English Grammar Online Exercises and Downloadable Worksheets

Online exercises.

  • Reported Speech

Levels of Difficulty : Elementary Intermediate Advanced

  • RS012 - Reported Speech Intermediate
  • RS011 - Reported Speech Intermediate
  • RS010 - Reporting Verbs Advanced
  • RS009 - Reporting Verbs Advanced
  • RS008 - Reporting Verbs Advanced
  • RS007 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate
  • RS006 - Reported Speech Intermediate
  • RS005 - Reported Speech - Introductory Verbs Advanced
  • RS004 - Reported Speech Intermediate
  • RS003 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate
  • RS002 - Reported Speech Intermediate
  • RS001 - Reported Speech Intermediate
  • Gerund - Infinitive
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  • Modal Verbs
  • Passive Voice
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Reported Speech – Free Exercise

Write the following sentences in indirect speech. Pay attention to backshift and the changes to pronouns, time, and place.

  • Two weeks ago, he said, “I visited this museum last week.” → Two weeks ago, he said that   . I → he|simple past → past perfect|this → that|last …→ the … before
  • She claimed, “I am the best for this job.” → She claimed that   . I → she|simple present→ simple past|this→ that
  • Last year, the minister said, “The crisis will be overcome next year.” → Last year, the minister said that   . will → would|next …→ the following …
  • My riding teacher said, “Nobody has ever fallen off a horse here.” → My riding teacher said that   . present perfect → past perfect|here→ there
  • Last month, the boss explained, “None of my co-workers has to work overtime now.” → Last month, the boss explained that   . my → his/her|simple present→ simple past|now→ then

Rewrite the question sentences in indirect speech.

  • She asked, “What did he say?” → She asked   . The subject comes directly after the question word.|simple past → past perfect
  • He asked her, “Do you want to dance?” → He asked her   . The subject comes directly after whether/if |you → she|simple present → simple past
  • I asked him, “How old are you?” → I asked him   . The subject comes directly after the question word + the corresponding adjective (how old)|you→ he|simple present → simple past
  • The tourists asked me, “Can you show us the way?” → The tourists asked me   . The subject comes directly after whether/if |you→ I|us→ them
  • The shop assistant asked the woman, “Which jacket have you already tried on?” → The shop assistant asked the woman   . The subject comes directly after the question word|you→ she|present perfect → past perfect

Rewrite the demands/requests in indirect speech.

  • The passenger requested the taxi driver, “Stop the car.” → The passenger requested the taxi driver   . to + same wording as in direct speech
  • The mother told her son, “Don’t be so loud.” → The mother told her son   . not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don’t
  • The policeman told us, “Please keep moving.” → The policeman told us   . to + same wording as in direct speech ( please can be left off)
  • She told me, “Don’t worry.” → She told me   . not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don’t
  • The zookeeper told the children, “Don’t feed the animals.” → The zookeeper told the children   . not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don’t

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Reported Speech, Indirect Speech – English Grammar Exercises

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Reported speech exercises

Mixed exercises to practise reported, or indirect speech.

Intermediate level

Multiple choice

Reported statements, questions, imperative mood

Filling gaps

Backshift of tenses in reported speech

Try our “total recall” course.

Reported speech is a specific issue in English grammar. There are special rules on how to transfer statements, questions and demands from direct to indirect speech. These exercises are composed for revision and systematization of your knowledge on reported speech. We recommend to do them after you have studied all smaller topics related to reported speech. The links to the explanations and exercises are below.

Related topics

He said he'd come — Reported statements

I asked her where she lived — Reported questions

I told him to stop — Reported requests & orders

Past simple

I was doing — Past continuous

I had done — How to form past perfect

I had been doing — How to form past perfect continuous

Top 10 topics

Irregular verbs

Conditionals (If I knew, I'd tell you)

Get on, turn up... — Phrasal verbs

Modal verbs (can, must, should etc.)

Present perfect vs. Past simple

Present simple and continuous for the future, to be going to

Passive voice (I was told)

At 2 o'clock on Sunday — Prepositions of time

reported speech exercise online

  • B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: statements

Reported speech: statements

Do you know how to report what somebody else said? 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 said.

direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said. indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films. direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef. direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

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 bank,' said Daniel. indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

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'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns.

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.' Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job. 'The baby's sleeping!' He 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 China for five years.' She told me they'd lived in China for five years. 'It was raining all day.' He 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.

No backshift

If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense.

'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her. 'I'm working in Italy for the next six months.' He told me he's working in Italy for the next six months. Maybe I should visit him! 'I've broken my arm!' She said she's broken her arm, so she won't be at work this week.

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

'I enjoy working in my garden,' said Bob. Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden. 'We played tennis for our school,' said Alina. Alina told me they'd played tennis for their school.

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 her that I was working on my thesis. 'We want our jobs back!' we said. We said that we wanted our jobs back.

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 .

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 2

Language level

Thank you for the information. It states that If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. I wonder if it is still correct to change the tense in this example: 'London is in the UK', he said. to He said London was in the UK. Or  it has to be the present tense. 

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Hello Wen1996,

Yes, your version of the sentence is also correct. In this case, the past tense refers to the time the speaker made this statement. But this doesn't mean the statement isn't also true now.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Good evening from Turkey.

Is the following example correct: Question: When did she watch the movie?

She asked me when she had watched the movie. or is it had she watched the movie. 

Do Subjects come before the verbs? Thank you. 

Hello muratt,

This is a reported question, not an actual question, as you can see from the fact that it has no question mark at the end. Therefore no inversion is needed and the normal subject-verb word order is maintained: ...she had watched... is correct.

You can read more about this here:

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

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you for your response.

Hello Sir, kindly help with the following sentence-

She said, "When I was a child I wasn't afraid of ghosts." 

Please tell me how to write this sentence in reported/ indirect speech.

Hello! I was studying reported speech and I didn't really understand the difference between 'need' and 'need to' when we shift them. Could you please explain a little bit about the semi-modal need? I came across to this while I was studying: Backshift Changes need (no change) ‘You needn’t come till six o’clock,’ he said. He said we needn’t come till six o’clock. AND need to (becomes needed to) She said, 'I need to have a party.' She said she needed to have a party. Why do we change 'need to' but not 'need'? Could you also please give a positive indirect reported speech with the word 'need' and a negative indirect speech with the word 'need to'? Thanks in advance!

Hello Meldo,

'need' can be used -- and is most often used -- as an ordinary verb. In the text you copied above, this is the second entry ('need to'). Since it is an ordinary verb, in indirect speech, it backshifts in the way other ordinary verbs do. An example of a negative form here is 'They told me I didn't need to bring my passport'.

Particularly in British English (only very rarely in American English), 'need' can also be used as a modal verb. In this case, it behaves as a modal verb, i.e. no 's' is added to a third person singular form, infinitives after it are used without 'to' and 'do/does/did' is not used to form questions, negatives or past simple forms. This is also why '-ed' is not added for a backshift.

When 'need' is a modal, it's most commonly used in the negative. It is possible to use it in questions (e.g. 'Need I bring my passport?' or 'I asked if I need bring my passport'), but it's generally not used in the affirmative.

You might find this BBC page and this  Cambridge Dictionary explanation helpful if you'd like to read more.

Hope this helps.

Do we change 'had better' in indirect reported speech? I think no, but I just wanted to make sure. Can you also give an example with 'had better' in an indirect speech? Thanks a lot! The best English grammar site ever!

Hello Melis_06,

'had better' is not generally changed in reported speech. Here's an example for you:

  • direct: 'You had better be on time!'
  • indirect: They told us we had better be on time.

Glad you find our site useful!

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Grammar Exercise - Reported Speech

Do the exercise below on reported speech and click on the button to check your answers..

(Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lesson on reported speech )

Complete the sentences in reported speech.

  • John said, "I love this town." John said
  • "Do you like soccer ?" He asked me. He asked me
  • "I can't drive a lorry," he said. He said
  • "Be nice to your brother," he said. He asked me
  • "Don't be nasty," he said. He urged me
  • "Don't waste your money" she said. She told the boys
  • "What have you decided to do?" she asked him. She asked him
  • "I always wake up early," he said. He said
  • "You should revise your lessons," he said. He advised the students
  • "Where have you been?" he asked me. He wanted to know

Before submitting the test, check the following:

  • Punctuation and capitalization
  • Spaces (don't add any unnecessary spaces)

Related materials:

  • Reported speech exercise (mixed)
  • Reported speech exercise (questions)
  • Reported speech exercise (requests and commands)
  • Reported speech lesson

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Exercise on Reported Speech

Mixed exercise 1.

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note whether the sentence is a request, a statement or a question.

  • He said, "I like this song." → He said
  • "Where is your sister?" she asked me. → She asked me
  • "I don't speak Italian," she said. → She said
  • "Say hello to Jim," they said. → They asked me
  • "The film began at seven o'clock," he said. → He said
  • "Don't play on the grass, boys," she said. → She told the boys
  • "Where have you spent your money?" she asked him. → She asked him
  • "I never make mistakes," he said. → He said
  • "Does she know Robert?" he wanted to know. → He wanted to know
  • "Don't try this at home," the stuntman told the audience. → The stuntman advised the audience

English Grammar Quiz for ESL learners

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:

agendaweb.org

Reported speech - 1

Reported speech - 2

Reported speech - 3

Worksheets - handouts

Exercises: indirect speech

  • Reported speech - present
  • Reported speech - past
  • Reported speech - questions
  • Reported questions - write
  • Reported speech - imperatives
  • Reported speech - modals
  • Indirect speech - tenses 1
  • Indirect speech - tenses 2
  • Indirect speech - write 1
  • Indirect speech - write 2
  • Indirect speech - quiz
  • Reported speech - tenses
  • Indirect speech – reported speech
  • Reported speech – indirect speech
  • Types of Verbs
  • Types of Adjectives
  • Types of Noun
  • Participles
  • Phrases and Clauses
  • Parts of Speech
  • Parts of a Sentence
  • Determiners
  • Parallelism
  • Direct & Indirect Speech
  • Modal Verbs
  • Relative Clauses
  • Nominalisation
  • Substitution & Ellipsis
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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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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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.

Choose a region

Direct and indirect speech exercises

There are many occasions in which we need to describe an event or action that happened, and very often that includes repeating what someone said. Such occasions can include a social situation as well as in a work email or presentation. In order to describe what people said there are two different types of speech – direct speech and indirect speech (or reported speech).

Read the article below to find out more about these forms and improve your English storytelling skills.

Do you want to practice your English speaking skills with small classes with native-level teachers? Find out more about Speak+ now

Direct Speech

When we want to describe what someone said, one option is to use direct speech . We use direct speech when we simply repeat what someone says, putting the phrase between speech marks:

  • Paul came in and said, “I’m really hungry.”

It is very common to see direct speech used in books or in a newspaper article. For example:

  • The local MP said, “We plan to make this city a safer place for everyone.”

As you can see, with direct speech it is common to use the verb ‘to say’ (‘said’ in the past). But you can also find other verbs used to indicate direct speech such as ‘ask’, ‘reply’, and ‘shout’. For example:

  • When Mrs Diaz opened the door, I asked, “Have you seen Lee?”
  • She replied, “No, I haven’t seen him since lunchtime.”
  • The boss was angry and shouted, “Why isn’t he here? He hasn’t finished that report yet!”

Indirect Speech

When we want to report what someone said without speech marks and without necessarily using exactly the same words, we can use indirect speech (also called reported speech). For example:

  • Direct speech: “We’re quite cold in here.”
  • Indirect speech: They say (that) they’re cold.

When we report what someone says in the present simple, as in the above sentence, we normally don’t change the tense, we simply change the subject. However, when we report things in the past, we usually change the tense by moving it one step back. For example, in the following sentence the present simple becomes the past simple in indirect speech:

  • Direct speech: “I have a new car.”
  • Indirect speech: He said he had a new car.

All the other tenses follow a similar change in indirect speech. Here is an example for all the main tenses:

reported speech exercise online

The same rule of moving the tenses one step back also applies to modal verbs. For example:

reported speech exercise online

Using ‘say’ or ‘tell’

As an alternative to using ‘say’ we can also use ‘tell’ (‘told’ in the past) in reported speech, but in this case you need to add the object pronoun. For example:

  • He told me he was going to call Alan.
  • They told her they would arrive a little late.
  • You told us you’d already finished the order.

Changing Time Expressions

Sometimes it’s necessary to change the time expressions when you report speech, especially when you are speaking about the past and the time reference no longer applies. For example:

  • Direct speech: “I’m seeing my brother tomorrow .”
  • Indirect speech: She said she was seeing her brother the following day .

Here are some other examples:

  • Direct speech: “I had a headache yesterday .”
  • Indirect speech: You said you’d had a headache the day before yesterday .
  • Direct speech: “It’s been raining since this afternoon .”
  • Indirect speech: He said it’d been raining since that afternoon .
  • Direct speech: “I haven’t seen them since last week .”
  • Indirect speech: She said she hadn’t seen them since the previous week .

Reporting Questions

When you report a question you need to change the interrogative form into an affirmative sentence, putting the verb tense one step back, as with normal reported speech.

There are two types of questions that we can report – questions that have a yes/no response, and questions that begin with a question word like ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘who’ etc. When we report a yes/no question, we use ‘if’. For example:

  • Direct speech: “Do they live here?”
  • Indirect speech: You asked me if they lived here.

As you can see, in the reported version of the question, ‘do’ is eliminated because it is no longer a question, and the verb ‘live’ becomes ‘lived’.

For questions starting with question words like ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘who’, etc., we report the question using the question word but change the interrogative form to the affirmative form. For example:

  • Direct speech: “Where do they live?”
  • Indirect speech: You asked me where they lived.
  • Direct speech: “When are you leaving?”
  • Indirect speech: He asked us when we were leaving .
  • Direct speech: “How will they get here?”
  • Indirect speech: She asked me how they would get here.

When we report a question we normally use the verb ‘ask’. As with the verb ‘to tell’, the verb ‘to ask’ is normally followed by an object pronoun, though it is possible to omit it.

Reporting Orders and Requests

When you give someone an order, you use the imperative form, which means using just the verb without a subject. For example:

  • “ Call me back later.”
  • “ Have a seat.”
  • “ Don’t do that!”

To report an order we use ‘tell’ and the infinitive of the verb. For example:

  • You told me to call you back later.
  • He told me to have a seat.
  • She told us not to do that.

When you make a request, you normally use words like ‘can’, ‘could’, or ‘will’. For example:

  • “Could you call me back later?”
  • “Will you have a seat?”
  • “Can you not do that please?”

To report a request, we use the verb ‘to ask’ and the infinitive form of the verb. For example:

  • You asked me to call you back later.
  • He asked me to have a seat.
  • She asked us not to do that.

Now you’ve seen how we use direct and indirect speech , practice using them yourself. An excellent and easy way to see how they are used is by reading a short story in English or a news article online, because stories and articles contain many examples of reported speech.

Articles are small but important words that precede nouns, and by using them correctly you will distinguish yourself as a good English speaker. Read more about definite and indefinite articles including when to use them or not.

When we give a time reference there are various words we use such as at, on, in, and also for and since. Read on to find out when to use each one of them.

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  • Reported Speech — Present Simple — Exercise 1
  • 1. Noah, “I go to the gym three times per week.” Noah said (that) . he went to the gym three times per week
  • 2. Henry, “Emma doesn’t learn English.” Henry said (that) . Emma didn’t learn English
  • 3. Charlotte, “My house is at the end of the street.” Charlotte said (that) . her house was at the end of the street
  • 4. Amelia, “Chris looks tired.” Amelia said (that) . Chris looked tired
  • 5. Ethan, “I am happy to meet you.” Ethan said (that) . he was happy to meet me
  • 6. Daisy, “We enjoy our Spanish classes.” Daisy said (that) . they enjoyed their Spanish classes
  • 7. Amy, “The day is amazing.” Amy said (that) . the day was amazing
  • 8. Ryan, “I don’t want to answer your questions.” Ryan said (that) . he didn’t want to answer my questions
  • 9. Charles, “They don’t work hard enough.” Charles said (that) . they didn’t work hard enough
  • 10. Ella, “Peter usually reads science-fiction books.” Ella said (that) . Peter usually read science-fiction books
  • 11. Claire, “I have a new job.” Claire said (that) . she had a new job
  • 12. Adam, “Your car is dirty.” Adam said (that) . my car was dirty
  • Reported Speech — Present Simple — Exercise 2
  • Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 1
  • Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 2
  • Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 3
  • Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 4

Reported Speech Exercise 3

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reported speech exercise online

  • Review reported orders and requests here
  • Download this quiz in PDF here
  • More reported speech exercises here

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Reported speech practice

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Reported speech

IMAGES

  1. Reported Speech: online worksheet and pdf

    reported speech exercise online

  2. Reported Speech: English ESL worksheets pdf & doc

    reported speech exercise online

  3. Reported speech: online and pdf exercise by Gabbygrb

    reported speech exercise online

  4. Reported Speech

    reported speech exercise online

  5. English Grammar Exercises Online Reported Speech

    reported speech exercise online

  6. English Grammar Exercises Online Reported Speech

    reported speech exercise online

VIDEO

  1. Reported speech questions exercise

  2. parts of speech exercise intermediate.. Question no 15..TNB 🕉️

  3. APTIS TEST, GRAMMAR, THE REPORTED SPEECH, EXERCISE EXPLANATION

  4. Reported speech exercise for beginners ( simple past )

  5. English Vocab Practice Listening Speaking "WRETCHED" Reported Speech Exercise

  6. INDIRECT SPEECH

COMMENTS

  1. Reported Speech

    RS007 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate. RS006 - Reported Speech Intermediate. RS005 - Reported Speech - Introductory Verbs Advanced. RS004 - Reported Speech Intermediate. RS003 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate. RS002 - Reported Speech Intermediate. RS001 - Reported Speech Intermediate. Reported Speech - English Grammar Exercises.

  2. Reported Speech Exercises

    Perfect English Grammar. Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site: ( Click here to read the explanations about reported speech ) Reported Statements: Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here) Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy)

  3. Indirect speech

    What is indirect speech or reported speech? When we tell people what another person said or thought, we often use reported speech or indirect speech. To do that, we need to change verb tenses (present, past, etc.) and pronouns (I, you, my, your, etc.) if the time and speaker are different.For example, present tenses become past, I becomes he or she, and my becomes his or her, etc.

  4. Reported Speech Exercise 1

    Reported Statements 1. Change the direct speech into reported speech. Use 'she said' at the beginning of each answer. It's the same day, so you don't need to change the time expressions. 1) "He works in a bank." [ . Check. Show.

  5. Reported Speech

    Rewrite the demands/requests in indirect speech. The passenger requested the taxi driver, "Stop the car.". → The passenger requested the taxi driver . to + same wording as in direct speech. The mother told her son, "Don't be so loud.". → The mother told her son . not to + same wording as in direct speech, but remove don't.

  6. Reported Speech Exercises

    Exercises. 2315 Backshift of tenses in Reported speech - Exercise. 2321 Conversion of time phrases in Reported speech - Exercise. 2317 Pronouns in Reported speech - Exercise. 2327 Reported commands - affirmative sentences - Exercise. 2329 Reported commands - negations - Exercise. 2323 Reported questions - Exercise.

  7. Reported speech exercises online

    Reported speech is a specific issue in English grammar. There are special rules on how to transfer statements, questions and demands from direct to indirect speech. These exercises are composed for revision and systematization of your knowledge on reported speech. We recommend to do them after you have studied all smaller topics related to ...

  8. Reported Speech

    Exercises on Reported Speech. If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker's exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement ...

  9. Unit 7

    Unit 7 - Exercise 1 - Reported speech. Rewrite the direct speech as reported speech to complete the sentences. Use contractions where possible.

  10. Reported speech: statements

    direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef. direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day. Try this exercise to test your grammar. Grammar test 1. Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1

  11. Grammar Exercise

    She told the boys. "What have you decided to do?" she asked him. She asked him. "I always wake up early," he said. He said. "You should revise your lessons," he said. He advised the students. "Where have you been?"

  12. Reported Speech

    Watch my reported speech video: Here's how it works: We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. ( Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell' .) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence: Direct speech: I like ice cream. Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.

  13. Exercise on Reported Speech

    Mixed Exercise 1. Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note whether the sentence is a request, a statement or a question. He said, "I like this song." → He said "Where is your sister?" she asked me. → She asked me "I don't speak Italian," she said. → She said "Say hello to Jim," they said. → They asked me

  14. Reported Speech Quiz

    Online quiz to test your understanding of English reported speech. This is a free multiple-choice quiz that you can do online or print out. ... Learn English: Grammar: Reported Speech: Quiz 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 ...

  15. Reported speech exercises

    Exercises: indirect speech. Reported speech - present. Reported speech - past. Reported speech - questions. Reported questions - write. Reported speech - imperatives. Reported speech - modals. Indirect speech - tenses 1. Indirect speech - tenses 2.

  16. Reported Speech Quiz

    Instructions. In this reported speech quiz there are 10 direct speech statements. Turn them into reported speech. Make sure you use correct capitalisation and punctuation and that you include 'that'. For example: Mike said, "I am late". would be Mike said that he was late. John said, "I want to see a film". Tina said, "I am tired".

  17. Reported speech

    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.

  18. Unit 6

    Unit 6 - Exercise 1 - Reported speech (statements) Rewrite the direct speech as reported speech to complete the sentences. Use contractions where possible.

  19. Direct and indirect speech exercises

    Direct speech: "I'm seeing my brother tomorrow.". Indirect speech: She said she was seeing her brother the following day. Here are some other examples: Direct speech: "I had a headache yesterday.". Indirect speech: You said you'd had a headache the day before yesterday. Direct speech: "It's been raining since this afternoon.".

  20. Reported Speech

    Reported Speech — Mixed. Finish the sentences using Reported speech. 1. Harry, "I will buy some milk on my way home.". Harry said that. 2. Sue, "How many books have you read?". Sue asked me. 3.

  21. Reported Speech

    Reported Speech — Present Simple — Exercise 1. Change the direct speech into reported speech. 1. Noah, "I go to the gym three times per week.". Noah said (that). 2. Henry, "Emma doesn't learn English.". Henry said (that). 3.

  22. Reported Speech Exercise 3

    Reported Requests and Orders 1. Make reported requests or orders. Start each sentence with 'she asked me' or 'she told me'. It's the same day, so you don't need to change the time expressions. 1) "Please help me carry this." [ . 2) "Please come early." [ . 3) "Please buy some milk."

  23. Reported speech online practice

    Liveworksheets transforms your traditional printable worksheets into self-correcting interactive exercises that the students can do online and send to the teacher. Skip to main content ... School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958) Main content: Reported speech (2013113) Reported speech practice. Loading ad... Share / Print ...