Assertive Sentence
1. If the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, the tense of the verbs in the reported speech remains the same.
Examples:
(i) Direct : He says, “I am playing.”
Indirect : He says that he is playing.
(ii) Direct : Ahmed will say, “I go to the market.”
Indirect : Ahmed will say that he goes to the market.
(iii) Direct : The boy has said, “Coffee is ready.”
Indirect : The boy has said that coffee is ready.
(iv) Direct : Mother says, “I am washing clothes.”
Indirect : Mother says that she is washing clothes.
2. If the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tenses in the reported speech will change accordingly. Consider the following:Present Indefinite (do/ does)Changes intoPast Indefinite (did)Present Continuous (is/ are/ am)Changes intoPast Continuous (was/ were)Present Perfect (has/ have)Changes intoPast Perfect (had)Past Indefinite (did)Changes intoPast Perfect (had done)Past Perfect (had done)Changes intoPast Perfect (no change) (had done)Past ContinuousChanges intoPast Perfect ContinuousshallChanges intoshouldwillChanges intowouldmayChanges intomightcanChanges intocould
Examples:
(i) Direct : Father said, “I go to the office.”
Indirect : Father said that he went to the office.
(ii) Direct : He said, “Amit does his work.”
Indirect : He said that Amit did his work.
(iii) Direct : The gardener said, “I am watering plants.”
Indirect : The gardener said that he was watering plants.
(iv) Direct : The boy said, “My mother is going to the market.”
Indirect : The boy said that his mother was going to the market.
(v) Direct : Hari said, “I have lost my pen.”
Indirect : Hari said that he had lost his pen.
(vi) Direct : The teacher said, “The Principal delivered a speech”.
Indirect : The teacher said that the Principal had delivered a speech.
(vii) Direct : Joya said,“My friend had broken the window.”
Indirect : Joya said that her friend had broken the window.
(viii) Direct : Ruchi said, “My father was driving a car.”
Indirect : Ruchi said that her father had been driving a car.
(ix) Direct : Divesh said, “Shobhit can lift this box.”
Indirect : Divesh said that Shobhit could lift that box.
(x) Direct : He said, “I would help my friend.”
Indirect : He said that he would have helped his friend.
3. If the reported speech expresses a universal truth, a habitual action, a historical fact, a geographical fact or a scientific fact, its tense is not changed. These are exceptions to the above rule.
Examples:
(i) Direct : Father said, “The earth revolves round the sun.”
Indirect : Father said that the earth revolves round the sun.
(ii) Direct : The teacher said, “The sun rises in the east.”
Indirect : The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
(iii) Direct : Grandfather said, “I go for a morning walk daily.”
Indirect : Grandfather said that he goes for a morning walk daily.
(iv) Direct : He said, “Honesty is the best policy.”
Indirect : He said that honesty is the best policy.