Reported Speech
Reported Speech
Reported Speech
by Victoria Chechevytsia
What is reported speech
pronouns;
expressions of time and place;
tense(backshift of tenses).
Shifting of expressions of time
Backshift of tenses - no backshift
Always change the tense if the direct speech statement is no longer true:
Mike just called. He said he’s going on holiday with his parents. (still true)
Mike said he was going on holiday, but he can’t get time off work. (no longer true)
Backshift of times – optional backshift