When we report someone’s words we can do it in two ways. We can use direct speechwith quotation marks (“I work in a bank”), or we can use reported speech (He said he worked in a bank.)
In reported speech the tenses, word-order and pronouns may be different from those in the original sentence. Present simple and present continuous tenses
Direct speech: “I travel a lot in my job” Reported speech: He said that he travelled a lot in his job.
The present simple tense (I travel) usually changes to the past simple (he travelled) in reported speech.
Direct speech: “Be quiet. The baby’s sleeping.” Reported speech: She told me to be quiet because the baby was sleeping.
The present continuous usually changes to the past continuous.
Conditional sentences are sometimes confusing for learners of English as a second languange. Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. In English, most sentences using the conditional contain the word If. Many conditional forms in English are used in sentences that include verbs in one of the past tense. This usage is refferred to "the unreal past" because we use a past tense but we are not actually referring yo something happened in the past. There are five main ways of constructing conditional sentences in English. In all cases these sentences are made up of an If clause and a main clause. In many negative conditional sentences, there is an equivalent sentence construction using "unless" instead of "If" .
There are three types of conditional sentences.
1. TYPE 1 (FUTURE CONDITIONAL)
The type 1
conditional is used to refer to the present or future where
the situation is real. The type 1 conditional refers to a possible
condition and its probable result. In these sentences the if clause is in the
simple present, and the main clause is in the simple future.
IF CLAUSE ⇒ Simple Present
MAIN CLAUSE ⇒ Simple Future
2. TYPE 2 (PRESENT CONDITIONAL)
The type 2
conditional is used to refer to a time that is now or any time, and
a situation that is unreal. These sentences are not based on fact.
The type 2 conditional is used to refer to a hypothetical condition and its
probable result. In type 2 conditional sentences, the if clause uses the simple
past, and the main clause uses the present conditional.
IF CLAUSE ⇒ Simple Past
MAIN CLAUSE ⇒ Past Future
WISH ⇒ Simple Past
MEANING ⇒ Simple Present (time signal Present : Now, Today, etc.)
3. TYPE 3 (PAST CONDITIONAL)
The type 3
conditional is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a
situation that is contrary to reality. The facts they are based on
are the opposite of what is expressed. The type 3 conditional is used to refer
to an unreal past condition and its probable past result. In type 3 conditional
sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause uses the
perfect conditional.
IF CLAUSE ⇒ Past Perfect
MAIN CLAUSE ⇒ Past Future Perfect
WISH ⇒ Past Perfect
MEANING ⇒ Simple Past (time signal Past : Yesterday, Last week, two days ago, etc.)
In the active voice, the subject and verb relationship is straightforward: the subject is a do-er. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is not a do-er. It is shown with by + do-er or is not shown in the sentence.
Passive voice is used when the action is the focus, not the subject. It is not important (or not known) who does the action.
