Reported statements: other changes

In indirect speech the following words need to be changed when you report them

tomorrow	→	the next day/the following day
yesterday	→	the day before
here	→	there
this/that	→	the/that
this morning	→	that morning
today	→	that day
tonight	→	that night
next/on Monday	→	the following Monday
last Monday /weekend	→	the previous Monday/weekend
the day after tomorrow	→	in two days' time
ago	→	before/previously
last night	→	the night before
now	→	then/immediately

Exercise 20. Write these sentences in indirect speech changing words where necessary.

Example: "I'll see you tomorrow," Sarah said. Sarah said she would see me the next day.

1. "I can see you tomorrow," he told me.

2. "We're leaving this afternoon," they said.

3. "I saw him today," Christine said.

4. "I'll see my parents the day after tomorrow," Sue told her friend.

5. "We went to the theatre last weekend," they said.

6. "The wedding will take place next Friday," they told us.

7. "I dreamed of you last night," he said.

Reported questions: general and alternative questions

Tenses, adjectives, pronouns, etc. in reported questions change in the same way as in reported statements.

She asked if/whether I was comfortable.

Speaker's words	Reporting verb		Reported question
General and Alternative Questions "Are you comfortable or not?" "Do you go to church every Sunday?" "Have you got all the necessary documents?" "Are you enjoying yourselves?" "Have you seen Ted recently?" "Has Jackie been living here long?" "Did you see James at the party?" "Was Pete getting ready for the exam when you came in?" "Had he solved the problem by Monday evening?" "Will John and Ron be at the conference?" "Will you be coming to the concert or not?	She asked Helen didn't know He wanted to know Sue wondered	if whether	I was comfortable or not. I went to church every Sunday. I had all the necessary documents. We were enjoying ourselves. I had seen Ted recently. Jackie had been living there long. I saw/had seen James at the party. Pete had been getting ready for the exam when I came in. He had solved the problem by Monday evening. John and Ron would be at the conference. I would be coming to the concert or not.

Reported questions: special questions

Speaker's words	Reporting verbs	Reported questions
Special questions "What's your brother's name?" "What does he do?" "What are you doing?" "What kind of holiday has Nick had?" "How long have you both been living here?" "Why did you say that?" "Whose number did you ring?" "Where had they all gone when the police arrived?' "When will breakfast be ready?" "Which countries will Clive be visiting?" "How many people will there be at the conference?' Object questions "Who were you looking for?" "What shampoo do you use?" Subject questions "Who left the bag here?" "What makes a noise like that?"	She asked He wanted to know Kate wondered Joe didn't know	what my brother's name was. what he did. what I was doing. what kind of holiday Nick had had. how long we had both been living there. why I'd said that. whose number I had rung. where they had all gone when the police arrived. when breakfast would be ready. which countries Clive would be visiting. how many people would there be at the conference. who I had been looking for. what shampoo I used. who had left the bag there. what made a noise like that.

Exercise 21. Write these general and alternative questions in indirect speech, using the given words. Make all the necessary changes.

Example: "Do you want a drink?". He asked me if I wanted a drink.

1. "Did you study hard for the exam?" My friend wanted to know __.

2. "Do you like Chinese or Korean food?" He asked me __.

3. "Are you cold?" She asked me __.

4. "Was Tony enjoying himself?" We wanted to know __.

5. "Will they have done the job by the time I get back?" She asked ___.

6. "Will you be seeing John at the meeting tomorrow?" She asked ___.

7. "Is she there?" I wondered __.

Exercise 22. Write these special questions in indirect speech, using the given words. Make all the necessary changes.

Example: "What time does the train arrive?" He asked what time the train arrived.

1. "What time did you get home?" My parents asked __.

2. "Why won't you let me in?" I asked __.

3. "Whose composition haven't you heard yet?" She asked ___.

4. "Which films have won prizes for exports?" They asked ___.

5. "Why is Maria crying?" We wondered __.

6. "What have you been doing all this time?" He wondered __.

8. "Which of you is waiting to see me next?" The doctor asked __.