Direct speech
| Reported speech
|
Present simple
“I want to go to bed early,” he said.
| Past simple
He said (that) he wantedto go to bed early.
|
Present continuous
“She is feeding the baby,” he said.
| Past continuous
He said (that) she was feeding the baby.
|
Present perfect
“I have boughta new dress,” she said.
| Past perfect
She said (that) she had bought a new dress.
|
Past simple
“I finished work early,” Alex said.
| Past simple or past perfect
Alex said (that) he (had) finished work early.
|
Past continuous
“I was planning to call you later,” she said.
| Past continuous or Past perfect continuous
She said (that) she was planning/ had been planning to call me later.
|
Future (will)
“I will talk to you tomorrow,” she said.
| Conditional (would)
She said (that) she would talk to me the next day.
|
The sequence of tenses is not observed in Object Clauses when:
|
• a general truth or scientific law is expressed:
| Copernicus concluded that the earth goes round the sun.
|
• something habitual, customary, or characteristic is represented:
| We asked a bank clerk when the bank closes.
|
• in newspaper and magazine articles:
| It was announced in Cairo yesterday that the election will be heldin June
|
Nearness
| Distance
|
Now
this
| then, at this time, immediately
that
| last week
| the week before,
the previous week
|
today, tonight
| that day, that night
| next week
| the week after,
the following week
|
yesterday
| the day before, the previous day
| two days ago
| two days before
|
tomorrow
| the next day, the following day
| here
| there
|
this week
| that week
| come
| go
|
We can use the verbs say and tell both in direct and reported speech.
Tell is always followed by a personal object ( told me ).
Say is used with or without a personal object. When used with a personal object it is always followed by the preposition to (said to me).
Study the following examples:
Direct speech
| Reported speech
|
He said, “I’m Ted.”
| He said (that) he was Ted.
|
He said to me, “I’m Ted”.
| He said to me that he was Ted.
|
He told me, “I’m Ted”.
| He told me that he was Ted.
|
Say and tell are also used with the following expressions:
say
| good morning, afternoon, etc., something, nothing, etc., one’s prayers, so, a few words
|
tell
| the truth, a lie, a secret, a story, the time, the difference, smb one’s name, smb the way, one from another, one’s fortune
|