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Reported Speech Exercises and Answers

The document provides examples of reported speech exercises including changing direct speech to indirect speech, correcting sentences with reported speech errors, and completing sentences with the appropriate reported speech. The exercises are intended to practice converting direct speech to indirect speech and using proper reported speech structure and conventions.

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Anh Nguyễn Hoàng Tuấn
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9K views6 pages

Reported Speech Exercises and Answers

The document provides examples of reported speech exercises including changing direct speech to indirect speech, correcting sentences with reported speech errors, and completing sentences with the appropriate reported speech. The exercises are intended to practice converting direct speech to indirect speech and using proper reported speech structure and conventions.

Uploaded by

Anh Nguyễn Hoàng Tuấn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Reported Speech Exercises
  • Completion Exercises
  • Sentence Correction Exercises

REPORTED SPEECH EXERCISES

1. Change the direct speech into indirect speech.

1) ‘He works in a bank,’ she said.

____________________________________________________________________________

2) ‘We went out last night,’ they said.


___________________________________________________________________________

3) I said, ‘I'm going to school!’


___________________________________________________________________________

4) John said: ‘I was waiting for the bus when he arrived.’


___________________________________________________________________________

5) ’I'd never been here before,’ Linda said.


___________________________________________________________________________

6) ‘I didn't go to the party last Tuesday,’ I said.


___________________________________________________________________________

7) Helen said: ‘Lucy will come later.’


___________________________________________________________________________

8) Mom said: ‘He hasn't eaten breakfast.’


___________________________________________________________________________

9) ‘I can help you tomorrow,’ Tom said.


___________________________________________________________________________

10) ‘You should go to bed early,’ my teacher said.


___________________________________________________________________________

11) ‘I don't like chocolate,’ she said


___________________________________________________________________________
12) Mary said: ‘I won't see you tomorrow.’
___________________________________________________________________________

13) ‘Sarah is living in Paris,’ I said.


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14) ‘I visited my parents at the weekend,’ I said.


___________________________________________________________________________

15) Her friend said: ‘She hasn't eaten sushi before.’


___________________________________________________________________________

16) ‘I hadn't traveled by underground before I came to London,’ Harry said.


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17) I said, ‘They would help if they could.’


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18) ‘I'll do the washing-up later,’ my brother said.


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19) ‘He can swim very quickly,’ the coach said.


___________________________________________________________________________

20) Nick said: ‘I was sleeping when Julie called.’


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21) 'Where will you stay?' I asked her.


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22) 'Have you eaten ALL the cake?' She asked me.
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23) 'How often do you use public transport?' She wanted to know.
___________________________________________________________________________

24) 'Did you see the parade?' She asked us.


___________________________________________________________________________

25) 'When did you last speak?' I asked her.


___________________________________________________________________________

26) 'What were you doing at the time?' She asked me.
___________________________________________________________________________

27) 'Can she walk yet?' I wondered.


___________________________________________________________________________

28) 'I feel ill.' Sandra said.

___________________________________________________________________________

29) 'I'm going into town.' Mark said.

___________________________________________________________________________

30) 'I studied music for five years.' Alex said.

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31) 'I've been to Shanghai.' She said,

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32) 'I can help you tonight,' Will said.

___________________________________________________________________________

33) 'It will rain on Tuesday.' The weather forecast said

___________________________________________________________________________

34) 'What’s your name?' The police officer asked me

___________________________________________________________________________

35) 'Are you sick?' The teacher asked Amy.

___________________________________________________________________________
2. Correct these sentences by writing the mistakes on the line below.

1. He said her that he loved her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. She said she knows the answer.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. Ryan said had bought the tickets.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

4. She told me don't speak in the library.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5. Sara asked if had he finished.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

6. She asked me where was my sister.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

7. They asked me come back later.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

8. She asked did I spoke French.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. Complete these sentences

1. The hotel guest said, "I don't like coffee".

The hotel guest said that he/she ____________________________________________ coffee .

2. The commander ordered , "Run faster" !

The commander ordered the soldiers______________________________________________ .

3. Dad asked: "When is the next bus going to arrive?".

Dad wanted to know __________________________________________________________ .


4. The female tourist asked us, "Can you tell me the way ?"

The female tourist asked us ____________________________________________________ .

5. The newspaper reported, "There will be a change in government next week."

The newspaper reported that ___________________________________________________.

6. Linda told us, "I have been working here for the past three years.

Linda told us that __________________________________________ for the past three years.

7. The boy said, "I'll be back by 11."

The boy said that ________________________________________________________ by 11.

8. The teacher told Mrs Smith, "Your son is improving".

The teacher told Mrs Smith that __________________________________________________.

9. Susan asked me , " Did you take my pen?"

Susan asked __________________________________________________________ her pen .

10. The coach said, " If it rains tomorrow the game will be called off".

The coach said that ____________________________________________________________

11. I explained, "The game won't be so easy".

I explained that the game ________________________________________________ so easy.

12. She said, "I can see the Eiffel Tower from here":

She said that _________________________________________________________________

13. He asked me, "Did you see John yesterday?"

He asked me ____________________________ John________________________________.

14. Dad said, "Don't drive so fast !"

Dad advised me ________________________________________________________ so fast.

15. My friend said, "I will have to go to London next week."

My friend said that he/she ______________________________________________ to London.


16. The doctor warned her, "Don't smoke any more cigarettes!"

The doctor warned her _________________________________________ any more cigarettes.

17. The boy asked, "Can we go out if the rain stops?"

The boy wanted to know ________________________ out if the rain____________________ .

18. She asked us, "Who do you visit on Sundays?"

She wanted to know _________________________________________________ on Sundays.

19. Ann asked Jim, "Please close the door."

Ann asked Jim ________________________________________________________ the door.

20. Jack told us, "I have been enjoying my new job ".

Jack told us that he _____________________________________________________new job.

Common questions

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Reported speech is crucial in narrative constructs by enabling seamless integration of characters' thoughts, dialogues, and actions without the need for continuous direct quotes. It allows storytellers to maintain narrative flow and elevate introspective and descriptive storytelling elements, while efficiently informing the audience of past dialogues or events. This technique enriches narratives with depth and perspective, ultimately creating immersive experiences by juxtaposing different voices and consolidating them into a cohesive narrative using third-person or past perspectives .

Teaching reported speech is challenging due to the complexity of grammatical transformations required, such as tense shifting, pronoun adjustments, and proper verb usage, all of which may seem abstract to learners. However, mastering these aspects enhances language fluidity and comprehension, particularly in understanding narratives and complex dialogues. Exposure to sophisticated linguistic structures through reported speech educates students on nuance, politeness, and indirect communication styles, beneficial for advanced language proficiency .

Modal verbs undergo tense adjustments during conversion from direct to indirect speech. For instance, 'can' is often backshifted to 'could,' 'will' to 'would,' and 'shall' to 'should.' This change maintains tense consistency in reported speech, yet the original permission, ability, or possibility remains intact, as in 'He said, "I can help you"' becoming 'He said that he could help me.' These shifts can also affect the sentence's urgency or implications depending on the modals used .

In reported speech, backshifting involves changing future actions from 'will' to 'would,' as in 'She said, "I will see you tomorrow"' becoming 'She said that she would see me the next day.' This reflects past reporting while still indicating future intent relative to the original statement's context. Other transformations may include 'can' to 'could' and 'shall' to 'should,' maintaining the intended meaning within a past framework .

Common mistakes include incorrect verb tense backshifting, such as failing to change 'said she knows' to 'said she knew.' Misordering words, like 'where was my sister,' should be 'where my sister was.' Omitting or misplacing pronouns and conjunctions also occur, such as 'she told me don't speak' corrected to 'she told me not to speak' . Ensuring these corrections are aligned with grammatical rules for reported speech is crucial for accuracy .

Indirect questions in reported speech do not maintain the original question structure and lose the question mark. They become statements with altered word order, such as changing 'Where do you live?' to 'She asked where I lived.' The inversion typical to questions is replaced with standard subject-verb-object order, and interrogative pronouns like 'who,' 'where,' 'why,' and auxiliary verbs such as 'do' are often omitted unless essential for comprehension .

Reported speech for past actions usually involves changing the tense of the verbs. For example, 'He said, "I worked at a bank"' becomes 'He said that he had worked at a bank.' The simple past tense 'worked' is transformed into the past perfect 'had worked' . Similarly, pronouns and time expressions often need to adapt to the context of the reported speech, such as 'at a bank' might remain the same, but 'yesterday' could change to 'the previous day' depending on the reporting time frame .

Indirect speech often requires pronoun changes to match the new subject-object perspective. For instance, 'I said, "I'm going to school"' becomes 'I said that I was going to school,' where 'I'm' turns into 'I was,' reflecting the change from direct to indirect speech context. It also transforms personal pronouns based on the speaker, listener, and third persons' perspectives, such as changing 'you' to 'he/she' if referring to another individual outside the reporting speech .

Context significantly affects transforming direct questions into indirect questions, requiring adjustments for relativity in timing, speaker focus, and clarity. For instance, 'Where will you go?' when reported, considers the context of asking time and speaker identity, possibly reshaping into 'He asked where she would go.' Ensuring that the interrogative pronoun still appropriately matches its referenced subject and verb within the new context is critical for logical coherence. The context-driven adjustments ground indirect questions in their new scenarios, accurately reflecting the intended inquiry .

The choice of reporting verb in reported speech can alter the meaning and nuance of the original statement. For example, using 'said' versus 'told' can change the required grammatical structure; 'said' does not require an object while 'told' does, as in 'She told me she was tired' requires 'me,' whereas 'She said she was tired' does not. Additionally, using verbs like 'claimed,' 'argued,' or 'suggested' can impart additional nuance or skepticism about the statement's truth or authority .

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