Statements
Changing Statements to Reported Speech
Quoted vs. Reported Statements
| QUOTED STATEMENT | REPORTED STATEMENT |
|---|---|
| She said, "It's raining here." |
She said that it was raining there. |
She said, "It was raining here, but it's not now." |
She said that it had been raining there, but it wasn't now. |
She said, "I'll meet you at this cafe tomorrow." |
She said that she would meet me at that cafe the next day. |
She said, "That umbrella is mine." |
She said that that umbrella was hers. |
Sentence Transformation
| CHANGES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | EMBEDDED STATEMENT | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Remove comma and quotes. |
My friend said, |
"It's raining here." |
2 |
Optionally add the relative pronoun that. |
My friend said (that) |
it is raining here. |
3 |
Adjust point of view to the speaker's:
|
My friend said |
it was raining there. |
Complex Sentence Transformation
| CHANGES | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | EMBEDDED STATEMENT | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Remove comma and quotes. |
My friend said, |
"I'll meet you at this cafe tomorrow." |
2 |
Optionally add the relative pronoun that. |
My friend said (that) |
I'll meet you at this cafe tomorrow. |
3 |
Adjust point of view to the speaker's:
|
My friend said |
she would meet me at that cafe the next day. |
Synonyms
| SYNONYM | MEANING | SENTENCE |
|---|---|---|
say |
to utter words |
She said that was a good place to eat. |
state |
to say something (systematically) |
She stated she did not like politics. |
declare |
to say publicly |
She declared she was a citizen of the U.S. |
claim |
to say (take a firm position) |
She claimed she was not transporting food or drugs. |
announce |
to say publicly |
She announced she was getting married. |
Also see: Other words for said
Tense Agreement
Contrasting Same-time and Earlier Events
| SAME –TIME EVENT | EARLIER EVENT |
|---|---|
She said she saw me (while she was talking on her phones.) |
She said she had seen me (earlier that day.) |
He announced he was resigning as CEO of the company.. |
Heannouncedhe had resigned as CEO of the company.. |
They declared they were Canadian citizens. |
They declared they had been Canadian citizens. (Use simple past for general truths.) |
I claimed I was the winner (at the event.) |
I claimed I had been the winner (at an earlier event.) |
Practice
On the Road
- Change the direct quote to Statements.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.
Index Grammar-Quizzes | Previous Command Clause | Next That/What Phrases
Related practice: Infinitive-Subjunctive : order, command, want, expect | Other words that mean "said"