直接引语变为间接引语时，须在代词人称、时态、状语等方面作一些必要的调整。
I．代词的人称变化可概括为“一主、二宾、三不变”。即引语中第一人称与主句的主语保持一致；引语中第二人称与主句的宾语保持一致；引语中第三人称不作变化。
He said to me，“I had left my book in your room．”→He told me that he had left his book in my room．
She said to me，“Your pronunciation is better than mine．”→She told me that my pronunciation was better than hers．
“The book has been translated into several foreign languages，”he said．→He said that the book had been translated into several foreign languages．
II．主句的谓语动词为过去时态时，间接引语的谓语动词要变为相应的过去时。即一般现在时变为一般过去时；现在进行时变为过去进行时等。但直接引语中有明确的时间状语或表示客观真理（客观事实）时，时态不变。
Kitty said，“I'll call again after supper．”→Kitty said that she would call again after supper．
Joe said，“We've got two first places in the sports meet．”→Joe said they had got two first places in the sports meet．
He asked，“Which star is the biggest？”→He asked which star is the biggest．
III．直接引语变为间接引语时，直接引语的“时间、地点”等状语常要作相应的变化。如：here→there； today→that day； tonight→that night； last night→the night before；yesterday→ the day before；tomorrow→the next／ following day，等等。
“I'll come andsee you again this evening，Tom．”He said．→ He told Tom（that）he would go and see him again that evening．
“John came to China ten years ago，and has been living here ever since，”he said．→He said that John had come to China ten years before and had been living there ever since．
IV．引语的句式变化
1．当直接引语是陈述句时，间接引语的开头常用连词“that”，“that”有时也可以省去。
“Frank，I came to return you the book，” Henry said．→Henry told Frank（that）he had come to return him the book．
2．当直接引语是一般疑问句、选择疑问句或反意疑问句时，间接引语的开头常用连词if或whether。
“Is there anything wrong，Madam？”asked the policeman．→The policeman asked the woman whether／if there was anything wrong．
He asked me，“Do you study English or French？”→He asked me whether／if I studied English or French．
“It's Mary，isn't it？”asked Jane．→Jane asked whether ／if it was Mary or not．
3．当直接引语是特殊疑问句时，间接引语常是由该特殊疑问词所引导的宾语从句。
The boy was wondering，“How does the computer work？”→The boy was wondering how the computer worked．
4．当直接引语是祈使句时，这个请求或者命令常用一个不定式的复合宾语来表示。
He said to me“Please come here again tomorrow．”→He asked me to go there again the next day．
V．引语动词的变化
1．在陈述句中根据意义不同用say，tell，declare，admit，aGREe， promise等。
She said，“I'm honest．”→She said ／declared ／admitted that she was honest．
2．在疑问句中根据意义不同用ask，wonder，demand，require等。
“Will they pardon me？”he asked himself．→He wondered whether they would pardon him．
3．在祈使句中根据意义不同用say，tell，ask，order，advise，invite， suggest等。
“Get everything ready in half an hour，”the teacher said to the students．→ The teacher asked the students to get everything ready in half an hour．
4．在感叹句中根据意义和语气不同用tell，reGREt，wish，agree等。
“Oh！”she cried．“I had not thought of that．”→She reGREtted that she had not thought of that．
