Reported speech: changing the tense
450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten
After a past reporting verb, every tense moves one step back.
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One step back, every time
The whole system is a single move. Each tense goes back one place, and the ones that are already as far back as English goes stay put.
“I live in Oslo.” → She said she lived in Oslo. “I lived in Oslo.” → She said she had lived in Oslo. “I had lived in Oslo.” → She said she had lived in Oslo. — nowhere left to go.
The modals
Four shift and four do not:
- shift: will → would, can → could, may → might, must → had to
- no shift: would, could, should, might, ought to
The second group has already made the move, which is why they look like past forms in the first place.
Pronouns and possessives
Change them to match who is now speaking and who is being spoken about:
"I left my bag in your car." → He said he had left his bag in my car.
Read the finished sentence back and check every pronoun points at the right person. This is where reported speech most often falls apart.
Time and place
If you are reporting later or somewhere else, the words move too:
“I’ll see you here tomorrow.” → She said she would see me there the next day.
If you are reporting on the same day and in the same place, you can leave them alone. He said he would call tomorrow is fine if tomorrow is still tomorrow.
When to leave the tense alone
- the reporting verb is in the present: She says she is busy.
- the fact has not stopped being true: He said the train leaves at six.
Shifting anyway is never wrong, so if you are unsure, shift.
say, tell and the others
Say takes no person; tell requires one. Beyond those two, the reporting verb can carry meaning of its own:
He admitted that… She explained that… They promised to… He refused to…
Choosing the right one says more in fewer words than said ever can.
All forms
| Direct | Reported | Note |
|---|---|---|
| present simple | past simple | work → worked |
| present continuous | past continuous | am working → was working |
| past simple | past perfect | worked → had worked |
| present perfect | past perfect | have worked → had worked |
| past perfect | no change | had worked → had worked |
| will | would | will call → would call |
| can | could | can swim → could swim |
| may | might | may come → might come |
| must | had to | must go → had to go |
| would, could, should, might | no change | already stepped back |
Examples
Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- I am the youngest. She said that she was the youngest at the time.
- He said, "I have seen that movie before." => He said that he had seen that movie by then.
- I must apologize to her. He said that he had to apologize to her that day.
- We are free. They said that they were free at the time.
- They asked, "Can you lend me your car?" => They asked if I could lend them my car at the time.
- He said, "I will come to the party." => He said that he would come to the party that day.
- I may need some help. He said that he might need some help that day.
- Mark is going to the party tonight. She said that Mark was going to the party that night.
- I cannot find the file. He said that he could not find the file at the time.
- I saw John yesterday. She said that she had seen John the day before.
- She sings very well. He said that she sang very well at the time.
- I love chocolate. He told me that he loved chocolate at the time.
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: He said that he will come. correct: He said that he would come.
Will becomes would after a past reporting verb.
Wrong: I bake bread. He said that he bake bread. correct: He said that he baked bread.
The present steps back to the past.
Wrong: She said she saw him yesterday. correct: She said she had seen him the day before.
The past steps back to the past perfect, and yesterday becomes the day before.