E-learning means studying through the internet and digital devices. Key words: online course, platform, download / upload, login, password, video lesson, quiz, forum, file, software. Reported speech retells someone’s words in our own words. When the reporting verb is in the past, the tenses go one step back: Present Simple → Past Simple; Present Continuous → Past Continuous; Past Simple → Past Perfect; Present Perfect → Past Perfect; will → would; can → could; must → had to. “I am watching a lecture,” she said → She said she was watching a lecture. Pronouns change too: I → he/she. The word that is optional. Remember the difference: said that..., told me that...
Worked examples
“I have finished the online course,” Murod said. → Murod said that he had finished the online course.
“We can download the files,” the teacher told us. → The teacher told us that we could download the files.
Class activity
“Pass the message”: one student speaks, a second reports it to a third in reported speech.
Practice
1
Report: “I use this platform every day,” she said.
She said she used that platform every day.
2
Report: “I will upload the video,” he said.
He said he would upload the video.
3
Report: “They have solved the quiz,” Ali said.
Ali said they had solved the quiz.
4
Why does “can” become “could” in reported speech?
Because the reporting verb is in the past, so the modal moves one step back as well.