В косвенной речи, по сравнению с предложением в прямой речи, происходят следующие лексические замены: now — then, today — that / the same day, tonight — that night, last night — the night before, yesterday — the day before / on the previous day, tomorrow — the next / following day, this week — that week, last week — the week before, next week — the week after, the following week, in two hours — two hours later, in a week — during the week after next, five minutes ago — five minutes before, here — there, this shirt — that shirt, in a few days — a few days later. Например: Phil said, "I will give you the answer in a few days." — Phil promised to give me the answer a few days later.
В косвенной речи, по сравнению с предложениями в прямой речи, меняется форма модальных глаголов следующим образом: will — would, can — could — will be able (future), shall — should, may — might, must — had to. Например: The doctor said, "The pill must be taken with a lot of water." — The doctor said that the pill had to be taken with a lot of water.
Choose the correct alternatives to complete the sentences in reported speech
- Ronald said, "I have been in business since last year."
Ronald said that he [would be|had been] in business since the [previous|past] year. - Dorothy said, "I taught online last week."
Dorothy said that she [had taught|would have taught] online during the [previous|past] week. - Suddenly the teacher said, "Today's lesson has not been my best."
Suddenly the teacher said that the lesson that day [had not been|was not] her best. - Rose said, "I want to eat out tonight."
Rose said that she [wants|wanted] to eat out [previous|that] night. - The boss said, "We are having lunch here in the office."
The boss said that they [would be having|were having] lunch there in the office. - Beckham said, "My retirement will be officially announced today."
Beckham said that his retirement [will be|would be] officially announced [the same day|the following] day. - The company said, "The opening ceremony will take place in a few days."
The company said that the opening ceremony [would take|took] place [a few days later|after few days]. - The ICT engineer said, "I can't fix the problem tomorrow."
The ICT engineer said that he [would not be able to|would not] fix the problem [the next|this] day. - The witness said, "I saw Mary three days ago."
The witness said that he [would see|had seen] Mary three days [after|before]. - The policeman said, "I have found the lost wallet here."
The policeman said that he [has found|had found] the lost wallet there.