What are the changes in pronouns and tenses when reporting reported speech in indirect speech?

Reported Speech Questions Medium



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What are the changes in pronouns and tenses when reporting reported speech in indirect speech?

When reporting reported speech in indirect speech, there are several changes in pronouns and tenses.

1. Pronoun changes: The pronouns used in the reported speech are usually changed to reflect the perspective of the speaker in the indirect speech. For example, if the original speaker said, "I am going to the store," in reported speech, it would be reported as "He/she said that he/she was going to the store."

2. Tense changes: The tense of the reported speech is often shifted back in time. For example, if the original speaker said, "I will go to the party," in reported speech, it would be reported as "He/she said that he/she would go to the party." The present tense is changed to the past tense, and the future tense is changed to the conditional tense.

3. Other tense changes: If the reported speech includes a present simple tense, it is often changed to the past simple tense in indirect speech. Similarly, the present continuous tense is changed to the past continuous tense, the present perfect tense is changed to the past perfect tense, and so on.

It is important to note that these changes may vary depending on the context and the specific reporting verb used.