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Luyện ngữ pháp - Destination B2 (Unit 21: Grammar - Reported speech / reported questions / reporting verbs)

Form - Reported speech: tense and modal changes

Reported speech: tense and modal changes

• We use reported speech when we want to say what someone else said.
eg Jason said he was going to buy a new pair of trainers.

• If the reporting verb is in the past (eg said), we usually have to change the tense of what the person actually said.

Direct speech	Reported speech	Example
present simple	past simple	'I need* a credit card,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he needed a credit card.*
present continuous	past continuous	'I'm taking Lizzie shopping,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he was taking* Lizzie shopping.*
present perfect simple	past perfect simple	'I've bought Tom a present,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he'd bought Tom a present.
present perfect continuous	past perfect continuous	'I've been thinking about buying a car,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he'd been thinking about buying a car.
past simple	past perfect simple	'I spent* six euros,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he'd spent six euros.*
past continuous	past perfect continuous	'I was hoping* to find a new top,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he'd been hoping to find a new top.*
past perfect simple	past perfect simple (no tense change)	'I'd looked everywhere for my credit card before I found it,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he'd looked everywhere for his credit card before he found it.
past perfect continuous	past perfect continuous (no tense change)	'I'd been looking for that book for weeks before I found it,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he'd been looking for that book for weeks before he found it.
am/is/are going to	was/were going to	'I'm going to go shopping,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he was going to* go shopping*
will	would	'I'll need a credit card,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he would* need a credit card.*
can	could	'I can* take Lizzie shopping,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he could take Lizzie shopping*
must/have to	had to	'I must* go to the supermarket,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he had to go to the supermarket.*
may	might	'I may* go shopping later,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said he might go shopping later.*

Watch out!
We do not need to make any changes to the verb tense or modal when we are reporting a scientific fact or when something is still true. ✓ 'Most banks charge* interest,'said Tim. ➔ Tim said most banks charge interest.*

Reported speech: tense and modal changes

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