Direct and indirect speech: Rules for the change of adverbs

Filed in English Grammar

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.

Get the latest updates

 Subscribe in a reader