english exercises reported speech advanced

Reported speech – advanced

English Reading Grammar Songs Idioms

Reported speech can be more complicated than I showed you on the Reported speech – basic page.  For example, there are more words that change besides  pronouns , possessive adjectives , and  verb tenses .     Place words   and   time words   also   change. 

To review, the first kind of reported speech is with statements .   All the examples below are statements.  Later we’ll look at imperatives, questions and other types of sentences.

In a statement that can be dropped anytime before a subject and verb, so I will put it in parentheses – ( that ) .  When you see this word in the examples that follow, remember that you can drop it if you want to.

It’s important to know which words you have to change in reported speech.

These verb tenses change :

present simple –>  past simple

Example: He said, “ I like to eat watermelon in the summertime.” He said ( that ) he liked to eat watermelon in the summertime..

present continuous –>  past continuous

Example: They said, “ We are putting together a basketball team.” They said ( that ) they were putting together a basketball team.

past simple –>  past perfect

Example: He told them, “ I went to our usual pub, but none of you were there.” He told them ( that ) he had gone to their usual pub, but ( that ) none of them had been there.

present perfect –>  past perfect

Example: He said, “ My family have lived in this area for generations.” He said ( that ) his family had lived in that area for generations.

present perfect continuous –>  past perfect continuous

Example: They said, “ We ’ve been practicing for hours.” They said ( that ) they ’d been practicing for hours.

Past continuous –>  past perfect continuous

Example: She said, “ I was working in the garden all afternoon.” She said ( that ) she had been working in the garden all afternoon.

However, these verb tenses don’t change:

past perfect –>  past perfect

Example: I said to her, “ I had forgotten to lock the door.” I told her ( that ) I had forgotten to lock the door.

past perfect continuous –>  past perfect continuous

Example: She said, “ I had been wondering about that for a long time.” She said ( that ) she had been wondering about that for a long time.

The following modals change :

will –>  would

Example: He told me, “ I ’ll be there at 11:00 at the very latest.” He told me ( that ) he would be here at 11:00 at the very latest.

can –>  could

Example: She said, “ I can be at the meeting tomorrow morning.” She said ( that ) she could be at the meeting tomorrow morning.

may –>  might

Example: She said, “ I may be late, but I ’ll be there.” She said ( that ) she might be late, but ( that ) she ’d be there.

have to   –> had to

Example: He told her, “ I have to go to New York on business.” He told her ( that ) he had to go to New York on business.

must –> had to

Example: She said, “ I must see the dentist sometime this month.” She said ( that ) she had to see the dentist sometime this month.

However, these modals don’t change:

might –>  might

Example: He told them, “There’s one thing I might do for you .” He told them ( that ) there was one thing he might do for them .

could  –>  could

Example: He said, “ I could n’t come yesterday because I lost my car keys.” He said ( that ) he could n’t come yesterday because he had lost his car keys.

would –>  would

Example: I told them, “ I would visit more often if I could.” I told them ( that ) I would visit more often if I could.

should –>  should

Example: She said to him, “I think I should go stay with my aunt in Toronto.” She told him ( that ) she thought she should go stay with her aunt in Toronto

ought to  –>  ought to

Example: Mother told the children,” You ought to keep your rooms clean.” Mother told the children ( that ) they ought to keep their rooms clean.

had better –>  had better

Example: I said to her, “ You ’d better not be late for your appointment.” I said ( that ) she ’d better not be late for her appointment.

used to –>  used to

Example: He said, “ I used to be a fireman in Chicago.” He said ( that ) he used to be a fireman in Chicago.

Place words often change .  However, if the place hasn’t changed from the direct speech to the reported speech, then don’t change these words:

here –>  there this –>  that these –>  those

Examples: He said, “ I ’m supposed to meet him here later.” He told me ( that ) he was supposed to meet him there later. (I’m in a different place when I report the speech.)

They said to us, “ You can use this room for a meeting. They said ( that ) we could use that room for a meeting. (We’re in a different place when we report the speech.)

He said, “ I read these books when I was young.” He said ( that ) he had read those books when he was young. (The person is in a different place when he reports the speech.)

Time words often change .  However, if the time is still the same at the time of the reporting, then don’t change the time word.

next –>  the following last –>  the previous / the ____ before today –> that day tomorrow –>  the next day / the following day yesterday –> the previous day / the day before now –>  then in ____  –>  ____ later this –>   that

Examples: She said, “The store is having a sale next Friday.” She told  us ( that ) the store was having a sale the following Friday.

I said to him, “ I didn’t sleep very well last night.” I told him ( that ) I hadn’t slept very well the previous night ( the night before .)

He told me, “ My girlfriend is leaving for Los Angeles today .” He told me ( that ) his girlfriend was leaving for Los Angeles that day .

They told us, “ We ’re having a game tomorrow at the park.” They told us ( that ) they were having a game the next day ( the following day ) at the park.

He said to him, ” I could n’t find my bus pass yesterday .” He told him ( that ) he could n’t find his bus pass the previous day ( the day before .)

I told her, “ You have to come with me now .” I told her ( that ) she had to come with me then .

She said, “ I ‘ll   be finished   in half an hour .” She said ( that ) she   would  be finished  half an hour later .

John said, “ I can help you this Saturday.” John said ( that ) he could help us that Saturday.

In addition to statements, there are other kinds of sentences that you can report.

The imperative ( commands ) is a little different than statements in reported speech .  The verb becomes an infinitive (with to ).  Use told for your reporting verb or asked if there is a “please.”

Examples: I said to her, “ Go pick up the kids.” I told her to go pick up the kids.

He said to them, “Please take your seats.” He asked them to take their seats.

We said to the team, “ Do your best but most of all have fun.” We told the team to do their best but most of all to have fun.

The nurse said to us, “Please wait here and someone will be with you shortly.” The nurse asked us to wait here and ( that ) someone would be with us shortly.

Questions are also different in reported speech .

If it is a yes/no or a choice question , then use if .   Always use the reporting verb asked .  Also, there is no inversion of the subject and verb like in a real question.  Also remember to drop the question mark (?) because it’s no longer a question.

Examples: He said , “ Would you like coffee or tea?”  (Choice) He asked us if we would like coffee or tea.

My neighbor said , “ Could you look after my dog for a week?”  (Yes or no) My neighbor asked me if I could look after her dog for a week.

He said , “ Is it on the top or the bottom shelf?”  (Choice) He asked if it was on the top or the bottom shelf.

He asked her, “ Do you live around here?”  (Yes or no) He asked her if she lived around here.

Notice that there is no subject-verb inversion ( would we or could we ) in reported questions.  Always put the subject before the verb in reported speech ( we would or we could ).

If it’s an information question ( who , what , where , when , why , how ), then repeat the question word.   As above, don’t invert the subject and verb .   Again, drop the question mark.

Examples: She said, “ What time is it ?” She asked me what time it was .

He asked her, “ Where can I go for coffee around here?” He asked her where he could go for coffee around there.

He asked me, “ Why are you always so tired?” He asked me why I was always so tired.

We asked him, “ How can we find out if we passed or not?” We asked him how we could find out if we had passed or not.

When reporting invitations , there are 2 ways to do it – the regular way or with an infinitive .  Use the reporting verbs invited or asked .  Once again, drop the question mark.

Examples: She said to him, “ Would you like to go on a picnic with us ?” She asked him if he would like to go on a picnic with them . She invited him to go on a picnic with them .

He said to her, “ Would you please not smoke in my car?” He asked her if she would not smoke in his car.. He asked her not to smoke in his car. [Note that the not is before  to , not after.]

We said to them, “ Would you like to come over for coffee?” We asked them if they would like to come over for coffee. We invited them to come over for coffee.

When reporting advice , there are 2 ways to do it – the regular way or with the infinitive .  Use the reporting verb told or advised .

Examples: He said to his daughter, “ You should clean up a bit before he arrives.” He told his daughter ( that ) she should clean up a bit before he arrived. He advised his daughter to clean up a bit before he arrived.

She told her boyfriend, “ You should call me when you arrive in Calgary.” She told her boyfriend ( that ) he should call her when he arrived in Calgary. She advised her boyfriend to call her when he arrived in Calgary.

The teacher said to the students, “ You should check your writing for mistakes.” The teacher told the students ( that ) they should check their writing for mistakes. The teacher advised  the students to check their writing for mistakes.

When reporting requests , do it the regular way or use the infinitive .  The reporting verb is asked .

Examples: The coach said to the team, “ Could you please be on time tomorrow ?” The coach asked the team if they could be on time the following day . The coach asked the team to be on time the following day .

The man said to us, “ Would you please be quiet so I can hear my cellphone.?” The man asked us if we would please be quiet so he could hear his cellphone. The man asked us to please be quiet so he could hear his cellphone

I said to him, “ Can you help me move on the weekend?” I asked him if he could help me move on the weekend. I asked him to help me move on the weekend.

When reporting permission given, do it the regular way or use an infinitive .  The reporting verbs to use are told , invited or gave (someone) permission .

Examples: I said to Jonathan, “ You ca n stay at my place for awhile.” I told Jonathan ( that ) he could stay at my place for awhile. I invited Jonathan to stay at my place for awhile.

He said to his friend, “ You can use my bike this afternoon.” He told his friend ( that ) he could use his bike that afternoon.” He gave his friend permission to use his bike that afternoon.

We told them, “ You can stay here until the store closes.” We told them ( that ) they could stay until the store closed. We invited them to stay until the store closed.

One last thing.  If the reporting verb is in the present tense ( say , tell , ask ), or if you’re reporting the speech immediately, then make no verb changes.

Examples: She said, “ What time are we going home?” She asked what time we are going home.  [Immediate reporting.  No change in time or place.]

His friend always tells him, “ You would be rich if you worked harder.” His friend always tells him ( that ) he would be rich if he worked harder.  [Reporting verb is present tense.]

They asked us, “ Will you help us.” They asked us if we will help them.  [Immediate reporting.]

Let’s review:

Statements:

She said , “The rainbow is beautiful.” She said ( that ) the rainbow was beautiful.

Imperative:

He told the class, “ Take your seats.” He told the class to take their seats.

Yes/no or choice question:

John said , “ Would you please  stop talking.” John asked them if they would stop talking.

Information question:

They asked me, “ When will the game start?” They asked me when the game would start.

Reporting invitations, advice, requests and permission:

We told them, “ You can stay overnight, but you must leave in the morning. We told them ( that ) they could stay overnight but they had to leave in the morning. We invited them to stay overnight but they had to leave in the morning.

Immediate reporting or when the  reporting verb is present tense – no verb tense change:

She asks me all the time, “ Are you going for a run?” She asks me all the time if I ‘m going for a run.

Study this page again, and when you’re ready, take the following quiz .

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© 2013 Ambien Malecot

Comment (1)

kevin | June 12, 2014

Hi, Ambien, i really love this one !

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English Grammar Online Exercises and Downloadable Worksheets

Online exercises.

• Reported Speech

Levels of Difficulty : Elementary Intermediate Advanced

• RS012 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS011 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS010 - Reporting Verbs Advanced
• RS009 - Reporting Verbs Advanced
• RS008 - Reporting Verbs Advanced
• RS007 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate
• RS006 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS005 - Reported Speech - Introductory Verbs Advanced
• RS004 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS003 - Reporting Verbs Intermediate
• RS002 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• RS001 - Reported Speech Intermediate
• Gerund - Infinitive
• Adjective - Adverb
• Modal Verbs
• Passive Voice
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Prepositions
• Connectives and Linking Words
• Quantifiers
• Question and Negations
• Relative Pronouns
• Indefinite Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns
• Phrasal Verbs
• Common Mistakes
• Missing Word Cloze
• Word Formation
• Multiple Choice Cloze
• Prefixes and Suffixes
• Key Word Transformation
• Editing - One Word Too Many
• Collocations
• General Vocabulary
• Adjectives - Adverbs
• Gerund and Infinitive
• Conjunctions and Linking Words
• Question and Negation
• Error Analysis
• Translation Sentences
• Multiple Choice
• Banked Gap Fill
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• General Vocabulary Exercises
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Reported Speech – Free Exercise

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

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

Rewrite the question sentences in indirect speech.

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

Rewrite the demands/requests in indirect speech.

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

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• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: statements

Do you know how to report what somebody else said? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said.

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

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

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

In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. worked ) than the tense originally used (e.g. work ). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns.

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.

'I travel a lot in my job.' Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job. 'The baby's sleeping!' He told me the baby was sleeping. 'I've hurt my leg.' She said she'd hurt her leg.

Past simple and past continuous

When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.

'We lived in China for five years.' She told me they'd lived in China for five years. 'It was raining all day.' He told me it had been raining all day.

Past perfect

The past perfect doesn't change.

'I'd tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.' He said he'd tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.

No backshift

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

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

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

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

However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don't change.

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

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

'This is my house.' He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.] He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.] 'We like it here.' She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.] She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.] 'I'm planning to do it today.' She told me she's planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.] She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]

In the same way, these changes to those , now changes to then , yesterday changes to the day before , tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before .

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 2

Language level

Hello Team. If the reporting verb is in the present perfect, do we have to backshift the tenses of the direct speech or not?    For example: He has said, "I bought a car yesterday."    

1- He has said that he bought a car yesterday.

2- He has said that he had bought a car the previous day.

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Hello Ahmed Imam,

It's not necessary to backshift the verb form if the situation being reported is still true. For example:

"I'm a doctor"

She told me she is a doctor. [she was a doctor when she said it and she is still doctor now]

She told me she was a doctor. [she was a doctor when she said it and may or may not still be a doctor now]

The reporting verb in your example would be 'said' rather than 'has said' as we are talking about a particular moment in the past. For the other verb both 'bought' and 'had bought' are possible without any change in meaning. In fact, when the verb is past in the original sentence we usually do not shift the verb form back.

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello again. Which one is correct? Why?

- He has said that he (will - would) travel to Cairo with his father.

The present perfect is a present form, so generally 'will' is the correct form.

In this case, assuming that the man said 'I will travel to Cairo', then 'will' is the correct form. But if the man said 'I would travel to Cairo if I had time to do it', then 'would' would be the correct form since it is part of a conditional statement.

I think you were asking about the first situation (the general one), though. Does that make sense?

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

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

Hello Wen1996,

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

Good evening from Turkey.

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

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

Do Subjects come before the verbs? Thank you. 

Hello muratt,

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

You can read more about this here:

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

Thank you for your response.

Hello Sir, kindly help with the following sentence-

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

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

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Reported speech --> --> --> --> --> -->.

Prepared by Annie

Complete each sentence choosing the correct option

• Bill: "I love skating." Jane: "Bill said (that) he   skating."
• Philippa: "I went snorkeling." Mark: "Philippa said (that) she   snorkeling."
• Theo: "I've never gone to Mexico." Clarisse: "Theo said (that) he   to Mexico."
• Vince: "I will eat lobster for lunch." Clara: "Vince said (that) he   eat lobster for lunch."
• Sally: "I have had three accidents." Paul: "Sally said (that) she   three accidents."
• Camille: "I'm going to complain to the president." John: "Camille said (that) she   going to complain to the president."
• Tara: "I don't like that book one bit." Marco: "Tara said (that) she   like that book one bit."
• Christine: "I was hiking." Christina: "Christine said (that) she   hiking."
• Leslie: "I won't buy a crappy car." Jenny: "Leslie said (that) she   buy a crappy car."
• Manny: "I have to get my hair done for the party." Maria: "Manny said (that) he   to get his hair done for the party."

Practice your writing skills by discussing the questions below

• Talk about something hurtful someone said to you once.
• What is something that you heard on the news today or yesterday?
• What did the weather man say the weather would be like where you live today?

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• Reported speech
• Reporting verbs
• (complained) to say or write that you are unhappy, sick, uncomfortable, etc., or that you do not like something
• of poor quality
• haircut, hairstyle
• (snorkeled or snorkelled) swimming under water with a special tube that makes it possible to breathe

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Reported Speech Exercise 1

Perfect english grammar.

Here's an exercise about reported statements.

• Review reported statements here
• Download this quiz in PDF here
• More reported speech exercises here

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Home » English Grammar Tests » Advanced English Grammar Tests » Reported Speech Test Exercises – Multiple Choice Questions With Answers – Advanced Level 32

Reported Speech Test Exercises – Multiple Choice Questions With Answers – Advanced Level 32

This exercise is an advanced level multiple choice test with multiple choice questions on reported speech (indirect speech) including the topics below.

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

• Reporting Statements
• Reporting Questions
• Reporting Imperatives
• Reporting Modals
• Reporting Conditionals, Exclamations
• Reported Speech Mixed Type

Reported Speech Test Exercises - Multiple Choice Questions With Answers - Advanced Level 32

"I'm going to Istanbul tomorrow," he said.

He said ____ going to Istanbul ____.

"I'll give you half of the money if you keep your mouth shut," he said to me.

He ____ mouth shut.

"I am sorry I am late," he said "My car broke down."

He ____ and ____.

He ____ so often in Turkey.

"How far is it?" he said "and how long will it take me to get there?"

He ____ to get there.

"Climb up the tree," he said to me.

He ____ the tree.

The teacher ____ in the exam.

He wanted me to explain ____.

He warned me ____ anyone about the subject we ____ the day before.

"Come in and look round. We do not charge anything for looking," said the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper ____ us to come in and look around ____ us that he didn't require any amount for looking.

"I'll drop you from the team if you don't train harder," said the trainer. The trainer ____ to drop us from the team if we ____ harder.

We ____ all ____ that the meeting would begin in an hour.

"You have been leaking information to the journalists!" said the minister. "No, I haven't," said John. The minister ____ leaking information but John ____ it.

"I won't answer any questions," said the thief. The thief ____ to answer any questions.

"You pressed the wrong button," said the engineer "Don't do it again".

The engineer ____ that I had pressed the wrong button and he ____ it again.

"Yippee! I've passed the final exam," he exclaimed. "Congratulations! " I said.

He ____ that he had passed the final exam and I ____ him.

"Cigarette?" he said. "No, thanks," I said.

He ____ me a cigarette but I ____.

"You have gained weight!" I said. "I am afraid I have," he replied sadly.

I noted that he ____ weight and he admitted that he ____.

He said his car ____.

"I will inform her that I saw you". She said that she ____ her that she ____ me.

They are getting married next week.

She said that they ____.

She said that her dog ____.

"Do you want a cup of coffee?"

He ____ me a cup of coffee.

"Can you lend me some money until next week?"

He ____ some money from me.

"I must confess that I ate the cake last night."

She ____ that she had eaten the cake.

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Reported speech - 1

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Worksheets - handouts

Exercises: indirect speech

• Reported speech - present
• Reported speech - past
• Reported speech - questions
• Reported questions - write
• Reported speech - imperatives
• Reported speech - modals
• Indirect speech - tenses 1
• Indirect speech - tenses 2
• Indirect speech - write 1
• Indirect speech - write 2
• Indirect speech - quiz
• Reported speech - tenses
• Indirect speech – reported speech
• Reported speech – indirect speech

English Grammar - Advanced

• Third Conditional
• Mixed Conditionals
• Wishes and Regrets

Reported Speech

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Wishes And Regrets

Go To Quizzes >>> Conditionals

When we make a wish or a regret about a present situation , we use a second conditional structure:

I wish I was thinner. or I wish I were thinner.

As with the second conditional, though we are talking about a future wish, we use the past simple.

We can also use the phrase "if only" to express the same idea:

If only I had more money! If only she had a better job, she would be happier.

As you can see in the first sentence, it's not necessary to put the second half of the sentence.

When we make a regret about a past situation , we use a third conditional structure:

I wish I had studied harder at school when I was a teenager. If only we had seen that special offer yesterday.

Go To Quizzes >>> Reported Speech

When we report what someone has said, we make certain changes:

"I smoke five cigarettes a day," said Mike. Mike said he smoked five cigarettes a day.

The main change in reported speech sentences is that the tenses change . Here is a summary of the tense changes that take place:

"I am going to France when I finish university." He said he was going to France when he finished university.

"I will tell you where I have been on holiday." She said she would tell me where she had been on holiday.

"I was reading this book all day yesterday." He said he had been reading that book all the previous day.

You can see in the last sentence how "this" becomes "that" and how "yesterday" becomes "the previous day" (or "day before" ). Here are some other changes that take place:

"I didn't go last week, I went 3 weeks ago." He said he hadn't gone the week before, he had gone 3 weeks before.

"I don't want that report today, I want it here and now!!" The boss said he didn't want the report that day, he wanted it there and then.

It is not necessary to change the tenses if what you are reporting is still true:

"Milan is bigger than Turin." He said that Milan is bigger than Turin.

We stay with the present simple because Milan is still bigger than Turin.

Be careful when you use say and tell as they are used differently:

Say something (to someone). Tell someone something.

He told me he was getting married. He said (to me) (that) he was getting married.

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