Time and Place Change in Narration
What You Will Learn
In this lesson, you will learn:
In the last lessons, you learned:
Pronoun change
Tense change
Special cases
Now we will learn another important part of narration.
Sometimes, words like:
now
today
here
tomorrow
also change when we convert direct speech into indirect speech.
This is called time and place change.
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Why Time and Place Words Change
Look at this sentence:
He said, “I will come today.”
Now imagine he said this yesterday.
If you report it today, “today” is no longer correct.
So we change it:
He said that he would come that day.
So, we change time and place words to match the new situation.
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Main Idea
When the reporting verb is in the past, time and place words usually change.
Easy idea:
Words showing time and place move according to the situation.
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Common Time Word Changes
now becomes then
today becomes that day
tonight becomes that night
yesterday becomes the previous day
tomorrow becomes the next day
Let us understand with examples.
Example 1
Direct:
He said, “I am busy now.”
Indirect:
He said that he was busy then.
Example 2
Direct:
She said, “I will come today.”
Indirect:
She said that she would come that day.
Example 3
Direct:
Rafi said, “I met him yesterday.”
Indirect:
Rafi said that he had met him the previous day.
Example 4
Direct:
Mina said, “I will go tomorrow.”
Indirect:
Mina said that she would go the next day.
Common Place Word Changes
here becomes there
Example 1
Direct:
He said, “I am here.”
Indirect:
He said that he was there.
Example 2
Direct:
She said, “I live here.”
Indirect:
She said that she lived there.
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One Sentence Step by Step
Sentence:
He said, “I will come today.”
Step 1
Reporting verb is past: said
Step 2
So tense will change:
will → would
Step 3
Change pronoun if needed
Step 4
Change time word:
today → that day
Final answer:
He said that he would come that day.
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Another Step by Step Example
Sentence:
She said, “I am here now.”
Step 1
said → past
Step 2
am → was
Step 3
here → there
now → then
Final answer:
She said that she was there then.
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Important Note
Time and place words change only when needed.
If the meaning does not change, sometimes we can keep the same word.
But in most exam situations, we change them.
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Common Mistakes
Mistake 1
Not changing time words
Wrong:
He said that he would come today.
Correct:
He said that he would come that day.
Mistake 2
Forgetting place change
Wrong:
She said that she was here.
Correct:
She said that she was there.
Mistake 3
Changing words without thinking
Always think about meaning and time.
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Quick Revision
now → then
today → that day
yesterday → the previous day
tomorrow → the next day
here → there
Remember:
Time and place words change according to the situation.
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Practice
A. Change into indirect speech
1. He said, “I am busy now.”
2. She said, “I will come today.”
3. Rafi said, “I met him yesterday.”
4. Mina said, “I will go tomorrow.”
5. He said, “I am here.”
6. She said, “I am working here now.”
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B. Fill in the blanks
1. now usually becomes ______
2. today becomes ______
3. yesterday becomes ______
4. tomorrow becomes ______
5. here becomes ______
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C. Choose the correct answer
1. “today” usually becomes
that day
next day
yesterday
2. “now” usually becomes
then
there
that
3. “here” usually becomes
then
there
that
Answers
A.
1. He said that he was busy then.
2. She said that she would come that day.
3. Rafi said that he had met him the previous day.
4. Mina said that she would go the next day.
5. He said that he was there.
6. She said that she was working there then.
B.
1. then
2. that day
3. the previous day
4. the next day
5. there
C.
1. that day
2. then
3. there
Self Check
Can I change time words correctly
Can I change place words correctly
Can I remember common changes
Can I apply them in sentences
Homework
Write five direct speech sentences using:
now
today
yesterday
tomorrow
here
Then change them into indirect speech.