Indirect speech

Question

He said,"I was working". It's indirect statement could be 'he said that he was working' and 'he said that he had been working'. Could you please tell us when to use the first one and when to use the second one by giving the context. Thanks a lot.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

They are nearly interchangeable. Here is a hypothetical conversation:

Yesterday's conversation:
Joe: Hey, Bill, I missed you at our regular poker game last night. What happened to you?
Bill: My boss gave me a tighter deadline to meet. I was working all night.

Today's conversation:
Jim: Hey, Joe, what happened to Bill? He wasn't at the poker game.
Joe: I talked to Bill yesterday. He said he was working to meet a deadline. I don't think he has finished, either. (Joe thinks that Bill is still working on this job.)

Joe: I talked to Bill yesterday. He said he had been working to meet a deadline. He finished the job today, so I expect him to come next time. (Joe thinks that Bill is no longer working on this job.)

Tenjing · Answer

Wonderful examples!

Indirect speech

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