Tenses, Modals and Reported Speech: Class 9 Study Guide
Verbs tell us when something happens and how sure or necessary it is. Reported speech tells what someone said.
A tense shows time. The simple tenses are She walks (present), She walked (past) and She will walk (future). The continuous forms show an action in progress, such as She is walking. The perfect forms link times, such as She has walked and She had walked.
Modals such as can, could, may, might, must, should and would show ability, permission, possibility, advice and necessity: You should revise; It may rain.
Reported speech: what changes?
When we report what someone said, the tense usually moves one step back, and pronouns and time words change. Direct: Asha said, 'I am tired.' Reported: Asha said that she was tired.
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| am / is / are | was / were |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| now / today | then / that day |
| here / this | there / that |
Steps to change speech
Remove the quotation marks and add that. Move the tense back. Change the pronouns to match the new speaker. Change time and place words. Questions use if or whether: He asked, 'Are you ready?' becomes He asked if I was ready. Commands use to: 'Sit down,' said the teacher becomes The teacher told us to sit down.
And the person addressed.
One step back.
Time and place.
Read it aloud.
Choosing modals
Can and could show ability, may and might show possibility, and must shows strong necessity. Should gives advice. Would is used for polite requests and for the future in the past.
Worked examples and common mistakes
Example: Ravi said, 'I will call you tomorrow.' becomes Ravi said that he would call me the next day. Example: She asked, 'Where do you live?' becomes She asked where I lived. Common mistakes: keeping the present tense after a past-tense reporting verb, and using question word order in a reported question. Say where I lived, not where did I live.
Check your understanding: model answers
1. Meena said that she could swim. 2. Should. 3. Dad told me to close the door.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Tense shows time.
- Modals show ability, advice, permission and possibility.
- Reported speech moves the tense back.
- Reported questions use normal word order.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Change into reported speech: Meena said, 'I can swim.'
- Which modal gives advice: may or should?
- Report: 'Close the door,' said Dad.