Tom said: ‘I study Chinese’. Tom said he studied Chinese.
Present continuous Past continuous
They said: ‘We’re leaving now’. They said they were leaving then.
Present perfect / Past simple Past perfect
Joe said: ‘I’ve sent the mail’. Joe said he had sent the mail.
Joe said: ‘I sent the mail’.
will / won’t would / wouldn’t
She said: ‘I will never fly’. She said she would never fly.
am / is / are going to ... was going to / were going to
Ann said: ‘I’m going to study French’. Ann said she was going to study French.

QUESTIONS
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
Do you believe in me? I asked him if he believed in me.
How can you help? They asked us how we could help.

COMMANDS
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
Mum told me: ‘Tidy your room’. Mum told me to tidy my room.
She said: ‘Don’t waste time!’ She told me not to waste time.

TIME EXPRESSIONS PRONOUNS AND

now then POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
tonight that night this / these that / those
today that day I / we he / she / they
this morning that morning my his / her
yesterday the day before mine his / her
last week the week before your my / our
here there yours mine / ours
in this place in that place

SAY TELL
■ 
We use say when there is no direct object. ■ We use tell when there is an object.
She said that she wanted to study She told me that she wanted to study
journalism. journalism.