welcome to english language online seven rules for CORRECT ENGLISH
Rule 7 CORRECT ENGLISH
Rule-1
Remove the Quotation Mark and comma
Omit THAT when:
• Question
• Exclamations
• Imperative
He said, “I am not well”.
He said that he was not well.
Rule-2
If reporting verbs in the past Tense, the verb in the Reported speech is changed into the corresponding past Tense.
I said,”I drink the milk daily”
I said that I drank milk daily.
• Shall change into Should or Would
• Will into Would
• Can into Could
• May into Might
I said ,”I shall go there”
I said that I should go there.
Rule-3
If reporting verbs in the present or future Tense, the verb in the Reported speech is remain same.
I say ”Hamid is right”
I say that Hamid is right.
He will say, “They have not seen the place”
He will say that they have not seen the place”
Rule-4
If reported speech states UNIVERSILLY TRUTH, PERMENETLY TRUE, the verb in the Reported speech is remain same.
He said, ”Honesty is the best policy”
He said that honesty is the best policy.
I said, “The moon moves around the world”
I said that the moon moves around the world.
Rule-5
Pronoun of the 1st Person in the reported speech is changed into a pronoun of the same person, gender, number.
Amin said, ”I am happy”
Amin said that he was happy.
You said,” I can not run”
You said that you could not run.
He said to me, ”You are lazy”
He said to me that I was lazy.
Rule-6
Thus we change:
This into That
Tomorrow into the next day
These into Those
yesterday into the day before
Here into There
last night into the night before
Come into Go
tonight into that night
Hence into Thence henceforth into thenceforth
Ago into before
Now into then
Today into that day
Rule-7
The question is introduced by some verb like ‘ask’, ’demand’, ‘inquire’ instead of tell or say.
