reported speech exercises 6

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1. He told me (that) they had been dancing all the time. 2. Mum asked me if I had seen her glasses. 3. He asked me who had cleaned the pool. 4. Marilyn said (that) she always ate (eats) cornflakes in the morning. 5. He told her to give up smoking. 6. Father said (that) mum was tired then. 7. Phil asked me if I had been at the party, too. 8. He said (that) he had been waiting for me for an hour. 9. Ann asked Kate if she had really written that story. 10. Tim asked who had taken his ruler. 11. Bill said (that) he would take the car because he was late. 12. He told them not to tell him such nonsense. 13. Debby told me (that) she would meet him at the station the following morning. 14. The mother asked him why his clothes were so dirty. 15. He asked her if she had sold her car.

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Indirect speech – reported speech

Choose the correct form to complete the sentences below..

1 'I work in a bank.' ⇒ He said that he had worked has worked worked in a bank.

2 'I am working today.' ⇒ She told us she  worked was working is working  that day.

3 'I've been ill for a couple of weeks.' ⇒ He told me he was ill is ill had been ill for a couple of weeks.

4 'I was at the doctor all morning.' ⇒ She told me that she had been has been would be at the doctor all morning.

5 'I'll lend you the money.' ⇒ He told me he was lending lent would lend me the money.

6 'I can't do it without your help.' ⇒ She said she couldn't do didn't do hadn't done it without my help.

7 'The meeting may start early.' ⇒ He told us that the meeting might start can start would start early.

8 'I must leave early today.' ⇒ He said that he had to leave must leave left early that day.

9 'You should talk to Jim.' ⇒ She said that I would talk should talk talked to Jim.

10 'Get out!' ⇒ She told me I got out to get out I get out .

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.

• Sally: ‘ I don’t have time.’  ⇒ Sally said that she didn’t have time. 
• Peter: ‘ I am tired .’  ⇒ He said that he was tired. 

Omission of that

We often leave out  that after reporting verbs like  say, think ,  etc. 

• She said she was late. (= She said that she was late. )
• I thought I would get the job.  

Say or tell ?

The most common verbs we use in reported speech are  say and  tell . We must pay attention here. We say  tell somebody something  and  say something (to somebody) .

Tense changes in indirect speech

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When a person said something in the past , and now we tell somebody what that person said, the time is different, and for this reason, the verb tenses change. Look at a summary of these changes.

Changes in expressions

There are adverbs or expressions of time and place that change when we report what someone says. Here you have a list.

Questions and imperatives in indirect speech

We use the normal order of words in reported questions : subject + verb. We don’t use an auxiliary verb like do or did .

When we report an order or instruction, we use the form ask or tell someone to do something .

Pronoun changes in indirect speech

In reported or indirect speech, we must also pay attention to the use of pronouns. When a person tells us something, he or she uses the first person ( I, me, my, we, us, our ) to talk about himself or herself and the second person ( you, your ) to talk about us, the person listening. But when we tell someone else what that person said, we are going to use the third person ( he, she, his, her, etc. ) to talk about the speaker and the first person ( I, me, my ) to talk about ourselves, the listener.

• ‘ I will help you .’  ⇒ He said that he would help me. 
• ‘That’s my pen.’  ⇒ She said that it was her pen. 
• ‘ I need your help.’  ⇒ She said that she needed my help. 

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Reported Speech Exercises (With Printable PDF)

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In English grammar, reported speech is used to tell someone what another person said. It takes another person’s words (direct speech) to create a report of what they said (indirect speech.) With the following direct and indirect speech exercises, it will be easier to understand how reported speech works.

Reported Speech Exercise #1

Complete the sentence in the reported speech.

Reported Speech Exercise #2

Fill in the gaps below with the correct pronouns required in reported speech. Ex. Mary said: “I love my new dress!” Sentence: Mary said ____ love ____ new dress. Answer: she, her

Reported Speech Exercise #3

Choose the correct reported speech phrase to fill in the sentences below.

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Reported Speech

Perfect english grammar.

Reported Statements

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.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. (As I'm sure you know, often, we can choose if we want to use 'that' or not in English. I've put it in brackets () to show that it's optional. It's exactly the same if you use 'that' or if you don't use 'that'.)

But , if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:

• Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

* doesn't change.

• Direct speech: The sky is blue.
• Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

Click here for a mixed tense exercise about practise reported statements. Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

• Direct speech: Where do you live?
• Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.
• Direct speech: Where is Julie?
• Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.

• Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
• Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

Click here to practise reported 'wh' questions. Click here to practise reported 'yes / no' questions. Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

• Direct speech: Close the window, please
• Or: Could you close the window please?
• Or: Would you mind closing the window please?
• Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

• Direct speech: Please don't be late.
• Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

• Direct speech: Sit down!
• Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

• Click here for an exercise to practise reported requests and orders.

• Click here for an exercise about using 'say' and 'tell'.
• Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

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Direct and indirect speech exercises PDF

• English grammar PDF
• PDF worksheets
• Mixed PDF tests
• Present tenses
• Past tenses
• Future tenses
• Present perfect
• Past perfect
• Future perfect
• 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

Direct and indirect speech

• Online exercises
• Grammar rules PDF

English grammar books PDF

PDF book 1: English grammar exercises PDF

PDF book 2: English grammar rules PDF

Direct and indirect speech exercises

Reported speech exercises PDF

• Learn how to change tenses, pronouns, expressions of time and place in the reported speech.

Reported questions + commands exercises PDF

• Practise the difference between the direct and indirect speech in questions, commands and requests.

Online exercises with answers:

Direct - indirect speech exercise 1 Rewrite sentences in the reported speech.

Direct - indirect speech exercise 2 Report a short dialogue in the reported speech.

Direct - indirect speech exercise 3 Find and correct mistakes in the reported speech.

Direct - indirect speech exercise 4 Choose correct answers in a multiple choice test.

Indirect - direct speech exercise 5 Rewrite sentences from the reported speech to direct speech.

Reported questions, commands and requests:

Reported questions exercise 6 Change the reported questions and orders into direct questions and orders.

Reported questions exercise 7 Change direct questions into reported questions.

Reported commands exercise 8 Make reported commands and requests.

Grammar rules PDF:

Reported speech rules PDF Changes of tenses, pronouns, time and place in reported statements, questions and commands.

English grammar PDF All PDF rules with examples on e-grammar.org.

Direct + indirect speech

See also: Reported questions + commands

The direct and indirect speech are used to say what other people said, thought or felt. "I like it," he said. - He said that he liked it. "Dan will come," she hoped. - She hoped Dan would come.

The reported (indirect) speech is typically introduced by verbs such as say, tell, admit, complain, explain, remind, reply, think, hope, offer, refuse etc. in the past tense. He said (that) he didn't want it. She explained that she had been at the seaside.

If these verbs are in the past tense, we change the following: a) verb tenses and verb forms b) pronouns c) the adverbs of time and place

A) Verb tenses

We change the tenses in the following way:

• Present - past "I never understand you," she told me. - She told me she never understood me. "We are doing exercises," he explained. - He explained that they were doing exercises.
• Present perfect - past perfect "I have broken the window," he admitted. - He admitted that he had broken the window. "I have been waiting since the morning," he complained. - He complained that he had been waiting since the morning.
• Past - past perfect "She went to Rome," I thought. - I thought that she had gone to Rome. "He was thinking of buying a new car," she said. - She said he had been thinking of buying a new car.
• Will - conditional Will changes into the conditional. I will come on Sunday," he reminded me. - He reminded me that he would come on Sunday.

As you can see, both the past tense and the present perfect change into the past perfect.

Notes 1. I shall, we shall usually become would . "I shall appreciate it," he said. - He said he would appreciate it. 2. I should, we should usually change into would . "We should be really glad," she told us. - She told us they would be really glad. 3. May becomes might . "I may write to him," she promised. - She promised that she might write to him.

The verb forms remain the same in the following cases:

• If we use the past perfect tense. Eva: "I had never seen him." - Eva claimed that she had never seen him.
• If the reporting verb is in the present tense. Bill: "I am enjoying my holiday." - Bill says he is enjoying his holiday. Sandy: "I will never go to work." - Sandy says she will never go to work.
• When we report something that is still true. Dan: "Asia is the largest continent." - Dan said Asia is the largest continent. Emma: "People in Africa are starving." - Emma said people in Africa are starving.
• When a sentence is made and reported at the same time and the fact is still true. Michael: "I am thirsty." - Michael said he is thirsty.
• With modal verbs would, might, could, should, ought to, used to. George: "I would try it." - George said he would try it. Mimi: "I might come." - Mimi said she might come. Steve: "I could fail." - Steve said he could fail. Linda: "He should/ought to stay in bed." - Linda said he should/ought to stay in bed. Mel: "I used to have a car." - Mel said he used to have a car.
• After wish, would rather, had better, it is time. Margo: "I wish they were in Greece." - Margo said she wished they were in Greece. Matt: "I would rather fly." - Matt said he would rather fly. Betty: "They had better go." - Betty said they had better go. Paul: "It is time I got up." - Paul said it was time he got up.
• In if-clauses. Martha: "If I tidied my room, my dad would be happy." - Martha said that if she tidied her room, her dad would be happy.
• In time clauses. Joe: "When I was staying in Madrid I met my best friend." - He said that when he was staying in Madrid he met his best friend.
• We do not change the past tense in spoken English if it is clear from the situation when the action happened. "She did it on Sunday," I said. - I said she did it on Sunday. We must change it, however, in the following sentence, otherwise it will not be clear whether we are talking about the present or past feelings. "I hated her," he said. - He said he had hated her.
• We do not usually change the modal verbs must and needn't . But must can become had to or would have to and needn't can become didn't have to or wouldn't have to if we want to express an obligation. Would/wouldn't have to are used to talk about future obligations. "I must wash up." - He said he must wash up/he had to wash up. "I needn't be at school today." - He said he needn't be/didn't have to be at school that day. "We must do it in June." - He said they would have to do it in June. If the modal verb must does not express obligation, we do not change it. "We must relax for a while." (suggestion) - He said they must relax for a while. "You must be tired after such a trip." (certainty) - He said we must be tired after such a trip.

B) Pronouns

We have to change the pronouns to keep the same meaning of a sentence. "We are the best students," he said. - He said they were the best students. "They called us," he said. - He said they had called them. "I like your jeans," she said. - She said she liked my jeans. "I can lend you my car," he said. - He said he could lend me his car.

Sometimes we have to use a noun instead of a pronoun, otherwise the new sentence is confusing. "He killed them," Kevin said. - Kevin said that the man had killed them. If we only make mechanical changes (Kevin said he had killed them) , the new sentence can have a different meaning - Kevin himself killed them.

This and these are usually substituted. "They will finish it this year," he said. - He said they would finish it that year. "I brought you this book," she said. - She said she had brought me the book. "We want these flowers," they said. - They said they wanted the flowers.

C) Time and place

Let's suppose that we talked to our friend Mary on Friday. And she said: "Greg came yesterday."  It means that Greg came on Thursday. If we report Mary's sentence on Sunday, we have to do the following: Mary: "Greg came yesterday." - Mary said that Greg had come the day before. If we say: Mary said Greg had come yesterday , it is not correct, because it means that he came on Saturday.

The time expressions change as follows. now - then, today - that day, tomorrow - the next day/the following day, the day after tomorrow - in two days' time, yesterday - the day before, the day before yesterday - two days before, next week/month - the following week/month, last week/month - the previous week/month, a year ago - a year before/the previous year

Bill: "She will leave tomorrow." - Bill said she would leave the next day. Sam: "She arrived last week." - Sam said she had arrived the previous week. Julie: "He moved a year ago." - Julie said he had moved a year before.

Note If something is said and reported at the same time, the time expressions can remain the same. "I will go on holiday tomorrow," he told me today. - He told me today he would go on holiday tomorrow. "We painted the hall last weekend," she told me this week. - She told me this week they had painted the hall last weekend. On the other hand, if something is reported later, the time expressions are different in the indirect speech. Last week Jim said: "I'm playing next week." If we say his sentence a week later, we will say: Jim said he was playing this week.

Here usually becomes there . But sometimes we make different adjustments. At school: "I'll be here at 10 o'clock," he said. - He said he would be there at 10 o'clock. In Baker Street: "We'll meet here." - He said they would meet in Baker Street.

• All PDF exercises and grammar rules from this website.

Reported Speech Exercises – Reported Speech Worksheet

Strengthening your understanding of reported speech is key to effective communication in English. Our specially designed worksheet provides a thorough exploration of reported speech, featuring a variety of exercises that will help you practice and master the concept of relaying information as it was spoken by others.

Remember to go back and study the articles mentioned below to better your knowledge of reported speech

• Direct Speech
• Direct and Indirect Speech
• No Change in Verb Tenses
• Changes in Time and Place
• Introductory Verbs
• Pronouns in Reported Speech
• Reported Questions
• Reported Commands & Requests

Reported Speech Worksheet

Reported Speech Exercises

Reported speech exercise 1: converting direct speech to reported speech.

• “I am going to the market,” said John.
• “We have finished our homework,” the students said.
• “Will you join us for dinner?” she asked.
• “I can’t drive you to the airport tomorrow,” he told her.
• “I saw a strange animal in the forest,” the hiker reported.
• “I will help you with your project,” Tom promised.
• “I don’t like spicy food,” she admitted.
• “I didn’t hear the doorbell,” he explained.
• “I’ll be moving to a new city next month,” Anna announced.
• “We won’t be able to attend the meeting,” the delegates stated.
• “I have been feeling unwell since yesterday,” the patient told the doctor.
• “I used to live in Spain,” he mentioned.
• “I may start a new course in September,” she pondered.
• “I must finish this assignment by tomorrow,” the student realized.
• “I can meet you at 3 PM,” she offered.
• “We should have taken a different route,” the driver suggested.
• “I would like to visit Japan one day,” he dreamed.
• “I have never seen such a beautiful sunset,” she exclaimed.
• “I might go for a hike if the weather is nice,” he thought aloud.
• “We did not understand the instructions,” they complained.
• John said that he was going to the market.
• The students said that they had finished their homework.
• She asked if I/you/he/she would join them for dinner.
• He told her that he couldn’t drive her to the airport the next day/tomorrow.
• The hiker reported that he had seen a strange animal in the forest.
• Tom promised that he would help me/you/us with my/your/our project.
• She admitted that she didn’t like spicy food.
• He explained that he hadn’t heard the doorbell.
• Anna announced that she would be moving to a new city the following month.
• The delegates stated that they wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting.
• The patient told the doctor that he had been feeling unwell since the day before.
• He mentioned that he used to live in Spain.
• She pondered starting a new course in September.
• The student realized that he must finish his assignment by the next day.
• She offered to meet me/you at 3 PM.
• The driver suggested that they should have taken a different route.
• He dreamed that he would like to visit Japan one day.
• She exclaimed that she had never seen such a beautiful sunset.
• He thought aloud that he might go for a hike if the weather was nice.
• They complained that they had not understood the instructions.

Reported Speech Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the correct pronouns

• Sarah said, “I am going to the store.” Sarah said that ___ was going to the store.
• Mike told me, “You can come over tomorrow.” Mike told me that ___ could come over the next day.
• “He doesn’t like the movie,” said Jane. Jane said that ___ didn’t like the movie.
• The teacher told the class, “You must submit your homework.” The teacher told the class that ___ must submit ___ homework.
• “We will finish the project on time,” the group leader announced. The group leader announced that ___ would finish the project on time.
• “She will be here soon,” Tom thought to himself. Tom thought to himself that ___ would be there soon.
• “It’s not my book,” said the boy. The boy said that it was not ___ book.
• “They have been to the new museum,” Emily told her mother. Emily told her mother that ___ had been to the new museum.
• “I don’t want to go outside,” the child told her father. The child told her father that ___ didn’t want to go outside.
• “You should wait here,” the officer told the citizens. The officer told the citizens that ___ should wait there.
• “I will handle the situation,” Mark promised. Mark promised that ___ would handle the situation.
• “You need to finish your assignment,” the tutor said to Jake. The tutor told Jake that ___ needed to finish ___ assignment.
• “We are not ready to present,” the students admitted to the professor. The students admitted to the professor that ___ were not ready to present.
• “She can join us for dinner,” they insisted. They insisted that ___ could join them for dinner.
• “I have seen that movie several times,” she mentioned. She mentioned that ___ had seen that movie several times.
• “You must apologize to your sister,” Mom instructed. Mom instructed that ___ must apologize to ___ sister.
• “They won’t be able to come to the party,” John said. John said that ___ wouldn’t be able to come to the party.
• “It might rain later,” the weatherman predicted. The weatherman predicted that ___ might rain later.
• “I’m feeling very tired today,” the athlete confessed. The athlete confessed that ___ was feeling very tired that day.
• “You shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet,” the teacher warned the students. The teacher warned the students that ___ shouldn’t believe everything ___ read on the internet.

Reported Speech Exercise 3: Multiple Choices

Reported Speech Exercise

Choose the correct reported speech form for each sentence.

1. He said, “I am watching a movie.”

• A) He said he was watching a movie.
• B) He said I am watching a movie.
• C) He said he is watching a movie.

2. She said, “I will call you tomorrow.”

• A) She said she would call me tomorrow.
• B) She said she will call you the next day.
• C) She said she would call you the next day.

3. “I have finished my homework,” he told her.

• A) He told her he had finished his homework.
• B) He told her he finished his homework.
• C) He told her he has finished his homework.

4. They said, “We are going to the market.”

• A) They said they were going to the market.
• B) They said they are going to the market.
• C) They said they go to the market.

5. “Do you like pizza?” she asked him.

• A) She asked him if he liked pizza.
• B) She asked him does he like pizza.
• C) She asked him if he likes pizza.

6. “Why did you go out last night?” the mother asked.

• A) The mother asked why had he gone out last night.
• B) The mother asked why he had gone out the night before.
• C) The mother asked why did he go out last night.

7. “Can you help me with my project?” he asked his friend.

• A) He asked his friend if he could help him with his project.
• B) He asked his friend can you help me with my project.
• C) He asked his friend if he can help him with his project.

8. “I might visit France this summer,” she mentioned.

• A) She mentioned that she might visit France this summer.
• B) She mentioned that she might visit France the coming summer.
• C) She mentioned that she may visit France that summer.

9. “We have been waiting here for over an hour!” they exclaimed.

• A) They exclaimed that they have been waiting there for over an hour.
• B) They exclaimed that they had been waiting there for over an hour.
• C) They exclaimed that they were waiting there for over an hour.

10. “Don’t touch that!” he warned.

• A) He warned not to touch that.
• B) He warned to not touch that.
• C) He warned not to touch it.

11. “I have lost my keys,” she said.

• A) She said she had lost her keys.
• B) She said she has lost her keys.
• C) She said she lost her keys.

12. “We didn’t go to school yesterday,” the boys said.

• A) The boys said they didn’t go to school the day before.
• B) The boys said they hadn’t gone to school yesterday.
• C) The boys said they hadn’t gone to school the day before.

13. “I will be traveling to Japan next year,” he told his colleagues.

• A) He told his colleagues he will be traveling to Japan next year.
• B) He told his colleagues he would be traveling to Japan the following year.
• C) He told his colleagues he would be traveling to Japan next year.

14. “You should try the new restaurant,” she suggested.

• A) She suggested that I should try the new restaurant.
• B) She suggested that you should try the new restaurant.
• C) She suggested that you tried the new restaurant.

15. “I can’t attend the meeting tomorrow,” John informed his boss.

• A) John informed his boss that he can’t attend the meeting tomorrow.
• B) John informed his boss that he couldn’t attend the meeting the next day.
• C) John informed his boss that he could not attend the meeting tomorrow.

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Reported Speech (Indirect 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, question or request.

When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:

• present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
• place and time expressions
• tenses (backshift)

→ more on statements in reported speech

When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:

Also note that you have to:

• transform the question into an indirect question
• use the interrogative or if / whether

→ more on questions in reported speech

→ more on requests in reported speech

Additional Information and Exeptions

Apart from the above mentioned basic rules, there are further aspects that you should keep in mind, for example:

• main clauses connected with and / but
• tense of the introductory clause
• reported speech for difficult tenses
• exeptions for backshift
• requests with must , should , ought to and let’s

→ more on additional information and exeptions in reported speech

Statements in Reported Speech

• no backshift – change of pronouns
• no backshift – change of pronouns and places
• with backshift
• with backshift and change of place and time expressions

Questions in Reported Speech

Requests in reported speech.

• Exercise 1 – requests (positive)
• Exercise 2 – requests (negative)
• Exercise 3 – requests (mixed)

Mixed Exercises on Reported Speech

• Exercise on reported speech with and without backshift

Grammar in Texts

• „ The Canterville Ghost “ (highlight direct speech and reported speech)

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!

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.

Reported Speech, Indirect Speech – English Grammar Exercises

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• Grammar Exercises

Reported Speech in English Grammar

What is reported speech, changing direct speech to reported speech, changing the tense (backshifting), no change of tenses, questions in reported speech, demands/requests, expressions with who/what/how + infinitive, typical changes to time and place markers.

• Exercises – Reported Speech

Reported speech is when we repeat what another person has said but instead of using their exact words in quotation marks (direct speech), we use subordinate clause introduced by a reporting verb like the ones below:

Often, we have to change the tense, pronouns and time markers in reported speech.

Learn the rules for writing indirect speech in English with Lingolia’s simple explanation. In the exercises, you can test your grammar skills.

When turning direct speech into reported speech, we may have to change all or some of the following:

• the pronouns
• information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page)
• the tense (backshift)

If the reporting verb is in the simple past (e.g. said, told, asked, replied … ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table below). This is known as backshifting .

The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.

If the reporting verb is in the simple present (e.g. says, tells, asks, replies … ), then the tense remains unchanged.

While the tense remains unchanged, we often still have to change the verb form to match the new pronouns.

that after a reporting verb

We often omit the word that after a reporting verb, especially in spoken language and informal contexts.

When turning questions into reported speech, we follow the same rules as for declarative sentences: we change the pronouns as well as the time and place markers and backshift the tense as needed.

In addition, we also have to bear in mind the following:

• instead of that , we use a question word after the reporting verb; if there is no question word, we use whether / if instead
• questions in reported speech follow declarative sentence word order (subject + verb)
• we don’t use the auxiliary verb do/did for questions in reported speech; instead, the main verb appears in the simple past without an auxiliary verb
• put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions.

Questions in reported speech do not end in a question mark.

When turning orders, demands and requests into reported speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information.

We don’t have to pay attention to the tense – we simply use an infinitive rather than a conjugated verb.

If the imperative is negated, then we use not + infinitive .

To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive .

say vs. tell

The words say and tell are not interchangeable.

• say = say something
• tell = say something to someone

Head over to the vocabulary section to learn more about the difference between say and tell .

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• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech

Daisy has just had an interview for a summer job. 

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of reported speech. They are in  red  in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, reported speech correctly.

Sophie:  Mmm, it’s so nice to be chilling out at home after all that running around.

Ollie: Oh, yeah, travelling to glamorous places for a living must be such a drag!

Ollie: Mum, you can be so childish sometimes. Hey, I wonder how Daisy’s getting on in her job interview.

Sophie: Oh, yes, she said she was having it at four o’clock, so it’ll have finished by now. That’ll be her ... yes. Hi, love. How did it go?

Daisy: Well, good I think, but I don’t really know. They said they’d phone later and let me know.

Sophie: What kind of thing did they ask you?

Daisy: They asked if I had any experience with people, so I told them about helping at the school fair and visiting old people at the home, that sort of stuff. But I think they meant work experience.

Sophie: I’m sure what you said was impressive. They can’t expect you to have had much work experience at your age.

Daisy:  And then they asked me what acting I had done, so I told them that I’d had a main part in the school play, and I showed them a bit of the video, so that was cool.

Sophie:  Great!

Daisy: Oh, and they also asked if I spoke any foreign languages.

Sophie: Languages?

Daisy: Yeah, because I might have to talk to tourists, you know.

Sophie: Oh, right, of course.

Daisy: So that was it really. They showed me the costume I’ll be wearing if I get the job. Sending it over ...

Ollie: Hey, sis, I heard that Brad Pitt started out as a giant chicken too! This could be your big break!

Daisy: Ha, ha, very funny.

Sophie: Take no notice, darling. I’m sure you’ll be a marvellous chicken.

We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what someone said. We usually use a reporting verb (e.g. say, tell, ask, etc.) and then change the tense of what was actually said in direct speech.

So, direct speech is what someone actually says? Like 'I want to know about reported speech'?

Yes, and you report it with a reporting verb.

He said he wanted to know about reported speech.

I said, I want and you changed it to he wanted .

Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could ; will changes to would ; etc.

She said she was having the interview at four o’clock. (Direct speech: ' I’m having the interview at four o’clock.') They said they’d phone later and let me know. (Direct speech: ' We’ll phone later and let you know.')

OK, in that last example, you changed you to me too.

Yes, apart from changing the tense of the verb, you also have to think about changing other things, like pronouns and adverbs of time and place.

'We went yesterday.'  > She said they had been the day before. 'I’ll come tomorrow.' >  He said he’d come the next day.

I see, but what if you’re reporting something on the same day, like 'We went yesterday'?

Well, then you would leave the time reference as 'yesterday'. You have to use your common sense. For example, if someone is saying something which is true now or always, you wouldn’t change the tense.

'Dogs can’t eat chocolate.' > She said that dogs can’t eat chocolate. 'My hair grows really slowly.' >  He told me that his hair grows really slowly.

What about reporting questions?

We often use ask + if/whether , then change the tenses as with statements. In reported questions we don’t use question forms after the reporting verb.

'Do you have any experience working with people?' They asked if I had any experience working with people. 'What acting have you done?' They asked me what acting I had done .

Is there anything else I need to know about reported speech?

One thing that sometimes causes problems is imperative sentences.

You mean like 'Sit down, please' or 'Don’t go!'?

Exactly. Sentences that start with a verb in direct speech need a to + infinitive in reported speech.

She told him to be good. (Direct speech: 'Be good!') He told them not to forget. (Direct speech: 'Please don’t forget.')

OK. Can I also say 'He asked me to sit down'?

Yes. You could say 'He told me to …' or 'He asked me to …' depending on how it was said.

OK, I see. Are there any more reporting verbs?

Yes, there are lots of other reporting verbs like promise , remind , warn , advise , recommend , encourage which you can choose, depending on the situation. But say , tell and ask are the most common.

Great. I understand! My teacher said reported speech was difficult.

And I told you not to worry!

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Homework: Reported Statements

She said she was bored. He told me he was tired. He mentioned it was lost...

Intermediate

With so many tricky rules to follow, reporting what people say in English isn’t always easy. It is, nevertheless, an essential skill to master for effective and accurate communication, so it’s vital that learners get to grips with it. This useful homework sheet helps students to practise Reported Statements through three different types of exercises.

After downloading your PDF: print it immediately or save and print later. Answers are provided for teachers on the second page.

Make your own worksheets with the free EnglishClub Worksheet Maker !

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

Reported speech

Bernadet Yulia

Reported Speech Practice

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