Reported Speech Questions Medium
The rules for reporting expressions of time and place in indirect speech are as follows:
1. Time expressions:
- If the reported speech is still true or relevant at the time of reporting, the time expression remains unchanged.
Example: She said, "I will meet you tomorrow." → She said that she will meet me tomorrow.
- If the reported speech refers to a future time, the time expression is usually changed to the corresponding past time expression.
Example: He said, "I am going to visit my parents next week." → He said that he was going to visit his parents the following week.
- If the reported speech refers to a past time, the time expression is usually changed to the corresponding past time expression.
Example: They said, "We went to the beach yesterday." → They said that they had gone to the beach the day before.
2. Place expressions:
- If the reported speech is still true or relevant at the time of reporting, the place expression remains unchanged.
Example: She said, "I am at the library." → She said that she was at the library.
- If the reported speech refers to a future place, the place expression is usually changed to the corresponding past place expression.
Example: He said, "I will go to Paris next month." → He said that he would go to Paris the following month.
- If the reported speech refers to a past place, the place expression is usually changed to the corresponding past place expression.
Example: They said, "We visited London last year." → They said that they had visited London the previous year.
It is important to note that these rules may vary depending on the context and the tense of the reported speech.