Can in indirect speech

Between or among? Born or borne? Bring , take and fetch Can , could or may? Classic or classical? Come or go? Consider or regard? Consist , comprise or compose? Content or contents? Different from , different to or different than? Do or make? Down , downwards or downward? During or for? Each or every? East or eastern ; north or northern? Economic or economical? Efficient or effective? Elder , eldest or older , oldest?

End or finish? Especially or specially? Except or except for? Expect , hope or wait? Experience or experiment? Fall or fall down? Far or a long way? Farther , farthest or further , furthest? Fast , quick or quickly?

Fell or felt? Female or feminine ; male or masculine? Finally , at last , lastly or in the end? First , firstly or at first? Fit or suit?

Following or the following? For or since? Forget or leave? Full or filled? Fun or funny? Get or go? Grateful or thankful? Hear or listen to? High or tall? Historic or historical? House or home? How is …? If or when? If or whether? Ill or sick? Imply or infer? In the way or on the way? Late or lately? Lay or lie? Lend or borrow? Less or fewer? Look at , see or watch? Low or short? Man , mankind or people?

Maybe or may be? Maybe or perhaps? Nearest or next? Never or not … ever? Nice or sympathetic? No doubt or without doubt? No or not? Nowadays , these days or today? Open or opened? Opportunity or possibility? Opposite or in front of? Other , others , the other or another? Out or out of? Permit or permission? Labels: Direct and indirect speech. No comments:. Newer Post Older Post Home. With indirect speech, the use of that is optional. The situation changes if instead of the common said another part of the very to say is used.

In that case the verb tenses usually remain the same. Some examples of this situation are given below. Another situation is the one in which modal constructions are used.

Direct and indirect speech can be a source of confusion for English learners. Let's first define the terms, then look at how to talk about what someone said, and how to convert speech from direct to indirect or vice-versa. Direct speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken.

When we use direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between quotation marks " " and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being said NOW for example a telephone conversation , or telling someone later about a previous conversation.

Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken.