(1) 时态的变化.直接引语变为间接引语时,若主句为过去时态,变为间接引语的宾语从句通常要将时态往后推一个,即：一般现在时变为一般过去时,一般将来时变为过去将来时,现在进行时变为过去进行时,现在完成时变为过去完成时,一般过去时变为过去完成时(若直接引语为过去完成时,变为间接引语时,可以不变),情态动词 can,may 等分别变为 could,might 等.如：“It will rain soon,” he said.→He said that it would rain that night.“She can→He said that it would rain that night.→He said that she could speak French.注：① 若直接引语为客观真理,则变为间接引语时时态不变.如：The teacher said,“The earth turns around the sun.”→The teacher said that the earth turns around the sun.② 有时直接引语有特定的过去时间状语,变为间接引语时时态可不变.如：He said,“My son was born in 1995.”→He said that his son was born in 1995.(2) 时间状语的变化.直接引语变间接引语时,有些时间状语也要相应的改动：
now 现在 then 那时,当时
today 今天 that day 那天
tonight 今晚 that night 那天晚上
this week (month,year) 本周(本月,今年) that week (month,year) 上周(上个月,去年)
yesterday 昨天 the day before 前一天
the day before yesterday 前天 two days before 前两天
last week (month,year) 上周(上个月,去年) the week (month,year) before 前一周(前一个月,前一年)( two days (years) ago 两天(年)前 two days (years) before 两天前
tomorrow 明天 the next day 第二天
next week (month,year) 下周(下个月,明年) the next week (month,year) 第二个星期(月,年)
He said,“She left yesterday.”→He said that she had left the day before.She said,“I’ll tell you tomorrow.”→She said that she would tell me the next day.He said,“It happened two days ago.”→He said that it had happened two days before.注：以上变化有时应视情况而定,若在当时转述,now不必改为then；若在当天转述,today,yesterday,tomorrow等不必改为that day,the day before,the next day等；若在当周转述,this week,last week 不必改为that week,the last week；若在当年转述,this year,last year 不必改为that year,the last year等.(3)
代词的变化.在直接引语变为间接引语时,有些代词也要作相应的变化,如指示代词this和these通常变为that和those.有时人称代词也要根据情况作适当调整.如：
“I like these better than she does,” he said to me.→He told me that he liked those better than she did.注：若场所和地点不发生改变,this和that也可不变.(4) 地点状语的变化.主要涉及的地点状语是here,它在间接引语中通常要变为there：：“I live here now,” he said.→He said that he lived there then.【注】若在当地转述,则here也可不改为there.(5) 动词的变化.直接引语变为间接引语时,有个别动词也可能需要改变,如 come 直接引语变为间接引语时,有个别动词也可能需要改变,如改为 go,bring 改为 take 等：“He will come here today,” she said.→She said that he would go there that day.注：若地点和场所未发生改变,come和bring等也可不变.