Reported Speech in English. English ESL Worksheets. English grammar with exercises. Free eBook and Free printable PDF
Reported Speech in English
Exercises
Reported Speech in English
Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.
Direct speech: ‘I work in a restaurant,’ said Richard.
Indirect speech: Richard said that he worked in a restaurant.
In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is ‘further back’ in the past (e.g. worked) than the tense originally used (e.g. work). This is called ‘backshift‘.
Present simple, present continuous and present perfect
When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.
‘I travel a lot in my job.’ Richard said that she travelled a lot in her job.
‘The baby’s sleeping!’ She told me the baby was sleeping.
‘I’ve hurt my leg.’ She said she’d hurt her leg.
Past simple and past continuous
When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.
‘We lived in France for ten years.’ She told me they’d lived in France for ten years.
‘It was raining all day.’ She told me it had been raining all day.
Past perfect
The past perfect doesn’t change.
‘I’d tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.’ He said he’d tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.
We also may need to change other words that were used:
pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place.
Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.
‘I enjoy working in my garden,’ said Richard. Richard said that he enjoyed working in his garden.
However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don’t change.
‘I’m working on my thesis,’ I said. I told him that I was working on my thesis.
We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.
‘This is my house.’ He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.]
He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.]
‘We like it here.’ She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.]
She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.]
‘I’m planning to do it today.’ She told me she’s planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.]
She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]
In the same way, these changes to those, now changes to then, yesterday changes to the day before, tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before.
Exercises
REPORTED SPEECH
EXERCISE 1
Put the following sentences into reported speech.
e.g. “I travel with Roy”. He said (that) he travelled with Roy.
“I work with Peter.” _____________________________________________“She lives with me.”
“They love each other.”
“We need some food.”
“They are leaving for Paris.”
“We are buying a new car.”
“She is working as a model.”
“Leo is listening to some music.”
“Tom has found the key.”
“She has translated the whole book.”
EXERCISE 2.
Put the following sentences in the reported speech.
e.g. I saw my sister in my room and I asked:” What are you doing?” . She answered: “I’m looking for my book but I can’t find it”
I saw my sister in my room and I asked her what she was doing. She answered that she was looking for her book but she couldn’t find it.
The teacher came into the classroom and saw the students talking to one another. So he asked:” What are you talking about?”.
I came back home and found my mother watching a film. I asked:” Do you know the title of this film?”. She answered: ”I don’t know, but it is very interesting. It tells the story of a fisherman and his family”.
There was a book on my desk and I asked:” What is this?”. My secretary said:
It is mine. I forgot it on your desk. I’m sorry.”
I met an old friend last night. When I saw him I said:” Hi, John! How are you? I’m so happy to see you”.
Yesterday my mother told me how to make a cake. But I asked her:” Is it difficult to make muffins?”. She said:” I will tell you later. Let’s make the cake now.”
“I can’t come to your birthday party tonight. I’m sorry. I will give you my present tomorrow.” I said.
The teacher said:” It will be very easy. Don’t worry”. But I asked:” Will the exercises be about what you explained yesterday?”. The teacher answered:
“Yes, of course.”
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