Explain the usage of the simple future tense in reported speech.

The simple future tense is used in reported speech to convey someone's words or thoughts about future events or actions. When reporting someone's statement or question in the simple future tense, we usually use the reporting verb "will" to indicate the future tense.

Here are some examples to illustrate the usage of the simple future tense in reported speech:

1. Direct speech: "I will visit my grandparents next week."
Reported speech: She said that she would visit her grandparents the following week.

2. Direct speech: "Will you come to the party tomorrow?"
Reported speech: He asked if I would come to the party the next day.

3. Direct speech: "They will finish the project by Friday."
Reported speech: He mentioned that they would finish the project by the end of the week.

In reported speech, the tense of the verb in the reported clause is shifted back to reflect the time perspective of the original statement. Therefore, the simple future tense in direct speech is changed to the simple conditional tense (would + base form of the verb) in reported speech.

It is important to note that when reporting statements or questions in the simple future tense, we may also use other reporting verbs such as "said," "told," "asked," etc. However, the auxiliary verb "will" is still used to indicate the future tense in the reported speech.