Reported speech

To report words, use say or tell: he said that he was tired, she told me that she was tired. Tell needs a person after it; say does not.

After a past reporting verb, tenses move back: am becomes was, will becomes would, can becomes could, and the past simple becomes the past perfect: she said she had seen it.

Reported questions use normal word order and no question mark: she asked where I lived, not where did I live. Yes or no questions take if or whether: he asked if I was ready.