Reported Speech Time & Place Exercises

When we report speech at a different time or place from the original, time and place expressions must shift to reflect this distance. Today becomes that day, yesterday becomes the day before (or the previous day), and tomorrow becomes the next day (or the following day). These changes are logical — they show that the reporter is no longer in the same moment as the original speaker.

Place words also change to show spatial distance: here becomes there, this becomes that, and these become those. Other common shifts include: "now" → "then" or "at that moment," "tonight" → "that night," "next week" → "the following week," "last year" → "the previous year" or "the year before," and "ago" → "before" or "earlier." For example: "I saw her two days ago" becomes "He said he had seen her two days before." Mastering these shifts is essential for producing natural-sounding reported speech, and they are frequently tested alongside tense changes in exams.