reported speech exercises b2 level pdf

Reported speech - 1

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Reported speech - 3

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Reported speech

Worksheets - pdf exercises.

• Reported statements - worksheet
• Worksheet - reported questions
• Reported yes/no questions
• Worksheet - reported speech
• Reported speech - exercises pdf
• Indirect speech - exercises
• Reported speech - exercises
• Mixed reported speech 1
• Mixed reported speech 2
• Reported speech 1 
• Reported speech 2  
• Reported speech 3 
• Reported speech 4
• Reported speech 5
• Reported wh- questions
• Reported speech - worksheet 
• Reported commands
• Reported questions
• Reported speech 1
• Reported speech 2
• Reported requests and orders
• Reported speech exercise
• Reported questions - worksheet
• Indirect speech - worksheet
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• Reported speech - grammar notes
• How to use reported speech - lesson
• Tense changes - grammar

Reported speech exercises PDF

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Reported speech

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• Direct | indirect object
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PDF book 1: English grammar exercises PDF

PDF book 2: English grammar rules PDF

PDF exercises with answers to download for free.

Reported speech PDF exercise 1

Key with answers 1

• Complete sentences: "It is too late." - I said it was too late.

Reported speech PDF exercise 2

Key with answers 2

• A multiple choice choice test: "Sam may contact you." - He said Sam might contact me.

Reported speech PDF exercise 3

Key with answers 3

• Reported speech to direct speech: She said she lived in York. - "I live in York," she said.

Reported speech PDF exercise 4

Key with answers 4

• Time in reported speech: We will set off tomorrow." - They said they would set off the next day.

Reported speech PDF exercise 5

Key with answers 5

• Correct mistakes: "I have been with Jill since yesterday," said Joe on Friday morning. On Friday morning Joe said he had been with Jill since yesterday. Correct: On Friday morning Joe said he had been with Jill since the day before .

Reported speech PDF exercise 6

Key with answers 6

• All changes in reported speech: Tim said he had worked with them the previous month. - "I worked with them last month," said Tim.

Reported questions + commands exercises PDF Practise questions, commands and requests in the reported speech.

Online exercises with answers:

Direct and indirect speech exercises Multiple choice and gap-filling exercises on reported statements, questions and commands.

Grammar rules PDF:

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

English grammar PDF All PDF rules with examples on this website to download for free.

The reported speech is used if we want to report what other people said, thought or felt. We use reporting verbs such as say, tell, explain, think, hope, etc. If these verbs are in the past tense, we change the following: a) verb tenses and verb forms b) pronouns c) adverbs of time and place

A) Verb tenses

We change the tenses in the following way.

• Present simple - past simple: "I work in York," Joe said. - Joe said (that) he worked in York.
• Present continuous - past continuous: "We are playing a game," Jane explained. - Jane explained (that) they were playing a game.
• Past simple - past perfect simple: "Sarah came back," I thought. - I thought (that) Sarah had come back.
• Past continuous - past perfect continuous: "I was talking to our new neighbour," Ben told me. - Ben told me (that) he had been talking to our new neighbour.
• Present perfect simple - past perfect simple: "I have eaten all sandwiches," he admitted. - He admitted (that) he had eaten all sandwiches.
• Present perfect continuous - past perfect continuous: "I have been driving for three hours," he comnplained. - He complained (that) he had been driving for three hours.
• Will - would I will wait outside the station," he reminded me. - He reminded me (that) he would wait outside the station.

Note: Some modal verbs change in a specific way, whereas other verb forms remain the same in special cases.

Read more: Direct and indirect speech

B) Pronouns

Personal pronouns

We have to change pronouns in the reported speech to keep the same meaning. "We are in Italy," he said. - He said they were in Italy. "They invited us," Betty said. - Betty said they had invited them. "I admire your new garden," she told me. - She told me she admired my new garden. "You can take my car," Peter said. - Peter said I could take his car.

This and these

This and these are usually substituted. "They will move this year," my mum said. - My mum said they would move that year. "I like these shoes," Tim insisted. - Tim insisted he liked the shoes.

C) Time and place

The time expressions change as follows.

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

Marion: "I will do it tomorrow." - Marion said she would do it the next day. Dan: "We arrived last week." - Dan said they had arrived the previous week. Judith: "Brian got married a year ago." - Judith said Brian had got married a year before.

Here and there

Here usually becomes there . But sometimes we have to make different adjustments. "I'll stay here till the evening," he said. - He said he would stay there till the evening. In the hospital: "We'll meet here." - He said they would meet in the hospital.

• All PDF exercises and grammar rules from this website.

Reported Speech Exercises

Perfect english grammar.

Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site:

( Click here to read the explanations about reported speech )

Reported Statements:

• Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Past Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Present Perfect Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Future Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Mixed Tense Reported Statement Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• 'Say' and 'Tell' (quite easy) (in PDF here)

Reported Questions:

• Present Simple Reported Yes/No Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• Present Simple Reported Wh Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• Mixed Tense Reported Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)

Reported Orders and Requests:

• Reported Requests and Orders Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 1 (difficult) (in PDF here)
• Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 2 (difficult) (in PDF here)

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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

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. 

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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.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

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

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you for your response.

Hello Sir, kindly help with the following sentence-

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

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

Hello! I was studying reported speech and I didn't really understand the difference between 'need' and 'need to' when we shift them. Could you please explain a little bit about the semi-modal need? I came across to this while I was studying: Backshift Changes need (no change) ‘You needn’t come till six o’clock,’ he said. He said we needn’t come till six o’clock. AND need to (becomes needed to) She said, 'I need to have a party.' She said she needed to have a party. Why do we change 'need to' but not 'need'? Could you also please give a positive indirect reported speech with the word 'need' and a negative indirect speech with the word 'need to'? Thanks in advance!

Hello Meldo,

'need' can be used -- and is most often used -- as an ordinary verb. In the text you copied above, this is the second entry ('need to'). Since it is an ordinary verb, in indirect speech, it backshifts in the way other ordinary verbs do. An example of a negative form here is 'They told me I didn't need to bring my passport'.

Particularly in British English (only very rarely in American English), 'need' can also be used as a modal verb. In this case, it behaves as a modal verb, i.e. no 's' is added to a third person singular form, infinitives after it are used without 'to' and 'do/does/did' is not used to form questions, negatives or past simple forms. This is also why '-ed' is not added for a backshift.

When 'need' is a modal, it's most commonly used in the negative. It is possible to use it in questions (e.g. 'Need I bring my passport?' or 'I asked if I need bring my passport'), but it's generally not used in the affirmative.

You might find this BBC page and this  Cambridge Dictionary explanation helpful if you'd like to read more.

Hope this helps.

Do we change 'had better' in indirect reported speech? I think no, but I just wanted to make sure. Can you also give an example with 'had better' in an indirect speech? Thanks a lot! The best English grammar site ever!

Hello Melis_06,

'had better' is not generally changed in reported speech. Here's an example for you:

• direct: 'You had better be on time!'
• indirect: They told us we had better be on time.

Glad you find our site useful!

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• English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Reported speech

English Grammar Exercises for B2

1. Change the direct speech to reported speech. The people are/were talking to you.

1   ‘You should read my news blog.’

      Emma says …………………………………………… .

2   ‘I’ll be working at home tomorrow.’

      My mum said …………………………………………… .

3   ‘I hate watching the news on TV.’

       Anna says …………………………………………… .

4   ‘You haven’t been working hard enough.’

       Ben complained …………………………………………… .

5   ‘I hadn’t expected the broadcast to be live.’

      Ian explained …………………………………………… .

6   ‘I’d like to borrow your newspaper.’

      Fred said …………………………………………… .

7   ‘I don’t want to go to the theatre.’

      Amy has said …………………………………………… .

1   (that) I / we should read her newsblog

2   (that) she would be working at home the next / following day

3   (that) she hates watching the news on TV

4   (that) I / we hadn’t been working hard enough

5   that he hadn’t expected the broadcast to be live

6   (that) he would like to borrow my newspaper

7   (that) she doesn’t want to go to the theatre

2. Choose the correct answers.

1   Sam said / told her to leave.

2   ‘This article is really interesting,’ said / told Harry.

3   ‘I’m hungry,’ she said / told to her dad.

4   They said / told me he was a reporter.

5   Jake says / tells that he wants to study journalism.

1 told   2 said   3 said    4 told   5 says

3. Read the dialogue and complete Imogen’s report of the conversation.

Imogen     What are you doing?

Ed             I’m writing a letter to the newspaper.

Imogen     What’s the letter about?

Ed             It’s about crime rates in our town. There should be more police!

Imogen     You should mention that recent bank robbery.

Ed             I will, if I can find the name of the bank.

Imogen     Have you looked online?

Ed             I can’t. Somebody has stolen my laptop!

I asked Ed what 1 …………………………… . He explained that 2 …………………………… . I asked 3 …………………………… , and Ed replied 4 …………………………… . He said that 5 …………………………… . I said 6 …………………………… and Ed said 7 …………………………… if 8 …………………………… . I asked 9 …………………………… . He said 10 …………………………… because 11 …………………………… !

1   he was doing

2   he was writing a letter to the newspaper

3   (him) what the letter was about

4   (that) it was about crime rates in our town

5   there should be more police

6   he should mention the recent bank robbery

7   he would

8   he could find the name of the bank

9   (him) if he had looked online

10   he couldn’t

11   someone had stolen his laptop

4. Listen to a woman carrying out a survey about newspapers. Report the questions.

1    She asked him if he read ……………………………………………… .

2    She asked him ……………………………………………… .

3    She asked him ……………………………………………… .

4    She asked him ……………………………………………… .

5    She asked him ……………………………………………… .

6    She asked him ……………………………………………… .

1   newspapers

2   how many papers he had bought in the previous week.

3   which his favourite newspaper was.

4   why he liked it.

5   how it could be made even better.

6   if he trusted newspaper journalists to tell the truth.

Woman     I’m carrying out a survey about newspapers. Do you have a spare minute to answer some questions?

Man          Sure. Fire away.

Woman    Do you read newspapers?

Man          Yes, I read the newspaper every day.

Woman    How many papers have you bought in the last week?

Man          I’ve bought a paper every day.

Woman    Which is your favourite newspaper?

Man          I like The Times.

Woman    Why do you like it?

Man          There’s a good mix of serious news and human-interest stories.

Woman    How could it be made even better?

Man          There should be more sport.

Woman    Finally, do you trust newspaper journalists to tell the truth?

Man          Yes, I do. Most of the time.

5. Match the answers (a-f) with the questions in exercise 4.

a   There should be more sport.

b   I’ve bought a paper every day.

c   Yes, I do. Most of the time.

d   Yes, I read the newspaper every day.

e   I like The Times.

f   There’s a good mix of serious news and human-interest stories.

a 5   b 2   c 6   d 1   e 3   f 4

6. Now complete the woman’s report.

The man told her he read ………………………………… and that ………………………………… every day that week. He said ………………………………… The Times and that he liked it ………………………………… .

However, he told her ………………………………… . In answer to the final question, he said that ………………………………… .

(The man told her he read) the newspaper every day (and that) he had bought a paper (every day that week. He said) (that) he liked ( The Times and that he liked it) because there was a good mix of serious news and human-interest stories. (However, he told her) (that) there should be more sport. (In answer to the final question, he said that) he trusted journalists to tell the truth most of the time.

Report a conversation that you had recently with a friend or a member of your family.

……………………………………………………………

Related Posts

• English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Unreal past and had better
• English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Emphasis
• English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Mixed conditionals
• English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Criticising past actions
• English Grammar Exercises for B2 – Relative clauses

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Breakout English

First (FCE) B2 Key Word Transformations – Reporting Verbs Exercise

Reporting verbs is a challenging grammar point at B2 level, but doing plenty of reporting verbs exercises can help. This grammar combines reported speech, which is nobody’s favourite, with verb patterns, which is really nobody’s favourite. Throw in using the reporting verbs in the past and you’ve got a messy lesson on your hands.

In the First Certificate exam, there often seems to be at least one key word transformations question with reporting verbs. So, like always, we need to prepare students for the eventuality of encountering it in the exam. Below, you’ll find 10 key word transformation questions for the Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Use of English Part 4. If you are looking for even more transformations to practise for the exam, consider picking up Breakout English’s book 250 Key Word Transformations for the B2 First exam.

GET 250 B2 FIRST (FCE) KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS:

Why do you need to know reporting verbs?

It is essential to familiarise your students with the unique structures that follow reporting verbs so that they can confidently and accurately use them in their exams. One effective way to do this is through drilling. This involves repeating the structures multiple times to help students internalise them. You can do this by repeating the phrases from your controlled practice activity in a course book or grammar book. Try drilling by building up the sentence from one word until it’s complete. Then break it back down. Drill fast, then slow, then quiet, then loud. It’s a fun activity and helps students with complex pronunciation and connected speech.

Another useful technique is to present your students with real-life examples of how the reporting verbs are used in context. This could involve reading articles or watching videos that contain examples of reporting verbs. Encourage your students to identify and highlight the reporting verbs in the text and discuss the structures that follow them. Youglish is an impressive tool to find words in context in YouTube videos. Just search for the phrase you want to see and it will find a series of videos using that word.

Incorporating role play activities can also be helpful. For example, students could take on the role of journalists reporting a news story, or characters in a scene discussing events that have taken place. After the role play, have students switch roles and share their findings. This forces them to used reported speech and reporting verbs. These reporting verbs activities not only provide students with the opportunity to practise using reporting verbs but also allow them to have fun while doing so.

Examples of reporting verbs

As you can see in the examples below, there are often multiple structures that can be used following different reporting verbs. They might be followed by a gerund, an infinitive, a preposition + gerund or a “that” clause. They might also require or not an object following the verb.

“We should go out on Saturday,” suggested Paul.

• Paul suggested going out on Saturday.
• Paul suggested (that) we go out on Saturday

“I didn’t see anything,” claimed Sarah.

• Sarah claimed not to have seen anything.
• Sarah claimed (that) she hadn’t seen anything.

“I’m going to quit my job,” announced Jane.

• Jane announced (that) she was going to quit her job.
• Jane announced quitting her job.

“I can’t make it to the meeting,” apologised Tom.

• Tom apologized for not being able to make it to the meeting.
• Tom apologized (that) he couldn’t make it to the meeting.

“I’ve never been to Paris,” admitted Lucy.

• Lucy admitted (that) she had never been to Paris.
• Lucy admitted never having been to Paris.

It’s important to note that some reporting verbs have a set structure that we must follow, while others can have more flexibility in terms of structure. It’s also important to be aware of the tense changes that might occur in the transformation from direct speech to reported speech.

Practice is key when it comes to mastering reporting verbs. Encourage your students to practise using different reporting verbs and structures in various contexts to help them feel confident and comfortable with this grammar point.

There are no hard and fast rules to tell your students which verbs have which patterns, so use your course book or a nice grammar explanation like this one from perfect-english-grammar.com .

The Materials

Once your students have a grasp of the grammar, they need practice! That’s where the reporting verbs exercises on this page come in. Get as much practice as possible using reporting verbs in an exam format.

Here are 10 transformations for your students to practise. This reporting verbs exercise will help you and your students visualise how reporting verbs are used in the Cambridge B2 First (FCE) exam. I often like to search some past papers to find a real exam with an example too, just to prove to doubtful students that they do and may well pop up.

EXAM PART : Use of English Part 4

EXAM SKILLS : Using grammar appropriate to the level (B2), key word transformations

TIME: 20 minutes + feedback

PREPARATION: One copy of the worksheet per student

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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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Reported Speech – Free Exercise

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

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

Rewrite the question sentences in indirect speech.

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

Rewrite the demands/requests in indirect speech.

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

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Reported speech – B2 English Grammar Test

• Grammar Tests for B2

1   In 1–4, underline the original verbs and reported verbs, then decide the reason (A, B or C) the tense of the reported verbs does not change.

1   ‘They ’re changing the speed limit soon.’ → I found out that they ’re changing the speed limit soon . … B …

2   ‘In Japan they also drive on the left.’ → He informed us that in Japan they also drive on the left . ……

3   ‘What time is it?’ → He’s asking what the time is . ……

4   ‘Are you coming by car tomorrow?’ → She asked if you’re coming by car tomorrow . ……

A   The events are true at any time.

B   The events reported are not in the past.

C   The reporting verb is in the present tense.

2    drive → drive – A

3    is → is – C

4    Are … coming → ’re coming – B

2   Complete the reported sentences. Change the verb tense only where necessary. When the reported verb stays the same, give the reason (A, B or C) from Exercise 1.

1   ‘There are always traffic jams on this road.’

      My mum warned me that …… there are always …… traffic jams on this road. … A …

2   ‘We’re going to be early.’

      She thought that they ………………………… to be early, yet they arrived just on time. ……

3   ‘Can I have some more cake, please?’

      Are you asking me if you ………………………… some more cake? ……

4   ‘My train gets to Milan at 11.15 tomorrow morning.’

      He reminded me that his train ………………………… to Milan at 11.15 tomorrow morning. ……

5   ‘Have you filled up the car with petrol?’

      Before we left, I asked him ………………………… the car with petrol. ……

6   ‘I’m injured.’

      Before the race, he claimed that he ………………………… injured. ……

7   ‘Do you like driving?’

      He asked me ………………………… driving. ……

2   were going

3   can have – C

4   gets – B

5   if he had filled up

7   if I like – A

3   Complete the table with the verbs in the box. Some verbs can go in more than one place.

4   complete the second sentences in each pair so they have a similar meaning to the first, with one of the words given. do not change the word given. you must use between two and five words, including the word given..

1   ‘Yes, I’ll pick you up at 6.15. No problem,’ Jamie said.

      Jamie …… agreed to pick me up …… at 6.15. AGREED / DENIED

2   ‘It was me. I scratched your car. Sorry!’ said Max.

      Max ………………………… my car. SUGGESTED / CONFESSED

3   ‘Why don’t we get a taxi instead of taking public transport?’ Beatrice said.

      Beatrice ………………………… instead of taking public transport. SUGGESTED / AGREED

2    confessed to scratching / having scratched

3    suggested getting a taxi

5   Cross out the mistakes in the sentences. Write the correct sentences.

1   The doctor says that in one week he would take off my bandage.

      ……The doctor says that in one week he will take off my bandage. ……

2   I tried to persuade them. I say them that nothing bad will happen and I was right.

      …………………………………………………

3   I warned him that it will be slower that way and he took ages.

4   She asked me where do I live.

5   I said eight o’clock, but she insisted to come earlier.

2   I tried to persuade them. I told / said to them that nothing bad would happen and I was right.

3   I warned him that it would be slower that way and he took ages.

4   She asked me where I live / lived .

5   I said eight o’clock, but she insisted on coming earlier.

6  Complete the story with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use reported speech where necessary.

Last month I stupidly left my rucksack on the coach. I immediately phoned the coach company and 1 …… asked …… (ask) them whether someone 2 ……………………. (find) it. They told me that someone 3 ……………………. (call) me back within the hour, but of course they didn’t, so I rang again. They asked me where I 4 ……………………. (live) so that they could send it to me if it 5 ……………………. (turn up). It still hasn’t turned up! A week later, I received a package. I couldn’t believe it. I 6 ……………………. (send) someone else’s bag. When I told them, they completely denied 7 ……………………. (make) any mistake. They said the postman must have 8 ……………………. (take) it to the wrong house. Can you believe it?

2   had found

3   would call

4   live/lived

5   turns up/turned up

6   had been sent

7   making / having made

Related Posts

• Advanced English Grammar Test – Multiple-choice Test 33
• B2 English Grammar Test – Multiple-choice Test 40
• B2 English Grammar Test – Multiple-choice Test 39
• B2 English Grammar Test – Multiple-choice Test 38
• B2 English Grammar Test – Multiple-choice Test 37
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Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): word order in reported speech sentences

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English grammar practice exercise, upper-intermediate.

In this exercise you will practise word order in reported speech.

Exercise instructions

Rearrange the words in brackets into the correct order.

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• Upper-intermediate exercises (B2 level)
• Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): present tense to past tense
• Elementary grammar exercise (A1 level): word order (2)
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Reported speech

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