We use Reported Speech for:

● Retellings
● Gossip
● Newspapers
● Statements (Positive or Negative)
● Questions
● Commands/Suggestions/Requests

Statements:

The tenses change when the introductory verb is in the past tense, in out-of-date reporting and
when we consider what the speaker says untrue.

Present Simple→ Past Simple

Present Continuous→ Past Continuous
Present Perfect→ Past Perfect
Past Simple→ Past Simple/Perfect
Past Continuous→ Past Cont./Perfect Cont.
Will→ Would

● Past Perfect and Past Perfect Cont. remain the same.

● When This/These are used in time expressions, they change to That/Those
● When This/These/That/Those are not used in time expressions, they change as
follows: To The, when they are followed by a noun. To It, when they are not followed
by a noun.
● Would, could, might, should, ought to, had better, and used not to change.
● In Type 1 (Probable situations, SP+Will), tenses change as follows: Present Simple
becomes Past Simple in the If clause, and Will becomes Would.
● In Type 2 and 3 (Imaginary situations, PS +Would) conditional tenses do not change.
● The verb tenses remain the same when the introductory verb is in the present

Reported Question:

● We put the WH word, the person, and the verb or, if it is a yes or no question,
of/whether the person and finally the verb. The question mark and x things are
omitted.

Reported Commands:

● The reported commands, requests, or suggestions are used with the appropriate
reporting verb.
Reporting Verbs:

● VB + TO + INF
Agree
Claim
Demand
Offer
Promise
Refuse
Threaten

● VB + S + TO + INF
Advise
Allow
Ask
Beg
Command
Forbid
Invite
Order
Remind
Warn

● VB + ING
Accuse sb of
Apologize for
Boast about/of
Complain to sb of
Deny
Insist on
Suggest
Explain to sb how

● VB + THAT + CLAUSE
Explain
Inform. Sb
Exclaim
Remark