English Grammar

Direct and indirect speech: Rules for the change of adverbs

Words showing nearness in direct speech are normally changed into words showing distance in indirect speech. The most common changes are given below.

Now/just changes to then
Come sometimes changes to go
Today changes to that day/the same day
Tomorrow changes to the next day/the following day
Yesterday changes to the day before/the previous day
Next week/month/year changes to the following week/month/year
Last week/month/year changes to the previous week/month/year
Ago changes to before
This sometimes changes to that
Here changes to there

Examples are:

• He said, "I won't answer your question now."
• He said that he wouldn't answer my question then.
• He told her, "I want to leave for Delhi tonight."
• He told her that he wanted to leave for Delhi that night.
• He said, "I will come tomorrow.”
• He said that he would come the next day.
• She said, "I will see you here tomorrow."
• She said that she would see me there the next day.
• "I have an appointment next week," she said.
• She said that she had an appointment the following week.
• "I was on holiday last week," he told us.
• He told us that he had been on holiday the previous week.
• "John called 10 minutes ago," she told me.
• She told me that John had called 10 minutes before.
• "Do you like this shirt?" she asked.
• She asked if I liked that shirt.