Overview
Grammar and vocabulary changes
When we report what somebody says or thinks, we commonly make changes in vocabulary and grammar:
| Reason | Changes | Examples |
| We are reporting what somebody else said. | change personal pronouns, or use other nouns to make the reference clear | 'I love you.' becomes: He said he loved me. 'You're being ridiculous. ' becomes: He told RouIa she was being ridiculous. |
| We are reporting the original saying or thought in a different place. | change words referring to place or other things that are no longer there | 'I love it here. ' becomes: She told me she loved it by the sea. 'Hey! Look at this!' becomes: She drew my attention to the headline in the paper. |
| We are reporting the statement at a different time. | change tenses and words referring to time | 'I only got here yesterday.' becomes: She said she had only got here on Wednesday. 'I'm coming tomorrow.' becomes: He said he's coming today. |
Reporting orders and questions
- We usually report orders using verbs such as ask, tell, forbid, etc. with a to-infinitive:
- We report questions using verbs such as ask, want to know, etc. with wh-clauses or if-clauses (see Section 2):
She enquired whether I wanted to wait for a reply.
Flexible changes
The changes we make to tenses and vocabulary when reporting are not fixed transformations. The possible variations in who we are talking to, and where and when we are speaking, mean we must be flexible. All references to place and person and time, including tense, must make sense to the speaker and listener at the time and place in which they are speaking. Here are some examples to show how report words and structures can change according to the situation:
| Situation | Report | Original |
| Person joins a group of people chatting at a party | 'Hello. I was just saying to George here that they've given the go-ahead for that new airport.' | 'They've given the go-ahead for that new airport.' |
| Shouting to somebody in another room | 'What did you say? I can't hear you.' 'I said your dinner's ready!' | 'Your dinner's ready!' |
| Impatiently waiting for somebody | 'He said he would be here at eight o'clock.' |
'I promise I'll be there at eight o'clock.' |
| Sitting in a cafe, telling a friend about a long discussion you had a couple of days ago with a colleague. |
'Anyway, then she said she was thinking of leaving work and going abroad for a year.' |
'I'm thinking of leaving this place. I may spend a year abroad.' |