REPORTED SPEECH consists in telling somebody else what you or a person said before

When reporting speech, a few changes occur:

Choose an appropriate reporting (= introductory) verb - depending on the type of discourse

First....
N.B.: The verb is usually conjugated in the simple past

Then Change the tenses to their past form, unless what is said is still true

Don't forget to Change personal pronouns, possessive adjectives or pronouns - depending on the speaker(s)
and to Change time and place adverbs.
Remember to Change the punctuation - depending on the type of discourse
 REPORTING / INTRODUCTORY VERBS

DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH

LINK
TYPE OF DISCOURSE INTRODUCTORY VERB WORD-ORDER
WORD
to add / to admit / to announce / to declare / to deny / to No Changes
assertion explain / to insist / to mention / to promise / to propose / That / O same word-order as direct
to remind / to say / to suggest / to tell someone...... speech
yes/no question=
to ask someone / oneself / to doubt / to wonder.. S + (Aux.) + Vb.
question starting with an auxiliary
WH-question
to ask / to inquire / to wonder.. WH- S + (Aux.) + Vb.
question starting with WH-
No Changes
answer to answer / to reply / to explain that / O same word-order as direct
speech
advice to advise someone To + Vb
order to tell / to forbid / to order (not) To + Vb
 TENSES
Tense in "Direct speech" Tense to use in reported speech
SIMPLE PRESENT SIMPLE PAST
Cindy asked: "Do you like watching TV?" Cindy asked Giles if he liked watching tV
Giles said: "I don't mind watching TV, but Giles answered he didn't mind watching TV,
there are things I like better but there were things he liked better.
PRESENT BE-ING PAST BE-ING
Frank declared: " I am thinking about
Frank declared he was thinking about moving
moving"
PAST BE-ING PAST PERFECT BE-ING
He told them: "I wasn't expecting your He told them he hadn't been expecting their
visit" visit
PRESENT PERFECT PAST PERFECT
She said: " I have just seen an old friend
She said she had just seen an old friend of hers.
of mine"
PRESENT PERFECT BE-ING PAST PERFECT BE-ING
He asked: "Paul, how long have you been He asked Paul how long he had been studying
studying English?" English
PAST PERFECT PAST PERFECT
They said: "If we had arrived two minutes They said that if they had arrived two minutes
later, there would have been no cake left" later, there would have been no cake left.
PAST PERFECT BE-ING PAST PERFECT BE-ING
He declared: " You had been telling me He declared they had been telling him they
you wanted to see her" wanted to see her.
FUTURE (WILL) CONDITIONAL (WOULD)
I asked: " Where will you spend your
I asked where they would spend their holiday.
holiday ?"
WILL + BE-ING WOULD + BE-ING
Anna declared:" I will be announcing my Anna declared she would be announcing her
engagement next month" engagement the following month
WOULD WOULD
Tony said: "I would like something to eat. Tony said he would like something to drink and
I wouldn't mind a drink either." wouldn't mind a drink either.
 ADVERBS OF TIME AND PLACE, DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

Direct speech Reported Speechrt

NOW THEN
THE (year, month , week...) BEFORE
LAST (year, month, week...)
THE PREVIOUS (year, month, week...)
THE DAY BEFORE
YESTERDAY
THE PREVIOUS DAY
THE NEXT DAY
TOMORROW
THE FOLLOWING DAY
THE (week, month, year...) AFTER
NEXT (week, month, year...)
THE FOLLOWING (week, month, year...)
THIS THAT
THAT THAT
THESE THOSE
THOSE THOSE
HERE THERE
THERE THERE