ESL Grammar: Verbs Tenses - Reported Speech, Tense Shifts, Pronoun Changes

What It Is

Reported speech is when we repeat what someone else said, using their words. This can be tricky because we need to change the verb tense and pronouns to match the original speaker's point of view. For example, "She said, 'I am going to the store.'" vs. "She said, 'I went to the store.'" This topic causes difficulty for ESL learners because they often forget to change the verb tense or pronouns correctly.

Key Rules

• When reporting what someone said, use past simple for actions that happened in the past: "She said, 'I went to the store.'"
• Use past perfect for actions that happened before another action in the past: "She said, 'I had eaten dinner before I went to the store.'"
• Change I to me when reporting what someone said about themselves: "He said, 'My friend and I are going to the movies.'"
• Change you to you (no change): "She said, 'You are very kind.'"
• Change he/she/it to him/her/it: "She said, 'My friend and I are going to the movies with him.'"
• Use was/were for reported speech in the past: "She said, 'I was tired.'"
• Use had been for reported speech in the past perfect: "She said, 'I had been tired all day.'"
• Use will/won't for reported speech in the future: "She said, 'I will go to the store tomorrow.'"
• Use would/wouldn't for reported speech in the conditional: "She said, 'I would go to the store if it were open.'"
• Use can/could for reported speech in the ability: "She said, 'I can speak English.'"
• Use must/mustn't for reported speech in the obligation: "She said, 'You must try this cake.'"
• Use should/shouldn't for reported speech in the advice: "She said, 'You should eat more fruits.'"
• Use might/mightn't for reported speech in the possibility: "She said, 'It might rain tomorrow.'"
• Use may/mayn't for reported speech in the permission: "She said, 'You may go to the party.'"
• Use could/couldn't for reported speech in the ability in the past: "She said, 'I could speak English when I was a child.'"

Common ESL Errors

• Error: "She said, 'I go to the store.'" Why it happens: Interference from L1 (e.g., Spanish, where the verb tense remains the same in reported speech). Correction: "She said, 'I go to the store.'" (Note: This is a common mistake, but in some languages, the verb tense remains the same in reported speech.)
• Error: "She said, 'I am going to the store.'" Why it happens: Overgeneralization of the present continuous tense. Correction: "She said, 'I went to the store.'" (Use the past simple tense for completed actions in the past.)
• Error: "She said, 'My friend and I are going to the movies with me.'" Why it happens: Lack of pronoun change. Correction: "She said, 'My friend and I are going to the movies with him.'" (Change I to me and he to him.)

Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blank: "She said, 'I ____ (eat) breakfast this morning.'" Answer: "She said, 'I ate breakfast this morning.'" Reason: Use the past simple tense for completed actions in the past.
2. Fill in the blank: "He said, 'My friend and I ____ (go) to the movies last night.'" Answer: "He said, 'My friend and I went to the movies last night.'" Reason: Use the past simple tense for completed actions in the past.
3. Fill in the blank: "She said, 'I ____ (be) tired all day.'" Answer: "She said, 'I had been tired all day.'" Reason: Use the past perfect tense for actions that happened before another action in the past.

Last-Minute Revision

Remember to change the verb tense and pronouns correctly in reported speech. Use past simple for completed actions in the past. Use past perfect for actions that happened before another action in the past. Change I to me and he/she/it to him/her/it in reported speech. Use was/were for reported speech in the past. Use had been for reported speech in the past perfect. Use will/won't for reported speech in the future. Use would/wouldn't for reported speech in the conditional. Use can/could for reported speech in the ability. Use must/mustn't for reported speech in the obligation. Use should/shouldn't for reported speech in the advice. Use might/mightn't for reported speech in the possibility. Use may/mayn't for reported speech in the permission. Use could/couldn't for reported speech in the ability in the past. Don't forget to change the verb tense and pronouns correctly in reported speech with if clauses.