Pronouns (I, me) and possessive adjectives (my, your) often change in reported speech.
Example:
- Sue said, ‘I’m on holiday with my friend’. (direct speech)
- Sue said (that) she was on holiday with her friend. (reported speech)
NOTE: When we talk about Sue, we say she, not I, and when we talk about Sue’s friend, we say her friend, not my friend.
2) ADVERBS
People use ADVERBS like here, now today to talk about the place where they are speaking and the time they are speaking. If we report these words in a different place or at a different time, they often change.
| Speaker’s words | Reported speech |
| here this now today tonight tomorrow yesterday next Monday last Monday next week last week | there that then that day that night the next day/the following day the day before/the previous day the following Monday the previous Monday the following week the previous week |
Example:
- I’m here on holiday. (speaker’s word)
- She said she was there on holiday. (reported speech)
- I’ll see you tomorrow. (speaker’s word)
- He said he would see me the next day. (reported speech)
NOTE: The way these ADVERBS change depends on the situation.
Example: If someone was speaking yesterday and he said, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ We could now say he said (that) he would see me today.
