Grammar › Reported Speech › Changes in Reported Speech
Changes in Reported Speech
In reported speech, three kinds of words shift to fit the new context:
- Pronouns/possessives — 'I like your car' → He said he liked my car.
- Time words — now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day.
- Place & demonstratives — here → there, this → that, these → those.
Only shift when the situation has changed. If you report on the same day, 'today' can stay; if later, it becomes 'that day'.
What changes
| Original | Reported |
|---|---|
| I, we, you | he/she/they, I/we (as needed) |
| my, your, our | his/her, my, their |
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next day |
| yesterday | the day before |
| last week | the week before |
| here | there |
| this / these | that / those |
When and how to change things
1. Pronouns and possessives
- “I forgot my keys.” → She said she had forgotten her keys.
2. Time words
- “I’ll call you tomorrow.” → He said he’d call me the next day.
- “I saw her yesterday.” → She said she’d seen her the day before.
3. Place and demonstratives
- “I like it here.” → He said he liked it there.
- “I made these.” → She said she’d made those.
⚠️ Only shift when the situation changes. Reporting on the same day, “I’m busy today” → She said she was busy today is fine; a week later it becomes that day.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the pronoun shift. “I like your bag” → He said he liked your bag → He said he liked my bag.
2. Keeping ‘tomorrow’. He said he’d call me tomorrow (reported later) → He said he’d call me the next day.
3. Keeping ‘this/here’. She said she liked this place here → She said she liked that place there. Pro tip: shift pronouns to the new speaker, move time words back, and turn here/this/these into there/that/those.
✏️ Practice: Changes in Reported Speech
1. "I'll see you tomorrow." (reported a week later) → He said he'd see me ___.
2. "I saw her yesterday." → She said she'd seen her ___.
3. "I like your jacket." (said to me) → He said he liked ___ jacket.
4. "We're leaving now." → They said they were leaving ___.
5. "I love it here." → She said she loved it ___.
6. "I made these myself." → He said he'd made ___ himself.
7. "I'll finish this today." (reported the same day) → He said he'd finish it ___.
8. "We visited them last week." → They said they'd visited them ___.
9. Correct this: 'She said she liked this restaurant here.'
10. In reported speech, 'now' usually becomes…
Frequently asked questions
How do pronouns change in reported speech?
They shift to match the new speaker and listener: 'I'm tired' → She said she was tired; 'I like your idea' → He said he liked my idea.
How do time words change?
They move one step back: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before, last week → the week before, next year → the following year.
How do 'here', 'this' and 'these' change?
here → there, this → that, these → those: 'I made these' → She said she had made those.
Do I always have to change the time words?
Only if the moment has changed. Reporting the same day, 'I'll do it today' can stay 'today'; reporting later, it becomes 'that day'.
👩🏫 For teachers
CEFR objectives for “Changes in Reported Speech”:
- Can shift pronouns and possessives to the new speaker in reported speech (CEFR B1).
- Can convert time references (now/today/tomorrow/yesterday) correctly.
- Can shift place and demonstratives (here/this/these).
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