2. USAGE: WHEN WE WANT TO TELL SOMEONE WHAT
SOMEONE ELSE SAID.
Present simple
Past simple
“ I am hungry”, said Tim.
Tim said he was hungry.
Present continuous
Past continuous
“I am writing a letter”, said Carol.
Carol said she was writing a letter.
Past simple
Past perfect simple
“We had an ice cream on the
Colin said they had had an ice cream on the
beach”, said Colin.
beach.
3. Past continuous
Past perfect continuous
“We were talking about football,”
She said they had been talking about
she said.
football.
Present perfect simple
Past perfect simple
“I have written a pretty poem,”
Andrea said she had written a pretty
said Andrea.
poem.
Present perfect continuous
Past perfect continuous
“Georgia has been waiting
My mum said Georgia had been
all day,” my mum said.
waiting all day.
The PAST PERFECT SIMPLE and CONTINUOUS tenses stay the SAME!
4. MODAL VERBS
“I CAN speak threes languages,” said Jarry.
Jarry said he COULD speak three languages.
“Ben WILL be at the party,” she said.
She said Ben WOULD be at the party.
“All students MUST/ HAVE TO be on time,” said the principal.
The principal said all the students HAD TO be on time.
may
might
should
should
5. REPORTING QUESTIONS
YES/NO questions
“Have you eaten well?”, Sarah asked me.
Sarah asked me IF I HAD EATEN well.
Information questions
“What will you eat for lunch?,” Patrick asked Juliet.
Patrick asked Juliet WHAT SHE WOULD EAT for lunch.
6. WE ALSO HAVE TO CHANGE WORDS THAT REFER TO
TIME AND PLACE
Here
There
Today
That day
Now
Then / At that moment
Tomorrow
The next day / The following day
Yesterday
The day before/ The previous day
Ago
before
This
That
These
Those
7. IMPERATIVE
“FORM a line,” the officer
The officer ordered them TO FORM a line.
odered them.
“DON’T SAY a word,” said Carol.
Carol told me NOT TO SAY a word.
8. ATTENTION!
We often DON’T make any changes to the verb when we are reporting what
someone said VERY SOON AFTER THEY SAID it, when we are reporting a
SCIENTIFIC FACT or when something is STILL TRUE.
“It’s quite cold,” said Harry.
Harry said it’s quite cold.
“Light from the sun takes 8 minutes The professor said light from the sun takes
to reach us,” said the professor.
“I have a niece in America,”
Mr. Wood said.
8 minutes to reach us.
Mr. Wood said he has a niece in America.
9. We also DON’T make changes to the verb when we USE a reporting verb in
the PRESENT TENSE.
“I am staying in tonight,” says Mark.
Mark says he is staying in tonight.
Source: Laser B1+ Grammar Bank. Macmillan. Pages 26 – 28.
