English Tip · 06 — Reported Speech — What She Said
Reported speech shifts the tense back and changes pronouns and time expressions. The rule: step back one tense from what was said.
Examples
- Direct: ‘I’m leaving tomorrow.’
- Reported: She said she was leaving the next day.
- am → was / tomorrow → the next day
Practice
Listen to a podcast or conversation. Choose one sentence someone says. Write it in reported speech. Did you shift the tense and change the pronoun?
Takeaway: Tense shift + pronoun change + time word change = correct reported speech.
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