Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyDirect and Indirect (Reported) Speech

Complete the reported speech sentence by supplying the appropriate words for the blanks.

Answer:Direct Speech: "I will submit the assignment tomorrow," said Kemi.
Reported Speech: Kemi said that she 【would】 submit the assignment the 【following】 day.

Answer

blank_1: would; blank_2: following (or next)
When changing direct speech to indirect speech with a past reporting verb ('said'), modal verbs shift to their past form ('will' to 'would') and time adverbs shift accordingly ('tomorrow' to 'the following day' or 'the next day').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Backshift the modal auxiliary verb from direct to indirect speech.
The modal verb 'will' changes to 'would' because the reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense.
When converting direct speech into reported speech with a past-tense reporting verb, future modal auxiliaries backshift.
2
Convert the time adverbial to match reported context.
'tomorrow' becomes 'the following day' or 'the next day'.
Time expressions referring to the future shift relative to the point of reporting.

Key Concept

Backshifting modal verbs and shifting time adverbs in reported speech
Rate this question

Topics

Direct and Indirect (Reported) Speech

More questions from this topic