What are the rules for changing reported failures in indirect speech?

Direct And Indirect Speech Questions Medium



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What are the rules for changing reported failures in indirect speech?

The rules for changing reported failures in indirect speech are as follows:

1. Change the tense: When reporting a failure, the tense of the verb is usually changed to the past tense. For example, if the original statement was "I fail the exam," it would be changed to "He said he failed the exam."

2. Change the pronouns: The pronouns used in the reported failure are usually changed to reflect the perspective of the person reporting it. For example, if the original statement was "She failed the project," it would be changed to "He said she had failed the project."

3. Change time and place references: If the original statement includes specific time or place references, they may need to be adjusted to fit the context of the reported speech. For example, if the original statement was "They failed the test yesterday," it would be changed to "He said they had failed the test the day before."

4. Use reporting verbs: Introduce the reported failure with appropriate reporting verbs such as "said," "told," "informed," or "stated." For example, "She said she failed the exam."

5. Use reporting clauses: Use reporting clauses to introduce the reported failure, such as "He admitted that he failed the project" or "She claimed that she failed the test."

It is important to note that these rules may vary depending on the specific context and the tense of the original statement.