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Indirect speech - Exercise 1

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Reported Speech Quiz

In this reported speech quiz you get to practice online turning direct speech into indirect speech.

Remember that to turn direct speech to reported speech you need to use backshifting with the tenses. So for example, the present simple turns to the past simple and the past simple turns to the past perfect. Pronouns can also change.

It can be difficult if you are new to it, so if you are unsure of how to do it, before taking the quiz check out the reported speech tense conversion rules . 

• John said, "I want to see a film".
• Tina said, "I am tired".
• He said, "Tom hit me very hard".
• I said, "I feel happy".
• She said, "We are learning English".
• Sandra said, "I liked him a lot".
• He said, "We all eat meat".
• Max said, "I will help".
• Gene said, "I must leave early".
• She said, "I had tried everything".

More on Reported Speech:

Reported Speech Tenses Chart: How to convert tenses

Reported speech tenses may differ from the tense of the direct speech. The general rule for tenses in reported speech is that it changes to the past tense. This is called backshifting.

Direct and Indirect Speech: The differences explained

Direct and indirect speech are different because in direct speech the exact words said are spoken, but in indirect or reported speech, we are reporting what was said, usually using the past tense.

Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech

In these examples of direct and indirect speech you are given a sentence in direct speech which is then connected to indirect speech.

Reported Speech Imperatives: Reporting commands in indirect speech

Reported speech imperatives, also known as reported commands, follow a slightly different structure to normal indirect speech. We use imperatives to give orders, advice, or make requests.

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Reported Speech Quiz

You can do this grammar quiz online or print it on paper. It tests what you learned on the Reported Speech pages.

1. Which is a reporting verb?

2. He said that it was cold outside. Which word is optional?

3. "I bought a car last week." Last week he said he had bought a car

4. "Where is it?" said Mary. She

5. Which of these is usually required with reported YES/NO questions?

6. Ram asked me where I worked. His original words were

7. "Don't yell!" is a

8. "Please wipe your feet." I asked them to wipe

9. She always asks me not to burn the cookies. She always says

10. Which structure is not used for reported orders?

Your score is:

Correct answers:

Reported speech - 1

Reported speech - 2

Reported speech - 3

Worksheets - handouts

Indirect speech

Quiz - reported speech.

Tries :     Score:

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Reported speech: indirect speech

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words. In indirect speech , the structure of the reported clause depends on whether the speaker is reporting a statement, a question or a command.

Indirect speech: reporting statements

Indirect reports of statements consist of a reporting clause and a that -clause. We often omit that , especially in informal situations:

The pilot commented that the weather had been extremely bad as the plane came in to land. (The pilot’s words were: ‘The weather was extremely bad as the plane came in to land.’ )

I told my wife I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday. ( that -clause without that ) (or I told my wife that I didn’t want a party on my 50th birthday .)

Indirect speech: reporting questions

Reporting yes-no questions and alternative questions.

Indirect reports of yes-no questions and questions with or consist of a reporting clause and a reported clause introduced by if or whether . If is more common than whether . The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She asked if [S] [V] I was Scottish. (original yes-no question: ‘Are you Scottish?’ )

The waiter asked whether [S] we [V] wanted a table near the window. (original yes-no question: ‘Do you want a table near the window? )

He asked me if [S] [V] I had come by train or by bus. (original alternative question: ‘Did you come by train or by bus?’ )

Questions: yes-no questions ( Are you feeling cold? )

Reporting wh -questions

Indirect reports of wh -questions consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a wh -word ( who, what, when, where, why, how ). We don’t use a question mark:

He asked me what I wanted.

Not: He asked me what I wanted?

The reported clause is in statement form (subject + verb), not question form:

She wanted to know who [S] we [V] had invited to the party.

Not: … who had we invited …

Who , whom and what

In indirect questions with who, whom and what , the wh- word may be the subject or the object of the reported clause:

I asked them who came to meet them at the airport. ( who is the subject of came ; original question: ‘Who came to meet you at the airport?’ )

He wondered what the repairs would cost. ( what is the object of cost ; original question: ‘What will the repairs cost?’ )

She asked us what [S] we [V] were doing . (original question: ‘What are you doing?’ )

Not: She asked us what were we doing?

When , where , why and how

We also use statement word order (subject + verb) with when , where, why and how :

I asked her when [S] it [V] had happened (original question: ‘When did it happen?’ ).

Not: I asked her when had it happened?

I asked her where [S] the bus station [V] was . (original question: ‘Where is the bus station?’ )

Not: I asked her where was the bus station?

The teacher asked them how [S] they [V] wanted to do the activity . (original question: ‘How do you want to do the activity?’ )

Not: The teacher asked them how did they want to do the activity?

Questions: wh- questions

Indirect speech: reporting commands

Indirect reports of commands consist of a reporting clause, and a reported clause beginning with a to -infinitive:

The General ordered the troops to advance . (original command: ‘Advance!’ )

The chairperson told him to sit down and to stop interrupting . (original command: ‘Sit down and stop interrupting!’ )

We also use a to -infinitive clause in indirect reports with other verbs that mean wanting or getting people to do something, for example, advise, encourage, warn :

They advised me to wait till the following day. (original statement: ‘You should wait till the following day.’ )

The guard warned us not to enter the area. (original statement: ‘You must not enter the area.’ )

Verbs followed by a to -infinitive

Indirect speech: present simple reporting verb

We can use the reporting verb in the present simple in indirect speech if the original words are still true or relevant at the time of reporting, or if the report is of something someone often says or repeats:

Sheila says they’re closing the motorway tomorrow for repairs.

Henry tells me he’s thinking of getting married next year.

Rupert says dogs shouldn’t be allowed on the beach. (Rupert probably often repeats this statement.)

Newspaper headlines

We often use the present simple in newspaper headlines. It makes the reported speech more dramatic:

JUDGE TELLS REPORTER TO LEAVE COURTROOM

PRIME MINISTER SAYS FAMILIES ARE TOP PRIORITY IN TAX REFORM

Present simple ( I work )

Reported speech

Reported speech: direct speech

Indirect speech: past continuous reporting verb

In indirect speech, we can use the past continuous form of the reporting verb (usually say or tell ). This happens mostly in conversation, when the speaker wants to focus on the content of the report, usually because it is interesting news or important information, or because it is a new topic in the conversation:

Rory was telling me the big cinema in James Street is going to close down. Is that true?

Alex was saying that book sales have gone up a lot this year thanks to the Internet.

‘Backshift’ refers to the changes we make to the original verbs in indirect speech because time has passed between the moment of speaking and the time of the report.

In these examples, the present ( am ) has become the past ( was ), the future ( will ) has become the future-in-the-past ( would ) and the past ( happened ) has become the past perfect ( had happened ). The tenses have ‘shifted’ or ‘moved back’ in time.

The past perfect does not shift back; it stays the same:

Modal verbs

Some, but not all, modal verbs ‘shift back’ in time and change in indirect speech.

We can use a perfect form with have + - ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past:

He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ )

He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’ )

Used to and ought to do not change in indirect speech:

She said she used to live in Oxford. (original statement: ‘I used to live in Oxford.’ )

The guard warned us that we ought to leave immediately. (original statement: ‘You ought to leave immediately.’ )

No backshift

We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:

He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)

She said she ’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)

He said he ’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)

She promised she ’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)

Indirect speech: changes to pronouns

Changes to personal pronouns in indirect reports depend on whether the person reporting the speech and the person(s) who said the original words are the same or different.

Indirect speech: changes to adverbs and demonstratives

We often change demonstratives ( this, that ) and adverbs of time and place ( now, here, today , etc.) because indirect speech happens at a later time than the original speech, and perhaps in a different place.

Typical changes to demonstratives, adverbs and adverbial expressions

Indirect speech: typical errors.

The word order in indirect reports of wh- questions is the same as statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order:

She always asks me where [S] [V] I am going .

Not: She always asks me where am I going .

We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh- questions:

I asked him what he was doing.

Not: I asked him what he was doing?

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Reported Speech Exercise 1

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Here's an exercise about reported statements.

• Review reported statements here
• Download this quiz in PDF here
• More reported speech exercises here

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Home » English Grammar Tests » Indirect Speech MCQ Test With Answers + PDF Exercise 1

Indirect Speech MCQ Test With Answers + PDF Exercise 1

Indirect speech test 1.

The teacher promised ___ .

Bill: “Have you seen any interesting comedy lately, Nancy?” Bill asked Nancy ___ .

Nick: “Did you see a bird in the tree?” Nick wonders ___ in the tree.

Dick to Lucy: Have you received my telegram? Dick asked if ___.

Ann: Write down my address. Ann asked me ___ .

He said, “I’m very busy today.” He said ___ .

Lena said, “Where have you been yesterday?” Lena asked ___ .

He thought: “What am I going to do?” He thought ___ .

Mother asked me ___ .

“Don’t play in the street!”

Ann: “Is your sister good at English?” Ann asked me ___ .

Tom: “Don’t forget to bring my book, Ann”. Tom asked Ann: ___ .

Mother: “We are going to have supper”. Mother says ___ .

Jack said: “I was at home yesterday.” Jack said ___ .

“Do you go in for sports?”, he asked. He asked ___ .

“Will Tom help me?” she said. She asked ___ .

Peter said, “Alice, are you busy now?” Peter asked Alice ___ .

My sister said: “I hope we shall go on an excursion to the lake”. My sister said that ___ on an excursion to the lake”.

Jim and Julia have been in the restaurant for an hour and they have not been served yet. Julia is angry. “You said ___ a good place’’

“Did you work at a factory 3 years ago?” she asked her friend. She asked her friend if she ___ .

Download PDF version of this test.

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We welcome your comments, questions, corrections, reporting typos and additional information relating to this content.

• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: questions

Do you know how to report a question that somebody asked? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person asked.

direct speech: 'Do you work from home?' he said. indirect speech: He asked me if I worked from home. direct speech: 'Who did you see?' she asked. indirect speech: She asked me who I'd seen. direct speech: 'Could you write that down for me?' she asked. indirect speech: She asked me to write it down.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 2: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

A reported question is when we tell someone what another person asked. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'Do you like working in sales?' he asked. indirect speech: He asked me if I liked working in sales.

In indirect speech, we change the question structure (e.g. Do you like ) to a statement structure (e.g. I like ).

We also often make changes to the tenses and other words in the same way as for reported statements (e.g. have done → had done , today → that day ). You can learn about these changes on the Reported speech 1 – statements page.

Yes / no questions

In yes / no questions, we use if or whether to report the question. If is more common.

'Are you going to the Helsinki conference?' He asked me if I was going to the Helsinki conference. 'Have you finished the project yet?' She asked us whether we'd finished the project yet.

Questions with a question word

In what , where , why , who , when or how questions, we use the question word to report the question.

'What time does the train leave?' He asked me what time the train left. 'Where did he go?' She asked where he went.

Reporting verbs

The most common reporting verb for questions is ask , but we can also use verbs like enquire , want to know or wonder .

'Did you bring your passports?' She wanted to know if they'd brought their passports. 'When could you get this done by?' He wondered when we could get it done by.

Offers, requests and suggestions

If the question is making an offer, request or suggestion, we can use a specific verb pattern instead, for example offer + infinitive, ask + infinitive or suggest + ing.

'Would you like me to help you?' He offered to help me. 'Can you hold this for me, please?' She asked me to hold it. 'Why don't we check with Joel?' She suggested checking with Joel.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 2: 2

Language level

Hello, dear teachers and team!

Could you please help me with the following: 

• She asked me "Does the Earth turn around the Sun?"

  Does it have to be: "She asked me if the Earth TURNED around the Sun" ? 

Do we have to change the question into the past form here as well? 

2. She asked: "Was coffee originally green"?

Is "She asked me if the coffee HAD BEEN originally  green" correct option? Can I leave WAS in an inderect speech here? 

3. Is "She asked me if I knew if the Sun IS a star" or  "She asked me if I knew if the Sun WAS / HAD BEEN a star" (if any)  correct?  

I'm very very grateful for your precious help and thank you very much for your answering this post in advance!!! 

• Log in or register to post comments

Hello howtosay_.

1. She asked me "Does the Earth turn around the Sun?"  Does it have to be: "She asked me if the Earth TURNED around the Sun" ?

No, you can use the present here as well. The verb for this context would be 'go' rather than 'turn':

She asked me if the earth goes around the sun.

She asked me if the earth went around the sun.

Do we have to change the question into the past form here as well? 2. She asked: "Was coffee originally green"? Is "She asked me if the coffee HAD BEEN originally  green" correct option? Can I leave WAS in an inderect speech here?

You can use either 'had been' or 'was' here. The adverb 'originally' removes any ambiguity.

3. Is "She asked me if I knew if the Sun IS a star" or  "She asked me if I knew if the Sun WAS / HAD BEEN a star" (if any)  correct?

You can use 'is' or 'was' here but not 'had been' as that would suggest the sun is not a star any more.

The LearnEnglish Team

She offered me to encourage studying English. She asked us if we could give her a hand.

He said, "I wished she had gone."

How to change this sentence into indirect speech?

Hello bhutuljee,

'He said that he wished she had gone.'

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

He said, "I wish she went."

How to change the above sentence into indirect speech?

Hi bhutuljee,

It would be: "He said that he wished she had gone."

LearnEnglish team

He said , "She wished John would succeed."

This is the third sentence you've asked us to transform in this way. While we try to offer as much help as we can, we are not a service for giving answers to questions which may be from tests or homework so we do limit these kinds of answers. Perhaps having read the information on the page above you can try to transform the sentence yourself and we will tell you if you have done it correctly or not.

Hi, I hope my comment finds you well and fine. 1- reported question of "where did he go?"

Isn't it: She asked where he had gone?

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/reported-…

2- how can I report poilte questions with( can I, May I) For example: She asked me" Can I borrow some money?"

Your reply will be highly appreciated.

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Reported Speech Quiz

Test your understanding of Reported Speech in English with this Reported Speech Quiz. Reported Speech, also known as indirect speech, is used to convey what someone else said without quoting their exact words. It often involves changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions to suit the reporting context. For example, direct speech: “ I am learning English, ” becomes in reported speech: “ She said she was learning English. ” This quiz has 15 questions and each question will ask you to change the direct speech into reported speech. Take The Quiz Below!

Direct: "I am watching a movie." Reported: She said that she __________ a movie.

Direct: "I will go to the store." Reported: He said that he __________ to the store.

Direct: "We have finished our homework." Reported: They said that they __________ their homework.

Direct: "I can play the piano." Reported: She said that she __________ the piano.

Direct: "I am going to watch a movie tonight." Reported: He said that he __________ a movie that night.

Direct: "We are meeting our friends tomorrow." Reported: They said that they __________ their friends the next day.

Direct: "I have been reading a book." Reported: She said that she __________ a book.

Direct: "I ate pizza last night." Reported: He said that he __________ pizza the night before.

Direct: "We will finish the project by tomorrow." Reported: They said that they __________ the project by the next day.

Direct: "I saw him yesterday." Reported: She said that she __________ him the day before.

Direct: "I must leave now." Reported: He said that he __________ right away.

Direct: "We can't come to the party." Reported: They said that they __________ to the party.

Direct: "I did not see him at the event." Reported: She said that she __________ him at the event.

Direct: "I have been feeling unwell." Reported: He said that he __________ unwell.

Direct: "We were planning to visit you." Reported: They said that they __________ to visit you.

Your score is

Restart quiz

Not learned about reported speech yet? Then check out this Reported Speech Guide which includes lots of examples to help you master this important part of English grammar.

Direct and Indirect Speech Quiz Online Test

Challenge yourself with our engaging Direct and Indirect Speech Quiz Online Test. Test your grammar prowess, enhance your reporting skills, and elevate your language abilities today!

Welcome to our dynamic online quiz designed to put your knowledge of direct and indirect speech to the test. Whether you’re a language enthusiast or a student looking to sharpen your grammar skills, this interactive quiz offers an opportunity to explore the nuances of reporting speech accurately.

Through a series of questions and scenarios, you’ll navigate the world of transforming spoken words into written form, honing your language expertise along the way.

How It Works:

Our online quiz consists of 30 carefully crafted questions that cover various aspects of direct and indirect speech. Read each question and select the most appropriate answer from the provided choices. Once you complete the quiz, you’ll receive immediate feedback on your performance, allowing you to identify areas where you excel and areas where you can further improve.

Quiz: Exploring Direct and Indirect Speech Quiz Online Test

Direct Indirect Speech Quiz

Test your knowledge yourself with our engaging online quiz on direct and indirect speech.

"Mom said, 'Clean your room.'"

Sangeeta said, ‘I went to bed early last night (Fill in the blanks)

Sangeeta said that ___________ to bed early the night before.

We said, ‘Let him tell the story’’ (Fill in the blanks)

"Teacher said, 'Open your textbooks at page 50.'"

"Mary said, 'I love this song.' She told me that she liked the song."

He whispered, 'It's a secret.'"

He said, ‘Good-bye, my friends’ (Choose the Correct option)

Mother said to me, ‘Please tidy the room’ (Fill in the blanks)

Mother __________ me ______ tidy the room.

 ‘Are you weeping?’, he asked her.’ (Fill in the blanks)

He ____________ her _________

He asked, ‘Do I have to do it?’ (Choose the Correct option)

Diya said to Maya, ‘I am going to the park now’ (Fill in the blanks)

Diya __________ Maya______ going to the park then.

He said,  ‘I bought a pen yesterday.’ (Fill in the blanks)

He said __________ he _______ a pen the previous day.

The teacher said to me,’ You must do your homework every day.’ (Fill in the blanks)

The teacher __________ me that _________ must do my homework every day.

He said to me, ‘Happy Christmas’ (Choose the Correct option)

He said to them, ‘How are you?’’ (Choose the Correct option)

He said to me, ‘I shall play football’ (Choose the Correct option)

"Lucy said, 'I will be studying all night.'"

He said, ‘Let us keep quiet in this matter.’ (Fill in the blanks)

He ________ that we ___________ quiet in this matter.

I said to the man, ‘Who are you?’ (Choose the Correct option)

Mum said,” I am angry with you.’ (Fill in the blanks)

Mum said that she ___________ angry with me.

Mother said to me, ‘May God bless you.’ (Fill in the blanks)

Mother ___________ that God __________

"Tom said, 'Are you coming to the party?'"

"John said, 'I will attend the meeting tomorrow.'"

"She exclaimed, 'What a beautiful painting!'"

"David asked, 'Why did you arrive late?'"

‘Where is my umbrella?’, He asked. (Fill in the blanks)

He asked __________________

He said, ‘What is your problem?’ (Fill in the blanks)

He asked ____________________

She said, ‘If I were a bird!’ ( Choose the Correct option)

He said to me, ‘Please Open the door’ (Fill in the blanks)

He ____________ me _________ open the door.

"She said that she will finish the project yesterday."

Your score is

The average score is 62%

Restart quiz

People also ask

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions): Direct and Indirect Speech Quiz Online Test

Q: how does the online quiz work.

A: The online quiz consists of 10 questions related to direct and indirect speech. Select the correct answers and receive immediate feedback on your performance.

Q: Is the quiz suitable for beginners?

A: Yes, the quiz is designed for learners of all levels, from beginners to those seeking to refine their grammar skills.

Q: How long does the quiz take to complete?

A: The quiz can be completed in a short span of time, typically within 10-15 minutes.

Q: Is there a time limit for each question?

A: No, there is no time limit. You can take your time to read and answer each question.

Q: Can I retake the quiz?

A: Absolutely! You can retake the quiz as many times as you’d like to reinforce your understanding of direct and indirect speech.

Conclusion:

Congratulations on completing our interactive direct and indirect speech quiz! By engaging in this online test, you’ve embarked on a journey to refine your language skills and elevate your understanding of reporting speech. Remember, effective communication relies on the accurate use of direct and indirect speech, and your efforts to master this aspect of grammar will undoubtedly enhance your written and spoken expressions.

Related posts:

Reported speech exercises

• English grammar PDF
• PDF worksheets
• Mixed PDF tests
• Irregular verbs
• Modal verbs
• If-conditional
• Passive voice
• Reported speech
• Time clauses
• Relative clauses
• Indirect questions
• Question tags
• Imperative sentence
• Gerund and infinitive
• Direct | indirect object

Rewrite the sentences in the reported speech

Change the tenses, pronouns, expressions of time and place to rewrite the sentences from the direct to reported speech.

Check test Answer key Clear test

Direct and indirect speech Exercises with answers and grammar rules.

Reported speech worksheets PDF exercises with answers.

Reported questions, commands and requests Exercises and grammar rules.

Reported speech - brief summary

In the reported speech we usually change tenses (one tense back), pronouns, time and place.

"I admire you," said Sarah. Sarah said she admired me.

"We came back yesterday," they told me. They told me they had come the day before.

"Peter has put it here," he thought. He thought that Peter had put it there.

"I'm afraid that your parents won't like me," said George. George said he was afraid that my parents wouldn't like him.

How to avoid the shift of tenses:

It is simple to avoid shift of tenses in the reported speech if you use the reporting verb in the present simple tense instead of the past simple tense.

"I admire you," said Sarah. Sarah says she admires me.

"I'm afraid that your parents won't like me," said George. George says that he is afraid that my parents won't like him.

Direct And Indirect Speech Quiz: Test Your Skills

Are you eager to assess your English grammar proficiency in an enjoyable manner? Dive into this Direct and Indirect Speech Quiz to gauge your knowledge of these two forms of reported speech. Reporting speech involves conveying someone else's words, and it can be done in two primary ways: direct and indirect speech. In direct speech, you repeat the speaker's words verbatim. In contrast, indirect speech conveys the speaker's message without using their exact words. This quiz presents an engaging opportunity to test your understanding of these concepts and improve your grammatical skills. By participating in this quiz, you Read more can enhance your grasp of the nuances between direct and indirect speech, which is essential for effective communication and writing. So, are you ready for the challenge? Let's embark on this educational journey and see how well you can navigate the intricacies of reported speech. Best of luck!

Direct And Indirect Speech Questions and Answers

What would the indirect speech be: maria said, "it's my car.".

Maria said that it is my car.

Maria said that it is her car.

Maria said that it was my car.

Maria said that it was her car.

Rate this question:

What would the indirect speech be: Martin said, "I work here every day."?

Martin said that he worked here yesterday.

Martin said that he worked there every day.

Martin said that he works here every day.

Martin said that he worked every day.

What would the indirect speech be: Monica said, "I have finished my homework."?

Monica said that she had finished her homework.

Monica said that she had finished my homework.

Monica said that she has finished her homework.

Monica said that she has finished my homework."

What would the indirect speech be: My daughter said to me, "I can sleep alone."?

My daughter said to me that I can sleep alone.

My daughter told me that she can sleep alone."

My daughter said to me that she could sleep alone.

My daughter told me that she could sleep alone.

What would the indirect speech be: Leo said, "My friend may come tonight."?

Leo said that his friend might come tonight.

Leo said that his friend might come that night.

Leo said that his friend might go that night.

Leo said that his friend might go tonight.

What would the indirect speech be: Jullie said to me, "I have to win this game."?

Jullie told me that she must win this game.

Jullie told me that she had to win that game.

Jullie told me that she had to win this game.

Jullie told me that she must win that game.

What would the indirect speech be: He said, "I am a man."?

He said that he was a man.

He said that he is a man.

He said that I am a man.

He said that I was a man.

What would the indirect speech be: Mary said, "I am coming here."?

Mary said that she was coming there.

Mary said that she is coming there.

Mary insists that she had been coming there.

Mary says that she had come here.

What would the indirect speech be: My brother said, "I went to school yesterday."?

My brother said that he had gone to school today.

My brother said that he had gone to school the day after.

My brother said that he had gone to school the previous day.

My brother said that he had gone to school the next day.

What would the indirect speech be: Mathew said, "I will go to school next year."?

Mathew said that he would go to school the year before.

Mathew said that he would go to school the following year.

Mathew said that he would come to school the year before.

Mathew said that he would come to school the year after.

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Reported Speech Quiz for English Learners

Making the necessary changes in reported speech

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• Tom said he wants to visit his friends that weekend.
• Tom said he wanted to visit his friends that weekend.
• Tom said he wanted to visit his friends this weekend.

 Make sure to change both the pronoun and the time indicator (this to that) in reported speech . 

• Jerry said he was studying English a lot at that moment.
• Jerry said he was studying English a lot at the moment.
• Jerry said I was studying English a lot at that moment.

 Change 'the moment' to 'that moment' in reported speech. 

• They said they have lived there for a long time.
• They said they lived here for a long time.
• They said they had lived there for a long time.

 Move the present perfect tense into the past perfect tense in the reported speech. 

• He asked me if had I finished reading the newspaper.
• He asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
• He asked me if I finished reading the newspaper.

 Change questions from their inverted question structure back to standard sentence structure in the reported speech. 

• Peter said he got up every morning at seven o'clock.
• Peter said I got up every morning at seven o'clock.
• Peter said he had got up every morning at seven o'clock.

Make sure to change pronouns when using reported speech . 

• Susan told me I could come that night.
• Susan told me she could come that night.
• Susan told me she could come tomorrow evening.

 Change 'tonight' to the 'that night' in the reported speech. 

• She told me she really wished she bought that new car.
• She told me she really had wished she had bought that new car.
• She told me she really wished she had bought that new car.

 The past perfect remains the past perfect in reported speech. 

• Jack said he must have been guilty.
• Jack said he must have be guilty.
• Jack said he must has been guilty.

 Use the past modal verb of probability when reporting 'must'. 

• Cheryl asked her how long she has lived there.
• Cheryl asked her how long she lived there.
• Cheryl asked her how long she had lived there.

 Change the present perfect to the past perfect in reported speech . 

• He told me he had to get going. Otherwise, he was going to be late.
• He told me he had to get going. Otherwise, I was going to be late.
• He told me he has to get going. Otherwise, he was going to be late.

 'Had to' can be used as the past of the modal verb 'must'.

• Lenny sang, 'I want to get away, I want to fly away.'
• Lenny sang he wanted to get away, he wanted to fly away.
• Lenny sings he wanted to get away, he wanted to fly away.
• Lenny sang he wanted to get away, he wants to fly away.

 Change the present simple to the past simple as well as pronouns when using reported speech. 

You understand the changes necessary when using reported speech. Well done! Follow up by studying and practicing some more advanced level grammar forms.  

 Good try! You obviously understand reported speech, but are having some difficulty with some of the minor changes necessary. Keep practicing and you will mast reported speech soon. 

 You still need to practice reported speech. Remember that the tense of the original statement moves one step back in reported speech. In other words, the present simple becomes the past simple. Keep working and you'll understand and be able to use the form soon. 

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• How to Teach Reported Speech
• Parallelism in Writing for English Learners
• A Short Guide to Punctuation
• Advanced English Grammar Review Quiz
• How Many Verb Tenses Are There in English?
• Sentence Type Basics for English Learners
• Learn to Order Events for Narrative Writing Assignments
• Past Perfect Worksheets
• Various Future Forms for English Learners
• Rhetorical Questions for English Learners
• Indirect Speech Definition and Examples
• How to Write a Business Report for English Learners

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