Reported speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like "say", "tell", "ask", and we may use the word "that" to introduce the reported words. Reported speech doesn't use quotation marks to enclose what the person said.
| Direct speech |
Reported speech |
|
He said, "I live in Paris." |
He said he lived in Paris. |
|
He said, "I am cooking dinner." |
He said he was cooking dinner. |
|
He said, "I have visted London twice." |
He said he had visited London twice. |
|
He said, "I went to New York last week." |
He said he had gone to New York the week before. |
|
He said, "I had already eaten." |
He said he had already eaten. |
|
He said, "I am going to find a new job." |
He said he was going to find a new job. |
|
He said, "I will give Jack a call." |
He said he would give Jack a call. |
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