Grammar · B2
Reported speech
When you report what somebody said, the tense usually moves one step back: present becomes past, past becomes past perfect, will becomes would. Time and place words move with it, so tomorrow becomes the next day and here becomes there. Questions lose their question order, and commands become to plus the infinitive.
The reporting verb is usually in the past, and everything after it moves back one step to match. Present simple becomes past simple, present perfect and past simple both become past perfect, and will becomes would.
Modals shift too, where they can: can becomes could, may becomes might. Might, should, would and could have no further step back, so they stay as they are.
Reported questions lose the inversion: he asked whether I was coming, not he asked was I coming. Yes-no questions take if or whether.
Commands and requests take to plus the infinitive, and the negative is not to: she told me not to touch it.
Now use it
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Item 1 of 12
"I will call you tomorrow." → He said he me the next day.