reported speech exercise worksheet

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Reported speech

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• Reported statements - worksheet
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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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• B1-B2 grammar

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

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. 

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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.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

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!

Could you tell me why say is sometimes used in reported speech instead of said?

Hello Khangvo2812,

In general, it's used when it's something that people say not just in one specific situation, but in general. 

We also sometimes use the present simple to talk about the past when telling stories. You can read more about this on our Present simple page -- scroll down to the very end of the explanation, just after the Present simple 8 exercise.

If there's a specific sentence you want to ask about, please include it in your comment.

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Reported speech (b1).

• RS013 - Reported Speech
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• Reported Speech

Levels of Difficulty : Elementary Intermediate Advanced

• RS012 - Reported Speech Intermediate
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Reported Speech ESL Printable Worksheets and Exercises

Reported speech esl grammar exercises worksheet.

Indirect Speech ESL Grammar Exercise Worksheet

• English Grammar
• Grammar Exercises
• Reported Speech Exercises For Class 9

Reported Speech Exercises with Answers for Class 9

Reported speech is a grammatical component that is used to communicate what has been said by someone to another person. Knowing for sure how to use the direct and reported speech can be achieved only with continuous practice, just like it is with every other English grammar topic.

Are you a Class 9 student? Looking for a chance to assess your understanding of reported speech? If you are, here are some exercises that will help you practise and improve your knowledge of reported speech.

Read the following sentences and change them into reported speech

• Suman said, “I get up early every morning.”
• The maths teacher said, “three multiplied by three is nine.”
• The tourist said, “India is a very beautiful country.”
• Tina said, “It is hot outside.”
• The teacher said, “The Sepoy Mutiny took place in 1857.”
• Ira said, “I saw an elephant in the zoo.”
• Peter said, “I can do this work.”
• Uma said to her mother, “I have passed the exam”.
• Ajay said to Lucy, “I will go to Bangalore tomorrow.”
• Lewis said, “my mother is sleeping.”
• Tamal said to Naira, “When are you leaving?”
• “Where do you live?” the old man asked Timothy.
• The teacher asked Arjun, “Why are you talking?”
• Olena said to Andrew, “Bring me my rifle.”
• “Call the first convict,” said the jury.
• “Please call the ambulance,” said the woman.
• Betty said to me, “I will cook today’s dinner.”
• The teacher said to me, “You are very intelligent.”
• My mother said to me, “Please wait here till I come back.”
• The coach said to David, “Bravo! You have played well.”
• Ramen said, “Alas! My kitten passed away.”
• Bruce said, “I may go to the party.”
• Miss Davis said to the student, “Did you listen to me?”
• The lady said, “Let me come in.”
• Granny said to me, “May God bless you.”
• The policeman said to us, “Where are you going?”
• The boy shouted, “Let me go.”
• Shilpa said, “Alas! I am undone.”
• “I know his address,” said Rupert
• Punit said, “My mother is writing letters.”
• Rishav said to Roshni, “Have you ever been to the Taj Mahal?”
• Anu said to Shivina, “Please lend me a pencil.”
• Logan said, “When are you coming home?”
• Rory said to her colleagues, “We have successfully achieved our goal.”
• The teacher said to the students, “Make sure you hand over your papers before 12 p.m.”
• My mom said, “Everything is going to be fine.”
• Luke said, “I will cook for you tomorrow.”
• Manisha said, “I think I will have a shot at it next year.”
• Soumia said, “I am wearing a black dress for Achu’s reception.”
• The manager said, “All the rooms have been allocated according to your choices.”
• My grandmother said, “I have some work to do.”
• Lakshmi said, “I am a tailor.”
• Madhav said, “The cricket team did their best.”
• Dhoni said, “Can you help me with the luggage?”
• My parents said, “We loved the passion fruit dessert.”
• Danny said, “I am starting work from tomorrow.”
• The police officer said, “We are investigating the matter.”
• Emily said to Richard, “You are raising your voice.”
• Josh said, “I love shrimp.”
• Naomi said, “Was Farsana present yesterday?”
• Suman said that she got up early every morning.
• The maths teacher said that three multiplied by three is nine
• The tourist said that India was a very beautiful country.
• Tina said that it was hot outside.
• The teacher said that the Sepoy Mutiny took place in 1857.
• Ira said that she saw/had seen an elephant in the zoo.
• Peter said that he could do that work.
• Uma told her mother that she had passed the exam.
• Ajay informed Lucy that he would go to Bangalore the next day.
• Lewis said that his mother was sleeping
• Tamal asked Naira when she was leaving.
• The old man asked Timothy where he lived.
• The teacher asked Arjun why he was talking.
• Olena ordered Andrew to bring her rifle.
• The jury ordered to call the first convict.
• The woman requested to call an ambulance.
• Betty said to me that she would cook that day’s dinner.
• The teacher told me that I was intelligent.
• My mother requested me to wait there till she returned.
• The coach applauded David, saying that he had played well.
• Ramen exclaimed sadly that his kitten had passed away.
• Bruce said that he might go to the party.
• Miss Davis asked the student if he was listening to her.
• The lady asked to let her come in.
• Granny prayed that God might bless me.
• The policeman enquired where we were going.
• The boy shouted to them to let him go.
• Shilpa exclaimed sadly that she was undone.
• Rupert said that he knows/knew his address.
• Punit said that his mother was writing letters.
• Rishav asked Roshni if she had ever been to the Taj Mahal.
• Anu requested Shivina to lend her a pencil.
• Logan asked when I was coming home.
• Rory said to her colleagues that they have successfully achieved their goal.
• The teacher told the students to make sure that they handed over their papers before 12:00 p.m.
• My mom said that everything was going to be fine.
• Luke said that he would cook for me the next day.
• Manisha said that she thought she would have a shot at it the next year.
• Soumia said that she was wearing a black dress for Achu’s reception.
• The manager said that all the rooms have been allocated according to their choices.
• My grandmother said that she had some work to do.
• Lakshmi said that she was a tailor.
• Madhav said that the cricket team did/had done their best.
• Dhoni asked if I could help him with the luggage.
• My parents said that they loved the passion fruit dessert.
• Danny said that he was starting work from the next day.
• The police officer said that they were investigating the matter.
• Emily said to Richard that he was raising his voice.
• Josh said that he loved shrimp.
• Naomi asked if Farsana was present the previous day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is direct narration.

When the actual words/sentences spoken by the speaker are quoted in a speech, it’s called direct speech/narration.

What is indirect speech?

When the quoted speech is reported in the form of a narrative without changing the meaning of the actual quotation/words by the speaker, it’s called indirect speech. Indirect speech is also known as reported speech.

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