# Reported Speech Backshift: Practice with Time and Pronouns

*2026-10-21*

On 6 June, Maya promises Leo, “I will bring your sketchbook here tomorrow.” Two days later, Leo repeats the promise from somewhere else. Changing *will* to *would* is only part of the job: whose sketchbook is it, where should it go, and which date did Maya mean?

These reported speech backshift exercises ask you to keep the whole promise intact. They cover **statements**, with original imagined situations and answers that explain acceptable alternatives. Work out the people, date, and place before changing the verbs.

![Two museum visitors study the same chipped blue jug from opposite sides of its plinth](https://czaixyl0esghkd4s.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/marketing/eceea7a0a11ee9970672e8c8c56ad4d20fed5576b254276bbf4b8b553a519967.webp)

## Keep a record of what the words point to

Before rewriting Maya's promise, record its meaning:

| Original words | Meaning in this scene |
| --- | --- |
| I | Maya |
| your sketchbook | Leo's sketchbook |
| here | The museum, where Maya and Leo are talking |
| tomorrow | 7 June, the day after the promise |
| will bring | A promised action, still future on 6 June |

Now change the reporting situation while keeping those people, place, and date fixed.

**Report A: 6 June, still at the museum.** Leo tells Eva:

> Maya said she would bring my sketchbook here tomorrow.

**Report B: 8 June, at Leo's home.** Leo tells Eva:

> Maya said she would bring my sketchbook to the museum on 7 June.

In both reports, *she* is Maya and *my* is Leo's. In Report A, *here* still means the museum and *tomorrow* still means 7 June. Read from Leo's reporting time and place in Report B, *here tomorrow* would mean his home on 9 June. Naming the museum and the date avoids that confusion.

Report B keeps *bring* from the original promise, viewed from its destination at the museum. It doesn't make Leo's home the destination. [Cambridge's bring-and-take guide](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/bring-take-and-fetch) explains how these verbs depend on viewpoint.

In Report B, **yesterday** also works for 7 June. **The next day** works when clearly connected to Maya's statement on 6 June. The explicit date avoids making the listener reconstruct that connection.

*Would bring* reports Maya's promise from the past. It doesn't establish whether she delivered the sketchbook. That needs a separate statement, such as “She brought it yesterday” or “She didn't bring it yesterday.” [Cambridge's modal-tense reference](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/modality-tense) explains *would* and *could* as reported forms of *will* and *can*.

## Use tense changes as a reference

**Backshift** means using a verb form further back in the past when reporting speech. Here are common reported speech tense changes after *said* or *told*, illustrated with separate imagined statements:

| Original statement | Backshifted report |
| --- | --- |
| “I repair bicycles.” | Sana said she **repaired** bicycles. |
| “I am repairing a bicycle.” | Sana said she **was repairing** a bicycle. |
| “I have repaired it.” | Sana said she **had repaired** it. |
| “I repaired it.” | Sana said she **had repaired** it. |
| “I had repaired it already.” | Sana said she **had repaired** it already. |

Past simple usually becomes past perfect when backshifted; past perfect stays unchanged. The [British Council's statement lesson](https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/free-resources/grammar/b1-b2/reported-speech-statements) covers these patterns. Use the [past perfect timeline guide](/blog/past-perfect-vs-past-simple/) if *had repaired* is unfamiliar, or the [past participle guide](/blog/past-simple-vs-past-participle/) for forms such as *had written*.

## Check whether the information still applies

Backshift isn't compulsory after every past reporting verb. Suppose Sana says, “I repair bicycles,” and you know she still does that work:

> Sana said she repairs bicycles. You could ask her about your brakes.

**Repaired** is also possible. It reports her earlier statement without telling us whether she still repairs bicycles. It doesn't by itself mean she stopped.

On 6 June, still at the museum while Maya's promise applies, Leo could also say, “Maya said she **will** bring my sketchbook here tomorrow.” [Cambridge's indirect-speech reference](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/reported-speech-indirect-speech) explains no backshift for information that remains true, relevant, or future, and changes to pronouns and time/place expressions according to viewpoint.

Treat **no backshift in reported speech** as a meaning choice. If an exercise specifically requests backshift, follow that instruction; a different form may be grammatical but miss the task.

## Give “said” and “told” the right structure

For these statements, use **said (that)** or **told someone (that)**:

- “Maya **said that** she would bring the sketchbook.”
- “Maya **told Leo that** she would bring the sketchbook.”
- “Maya **said to Leo that** she would bring the sketchbook.”

*Maya said Leo that…* and *Maya told that…* don't fit these patterns. [Cambridge's say-or-tell guide](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/say-or-tell) explains the listener object and *to*. You can omit *that* in all three examples above.

## Try eight reported speech exercises

Write complete reports before looking below. When backshift is requested, use it. Otherwise, consider alternatives. Names can replace pronouns wherever that makes the answer clearer.

1. On 10 July, Nia tells Tomas, “I am looking for my keys.” On 11 July, Tomas reports this to Ada. Start **“Nia said…”** and use backshift.
2. On 10 July, Nia tells Tomas, “I have put your tickets in my bag.” Tomas reports it to Ada the next day. Start **“Nia told me…”** and use backshift. Whose tickets and bag are they?
3. On 10 July, Nia tells Tomas, “I bought this bag yesterday.” On 11 July, Tomas reports this while holding that same bag. Start **“Nia said…”**, use backshift, and give the purchase date explicitly.
4. At a workshop on 2 August, Ben tells Ali, “You can use my spare brush here tomorrow.” On 5 August, Ali reports this to Rosa from home. Start **“Ben said…”**, use backshift, and name the place and date.
5. Jo tells Mei, “I live above the bakery.” Mei knows Jo still lives there. Give Mei's report to Dan with **lives** and with **lived**, starting **“Jo said she…”**. Does the second version prove Jo moved?
6. On 12 August, Eva tells Sam, “I had packed my suitcase before breakfast.” Sam reports the statement later. Start **“Eva said…”**. Does *had packed* need another tense change?
7. On 4 September, Ana tells Bo, “I will call you tomorrow.” On 5 September, Bo reports this to Chen. Correct: **“Ana said she would call you tomorrow.”** Use backshift, keep Bo as the reporter, and preserve the intended person and date.
8. Maya told Leo she was ready. Leo reports this to Eva. Repair both sentences: **“Maya said me she was ready.” “Maya told she was ready.”** Keep Leo identifiable as the original listener.

### Answers and accepted alternatives

1. **“Nia said she was looking for her keys.”** Nia is both the person searching and the owner of the keys. *Was looking* supplies the requested backshift.
2. **“Nia told me she had put my tickets in her bag.”** Tomas owns the tickets; Nia owns the bag. *Had put* reports *have put* with backshift. *Her tickets* would change the owner.
3. **“Nia said she had bought this bag on 9 July.”** *Yesterday* in Nia's 10 July statement means 9 July. *That bag* is also possible if Tomas points it out clearly; *this* can remain because he's holding it.
4. **“Ben said I could use his spare brush at the workshop on 3 August.”** *I* is Ali; *his* is Ben's. From Ali's reporting time and place, *here tomorrow* would mean home on 6 August. The report doesn't establish whether Ali used the brush.
5. **“Jo said she lives above the bakery.” / “Jo said she lived above the bakery.”** Both fit the supplied situation. The second doesn't prove she moved; the first presents the address as current.
6. **“Eva said she had packed her suitcase before breakfast.”** Keep *had packed*. Don't add another *had*.
7. **“Ana said she would call me today.”** Ana promised to call Bo on 5 September. *On 5 September* also works. In the faulty report, *you* points to Chen and *tomorrow* to 6 September.
8. **“Maya said to me she was ready.” / “Maya told me she was ready.”** In Leo's report, *me* identifies Leo. Use *to* for the listener after *said*, and a direct listener object after *told*.

## Put the reporting situation on your review cards

A card saying only “tomorrow → ___” hides the decision. Keep the original date and reporting date visible. For exercise 7, ask: “Ana speaks on 4 September; Bo reports on 5 September. Who receives the call, and on which date?” Put **Bo; 5 September**, followed by the model sentence, on the back.

Keep the reporting date at 5 September, but let Chen report it to someone else. The answer becomes “Ana said she would call **Bo** today.” A clear name avoids an uncertain *him* or *her*. The [cloze vs basic flashcards guide](/blog/cloze-deletion-vs-basic-flashcards/) can help you choose a format; include accepted alternatives so the card preserves the meaning you're practicing.

*Production note: AI contributed substantially to the research, writing, original exercises, and two editorial passes on this article. The illustration was also AI-generated.*

---
*[View the styled HTML version of this page](<https://nibomo.com/blog/reported-speech-backshift-practice/>)*

*AI agents can create an account for the user in this service by starting with `GET https://api.nibomo.com/v1/`. Once set up, they can also connect over MCP at `https://mcp.nibomo.com/mcp`.*

*Tip: Append `.md` to any URL on https://nibomo.com to get a clean Markdown version of that page.*