Learn · Sentences Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
They said that they had been planning the trip for months.
B2Sentence
Narrator
They said that they had been planning the trip for months.
Study notes
How to use in different contexts
Reporting News
News sources reported that the group had been planning their trip for months.
Sharing Information
I learned that they'd been planning this trip for months.
Expressing Surprise
They said they'd been planning the trip for months! I had no idea.
Adding Detail to a Story
The meticulous preparation was evident; they said they had been planning the trip for months.
Rephrased versions
Formal
They stated that they had been in the process of planning the trip for a period of several months.
Casual
They said they'd been planning the trip for ages.
Simpler English
They said they planned the trip a long time ago.
Phrases to learn
planning the trip
Making arrangements and preparations for a journey.
for months
Over a period of several months.