Simple Present Tense

Simple present tense adalah bentuk tense yang paling umum digunakan. Bentuk ini biasanya
digunakan untuk menunjukan fakta, kebiasaan, dan kejadian yang terjadi pada saat ini.

Rumus
Subject + Verb 1 (present form)
Kata Sinyal
always, every, never, normally, often, sometimes, usually, seldom
Kalimat Positif
He always works very hard in the company.
Kalimat Negatif
He does not work very hard in the company.
Kalimat Tanya
Does he work very hard in the company?
Yes, he does. / No, he does not.
Contoh soal Simple Present Tense:

1. Positive: Tifa has a very good record at boxing.

Negative: Tifa ..... a very good record at boxing.

Which one is the correct answer?

a. doesn't has
b. hasn't
c. haven't
d. doesn't have
2. Interrogative: Do you think he can do it all alone?
Negative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. He don't think you can do it all alone.

b. He doesn't think you can do it all alone.
c. I don't think he can do it all alone.
d. Don't you think he can do it all alone.

Present Continuous Tense

Present continuous tense biasanya digunakan untuk membicarakan aksi yang sedang
berlangsung saat pembicaraan sedang berlangsung atau bisa juga digunakan untuk rencana
di masa depan.
 Rumus
Subject + am/is/are + Verb -ing (continuous form)
Kata Sinyal
at the moment, just now, now, right now, Listen!, Look!
Kalimat Positif
Look! He is talking with his classmates.
Kalimat Negatif
He is not playing computer games now.
Kalimat Tanya
Is he playing computer games at the moment?
Yes, he is. / No, he is not.
Contoh soal Present Continuous Tense:

1. Positive: Mom is chopping vegetables in the kitchen.

Interrogative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. Is Mom chopping vegetables in the kitchen?

b. Are Mom chopping vegetables in the kitchen?
c. Does Mom chopping vegetables in the kitchen?
d. Do Mom chopping vegetables in the kitchen?
2. Negative: I'm not angry with him.
Interrogative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. Do I angry with him?

b. Are you angry with him?
c. Do you angry with him?
d. Have you angry with him?

Present Perfect Tense

Present perfect tense menekankan pada hasil. Tense ini menunjukkan aksi yang masih sedang
berlangsung atau baru saja selesai.
Rumus
Subject + has/have+ Verb III (past participle form)
Kata Sinyal
already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now
Kalimat Positif
He has already finished his homework.
Kalimat Negatif
He has not been to Australia so far.
 Kalimat Tanya
Has he completed the arrangement for the coming event up to now?
Yes, he has. / No, he has not.
Contoh soal Present Perfect Tense:

1. Positive: I have worked on this task for the last 3 hours.

Interrogative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. Have you working on this task for the last 3 hours?

b. Are you working on this task for the last 3 hours?
c. Have you been worked this task for the last 3 hours?
d. Have you worked on this task for the last 3 hours?
2. Negative: She hasn't visited her mother this month.
Interrogative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. Does she have visited her mother this month?

b. Has she visited her mother this month?
c. Have she visited her mother this month?
d. Is she visiting her mother this month?
Baca juga : Kamus Bahasa Inggris

Simple Past Tense

Simple past tense digunakan untuk mengungkapkan suatu kejadian yang terjadi di masa
lampau.
Rumus
Subject + Verb II (past form)
Kata Sinyal
yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1996, last Thursday, this morning
Kalimat Positif
Last year, he always worked until night.
Kalimat Negatif
He did not go to school this morning.
Kalimat Tanya
Did he pay the bill yesterday?
Yes, he did. / No, he did not.
Contoh soal Simple Past Tense:

1. Positive: He realized that he had to do better.

Interrogative:
 Which one is the correct answer?

a. Did he realize that he had to do better?

b. Does he realize that he had to do better?
c. Had he realize that he had to do better?
d. Did he realized that he had to do better?
2. Negative: I didn't know him that well before.
Interrogative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. Did you know him that well before?

b. Do you know him that well before?
c. Are you know him that well before?
d. Did you knew him that well before?

Past Continuous Tense

Past continuous tense digunakan untuk mengungkapkan bahwa suatu aksi sedang terjadi pada
waktu tertentu di masa lampau. Biasanya ada dua kejadian di masa lampau dan satu kejadian
menginterupsi kejadian yang lain. Kejadian yang sedang diinterupsi tersebut yang
menggunakan past continuous tense.
Rumus
Subject + WAS/WERE + Verb -ing (continuous form)
Kata Sinyal
when, while, as long as, at this time yesterday
Kalimat Positif
He was speaking when I entered in room.
Kalimat Negatif
He was not doing his homework at this time yesterday.
Kalimat Tanya
Was he writing the letter to his parents when I was out last Tuesday?
Yes, he was. / No, he was not.
Contoh soal Past Continuous Tense:

1. Interrogative: Was I listening to the music when Mom came to my room?

Negative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. I wasn't listening to the music when Mom came to my room.

b. I didn't listening to the music when Mom comes to my room.
 c. I was listening to the music when Mom was coming to my room.
d. I was listened to the music when Mom was coming to my room.
2. Positive: You were playing football at 5 PM the day before.
Interrogative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. Were you played football at 5 PM the day before?

b. Were you playing football at 5 PM the day before?
c. Were you play football at 5 PM the day before?
d. Were you being played football at 5PM the day before?

Past Perfect Tense

Past perfect tense digunakan untuk menunjukkan sebuah kejadian yang terjadi sebelum waktu
tertentu di masa lampau dan lebih menekankan pada fakta daripada durasi.
Rumus
Subject + HAD + Verb III (past participle form)
Kata Sinyal
before yesterday, till three days ago, already, until that day
Kalimat Positif
He had finished his designs before he went to work yesterday.
Kalimat Negatif
He had not been a high school student until last year.
Kalimat Tanya
Had he entered the company before he achieved his master degree in 1990?
Yes, he had. / No, he had not.
Contoh soal Past Perfect Tense:

1. Positive: We had worked together before one of us got married.

Interrogative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. Had we work together before one of us got married?

b. Had we worked together before one of us got married
c. Did we work together before one of us got married?
d. Did we worked together before one of us got married?
2. Negative: I hadn't finished the homework when you called me the night before.
Positive:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. I had finish the homework when you called me the night before.
 b. I had finished the homework when you called me the night before.
c. I finished the homework when you had called me the night before.
d. I had been finishing the homework when you called me the night before.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past perfect continuous tense hampir serupa dengan past perfect tense. Digunakan untuk
mengungkapkan suatu aksi yang terjadi di masa lalu dan telah selesai pada suatu titik waktu
tertentu di masa lalu, tapi tense ini menekankan pada durasi kejadiannya.
Rumus
Subject + HAD + BEEN + Verb -ing (continuous form)
Kata Sinyal
for, since, the whole day, all day
Kalimat Positif
He said that he had been working here for ten years.
Kalimat Negatif
He was told that his teacher had been waiting for him since 2 p.m yesterday.
Kalimat Tanya
Had he been speaking for the whole class before I entered?
Yes, he had. / No, he had not.
Contoh soal Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

1. Positive: My friend said he had been exploring the country in his twenties.
Interrogative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. Did your friend explore the country in his twenties?

b. Had he exploring the country in his twenties?
c. Had your friend been exploring the country in his twenties?
d. Did your friend explored the country in his twenties?
2. Negative: My coworker was told that he hadn't been doing a great job.
Interrogative:

Which one is the correct answer?

a. Did you been doing a great job?

b. Had he been doing a great job?
c. Did your coworker do a great job?
d. Had your coworker do a great hob?
Simple Future Tense
Simple Future tense mengindikasikan suatu aksi di masa yang akan datang dan tidak dapat
dipengaruhi. Dapat juga digunakan untuk pembuatan keputusan di masa depan yang spontan atau
asumsi yang berhubungan dengan masa yang akan datang. “Will” dan “be going to” merupakan
2 indikator umum pada tenses ini.
Rumus
Subject + “WILL/ BE GOING TO” + Verb (present form)
Kata Sinyal
in a year, next …, tomorrow, next week, five days later
Kalimat Positif
He is going to be journalist after he graduate next year.
Kalimat Negatif
He will not play computer games anymore because he understand how harmful they are.
Kalimat Tanya
Will he go to the cinema tomorrow with us?
Yes, he will. / No, he will not.

Future Continuous Tense

Future continuous tense menunjukkan aksi yang terjadi pada waktu tertentu di masa yang
akan datang dan aksi yang pasti akan terjadi dalam waktu dekat.
Rumus
Subject + “WILL/BE GOING TO” + “BE” + Verb (continuous form)
Kata Sinyal
tomorrow morning, in one year
Kalimat Positif
He will be delivering the speech to undergraduates at 3 p.m tomorrow afternoon.
Kalimat Negatif
He will not be doing the task in the office this afternoon because he is sick.
Kalimat Tanya
Will he be playing football next morning in the playground?
Yes, he will./ No, he will not.
 Different between present perfect and present perfect
continuous

Present Perfect Present Perfect Continuous

Tense Tense

“I have done my homework.”

“I have been doing my home-work.”
(menggunakan auxiliary atau
Bentuk (menggunakan auxiliary atau kata bantu ‘have/has
kata bantu ‘have/has’
kalimat been’ dan verb-ing)
& verb 3)

Kedua tenses ini sama-sama digunakan untuk menyebutkan kegiatan yang dimulai
Penggunaan
di masa lalu dan masih berlanjut sampai sekarang atau baru saja selesai.

Present Perfect ini digunakan

Present Perfect Continuous digunakan untuk
untuk menekankan hasil dari
menekankan durasi dari suatu kegiatan atau
kegiatan yang dilakukan.
kelanjutan dari suatu kegiatan.
 
Hasil akhir  
atau durasi?
“I have written five letters.”
“I have been writing for two hours.” Saya sudah
Saya sudah menulis lima
menulis selama dua jam.
surat.

Ada kata-kata tertentu yang hanya digunakan di Present Perfect Tense, contohnya:
–       State verbs (kata kerja yg menunjukkan keadaan) seperti be, have.

–       Sense verbs (kata kerja yg menunjukkan indra)

Kata-kata seperti feel, hear, see, smell, taste, atau touch.
tertentu
–       Brain work verbs (kata kerja yg menunjukkan kegiatan berpikir)
seperti believe, know, think, understand.
 Jika kamu ingin menekankan
ke hasil akhir sebuah
kegiatan, maka kamu harus
menggunakan Present
Perfect Tense.
Hasil akhir  
atau efek?
“I have cleaned the car.”
Saya sudah membersihkan
mobilnya. (Hasilnya, mobil
jadi bersih)
Jika kamu ingin menekankan ke efek yang
dihasilkan dari mengerjakan kegiatan tersebut,
maka kamu harus menggunakan Present Perfect
Continuous.
 
“I have been washing the car. That’s why my
clothes are wet.” Saya sedang mencuci mobil.
Makanya baju saya basah.

Satu cara mudah untuk membedakan antara Present Perfect dan Present Perfect

Continuous adalah mengerti apakah kegiatan tersebut sudah terjadi apa sedang terjadi.
Jika kegiatan tersebut sudah terjadi, maka kamu akan menemukan kata-kata tertentu di
dalam kalimat, seperti how often, … times, already, atau yet (dalam kalimat negatif).
Namun jika kegiatan tersebut masih berlangsung maka kata-kata yang akan kamu
temukan dalam kalimat Present Perfect Continuous adalah how long, since, atau for.

Present perfect vs. simple past

You must always use the present perfect when the time of an action is not important or
not specified.
You must always use the simple past when details about the time or place that an
action occured are given or request

Present perfect Simple past

I have lived in Lyon. I lived in Lyon in 1989.

They have eaten Thai food. They ate Thai food last night.

 Present perfect Simple past

Have you seen 'Othello'? Where did you see 'Othello'?

We have been to Ireland. When did you go to Ireland?

There is also a difference in attitude between the two tenses, which is often an

important factor in choosing which tense to use.

 "What did you do at school today?" I use the simple past tense because the
question is about activities, and the school day is considered finished.
 "What have you done at school today?" I use the present perfect because the
question is about results : « show me ». The time at which the question is asked
is considered as a continuation of the school day.

Future Perfect Tense

Bentuk
Future perfect tersusun dari dua unsur:
simple future dari kata kerja to have (will have) + past participle dari kata kerja utama

Subjek + will have + past participle dari kata kerja utama

He will have finished.

I will have finished.

To arrive, future perfect tense

 Positif Negatif Pertanyaan Pertanyaan Negatif

I will have arrived I won't have arrived Will I have arrived? Won't I have arrived?

You will have You won't have Will you have Won't you have
arrived arrived arrived? arrived?

He will have arrived He won't have arrived Will he have arrived? Won't he have arrived?

We will have arrived We won't have arrived Will we have arrived? Won't we have arrived?

They will have They won't have Will they have Won't they have
arrived arrived arrived? arrived?

Fungsi
Future perfect tense merujuk ke kejadian yang sudah selesai di masa depan. Saat kita
menggunakan tense ini, kita membayangkan diri kita di masa depan dan membicarakan kejadian
atau tindakan yang akan selesai pada waktu setelah sekarang. Tense ini sering kali digunakan
bersama ekspresi waktu.
Contoh
I will have been here for six months on June 23rd.
By the time you read this I will have left.
You will have finished your report by this time next week.
Won't they have arrived by 5:00?
Will you have eaten when I pick you up?Future Perfect Continuous
Bentuk

Future perfect continuous

 tersusun dari dua unsur:
future perfect dari kata kerja to be (will have been) + present participle dari kata kerja utama
(kata dasar + ing)
 Subje + will have been + present participle
k

He will have been playing.

I will have been playing.

To live, future perfect continuous tense

Positif Negatif Pertanyaan Pertanyaan Negatif

I will have been I won't have been Will I have been Won't I have been
living living living? living?

You will have been You won't have been Will you have been Won't you have been
living living living? living?

He will have been He won't have been Will he have been Won't he have been
living living living? living?

We will have been We won't have been Will we have been Won't we have been
living living living? living?

They will have been They won't have been Will they have been Won't they have been
living living living? living?

Fungsi
Sama seperti future perfect simple, bentuk ini digunakan untuk membayangkan diri kita di masa
depan dan membicarakan sesuatu kembali. Tense ini merujuk ke tindakan atau kejadian yang
saat ini belum selesai, tetapi akan selesai di masa depan. Tense ini sering kali digunakan bersama
ekspresi waktu.
Contoh
I will have been waiting here for three hours by six o'clock.
By 2001 I will have been living in London for sixteen years.
When I finish this course, I will have been learning English for twenty years.
Next year I will have been working here for four years.
When I come at 6:00, will you have been practicing long?

Passive Voice
Fungsi dari passive voice
Kalimat pasif atau passive voice digunakan untuk menunjukkan ketertarikan pada seseorang atau
objek yang dikenai tindakan dan bukan seseorang atau objek yang melakukan tindakan.

Tense Subject Verb Object

Active: Nancy makes tea.

Simple Present
Passive: Tea is made by Nancy.

Active: Nancy is making tea.

Present
Progressive
Passive: Tea is being made by Nancy.

Active: Nancy made tea.

Simple Past
Passive: Tea was made by Nancy.

Active: Nancy was making tea.

Past Progressive
Passive: Tea was being made by Nancy.

Active: Nancy has made Tea.

Present Perfect
Passive: Tea has been made by Nancy.

Active: Nancy had made tea.

Past Perfect
Passive: Tea had been made by Nancy.

Active: Nancy will make tea.

Future simple
Passive: Tea will be made by Nancy.
 Active: Nancy will have made tea.
Future perfect
Passive: Tea will have been made by Nancy.

Active: Nancy would make tea.

Conditional
Passive: Tea would be made by Nancy.

Active: Nancy can make tea.

Modals
Passive: Tea can be made by Nancy.

Reported speech: indirect speech

 

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact
words. In indirect speech, the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is
reporting a statement, a question or a command.

direct indirect reported clause

‘I’m tired,’ I told them

statement that-clause
I said. (that) I was tired.

‘Are you
ready?’ the The nurse asked
nurse Joel if/whether if-clause/
question asked Joel. he was ready. whether-clause
‘Who are She asked wh-clause
you?’ she me who I was.
asked.

command ‘Leave at They ordered to-infinitive

once!’ they us to leave at clause
 ordered. once.

Indirect speech: reporting statements

Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that-clause. We often omit that,
especially in informal situations:
The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came
in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane
came in to land.’)
I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. (that-clause without that)
(or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday.)

Indirect speech: reporting questions

Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions
Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a
reported clause introduced by if or whether. If is more common than whether. The reported
clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:
She asked if  [S] [V]I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’)
The waiter asked  whether  [S]we  [V]wanted a table near the
window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window?)
He asked me if  [S] [V]I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative
question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’)

Reporting wh-questions
Indirect reports of wh-questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning
with a wh-word (who, what, when, where, why, how). We don’t use a question mark:
He asked me what I wanted.
Not: He asked me what I wanted?
The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:
She wanted to know who  [S]we  [V]had invited  to the party.
Not: … who had we invited …
 Who, whom and what
In indirect questions with who, whom and what, the wh-word may be the subject or the object of
the reported clause:
I asked them who  came to meet them at the airport. (who is the subject of came;
original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’)
He wondered what the repairs would cost. (what is the object of cost; original
question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’)
The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:
She asked us what  [S]we  [V]were doing. (original question: ‘What are you
doing?’)
Not: She asked us what were we doing?

When, where, why and how
We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when, where, why and how:
I asked her when  [S]it  [V]had happened (original question: ‘When did it
happen?’).
Not: I asked her when had it happened?
I asked her where  [S]the bus station  [V]was. (original question: ‘Where is the bus
station?’)
Not: I asked her where was the bus station?
The teacher asked them  how  [S]they  [V]wanted to do the activity. (original
question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’)
Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?


Indirect speech: reporting commands

Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with
a to-infinitive:
The General ordered the troops to advance. (original command: ‘Advance!’)
The chairperson told him to sit down and  to stop interrupting. (original
command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’)
We also use a to-infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or
getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn:
 They advised me to wait  till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should
wait till the following day.’)
The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not
enter the area.’)
See also:


Verbs followed by a to-infinitive



Indirect speech: present simple reporting verb

We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are
still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says
or repeats:
Sheila  says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.
Henry  tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.
Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often
repeats this statement.)

Newspaper headlines
We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more
dramatic:
JUDGE TELLS  REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM
PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM

Indirect speech: past continuous reporting verb

In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell).
This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the
report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new
topic in the conversation:
Rory was telling  me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is
that true?
Alex was saying  that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the
Internet.
Backshit

‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original

verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the
moment of speaking and the time of the report.
Compare

direct speech indirect speech

I said, ‘I’m  not very happy at I told her I was  not very happy

work.’ at work.

They said: They told us

‘We’re  going home.’ they were  going home.

He said that Jane would  be

He said, ‘Jane will be late.’
late.

‘I’ve been working,’ she said. She said she had been working.

‘What  happened to make her He asked what had

so angry?’ he asked. happened to make her so angry.

In these examples, the present (am) has become the past (was), the future (will) has become the
future-in-the-past (would) and the past (happened) has become the past perfect (had happened).
The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.

Backshift changes

direct indirect
present simple → past simple

present continuous → past continuous

present perfect simple → past perfect simple

present perfect continuous → past perfect continuous

past simple → past perfect simple

past continuous → past perfect continuous

future (will) → future-in-the-past (would)

past perfect ↔ past perfect (no change)

The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:

Direct speech Indirect speech

He asked: ‘Had the girls He asked if the

already left?’ girls had already left.

Modal verbs

Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.

direct speech indirect speech change

 He
‘We will  be
promised
will there,’ he will becomes would
they would 
promised.
be there.

She said
She said,
she would 
‘I  shall need shall usually
need more
more becomes would
money.
shall money.’
in reported
She asked
‘Shall  I questions, shall becomes s
if
open it?’ she hould
she should 
asked.
open it.

He added
‘I  can see that
can you at 2.30,’ he could s can becomes could
he added. ee me at
2.30.

She said
‘I  may be
she might 
back later,’
be back may (possibility)
she said.
later. becomes might
may ‘You may  w
He said may (permission)
ait in the
we could  becomes could
hallway,’ he
wait in the
said.
hallway.

must She said, She said must (obligation) usually

‘You must p we had becomes had to
ay by 30th to pay by
must (speculation) does
April.’ 30th April.
not change
‘It must  be She said
awful to live it  must be
in such a awful to
noisy place,’ live in such
she said. a noisy
 place.

He said
‘We could s
they could 
ell it for
coul sell it for
about 2,000 no change
d about
euros,’ he
2,000
said.
euros.

She said
‘You should 
I should g
shou go there
o there no change
ld immediately,
immediatel
’ she said.
y.

He said
‘I  would buy
he would b
woul it if I had the
uy it if he no change
d money,’ he
had the
said.
money.

He warned
‘It might sn that
migh
ow tonight,’ it  might sn no change
t
he warned. ow that
night.

‘You needn’ He said
t come till we needn’t 
need no change
six o’clock,’ come till
he said. six o’clock.

We can use a perfect form with have + -ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report
looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:
He said the noise  might have been the postman delivering letters. (original
statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’)
 He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original
statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a
volunteer.’)
Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:
She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in
Oxford.’)
The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original
statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’)

No backshift
We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant
or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when
someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:
He  told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his
brother works for an Italian company.)
She said  she’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the
moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)
He  said he’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time
ago.)
She promised she’ll help  us. (The promise applies to the future.)

Indirect speech: changes to pronouns

Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the
speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.

direct indirect

different
‘I  don’t want to
Tom said he didn’t speakers
shock
want to shock people. (I changes
people,’ Tom said.
to he)

‘I’ll look after I said I would look same speaker

Toby,’ I said. after Toby. (no change)
 ‘You need to be George told different
here at nine Beatrice she needed to speakers
o’clock,’ George to be there at nine (you changes
ld Beatrice. o’clock. to she)

‘I  hope you will same speaker

I told
join us (no change
James I hoped he wou
tonight,’ I said to to I; you change
ld join us that night.
James. s to he)

Indirect speech: changes to adverbs and demonstratives

We often change demonstratives (this, that) and adverbs of time and place (now, here, today,
etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a
different place.
Compare

direct speech indirect speech

I said, ‘I’ll meet you here I told her I would meet

tomorrow.’ her there the next/following day.

She said, ‘I do not wish to She said she did not wish to
discuss it  at  this moment in discuss it  at that moment in
time.’ time.

He said he wanted it then/at that

He said, “I want it now.”
moment.

‘I finished the job three The boy protested that he had

weeks ago,’ the boy finished the job three weeks
protested. before.
Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

direct indirect

this → that

these → those

now → then

yesterday → the day before

the next/following
tomorrow →
day

two weeks
→ two weeks before
ago

here → there

Indirect speech: typical errors

The word order in indirect reports of wh-questions is the same as statement word order
(subject + verb), not question word order:
She always asks me where  [S] [V]I am going.
Not: She always asks me where am I going.
We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh-questions:
I asked him what he was doing.
Not: I asked him what he was doing?