Reported speech - 1
Reported speech - 2
Reported speech - 3
Worksheets - handouts
Reported speech
Worksheets - pdf exercises.
- Reported statements - worksheet
- Worksheet - reported questions
- Reported yes/no questions
- Worksheet - reported speech
- Reported speech - exercises pdf
- Indirect speech - exercises
- Reported speech - exercises
- Mixed reported speech 1
- Mixed reported speech 2
- Reported speech 1
- Reported speech 2
- Reported speech 3
- Reported speech 4
- Reported speech 5
- Reported wh- questions
- Reported speech - worksheet
- Reported commands
- Reported questions
- Reported speech 1
- Reported speech 2
- Reported requests and orders
- Reported speech exercise
- Reported questions - worksheet
- Indirect speech - worksheet
- Worksheets pdf - print
- Grammar worksheets - handouts
Grammar - lessons
- Reported speech - grammar notes
- How to use reported speech - lesson
- Tense changes - grammar
Reported speech – Simple Past – Sentences – Exercise
Task no. 2333.
Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is sometimes not necessary.
Layla, "They landed on a little island." Layla said (that)
Layla said (that) they had landed on a little island .
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Reported speech
- Emma, "The train left at eight." Emma said (that) .
- Sophia, "Dan forgot his keys." Sophia said (that) .
- Alexander, "I had a meeting at four." Alexander remarked (that) .
- Jackson and Leo, "We visited Aunt Elisabeth." Jackson and Leo said (that) .
- Mum, "William repaired the printer." Mum remarked (that) .
- Toby, "Jeff didn't like the food in the restaurant." Toby mentioned (that) .
- Hannah, "I walked to the museum." Hannah told me (that) .
- Nick, "She went home late." Nick said (that) .
- Alisha, "Lucas lost my money." Alisha told me (that) .
- Dad, "Emily didn't eat potatoes as a child." Dad told me (that) .
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- Reported Speech
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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- Reported Speech — Past Simple — Exercise 1
Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 1
Task: Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Pay special attention to changing pronouns and time phrases where necessary.
Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 2
Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 3
Task: Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Pay special attention to changing pronouns where necessary.
Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 4
Reported statements — mixed tenses — Exercise 5
Reported speech- past simple
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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.
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 with Examples and Test (PDF)
Reported speech is used when we want to convey what someone else has said to us or to another person. It involves paraphrasing or summarising what has been said , often changing verb tenses , pronouns and other elements to suit the context of the report.
*doesn’t change
Formula of Reported Speech
The formula for reported speech involves transforming direct speech into an indirect form while maintaining the meaning of the original statement. In general, the formula includes:
- Choosing an appropriate reporting verb (e.g., say, tell, mention, explain).
- Changing pronouns and time expressions if necessary.
- Shifting the tense of the verb back if the reporting verb is in the past tense.
- Using reporting clauses like “that” or appropriate conjunctions.
- Adjusting word order and punctuation to fit the structure of the reported speech.
Here’s a simplified formula:
Reporting Verb + Indirect Object + Conjunction + Reported Clause
For example:
- She said (reporting verb) to me (indirect object) that (conjunction) she liked ice cream (reported clause).
Here’s how we use reported speech:
Reporting Verbs: We use verbs like ‘say’ or ‘tell’ to introduce reported speech. If the reporting verb is in the present tense, the tense of the reported speech generally remains the same.
If the reporting verb is in the past tense , the tense of the reported speech often shifts back in time.
Tense Changes: Tense changes are common in reported speech. For example, present simple may change to past simple, present continuous to past continuous, etc. However, some verbs like ‘would’, ‘could’, ‘should’, ‘might’, ‘must’, and ‘ought to’ generally don’t change.
Reported Questions: When reporting questions, we often change them into statements while preserving the meaning. Question words are retained, and the tense of the verbs may change.
Reported Requests and Orders: Requests and orders are reported similarly to statements. Reported requests often use ‘asked me to’ + infinitive, while reported orders use ‘told me to’ + infinitive.
Time Expressions: Time expressions may need to change depending on when the reported speech occurred in relation to the reporting moment. For instance, ‘today’ may become ‘that day’ or ‘yesterday’, ‘yesterday’ might become ‘the day before’, and so forth.
Reported Speech with Examples PDF
Reported Speech PDF – download
Reported Speech Test
Reported Speech A2 – B1 Test – download
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Reported speech - indirect speech
- English year 1
- English year 2
- English year 3
- English year 4
- You are learning...
- Reported Speech
- 01 Reported Speech rules
- 02 Pronouns change
- 03 Pronouns change
- 04 Change place and time
- 05 Simple Present
- 06 Introduction Simple Pres.
- 07 Backshift
- 08 Backshift Tenses
- 09 Simple Past negative
- 10 Simple Past negative
- 11 Questions
- 12 Questions
- 13 Past - Past Perfect
- 14 Past - Past Perfect
- 15 Past Perfect negative
- 16 Past Perfect negative
- 17 with-out question word
- 18 with-out question word
- 19 Perfect Past Perfect
- 20 Perfect - Past Perfect
- 21 Perfect - Past Perfect
- 22 Perfect - Past Perfect
- 23 Questions without qw.
- 24 Questions with qw.
- 25 will - would
- 26 Will-Future
- 27 Will-Future negative
- 28 Will-Future negatives
- 29 Will-Future Questions
- 30 Will-Future will - would
- 31 Commands
- 32 Commands Reported
- 33 Commands negative
- 34 Commands negative
- 35 Mixed exercises
- 37 Questions all tenses
- 38 Questions all tenses
- 39 Commands all tenses
- 40 Commands all tenses
- 41 all forms all tenses
- 42 all forms all tenses
- 43 Change place and time
- 44 Change place and time
- 45 Test Reported Speech
- English Tenses
- Simple Present Tense
- Simple past Tense
- Present perfect
- Past Perfect
- Simple Future
- Future Perfect
- Going-to-Future
- Continuous Tenses
- Present Continuous
- Past Continuous
- Present perfect Progr.
- Past Perfect Continuous
- Simple Future Continuous
- Future 2 Continuous
- Comparison of Tenses
- Passive exercises
- If clauses - Conditional
Reported speech simple past - past perfect
Simple past.
The simple past tense usually changes to the past perfect in reported speech.
Change of tenses
The tenses , word-order, pronouns may be different from those in the direct speech sentence. The Past Perfect Tense does not change in the Reported Speech.
English Reported speech exercises
Reported speech - indirect speech with free online exercises, Reported speech - indirect speech examples and sentences. Online exercises Reported speech - indirect speech, questions and negative sentences.
Online exercises English grammar and courses Free tutorial Reported speech - indirect speech with exercises. English grammar easy to learn.
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VIDEO
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Reported Speech. Greg: "I am cooking dinner Maya.". Maya: "Greg said he was cooking dinner.". So most often, the reported speech is going to be in the past tense, because the original statement, will now be in the past! *We will learn about reporting verbs in part 2 of this lesson, but for now we will just use said/told.
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) (in PDF here) Past Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in ...
Reported speech 2. Reported requests and orders. Reported speech exercise. Reported questions - worksheet. Indirect speech - worksheet. Worksheets pdf - print. Grammar worksheets - handouts. Grammar - lessons. Reported speech - grammar notes.
RS008 - Reported Questions. RS007 - Reported Speech. RS006 - Reported Speech. RS005 - Reported Speech. RS004 - Reported Speech. RS003 - Reported Speech. RS002 - Reported Speech - Mixed Exercises. RS001 - Reported Speech - Mixed Exercises. Adjective and Adverbs - Downloadable PDF Worksheets for English Language Learners - Intermediate Level (B1)
therefore, we change the verbs into the past. Direct Speech Reported Speech Simple Present: "I eat pizza." Simple Past: He said (that) he ate pizza. Present Continuous: "I am eating pizza." Past Continuous: He said (that) he was eating pizza. Future (will): "I will eat pizza."
The past simple tense (did/saw/knew etc.) can usually stay the same in reported speech, or you can change it to the past perfect tense (had done/ had seen / had known etc.) Direct speech Paul said, "I woke up feeling ill so I didn't go to work." Reported speech
She told him to wait until she got back. My sister said, "I always eat lots of fresh fruit and salad." She said that she always ate lots of fresh fruit and salad. The workers said, "We won't have enough time to finish the job."
Reported Speech: Past Simple . 1. "I went to the cinema yesterday." She said 2. "Jane left the party early." She told me 3. "I didn't go out at the weekend." She said 4. "He didn't like chocolate as a child." She said 5. "They visited Japan." She said 6. "She didn't buy the dress." He told me 7.
Grammar videos: Reported speech - exercises 1. Check your grammar: matching Draw a line to match the direct and indirect (reported) speech forms. Direct speech Reported speech 1. Present simple o o a. Past perfect 2. Present continuous o o b. Past simple 3. Past simple o o c. Past continuous 4. 'will' o o d.
A) The changes of verb tenses in the indirect (reported) speech 1. Present - past The present simple tense becomes the past simple tense and the present continuous becomes the past continuous. "I never understand you," she told me. - She told me she never understood me. "We are exercising," he explained. - He explained that they were exercising. 2.
Reported speech. PDF exercises with answers to download for free. Reported speech PDF exercise 1. Key with answers 1. Complete sentences: "It is too late." - I said it was too late. ... Present simple - past simple: "I work in York," Joe said. - Joe said (that) he worked in York. Present continuous - past continuous:
This reported speech exercise looks at statements with the past simple. Review reported statements here; Download this quiz in PDF here; More reported speech exercises here
Change the direct speech into reported speech. Choose the past simple of 'ask', 'say' or 'tell': 1. "Come quickly!" ... Answers: Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 2 1. She told me to come quickly. 2. She asked me if I arrived (had arrived) before seven. 3. She asked me how my holiday was (had been).
Hannah, "I walked to the museum." Hannah told me (that) . Nick, "She went home late." Nick said (that) . Alisha, "Lucas lost my money." Alisha told me (that) . Dad, "Emily didn't eat potatoes as a child." Dad told me (that) . Sentences in Reported speech in the Simple Past in English in an Online Exercise.
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.
Reported Speech — Past Simple — Exercise 1. Change the direct speech into reported speech. 1. Andrew, "I saw a puppy in the street.". Andrew said (that). 2. Sara and Emily, "We finished the report.". Sara and Emily said (that). 3.
Try this worksheet online. Reported Speech — Past Simple — Exercise 1. English Grammar Worksheet - Reported Speech - Past Simple - Exercise 1|Change the direct speech into reported speech.
11/05/2021. Country code: MX. Country: Mexico. School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958) Main content: Reported speech- past simple (1374080) From worksheet author: REPORTED SPEECH- PAST SIMPLE.
Reported speech worksheets PDF exercises with answers. Reported questions, commands and requests Exercises and grammar rules. Reported speech - brief summary ... 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.
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.
Reported Speech (Reporting verb in past tense) "I eat breakfast at 8 AM.". She said (that) she ate breakfast at 8 AM. "We are going to the beach.". They told me (that) they were going to the beach. "He speaks Spanish fluently.". She said (that) he spoke Spanish fluently. "She cooks delicious meals.".
Online exercises Reported speech - indirect speech, questions and negative sentences. Free tutorial Reported speech - indirect speech with exercises. English grammar easy to learn. English online reported speech exercises with answers. All direct and indirect speech exercises free and with help function, teaching materials and grammar rules.