reported speech dialogue questions

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Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

Reported speech is when we express or say things that have already been said by somebody else.

Basic  English Grammar  rules can be tricky. In this article, we’ll get you started with the basics of sentence structure, punctuation, parts of speech, and more.

We also providing Extra Questions for Class 10 English Chapter wise.

Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises For Class 10 Cbse With Answers PDF

Reporting of the words of a speaker in one’s own words is called Narration. There are two ways of reporting what people say: Direct Speech and Indirect Speech. Direct Speech. The actual words of the speaker using quotation marks are called Direct Speech. Indirect Speech. When we convey the speaker’s words in our own words it becomes Indirect Speech. It is the reporting of speakers’ words, using a saying or asking verbs. In indirect, verbs giving or asking for instructing are often used with a to-infinitive construction. Verbs expressing intention may also be followed by a to-infinitive.

There are basically four types of sentences in which we can convert direct speech into Indirect speech.

• Assertive Sentences (Statements)
• Interrogative Sentences (Questions)
• Imperative Sentences (Commands and Requests)
• Exclamatory Sentences (Strong Feelings)

To convert a Direct speech into an Indirect speech, we have to make some necessary changes. Change No.1. Remove the commas and inverted commas. Use any conjunction.

Change No.2. In Reported Speech, there are some words which show nearness, but they are always converted into words which show distance.

They are as follows:

Note. ‘Come’ is changed into ‘go’ only in that case when any word showing nearness is given with it. Change No. 3. Change of Person. There are three types of Person in English language which are as follows:

Change No. 4. If the reporting verb is in Present or in Future Tense, there is no change in the tense of the Reported Speech. If the reporting verb is in Past Tense, there is always a change in the tense of the Reported Speech, which is as follows:

• Present Indefinite is changed into Past Indefinite
• Present Continuous is changed into Past Continuous
• Present Perfect is changed into Past Perfect
• Present Perfect Continuous is changed into Past Perfect Continuous
• Past Indefinite is changed into Past Perfect
• Past Continuous is changed into Past Perfect Continuous
• Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous remain unchanged

In case of Future Tense, there are only four words which are changed, i.e.

Changes based on the types of sentences.

1. Assertive Sentences (Statements) Change No. 1. Remove the commas and inverted commas. Use conjunction ‘that’. Change No. 2. Change the reporting verb ‘say into tell’, ‘says into tell’, ‘said into told’, if the reporting object is given in the sentence. But do not change the reporting verb if the reporting object is not given in the sentence. Change No. 3. ‘Said to’ can be changed into told, replied, informed, stated, added, remarked, asserted, assured, reminded, complained, and reported, according to the meaning. Change No. 4. Always remove “to’ from the reporting speech, e.g.

• He said to me, “I cannot help you in this matter.” He told me that he could not help me in that matter.
• He said, “My sister’s marriage comes off next month.” He said that his sister’s marriage would come off the following month.

2. Interrogative Sentences (Questions)

Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb ‘said ‘or ‘said to’into‘ asked’ or ‘inquired of’. In case of a single question, change it into ‘asked’ but in case of more than one question, change it into “inquired of’. Change No. 2. Use conjunction ‘if’ or ‘whether’ if the reported speech starts with a helping verb. But do not use any conjunction if the reported speech starts with an interrogative word. Change No. 3. Change the Interrogative sense into an Assertive sense. Change No. 4. Remove ‘?’ question mark and use ‘ . ‘full stop, e.g.

• She said to her servant, “Is tea ready for me?” She asked her servant if tea was ready for her.
• She asked me, “Who teaches you English?” She asked me who taught me English.

3. Imperative Sentences (Commands and Requests)

Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb‘said’ or ‘said to’ into ordered, commanded, requested, advised, warned, forbade, suggested, encouraged, persuaded, begged, etc. according to the sense. Change No. 2. Remove the commas and inverted commas, use conjunction ‘to’. Change No. 3. Change the Imperative sense into Infinitive sense. Change No. 4. Remove ‘do not and use ‘not to’ in case of Negative Imperative sentences, e.g.

• The teacher said to me, “Stand up on the bench.”. The teacher ordered me to stand up on the bench.
• The General said to the soldiers, “March forward and attack the foe.” The General ordered the soldiers to march forward and attack the foe.
• The gardener said to the boys, “Do not pluck the flowers.” The gardener forbade the boys from plucking the flowers.

4. Exclamatory Sentences (Strong Feelings)

Change No. 1. Change the reporting verb ‘said’ or ‘said to’ into “exclaimed with joy’ or ‘exclaimed with sorrow’, ‘cry out, “pray’, etc., according to the sense, i.e.

• Exclaimed with joy–in case of Aha! Ha! Hurrah!
• Exclaimed with sorrow–in case of Ah! Alas!
• Exclaimed with surprise–in case of Oh! What! How!
• Exclaimed with regret–in case of Sorry!
• Exclaimed with contempt–in case of Pooh! Pshaw!
• Applauded with saying–in case of Bravo! Hear!

Change No. 2. Use very or great by removing what or how. Change No. 3. Use conjunction ‘that. Change No. 4. Remove exclamatory word and exclamation sign ‘!’ The student must select the verb best suited to the sense or context, e.g.

• They said, “Hurrah! We have won the match.” They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
• She said, “Alas! I have lost my bridal ring.” She exclaimed with sorrow that she had lost her bridal ring.
• She said, “How charming the scenery is!” She exclaimed with surprise that it was a very charming scenery.

Reported Speech Exercises Solved Example With Answers for Class 10 CBSE

Diagnostic Test – 29

Mother: Why are you looking so worried? Daughter: My exams are approaching. Mother: When will they start? Daughter: Next month, Mother.

Mother asked her daughter (a) …………………… The daughter replied that (b) …………………… Mother further asked (c) …………………… The daughter told her mother that they would start in the following month.

Answer: (a) why she was looking very worried (b) her exams were approaching. (c) when they would start.

Report the dialogue: reported speech conversation

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• Direct | indirect object

Read the following conversation and report the dialogue in the reported speech.

Mike: "What are you doing here, Liz? I haven't seen you since June." Liz: "I've just come back from my holiday in Ireland." Mike: "Did you enjoy it?" ...

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Reported speech exercises with answers and grammar rules.

How to report a dialogue

If we report a conversation, we use a reporting verb ('say' and 'tell' are the most common, but there are a lot of other verbs like 'claim', 'admit', 'explain'...). If the reporting verb is in the past tense ( I said that... He told us that... ), we have to change the following:

• Tenses "I am hungry," I said. - I said I was hungry. "Sarah went to hospital," Terry said. - Terry said that Sarah had gone to hospital. "Jim has gone away," Betty told me. - Betty told me that Jim had gone away. "We will try it again," we promised. - We promised we would try it again.
• Pronouns They called us," said Tom. - Tom said they had called them. "I like this," Sarah told me. - Sarah told me she liked that.
• Time and place Harry: "She will come tomorrow." - Harry said she would come the next day. My brother: "I arrived at Warsaw yesterday." - My brother told me that he had arrived at Warsaw the day before. "I'll be here on time," he said. - He said he would be there on time.
• Word order in reported questions "How old are you?" asked Peter. - Peter wanted to know how old I was. "What did you do?" asked my mum. - My mum asked what I had done. "Will you catch a bus?" I asked my sister. - I asked my sister if she would catch a bus.

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Reported Speech: Dialogue Writing Practice Questions CBSE Class 10 Grammar

• Post last modified: 25 February 2024
• Post category: Grammar Exercises / School Grammar

Dialogue Writing Practice Questions

Q. read the dialogue given below and then complete the report that follows by choosing the appropriate option. [2016] (4 marks).

Ram: I want to meet the principal. Peon: Sir is not in his office. Ram: When will he come back to the office? Peon: I think in another twenty minutes. Ram: What are the meeting hours?

Ram went to the principal’s office and told the peon (a) _____________ the principal. Respectfully, the peon told him that (b) ______________ So, Ram asked him (c) _______________. The peon replied that (d) _____________ minutes. Ram again enquired from the peon what the meeting hours were.

(a) that he wanted to meet

(b) he (sir) was not in his office.

(c) when he would come back to the office.

(d) he would be back in another ten

Q. Read the dialogue given below and then complete the report that follows.

Mrs. Sharma: Bhola, lock the door as I am going out. Prepare the dinner by 8 p.m.

Bhola: Where are you going, Madam? Please come home early.

Mrs. Sharma: Are you going to tell me what I should do? Don’t advise me.

Mrs. Sharma ordered her servant Bhola (a) ___________. She instructed him (b) _____________. Bhola respectfully asked Mrs. Sharma (c) _____________. and requested her to come home early. Mrs. Sharma angrily scolded him by saying (d)___________. She also warned him not to advise her

(a) to lock the door as she was going out

(b) to prepare the dinner by 8 pm

(c) where she was going

(d) if he was going to tell her what she should do

Q. Read the dialogue given below and then complete the report. 

Shivam: Where is my car? I remember parking it here.   Policeman: The car has been towed away as you parked it in the ‘no parking zone’.   Shivam: Sir, can I be excused this once?   Policeman: I hope you’ll remember the lesson you learnt today. OK! This should be the last time. Don’t repeat the mistake again. 

 Shivam asked the policeman standing there (a) __________ and (b) __________. The policeman replied that the car (c) __________ parked it in the ‘no parking zone’. Shivam requested the policeman (d) __________. The policeman hoped he’d remember (e) __________. But finally, he advised him (f) __________. 

Answer: 

(a) where his car was  

(b) that he remembered parking it there.  

(c) had been towed away as he had  

(d) to excuse him that once.  

(e) the lesson he had learnt that day.  

(f) not to repeat the mistake again 

Q. Read the conversation given below and complete the paragraph that follows.

Arun: Hello Rakib, how are you? Rohit: I am fine and you? Arun: I am fine too. Rohit: What were you reading about? Arun: The importance of planting trees. Rohit: Trees save us from floods and many other natural calamities.

Arun wished (a) _______ . Rohit said that he was fine and asked Arun how he was. Arun said that he was fine too. Rohit wanted to know what (b) _______ about. Arun said that he was reading about (c) _______ trees. Rohit said that trees (d) _______ from floods and many other natural calamities.

(a) Rohit and asked how he was (b) Arun had been reading (c) the importance of planting (d) save us

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Story writing practice questions class 10 english, parts of speech: practice exercises, unseen comprehension passages practice cbse questions: grammar for schools, prepositions: practice exercises english grammar, this post has 66 comments.

Thank you for question These were excellent and also improved my spech

It’s speech not spech

clapings it is speech

thank you it will help with my exam preparation

Thanks. New questions are also added from time to time.

Thanks a lot for these questions it helped me to be thorough with the exam pattern.

Are you from India:)

thanks for those questions

Why are there so many mistakes in the given questions?The names of the people in the conversation and the names of the people in the related question are completely different.Pls chk and rectify.It is confusing the kids and the purpose of these practice questions is totally defeated.

Thank you for informing us of the mistakes. We have done the required corrections. I hope all is well now.

page 2 question 3 there is a name error plz rectify it as soon as possible to avoid more confusion

Thank you for informing us of the mistake. The required correction has been done- ‘Mohan’ has been replaced by ‘Vinnet’ in the last line of the question.

Please add more questions

In the second question (page 1) , answer to the first part is wrong as Did changes to had + verb’s 3rd form.

Thank you for referring to the issue. We have updated the post and added a ‘note’ section.

Thanks a lot! These were truly of great help! Excellent questions!

It was very helpful ☺️. Thanks ncert tutorials

Really, it was very helpful.

Sir, i wanted to know where “it” is changed to “that” . I have this confusion as there are many questions where it is changed to that..but in many questions there is “it” only.

Sir, In Question no. 4 , please check the answers of option (c) , (f) , (h) why there is “been”

‘Had been’ is used in place ‘was and were’.

Sir, In question 7 (a), How could ‘may’ change into ‘could’?

Thanks for pointing out the error. We have made the required correction.

It was nice to have such a exercise to practice….

Sir, In question 8(d), It should be ‘ she had been talking’ instead of ‘ she has been talking’

The correction done. Thank You Ayush for sparing time to help us clean the exercises out of mistakes.

Why are you using Wrong English ?

Why are you using Wrong English ? Please use correct English to teach. Thank you.

Please give proper reference. I would do required corrections or elaborate upon your issue.

Thank you for this. Please add more. And I think there are some mistakes please do check and correct them. Thanks again🙌

thank you, Elena, and after reports of some errors corrections also have been done. If future reports received, required corrections will be done.

in the fifth page 4th ques there will be what he had been reading as past progressive changes to past perfect progressive

Thank you Sarthak for informing us of the error. Corrections done and the question has also been modified with one more filling gap (d).

thank u for giving a lot of questions this was useful for my class 10 board term 2 exam

thank you so much

Tomorrow is board

Yess all the bestt

I have my english board exam tomorrow, and this helped me a lot

thank you soo much. this site is the only one that consists of grammar questions based on the format of the board exams

it helped me a lot to prepare for my term 2 board exam of english. LOOKING FORWARD TO SCORE 40/40

Best of Luck Aishwarya 👍👍

best of luck to me to plz saaaayyyyy Subscribe to Jonja hi Jonja

Ok, Best of luck to you also 👍👍

Thank you sir , Your questions on reported speech have helped me a lot to study for my exam.

EXCELLENT QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KEEP IT UP………………..

Sir in question no. 3(b) the past tense of buy should be bought and not brought.Pls make the changes.

Correction done 😊.

I love the lessons for they are smart enough to learn personally.

I would like to show my gratitude …….this website was really good and helpful 👍 and more comfortable

Very nice examples They helped me a lot in my exam preparation

thanks for sharing this information

Questions were very helpful and amazing also… Thanks for such practice question..

Good questions thank you

sir on page 1 Q 2 it should be “for tomorrow’s test” instead of “the test tomorrow”.

Hi Arnav, it is written as ‘for the test tomorrow’ so no problem.

Thanks too much this is awesome for my test this help me more

Thank you admin blog. Very good

Please add longer questions

there some questions with mistakes arun and rohit question pls rectrfy the mistakes thanks it helped me a lot because it was my todays homework i referred and completed it Thank you

We revisited the question mentioned by you but did not find any error. May be you have any doubt. Feel free to ask us about that.

Pls take a look at the first question Isnt ‘will’ supposed to be changed to ‘would’

Correction done

THANKS, IT WAS AWESOME…

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Using Reported Speech: ESL Lesson Plan

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Reported speech is also known as indirect speech and is commonly used in spoken conversations to report what others have said. A keen grasp of correct tense usage, as well as the ability to correctly shift pronouns and time expressions, is essential when using  reported speech .

The use of reported speech is especially important at higher English levels . Students are fine-tuning their communication skills to include expressing the ideas of others, as well as their own opinions. Students usually need to focus not only on the grammar involved but also on production skills. Reported speech includes some rather tricky transformations that need to be practiced repeatedly before students feel comfortable using reported speech in everyday conversations.

Finally, make sure to point out that reported speech is generally used with the verbs 'say' and 'tell' in the past. 

"He'll help him with the homework." -> She told me he would help me with my homework. 

However, if the reporting verb is conjugated in the present tense, no reported speech changes are necessary.

"I'm going to Seattle next week." -> Peter says he's going to Seattle next week. 

Lesson Outline

Aim: Developing reported speech grammar and productions skills

Activity: Introduction and written reporting activity, followed by spoken practice in the form of a questionnaire

Level: Upper-intermediate

• Introduce/review reported speech by making simple statements and asking students to report what you have said. Make sure to emphasize reporting in the past (i.e., "the teacher said ", NOT "the teacher says ")
• Provide review sheet of principle reported speech transitions (included in lesson printout pages)
• Have students get into pairs and convert the reported speech paragraph into the direct speech form.
• Correct worksheet as a class.
• Ask students to divide up into new pairs and ask each other questions from the questionnaire. Remind them to take notes on what their partners say.
• Have students divide into new pairs and ask them to report what they have learned about the other students to their new partner (i.e., John said he had lived in Breubach for two years).
• Follow-up with class conversation focusing on problematic tense transformations.

Reported Speech

Study the following chart carefully. Notice how reported speech is one step back into the past from direct speech.

Time Expression Changes

Time expressions such as 'at the moment' are also changed when using reported speech. Here are some of the most common changes:

at the moment / right now / now -> at that moment / at that time

"We're watching TV right now." -> She told me they were watching TV at that time.

yesterday -> the previous day / the day before

"I bought some groceries yesterday." -> He told me he had bought some groceries the previous day.

tomorrow -> the following day / the next day

"She'll be at the party tomorrow." -> She told me she would be at the party the next day.

Exercise 1: Put the following paragraph in the reported speech into the conversational form using direct speech  (quotes).

Peter introduced me to Jack who said he was pleased to meet me. I replied that it was my pleasure and that I hoped Jack was enjoying his stay in Seattle. He said he thought Seattle was a beautiful city, but that it rained too much. He said that he had been staying at the Bayview Hotel for three weeks and that it hadn't stopped raining since he had arrived. Of course, he said, this wouldn't have surprised him if it hadn't been July! Peter replied that he should have brought warmer clothes. He then continued by saying that he was going to fly to Hawaii the following week, and he that he couldn't wait to enjoy some sunny weather. Both Jack and I commented that Peter was a lucky person indeed.

Exercise 2: Ask your partner the following questions making sure to take good notes . After you have finished the questions, find a new partner and report what you have learned about your first partner using reported speech .

• What is your favorite sport and how long have you been playing/doing it?
• What are your plans for your next vacation?
• How long have you known your best friend? Can you give me a description of him/her?
• What kind of music do you like? Have you always listened to that kind of music?
• What did you use to do when you were younger that you don't do anymore?
• Do you have any predictions about the future?
• Can you tell me what you do on a typical Saturday afternoon?
• What were you doing yesterday at this time?
• Which two promises will you make concerning learning English?
• Indirect Speech in the English Language
• How to Teach Reported Speech
• Reporting Verbs for English Language Learners
• Time Expressions and Tenses
• Expressing Opinions of Best and Worst
• Present Continuous Worksheets
• How to Teach the Present Simple
• Visual Explanations of Each English Tense
• ESL Lesson Plan for Paired Conjunctions
• Dialogue and Multiple Choice Questions: Having a Hard Time Finding a Job
• Asking Questions Lesson Plan for Lower Level Students
• How Many Verb Tenses Are There in English?
• Know your Auxiliary Verbs
• Essential Basic English Lessons
• Example Sentences With the Verb "Give"
• Grammar Lesson: Tense Review

• English Grammar
• Clause structure and verb patterns

Reported speech

Level: intermediate

Reporting and summarising

When we want to report what people say, we don't usually try to report their exact words. We usually give a  summary , for example:

Direct speech (exact words) :

Mary :  Oh dear. We've been walking for hours! I'm exhausted. I don't think I can go any further. I really need to stop for a rest. Peter :  Don't worry. I'm not surprised you're tired. I'm tired too. I'll tell you what, let's see if we can find a place to sit down, and then we can stop and have our picnic.

Reported speech (summary) :

When Mary complained that she was tired out after walking so far, Peter said they could stop for a picnic.

Reporting verbs

When we want to report what people say, we use reporting verbs . Different reporting verbs have different patterns, for example:

Mary complained (that) she was tired . (verb + that clause) She asked if they could stop for a rest . (verb + if clause) Peter told her not to worry . (verb + to -infinitive) He suggested stopping and having a picnic . (verb + - ing form) 

See reporting verbs with that , wh-  and if clauses , verbs followed by the infinitive , verbs followed by the -ing form .

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Tenses in reported speech

When reporting what people say or think in English, we need to remember that the rules for tense forms in reported speech are exactly the same as in the rest of the language.

This is a letter that Andrew wrote ten years ago:

If we wanted to report what Andrew said in his letter, we might say something like this: 

Andrew said that when he  was  22, he was an engineering student in his last month at university. He wanted  to travel abroad after he  had finished  his course at the university, but he would need to earn some money while he was abroad so he wanted  to learn to teach English as a foreign language. A friend  had recommended  a course but Andrew needed more information, so he wrote to the school and asked them when their courses started  and how much they were . He also wanted to know if there was  an examination at the end of the course.

We would naturally use past tense forms to talk about things which happened ten years ago. So, tenses in reports and summaries in English are the same as in the rest of the language.

Sometimes we can choose between a past tense form and a  present tense  form. If we're talking about the past but we mention something that's still true , we can use the present tense:

John said he'd stayed at the Shangri-la because it' s the best hotel in town. Mary said she enjoyed the film because Robert de Niro is her favourite actor. Helen said she  loves visiting New York.

or the past tense:

John said he'd stayed at the Shangri-la because it was the best hotel in town. Mary said she enjoyed the film because Robert de Niro was her favourite actor. Helen said she  loved visiting New York.

If we're talking about something that  everybody knows is true , we normally use the present tense :

Michael said he'd always wanted to climb Everest because it' s the highest mountain in the world. Mary said she loved visiting New York because it' s such an exciting city.

Hi! I found the following paragraph from a grammar site while I was studying the reported speech. Can you help me? It says; --> We can use a perfect form with have + -ed form after modal verbs, especially where the report looks back to a hypothetical event in the past: He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. (original statement: ‘The noise might be the postman delivering letters.’)

And my question is: How do we understand if it is a hypothetical event in the past or not? We normally don't change 'might' in reported speech. (e.g. ‘It might snow tonight,’ he warned. --> He warned that it might snow that night.) But why do we say 'He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters.' instead of 'He said that the noise might be the postman delivering letters.’ What's the difference between these two indirect reported speeches? Could you please explain the difference? And I also found this example which is about the same rule above: --> He said he would have helped us if we’d needed a volunteer. (original statement: a) ‘I’ll help you if you need a volunteer’ or b) ‘I’d help you if you needed a volunteer.’) Can you also explain why we report this sentence like that. How can we both change a) and b) into the same indirect reported speech? Thank you very much!

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Hello Melis_06,

1. He said the noise might have been the postman delivering letters. 2. He said that the noise might be the postman delivering letters.

In sentence 1 it is clear that the noise has ended; it is a noise that 'he' could hear but it is not a noise that you can hear now. In sentence 2 the noise could have ended or it could be a noise that you can still hear now. For example, if the noise is one which is constant, such as a noise that comes from your car engine that you are still trying to identify, then you would use sentence 2. In other words, sentence 2 allows for a wider range of time possibilities - both past (ended) and present (still current).

Your second question is similar:

He said he would have helped us if we needed a volunteer - you no longer need a volunteer

He said he would help us if we needed a volunteer - this could still be relevant; you may still need a volunteer.

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello my friend : what are you doing now? me : I'm eating an apple now and My friend repeated his question now

my question

Can I repeat the sentence in the past ( I was eating an apple) and mean( I'm eating an apple now) ?

You can but it is unusual. If you say  I was eating an apple  (past continuous), it means that it was in the past. You already finished eating the apple and you are not eating it now. But if your friend asked you just a moment ago, I guess you are still eating the apple when she/he asks the second question, so I would say  I'm eating an apple  (because you are still doing it).

Alternatively, you can use a past tense reporting verb e.g. I said I was eating an apple  (referring to the time of the first question), or  I said I 'm eating an apple  (to show that you are still eating it now, at the moment of speaking).

LearnEnglish team

Am I correct then? When someone wants us to repeat the sentence we have just said a moment ago we say 'I said I am doing...' if we are still doing that action. But if we are done with that action, then we say 'I said I was doing...' Did I get it right? Thanks!

Hello Meldo,

Yes, that's correct. Well done!

Hi. I wish to enquire if the verb tense used after a conjunction also changes in complex sentences as per tense transition rules, especially if it is already in simple past tense. In order to explain, could you please solve the following for me: 1. It has been quite a while since I last saw you. 2. Nevertheless, she has been quite desensitized to such perverse actions to the extent that it seldom ever seems obnoxious to her. 3. Let me keep this in my cupboard lest I misplace this. 4. I had arrived at the station before you even left your house. 5. I met my grandfather before he died.

Hi Aamna bluemoon,

The verb may or may not be backshifted, depending on whether the original speaker's point of view and the reporter's point of view are the same or not. For example:

• She said it had been quite a while since she last saw me . (it seems relatively recent, for both the original speaker and the reporter)
• She said it had been quite a while since she had last seen us . (a lot of time has passed between speaking and reporting this, or the situation has changed a lot since then e.g. they have met frequently since then)
• She said she had met her grandfather before he died . (seems quite recent)
• She said she had met her grandfather before he'd died . (a lot of time has passed between speaking and reporting this)

I hope that helps.

Hi, can you help me, please? How could I report this famous quotation: 'There's no such things as good news in America'.

Hi bri.q630,

First of all, the sentence is not grammatically correct. The phrase is 'no such thing' (singular), not 'things'.

How you report it depends. Using 'said' as the reporting verb we have two possibilities:

1. They said (that) there's no such thing as good news in America. 2. They said (that) there was no such thing as good news in America.

Sentence 2 tells that only about the time when 'they' said it. It does not tell us if it is still true or not.

Sentence 1 tells us that what 'they' said is still relevant today. In other words there was no good news (in their opinion) when they spoke, and there is still no good news now.

Thank you Peter,

All things are getting clear to me.

So, you mean, I can use both sentences depending on what I want to indicate, can't I?

then the possible indications are bellow, are those correct?

1-a I remembered the World War 2 ended in 1945. (This would be indicated the statement is still ture.)

1-b I remembered the World War 2 had ended in 1945. (This would be indicated I might missunderstand.)

2-a I felt time is money. (This would be indicated the statement is still ture.)

2-b I felf time was money. (This would be indicated I might not feel any more.)

3-a I knew the sun rises in the east. (This would be indicated the statement is still true.)

3-b I knew the sun rase in the east. (This would be indicated I might misunderstand or forget.)

4-a I guessed* that Darth Vader is Luke's father. (This would be indicated I still believe he is.*sorry for the typo)

4-2 I guessed that Darth Vader was Luke's father. (This would be indicated I might know he is not.)

Thank you in advance.

Hello again Nobori,

1-a I remembered the World War 2 ended in 1945. (This would be indicated the statement is still ture.) 1-b I remembered the World War 2 had ended in 1945. (This would be indicated I might missunderstand.)

Both forms are possible here. The 'ending' is a moment in the past; after this there is no war. By the way, we treat 'World War 2' as a name so there is no article before it.

2-a I felt time is money. (This would be indicated the statement is still ture.) 2-b I felf time was money. (This would be indicated I might not feel any more.)

That's correct. Remember that backshifting the verb does not mean something is no longer true; it simply does not tell us anything about the present. Here, it tells the reader how you felt at a given moment in time; you may 

3-a I knew the sun rises in the east. (This would be indicated the statement is still true.) 3-b I knew the sun rase in the east. (This would be indicated I might misunderstand or forget.)

That's also correct. Again, remember that backshifting the verb does not mean something is no longer true; it simply does not tell us anything about the present.

4-a I guessed* that Darth Vader is Luke's father. (This would be indicated I still believe he is.*sorry for the typo) 4-2 I guessed that Darth Vader was Luke's father. (This would be indicated I might know he is not.)

Again, correct. In the second example it might still be true that he is Luke's father, or it might have turned out to be not true. The sentence does not tell us.

Hi Peter, Thank you for your thoughtful answer. Allthing is now very clear to me. Best

Hi, I am translating a fiction novel into English and need your help regarding the reporting speech as for few things I am not getting any clear understanding over the internet. As you know in fiction, we need to write in non-ordinary way to create unique impressions of the word and academic writing is different than speaking. Will be grateful if you could give your insight below, especially considering in the context of fiction/academic writing.

1) Let’s say If someone is giving a speech or presentation, I want to mix their speech, indirect-direct and past tense- present tense. Below are three examples:

-He said, their company makes excellent profit every year OR their company made excellent profit every year ( can both be correct? As the sentence)

- Roger had given his speech yesterday. He said, their company makes excellent profit every year and your company will sustain for next hundred years.(Can YOUR be used in the sentence)

- Roger said people wants to feel important OR Roger said people wanted to feel important (which will be correct as this is a trait which is true in past and present)

2) He thought why he is talking to her OR He thought why he was talking to her (are both write? As usually I see in novels the second example with WAS)

3) Gia was sitting with Jake and she told him she had met with her last year. Her mother had taken her to the dinner. Her mother had told her about her future plans. Her mother also had paid the bill for the dinner. (Do I need to use every time past perfect in this example though it doesn’t feel natural? As a rule of thumb I think past perfect needs to be used when we talk about another past event in the past )

Hello Alamgir3,

We're happy to help with a few specific grammar questions, but I'm afraid we can't help you with your translation -- I'd suggest you find an editor for that.

1) In the second clause, you can use present or past. We often use the present when it's still true now, but the past is not wrong. FYI we don't normally use a comma after 'said' in reported speech.

2) 'Why was he talking to her?' he thought.

3) This is really more of a question of style than grammar. Here I would suggest doing something like combining the four sentences into two and then leaving out 'had' in the second verb in each sentence. Even if it isn't written, it's understood to be past perfect.

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hello teachers, I'm sorry, I could not find where to new post. Could you tell me about the back-sifting of thoughts bellow? Which forms are correct?

1-a I remembered the World War 2 ended in 1945. 1-b I remembered the World War 2 had ended in 1945.

2-a I felt time is money. 2-b I felf time was money.

3-a I knew the sun rises in the east. 3-b I knew the sun rase in the east.

4-a I guess that Darth Vader is Luke's father. 4-2 I guessed that Darth Vader was Luke's father.

Do those questions have the same conclusion as indirect speech, such as say and tell?

Hello Nobori,

The verb form remains the same when we want to make it clear that the situation described by the verb is still true, and this works in the same way as indirect speech. For example:

She said she loves me. [she loved me then and she loves me still] She said she loved me. [she loved me then; no information on how she feels now]

Other than this rule, the choice is really contextual and stylistic (up to the speaker). Sometimes a choice implies something. For example, the saying 'time is money' is a general statement, so if you choose to backshift here the listener will know it is an intentional choice and suspect that something has changed (you no longer believe it).

Hi teachers, I've read almost the section of comments below and my summarize is the present tense only can be used if the statement is still true now and past simple only tells the statement was true in the past and doesn't tell the statement is true or not now. Just to make sure, I wanna ask, If I'm not sure whether the statement is still true or not now, can I choose backshift instead (this is still apply to past tense become past perfect)? Thank you

Hello rahmanagustiansyah,

It sounds to me as if you've got the right general idea. Could you please give a couple of example sentences that illustrate your question?

Thanks in advance, Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

For example, Steve said "Anna hates you." Then I wanna tell about that to my friend, but I'm not sure whether Anna still hates me or not now. What should I choose between these two options. Answer 1:Steve said Anna hates me or Answer 2 : Steve said Anna hated me. Thank you

Hi rahmanagustiansyah,

In that case, I would choose answer 2. I might even add "... but I don't know if she still does" to the sentence to clarify, if that is the key point you want to communicate.

Jonathan The LearnEnglish Team

Hello Natasa Tanasa,

Both sentences are grammatically possible.

The first sentence is only possible if when the person asks the original question the woman is no longer there (she has already gone). The second sentence can be used in this situation too, or in a situation in which the woman was still there when the original question was asked. As the past tense is used in the original question ( Who was... ), both sentences are possible.

Hello Ahmed Imam,

When the situation is still true at the time of reporting, we can leave the verb form unchanged. For example:

1. She told me she loved me.

2. She told me she loves me.

In sentence 1 we know she loved me when she told me but we don't know whether or not she loves me now. In sentence 2, we know she loved me when she told me and we know that she loves me now.

In your example, if the supermarket is still in the same place then we can use either form. If the supermarket has been closed down or moved to another location then we need to use was .

As for which is 'safer', you'll need to make your own mind up! Keeping the verb in the same form carries more specific information and that may be appropriate or even important.

Hello eugelatina87,

I'll give you a hint: a verb is missing from the question.

Does that help you complete it?

All the best,

The first two sentences are possible and they can both mean that he is still Mary's boyfriend now. The first one makes this more clear, but the second one doesn't only refer to the past.

Hello magnuslin

Regarding your first question, the most common way of saying it is the second one. In some very specific situation, perhaps the first option would be possible.

This also answers your second question. It is not necessary to always backshift using the tenses you mention.

As for your third question, no, it is not necessary. In fact, it is probably more common to use the past simple in the reported speech as well. 

All the best

Hello manu,

Both forms are possible. If you use  had been  then we understand that he was there earlier but not when he said it - in other words, when he said it he had already left. If you use was then he may have left at the time of speaking, or he may have still been there.

Hello _princess_

I would recommend using answer a) because this is the general pattern used in reported speech. Sometimes the verb in the reported clause can be in the present tense when we are speaking about a situation that is still true, but the reported verb in the past tense can also have the same meaning. Since here the time referred to could be either past or present, I'd recommend using the past form.

Hello mwright,

This is an example of an indirect question. An indirect question reports a question, but is not a question itself, which is why we do not use a question mark at the end. Since it is not a question, we use the normal word order without inversion or auxiliary verbs. For example:

Indicative: He lives in Rome. Interrogative: Does he live in Rome? (Where does he live?) Reported: She asked if he lives in Rome. (She asked where he lives.)  

Hello ahlinthit

There are different styles of punctuating direct speech -- in other words, you might find other sources that will disagree with me -- but what I would use here is something different: "The boss is dead!" said the doctor.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes

Hello Timmosky,

The form that comes after the auxiliary verb 'do' (or 'does' or 'did') is not the plural present simple verb, but rather the bare infinitive (also known as 'base form' or 'first form') of the verb. Does that make sense?

All the best, Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

Hello sky-high,

This is very formal language. The phrase 'to the effect that' means 'with the meaning that'. In this context it can be understood to mean 'with the result that'.

Best wishes,

The difference is quite logical. If we use 'said' then we are talking about a claim by Peter in the past which he may or may not still maintain. If we use 'says' then we are talking about an opinion expressed by Peter which he still holds.

The reported information (whether or not Rooney is in good shape) can refer to only the past or to the present as well and the statement (what Peter thinks) can separately refer to only the past or the present as well. Of course, all of this is from the point of view of the person reporting Peter's opinion, and whether or not they think that Peter still thinks now what he thought then.

Both are possible. If you use the present tense then it is clear that the statement is still true (i.e. the business was not growing when Mary spoke and is still not growing now). If you use the past tense then no information is given regarding the present (i.e. the business was growing when Mary spoke and may or may not be growing now).

Hello aseel aftab,

It should be 'if they had'. This is not from this page, is it? I don't see it anywhere here, but if I've missed it please let me know.

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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

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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Learn How To Write Reported Speech Dialogue Correctly

How do you write reported speech dialogue?

When you start to learn to write dialogue, it seems simple. All you need to do is add a reporting verb or dialogue tag.

You probably learned this at high school. When a character speaks lines of dialogue, you put a double quotation mark at the beginning and end.

But if you use reported speech, you need to include a tense shift.

In This Article

What’s the difference between dialogue writing and reported speech?

Most dialogue uses active speech. It is what a character says.

But reported speech dialogue is when a character says what another character said.

Let’s look at the difference.

Direct dialogue

When you write dialogue , you are using direct speech.

You are using the exact words that the character says, and then adding a dialogue tag to say who spoke the words.

“I’m going into town this morning. I should be back before dinner,” she said.

The reporting verb is almost always in the simple past verb tense, which is the general rule for fiction writing.

It doesn’t matter which tense the dialogue is using.

It can be present continuous, present perfect , or present simple.

“I’m having friends over for dinner tomorrow night,” he said.

“I’ve had friends over for dinner quite often,” he said.

“I have friends over for dinner all the time,” he said.

You can also use the present simple tense for reporting verbs in some circumstances.

It is when you want to say that someone says something often or all the time.

“When I get older, I think I’ll travel the world,” she says.

“I’m going to buy a Ferrari one day,” he always says.

But you wouldn’t use the present dialogue form in most fiction writing.

Reported speech dialogue

In reported speech or indirect speech , we may not necessarily use the exact words of the speaker.

It is often used to convey small talk or gossip about what other people said.

It is also used to paraphrase long speeches or extended discourse.

We can use both past and present tense in reported speech. But again, the past is much more common.

She said she was going into town that morning and that she should be back before dinner. Past form

He always says that he is going to buy a Ferrari one day. Present form

You need to format dialogue with punctuation and quotation marks. But you write reported speech as a standard sentence.

You include the attribution and reporting verb without punctuation.

When you use the past form, you need to pay special attention to the tense shift.

No matter what tense the original utterance used, reported speech always uses the past.

It is because it is something someone said in the past. It is an action that occurred in the past, so we refer to it as a past event.

Tense shift examples

Compare the difference between these direct and indirect sentences.

I want to go to Norway. He said he wanted to go to Norway.

She will pass her exam for sure. He told me that she would pass her exam for sure.

They wanted to buy a new house but didn’t get the loan. Tom told me that they had wanted to buy a new house but didn’t get the loan.

The general rule is that active speech in present or future tenses shifts back to the past simple.

When active speech is in the present perfect, it shifts back to the past perfect.

But for past simple active speech, it can shift back to past perfect, or stay in the past simple.

In all forms, the relative pronoun, that , is optional.

Using reported speech dialogue in writing

When you incorporate reported speech within a character’s dialogue, you need to keep the tense shift.

Here are some reporting dialogue examples.

“Have you seen Jillian lately?” Mary asked.

“Oh, yes. I saw her yesterday, and she told me that she was going to France next month ,” Anne replied.

“I didn’t feel well this morning, so I called my boss to let him know. There is an important meeting this afternoon. But my boss said that it was okay and that he would get someone else to take the minutes . I still feel guilty, though,” Jane said. 

“I saw Michelle this morning, and she told me that she had been waiting for days for the results of her blood test . I’m not sure what’s wrong, but she looked worried,” Susan said.

As you can see in the reported speech dialogue examples above, the parts that are indirect reported speech retain the correct past form.

The rest of the direct written dialogue can be in any tense or form the speaker uses.

Punctuating your dialogue

There are five basic aspects of good dialogue punctuation.

1. All punctuation is inside the quotation marks.

These include full stops (periods), commas, question marks, and exclamation marks.

Jim said, “I’m not aware of it”. Wrong Jim said, “I’m not aware of it.” Correct

“I don’t know what to think”, she said. Wrong “I don’t know what to think,” she said. Correct

“Where did he go”? she asked. Wrong “Where did he go?” she asked. Correct

“Get out of here”! he shouted. Wrong “Get out of here!” he shouted. Correct

2. Using an em dash or ellipsis.

We use em dashes to indicate a speaker was interrupted. You add an ellipsis when a speaker’s words trail off, or when an utterance is incomplete.

“I was planning on buying–” she started. “No way! I told you we need to save money,” he said.

“It’s funny when you think about things, and well …” Anne said. “You think too much, Anne,” Mary said.

3. Start a new paragraph for a new speaker.

It is confusing for a reader if the dialogue runs on in the same paragraph.

When there is a new speaker in dialogue, always start in a new paragraph.

4. Quotation marks for long dialogues

Dialogues are usually short and sharp.

But you might have a piece of dialogue that is more of an oration, and you need to divide it into paragraphs.

You can use an opening and closing quotation mark for the whole dialogue.

Another option is to add one opening quotation mark at the beginning of each new paragraph and then close the final paragraph.

5. Don’t mix quotation mark styles.

It is up to you whether you use curly, straight, double, or single quotations.

In his book, Cloudsteet, Tim Winton uses no quotation marks at all for the dialogue. But it is still great dialogue.

Generally, readers won’t mind what your choice is.

But they will be distracted or confused if you mix different types of quotation marks.

It isn’t an easy check as you are proofreading. But there is an easy way to make sure you are consistent.

Try using an online writing app to help you.

If you use Prowritingaid, you can check your whole manuscript by ticking Dialogue Tags Check in your combo settings.

For Grammarly users, you can find any errors in your Correctness tab.

It will show you any quotation mark inconsistencies.

Once you know how to write active dialogue and reported speech, it is easy to combine the two into reported dialogue.

Just remember that dialogue is active speech.

But reported speech is indirect, so it always needs to use backward tense shift into the past.

The most critical part of good dialogue writing is your use of correct and consistent punctuation .

When you get it right, a reader doesn’t notice it. They become blind to it.

But if you have inconsistencies, it stands out and can become annoying.

Related Reading: Are Question Tags Effective In Your Dialogue Writing?

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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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• Elementary School
• Reading & Speaking
• External Independent Testing
• Grammar Exercises

Reported Dialogues

Reported Speech: A Dialogue in Narration

Let’s focus on reported dialogues learn how to report a dialogue in narration.

Task 1. Rewrite these dialogues in the form of Direct Speech, Reported Speech, narration, and summary.

Dick:   Hi! How are you?

Helen: Fine, thanks, and you?

Dick:   Just fine. Where are you going?

Helen: To the library.

Dick:   O.K. I’ll see you later. So long.

Helen: See you later.

Direct Speech

“Hi,” said Dick, “how are you?” “Fine, thanks,” answered Helen, “and you?” “Just fine,” replied Dick. “Where are you going?” he asked. “To the library,” replied Helen. “O.K.,” said Dick. “I’ll see you later. So long!” “So long!” said Helen.

Reported Speech

Dick greeted Helen and asked her how she was feeling. Helen said she was fine and asked Dick about his health. Dick said he was fine too and asked Helen where she was going. She replied she was going to the library. Dick said he would see her later and said good-bye. Helen also said good-bye to him.

Dick and Helen exchanged greetings. Dick wanted to know where Helen was going. Helen was going to the library. They said good-bye to each other.

Dick met Helen when she was going to the library. They exchanged some words of greetings and parted.

Margaret: What time is it?

Tom: It’s a quarter to five.

Margaret: Aren’t we supposed to be at Jim’s house by five o’clock?

Tom: Five or five thirty. He said it didn’t make any difference.

Margaret: Then maybe we could pick your suit up at the cleaners’.

Tom: Sure, we have plenty of time.

Alice: Hello.

Fred: Hi, Alice. This is Fred. Would you like to go to a movie tonight?

Alice: Thanks. I’d love to. I haven’t been to a movie for a long time.

Fred: Good. I’ll pick you up around seven thirty, then. The movie starts at eight.

Alice: Fine! I’ll be ready.

Linda: You look happy today!

Frank: I am happy. I’ve just passed my physics exam.

Linda: Congratulations! I’m glad somebody’s happy.

Frank: Why? What’s the matter?

Linda: Oh, I’m just worried, I guess. I have to take a history exam next week.

Bob: Excuse me, is this seat taken?

Larry: No, it isn’t.

Bob: Would you mind moving over one, so my friend and I can sit together?

Larry: No problem.

Bob: Thanks a lot.

Jane: Have you been ill?

Cathy: Well, I had the flu for a couple of weeks, but I’m fine now.

Jane: You are looking well. By the way, did you hear about Nelly?

Cathy: No. What about her?

Jane: She had such a bad case of the flu that they had to take her to the hospital.

Cathy: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.

Task 2. Reported Dialogues. Write narrations and summaries of the following dialogues.

Shirley: Would you like some cookies? I’ve just made them.

Becky: Thank you. Yes, I would.

Shirley: These are chocolate, and those are almond-flavored.

Becky: I guess I‘ll a chocolate one at first. Mmmm… this is delicious. Are they hard to make?

Shirley: No, they are really quite easy. Wait a minute, I’ve got the recipe right here. See… These are the ingredients, and then you just follow the directions.

Becky: That does look easy. I think I’ll make some tonight.

Karen: Brrr! I’m cold. I thought it was supposed to get warmer today.

Ed: Yeah, I thought so, too. That’s what the weatherman said.

Karen: It must be the wind that makes it so cold. I’m freezing!

Ed: Me too. Let’s go inside.

Karen: O.K. It’s not fun standing out here, even if the sun is shining.

Steve: Excuse me. I wonder if you can help me.

Mike: Sure. What is it?

Steve: I want to have my hair cut, but I can’t find a barber shop.

Mike: I know where one is. Come on – I’ll show you.

Joyce: Shall we take a taxi or a bus to the meeting?

Bill: We’d better take a bus. It’s almost impossible to find a taxi during rush hours.

Joyce: Isn’t that a bus stop over there?

Bill: Yes. Oh! There’s a bus now. We’ll have to run to catch it.

Joyce: O.K. … Oh, oh! We’ve just missed it.

Bill: Never mind. There’ll be another one in ten minutes.

Roger: What do you do in your spare time?

Barry: Oh, nothing special. I read… watch TV… surf the Net.

Roger: Don’t you have any hobbies, like collecting something or things like that?

Barry: No, I don’t have any hobbies. How about you?

Roger: I have just one – photography. It’s expensive but it’s a lot of fun.

Debbie: I give up! I simply can’t learn French!

Helen: Why do you say that?

Debbie: No, I’m not. I try and try and I still can’t speak it very well.

Helen: Learning any language takes a lot of efforts. But don’t give up. Why don’t we practise those dialogues together?

Debbie: Good idea. That just might help.

Task 3. Rewrite in Direct Speech.

David says he wonders if raccoons make good pets. Alec replies he is not sure. He thinks they are easiest to train and very amusing.

David asks if raccoons really wash their food before eating it. Alec affirms by saying that they dip food into water. David is interested if Alec ever saw a raccoon wash its food. Alec says he did and suggests that they give the raccoon a lump of sugar.

David is very much surprised when he sees how the raccoon runs to the basin and dips the sugar into the water. Alec is laughing and asks David if he didn’t tell him the raccoon would wash the sugar before eating it.

Task 4. Reported dialogues. 

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Negative Prefixes

Inversion after Negative Adverbials

Many Much A Lot Of

Quantifiers

Wishes and Regrets

despite and in spite of

Phrasal Verbs

Going to and Present Continuous

Must and Have to

Do and Make

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• Spot the Errors
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• American & British
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• Reported Speech
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• Rephrasing of Sentences
• Syllabification
• Types of Sentences
• Direct & Indirect
• Degrees of Comparison
• Prefix & Suffixes
• Figures of Speech
• Relative Clause
• REPORTED SPEECH
• General Rules in Speech
• Reported Speech Examples
• Reported Speech Exercises
• My Vote For Reported Speech
• Good Average

Dialogue Reporting Examples

Read the following examples and find out how the utterance of the speaker is reported.

30+ Examples.

The Participle

• Participle uses
• Present Participle
• Past Participle
• Adverbs of manner
• Adverbs of time
• Adverbs of place

The Pronoun

• What is a Pronoun?
• Personal Pronouns
• Reflexive Pronouns
• Emphatic Pronouns

Learning Competency

Defining relative clause When a clause defines the noun it qualifies it is known as a defining relative clause.

Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

In Online Education When we want to tell somebody else what another person said, we can use either direct speech and reported speech. When we use direct speech, we use the same words but use quotation marks, For example: Scott said, “I am coming to work. I will be late because there is a lot of traffic now.”

When we use reported speech, we usually change the verbs, specific times, and pronouns. For example: Scott said that he was coming to work. He said that he would be late because there was a lot of traffic at that time.

Online Education for Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers Pdf

This grammar section explains English Grammar in a clear and simple way. There are example sentences to show how the language is used. NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English will help you to write better answers in your Class 10 exams. Because the Solutions are solved by subject matter experts. https://ncertmcq.com/reported-speech-exercises-for-class-10/

Reported Speech Class 10 Exercise

Rules for Reported Speech While changing direct speech into reported speech or vice-versa the following changes occur:

1. Changes In Reporting Verb Affirmative sentences: said, told (object), asserted, replied, assured, informed, responded, whispered, alleged, believed, assumed, thought Interrogative sentences: asked, enquired, wanted to know Imperative sentences: ordered, begged, pleaded, implored, advised, demanded

2. Change Of Pronouns Direct Speech: Johnny said, ‘I am playing.’ Indirect Speech: Johnny said that he was playing. First-person generally changes to third person {depending upon the subject of the reporting verb).

3. Change Of Tenses

In general, present tense becomes past tense; past tense and present perfect become past perfect.

Reported Speech Exercises For Class 10

4. Change of situations Example: Nagesh said, ‘I read this book last week. (direct speech) Nagesh said that he had read that book the previous week, (indirect speech)

• ‘this’ becomes ‘that’
• ‘last week’ becomes ‘the previous week’
• here – there
• now – then
• today – that day
• yesterday – the day before/the previous day
• tomorrow – the next day/the coming day
• last week – the week before/the previous week
• next month – the next month/the coming month

5. In case of questions and answers Examples:

• Nagesh asked, ‘Have you read this book?’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh asked if’ whether I had read that book, (indirect speech)
• Nagesh asked, ‘Where is the book?’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh asked where the book was. (indirect speech)

(a) For yes/no questions – use if/whether (b) For wh- questions – use the wh-word

Word Order:

• Nagesh asked, ‘What’s the matter?’
• Nagesh asked what the matter was. (what + the matter + was)
• Nagesh asked what was the matter, (what + was + the matter)
• The word order can be either:
• who/which/what + complement + be or ‘
• who/which/what + be + complement

6. Reported Speech using present and future tenses Examples:

• Nagesh said, ‘The sun rises in the east.’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh said that the sun rises in the east, (indirect speech)
• Nagesh said, ‘I will read this book.’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh said that he will read that book, (indirect speech)
• If the original speaker’s present and future is still present and future, the tense remains unchanged.

7. In case of modal verbs can becomes could

• will – would
• shall – should
• may – might

would, should, could, might, ought to and must are unchanged. Example:

• Nagesh said, ‘I can solve this sum.’ (direct speech)
• Nagesh said that he could solve that sum. (indirect speech)

Reported Speech Solved Examples Exercises for Class 10 CBSE

Read the dialogue given below and then complete the passage that follows.

Reported Speech Class 10 Exercise With Answers Question 1. Read the dialogue and complete the passage given below.

Interviewer: So, why do you want to be a computer programmer? Ravi: Well, I have always been interested in computers. Interviewer: I see. Do you have any experience? Ravi: No, but I’m a fast learner. Interviewer: What kind of a computer do you use? Ravi: Computer? Uhm, let me see. I can use a Mac. I also used Windows 10 once. Interviewer: That’s good.

Ravi recently attended an interview for the selection of a computer programmer. At the interview, he was asked (a) ……………………….. To this question he replied that he wanted to change his job because (b) ……………………….. When the interviewer asked him (e) ………………………. he replied that he (d) ……………………….. Finally, the interviewer wanted to know (e) ………………………. . Ravi replied that he could use a Mac and had also used Windows 10 once in the,.past. The interviewer seemed to be pleased with his answers. Answer: (a) why he wanted to be a computer programmer (b) he had always been interested in computers (c) whether he had any experience (d) didn’t but that he was a fast learner (e) the kind of computer he used

Reported Speech Exercises With Answers For Class 10 Question 2. Manu: Where are you going to? Annu: I am going to the market. Do you want anything?

Manu asked Annu (a) …………………… Annu replied (b) …………………… Annu replied (b) …………………… and she further asked (C) …………………… Answer: (a) where she was going. (b) that she was going to the market (c) if/whether she wanted anything.

Class 10 Reported Speech Exercises Question 3. Sunita: Tomorrow is your birthday, what do you want as a gift? Neetu: That is a lovely thought but I don’t want anything.

Sunita asked Neetu since the next day was her birthday, (a) …………………… Neetu replied that (b) …………………… but (C) ………………….. . Answer: (a) what she wanted as a gift (b) that was a lovely thought (c) she did not want anything.

Reported Speech Worksheet For Class 10 Question 4. Gardener: Did you water the plant today? Dev: No, but I will, today. Gardener: Then tomorrow I will get a sapling of sunflower.

The Gardener asked Dev (a) …………………… Dev replied negatively but (b) …………………… Then the gardener said that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) if/whether he had watered the plant that day. (b) said he would that day. (c) he would get a sapling of a sunflower the next day.

Reported Speech Exercise Class 10 Question 5. Mr. Harish: Can you polish my shoes? Cobbler: Yes sir. But I will take 10 for each shoe.

Mr. Harish: I will not mind as long as it is done. Mr. Harish asked the cobbler (a) …………………… The cobbler replied affirmatively but (b) …………………… Mr. Harish said that (C) ……………………. Answer: (a) if/whether he could polish his shoes. (b) said that he would take 10 for each shoe (c) he would not mind as long as it was done.

Reported Speech Class 10 Questions Question 6. Electrician: When did your electricity go? Mohan: It is not working since evening. Electrician: Sorry sir, in this case, I will have to check the fuse now.

The electrician asked Mohan (a) …………………… Mohan replied that (b) …………………… The electrician apologetically said that in that case (c) …………………… Answer: (a) when his electricity had gone. (b) it was not working since evening. (c) he would have to check the fuse then.

Reported Speech Questions For Class 10 Question 7. Teacher : Children, let us all pledge to save trees. Children : Yes, mam, we all pledge to save our trees as the trees are the lungs of the city. Teacher : Let us start today by planting a sapling.

The teacher asked all the children to pledge to save trees. The children replied affirmatively (a) …………………… as the (b) …………………… Then the teacher said that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) saying that they all pledged to save trees (b) trees are the lungs of the city. (c) they should start by planting a sapling that day.

Reported Speech Dialogue Exercises With Answers Pdf Question 8. Buddha : Honesty is the best policy. Disciple : Does honesty always pay? Buddha : It may or may not, but at least you will never feel guilty.

Buddha in his preaching said that (a) …………………… the best policy. A disciple asked him if (b) …………………… always pays, Buddha replied (c) …………………… but at least he would never feel guilty. Answer: (a) Honesty is (b) honesty (c) that it might or might not

Reported Speech Examples With Answers Class 10 Question 9. Doctor : You should take this medicine every day. Patient : Should I take it before dinner or after dinner? Doctor : No, you should take it after breakfast.

The Doctor advised the patient that (a) …………………… The patient further asked (b) …………………… The doctor replied negatively and then said (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) he should take that medicine every day. (b) if/whether he should take it before dinner or after dinner. (c) that he should take it after breakfast

Class 10 Reported Speech Question 10. Reena : Do you know how to swim? Surbhi : Yes I know. I have learnt it during this summer vacation.

Reena asked Surbhi (a) …………………… Then Surbhi replied (b) …………………… and also added that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) if/whether she knew how to swim (b) in affirmative (c) she had learnt it during the summer vacation.