Explain the concept of reported speech in the past.

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of reporting or paraphrasing someone's words or thoughts. When using reported speech in the past, we are referring to something that was said or thought in the past. This means that the reported speech is not happening at the present moment, but it is being reported after the original statement or thought was made.

To convert direct speech into reported speech in the past, there are a few changes that need to be made. Firstly, the reporting verb or the verb that introduces the reported speech needs to be changed to the past tense. For example, if the original statement was "I am tired," the reporting verb "am" would change to "was" in reported speech, resulting in "He said he was tired."

Secondly, the pronouns used in the reported speech may need to be changed. In reported speech, the pronouns are often changed to reflect the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, if the original statement was "I love this book," and the person reporting the speech is referring to themselves, they would change the pronoun "I" to "he/she" in reported speech, resulting in "He/she said he/she loved that book."

Thirdly, the tense of the verb in the reported speech may need to be changed. If the original statement was in the present tense, it is often changed to the past tense in reported speech. For example, if the original statement was "I go to the gym every day," the verb "go" would change to "went" in reported speech, resulting in "He said he went to the gym every day."

Additionally, other changes may be necessary depending on the specific situation. For example, if the reported speech includes time expressions, they may need to be adjusted to reflect the past. If the original statement was "I will see you tomorrow," the time expression "tomorrow" would change to "the next day" in reported speech, resulting in "He said he would see me the next day."

It is important to note that when using reported speech in the past, the tense of the reporting verb and the verb in the reported speech may not always match. The tense of the reporting verb indicates the time when the reporting is happening, while the tense of the reported speech indicates the time when the original statement or thought was made.

In conclusion, reported speech in the past is a way of reporting or paraphrasing something that was said or thought in the past. It involves changing the reporting verb to the past tense, adjusting pronouns and verb tenses, and potentially modifying time expressions to reflect the past.