| Type of change | Specific tenses or modals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Present changes to past | present simple → past simple | “She is happy.” They said she was happy. |
| present continuous → past continuous | “I’m feeling ill.” He said he was feeling ill. | |
| present perfect → past perfect | “Amy has had a baby.” She said Amy had had a baby. | |
| Past changes to past perfect | past simple → past perfect | “The trip was good.” She said the trip had been good. |
| past continuous → past perfect continuous | “I was watching films.” He said he had been watching films. | |
| past perfect – no change | ||
| will changes to would | will → would | “I’ll help you.” She said she would help me. |
| can → could | “He can’t come.” She said he couldn’t come. | |
| would, could, might, should – no change |
Complete the gaps with the suitable verb form in the reported sentences.
| tell somebody | say something |
|---|---|
| She told me that you were ill. | She said that you were ill. |
Choose the right or better verb for each sentence.
Rewrite this complaint in reported speech changing the verb forms where necessary.