Shifting Person: Pronouns in Reported Speech Quiz

Pronouns must be changed so the reader can tell who the words belong to.

Each pronoun in the new sentence must clearly refer to the right person or group.

My belongs to she, so it changes to her in indirect speech.

My is first person, so in indirect speech it usually becomes a third-person possessive like his or her.

Pronouns must fit the point of view of the person reporting the speech.

We becomes they and our becomes their when another person reports what the fans said.

Here the speaker is still you in both sentences, so the pronoun you stays the same in indirect speech.

A, D, and E correctly change I to she and keep the object project clear.

In A, we becomes they for the students, and you becomes him for Jake.

Pronouns often need to change so that the sentence still makes sense from the reporter’s point of view.

In indirect speech, we change pronouns so they fit the new point of view of the person reporting the words.

You all refers to the students, so it changes to they when someone reports what the teacher said.

You in Mom’s words refers to me, so it changes to I in indirect speech.

We in direct speech changes to they in indirect speech when another person reports it.

He replaces I because Jake is the one who forgot his homework.

B wrongly changes I to you, and D wrongly changes we to they when the speakers are reporting themselves.

A, C, and E change I to he or she and keep we as they when the group is being reported.

I should change to he in indirect speech because he was the one who spoke.

I becomes she to match the speaker, and need becomes needed when reported with said.

I in direct speech refers to Maria, so it changes to she, and the tense changes to needed in indirect speech.