GRAMMAR 1

REPORTED SPEECH

I. RULES
1. The introductory verb is in Present Tenses: usually remains unchanged.
e.g: Direct: She tells me: “I will go on a vacation this week”.
-> Reported: She tells me that she will go on a vacation this week.

2. The introductory verb is in Simple Past Tense: The tenses may be different
from those in the direct speech sentence.
e.g: Direct: She told me: “I will go on a vacation this week”.
-> Reported: She told me that she would go on a vacation that week.
DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
Simple Present (S + V(s/es)) Simple Past (S + V-ed)
Continuous Present (S + am/is/are + V-ing) Continuous Past (S + was/were + V-ing)
Perfect Present (S + have/has + VP2) Perfect Past (S + had + VP2)
Simple Past (S + V-ed) Perfect Past (S + had + VP2)
Perfect Past (S + had + VP2) Perfect Past (S + had + VP2)
Will Would
Can Could
May Might
Must (= Have to) Must/Had to
Should Should

3. Questions
a. Yes/No questions: IF/WHETHER
e.g: "Do you like Jake?", she asked me.
She asked me if/whether I liked Jake.
b. With questions words:
e.g: “Who is your friend?”, she asked me.
She asked me who my friend was.
2 GRAMMAR

4. Commands
e.g: “Sit down!”, the teacher said.
-> The teacher ordered them to sit down.
“Don’t drink a lot of coffee!”, my mom said.
-> My mom told us not to drink a lot of coffee.

5. Change of pronouns, date and place words

DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH
I He/she
We They
My His/her
Your My
Our Their
Me Him/her
Us Them

Here There
This That
These Those
Now Then
Today That day
Tonight That night
This morning That morning
Yesterday The day before/ The previous day
Tomorrow The next day/ The day after/ The following day
Last week The week before/ The previous week
Next week The next week/ The week after/ The following week
Ago Previously/Before
 GRAMMAR 3

NB: No Change in Verb Tenses in Reported Speech:

1. The introductory verb is in Present Tenses (Rule 1)
2. The reported sentence deals with a fact or general truth.
e.g: Copernicus: “The planets orbit around the Sun.”
-> Reported: Copernicus stated that the planets orbit around the Sun.
3. The verb of the sentence is in the second or the third conditional.
e.g: James said: “If I lived in a big city, I wouldn't need a car.”
-> Reported: James said that if he lived in a big city, he wouldn’t need a car.

II. EXERCISES
Ex1: Complete the sentences in reported speech.
1. He said, "I like this song."
→ He said ____________________________________________________.
2. "Where was your sister yesterday?" she asked me.
→ She asked me _______________________________________________.
3. "I can speak Italian," she said.
→ She said ___________________________________________________.
4. "Say hello to Jim, son.", my father said.
→ My father asked me ______________________________________________.
5. "The film has begun at seven o'clock this morning," he said.
→ He said ____________________________________________________.
6. "Don't play on the grass, boys," she said.
→ She told the boys ____________________________________________.
7. "Where have you spent your money?" she asked him.
→ She asked him ______________________________________________.
 4 GRAMMAR

8. “I am doing my homework now," he said.

→ He said ____________________________________________________.
9. "Does Jane know Robert?" he wanted to know.
→ He wanted to know __________________________________________.
10. "Don't try this at home," the stuntman told the audience.
→ The stuntman warned the audience ______________________________.

Ex2: Complete the sentences in reported speech.

1. "I was very tired because I had to finish my work on time," she said.
→ She said ________________________________________________________.
2. "Be careful, Ben," she said.
→ She told Ben ____________________________________________________.
3. "I will get myself a drink," she says.
→ She says ________________________________________________________.
4. "Why haven't you phoned me last night?" he asked me.
→ He wondered ____________________________________________________.
5. "I cannot drive them home now," he said.
→ He said _________________________________________________________.
6. "Peter, do you prefer tea or coffee?" she says.
→ She asks Peter ___________________________________________________.
7. "Where did you spend your holidays last year?" she asked me.
→ She asked me ____________________________________________________.
8. He said to his daughter, "Don't go too far."
→ He advised his daughter ____________________________________________.
 GRAMMAR 5

9. "Did you visit my office and meet my boss three days ago?" he asked her.
→ He wanted to know ______________________________________________.
10. "Don't make so much noise," he says to our class.
→ He asks our class _________________________________________________.

Ex3: Choose the correct answers.

1. "Where do you live?", Miho asked.
A. Miho asked me where do I live.
B. Miho asked me where I lived.
C. Miho asked me where did I live.

2. "Don’t talk!", the teacher said.

A. The teacher told us not to talk.
B. The teacher told us to not talk.

3. "Have you finished with the computer?", she said to me.

A. She asked if had I finished with the computer.
B. She asked if I had finished with the computer.

4. "I’ll give you your money back tomorrow.", she texted me.
A. She promised to give the money back tomorrow.
B. She promised me to give the money back the next day.
C. She promised to give me back the money the next day.
D. She promised me to give the money back tomorrow.
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5. "When are you going back to Japan?", he said to me.

A. He asked when I was going back to Japan.
B. He asked when was I going back to Japan.

6. "Do you play chess?", Bob told me.

A. Bob asked me do I play chess.
B. Bob asked me did I play chess.
C. Bob asked me whether I played chess.

7. "Why don’t you start again?", the assistant suggested.

A. The assistant suggested me to start again.
B. The assistant suggested that I started again.
C. The assistant suggested why didn’t I start again.

8. “Do not tell her what I said.”, Emmy said to me.

B. Emmy begged that I didn’t tell her what he had said.
C. Emmy begged me not to tell her what he had said.

9. "Never use my computer without my permission!", the boss told me.

A. The boss shouted that I should never use his computer without his permission.
B. The boss shouted to never use his computer without his permission.

10. "What’s she doing?"

A. I wondered what was she doing.
B. I wondered what she was doing.
 GRAMMAR 7

Ex4: Choose the correct answers.

1. Jack asked me _____.
A. where do you come from? B. where I came from
C. where I came from D. where did I come from?

2. She asked me _____ I liked pop music.

A. when B. what C. if D. x

3. The doctor ____ him to take more exercise.

A. told B. tell C. have told D. are telling

4. I wanted to know_____ return home.

A. when would she B. when will she
C. when she will D. when she would

5. Claire told me that her father____ a race horse.

A. owns B. owned C. owning D. A and B

6. What did that man say ______?

A. at you B. for you C. to you D. you

7. I rang my friend in Australia yesterday, and she said it _______ raining there.
A. is B. were C. has been D. was

8. The builders have ______ that everything will be ready on time.

A. promised B. been promised C. promising D. promise
8 GRAMMAR

9. The doctor _______ him to take more exercise.

A. told B. tell C. have told D. are telling

10. The last time I saw Linda, she looked very relaxed. She explained she’d been
on holiday the ______ week.
A. ago B. following C. next D. previous

11. Yesterday, Laura ______ him to put some shelves up.

A. asked B. is asking C. ask D. was asked

12. Tom has ______ this story wasn’t completely true.

A. admitting that B. was admitted that
C. admitted that D. admit that

13. When I rang Tessa sometime last week, she said she was busy ______ day.
A. that B. the C. then D. this

14. I wonder _____ the tickets are on sale yet.

A. what B. when C. where D. whether

15. Mathew _____ Emma that her train was about to leave.
A. has reminded B. has reminded that
C. reminded D. reminded that
 GRAMMAR 9

Ex5: Complete the sentences in reported speech.

1. “Don’t forget to download the assignments from the link I gave you,” our
teacher said to us.
-> Our teacher reminded us ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
2. “Do you know where I have left my glasses?” Mary’s mother asked her.
-> Mary’s mother asked her ___________________________________________.
3. “Which colour do you want for this car, red or blue?” Hans asked her.
-> Hans asked her which _____________________________________________.
4. “The shirt that you want was sold out a few days ago.”, the clerk said to Jim.
-> The clerk told Jim ________________________________________________.
5. "Don't eat in the lab," the chemistry teacher said.
-> The chemistry teacher ordered us ____________________________________.
6. "Are you going to the cinema next week?" he asked me.
-> He asked me_____________________________________________________.
7. “Is there any restroom nearby?” the customer asked me.
-> The customer asked me ___________________________________________.
8. “Don’t play video games too much, Harry.” Harry’s father said to him.
-> Harry’s father told him ____________________________________________.
9.“I’m sorry for damaging your car.”, Jammie told me.
-> Jammie apologized to me for ________________________________________.
10. He said, "I will have finished this paper by tomorrow."
-> He promised us that _______________________________________________.
11. The explorer said, "It is very quiet here, maybe we should leave now."
-> The explorer said that ______________________________________________.
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12. "I hadn't travelled by underground before I came to London.", Mike said to me.
-> Mike told me that _________________________________________________.
13. "Where do you usually go swimming?", my friend asked.
-> My friend asked me _______________________________________________.
14. "We are going to have our house painted next month," said my neighbour.
-> My neighbour told me _____________________________________________.
15. "Customers must leave their basket here," said the shop assistant.
-> The shop assistant said that _________________________________________.
16. "I have no idea why my parents have not come yet," said John.
-> John told me _____________________________________________________.
17. “I hardly ever go to a swimming pool these days.”, said Lily.
-> Lily said that _____________________________________________________.
18. “The doctor didn’t give us any prescription”, my mother told me.
-> My mother said that _______________________________________________.
19. "May I use your phone?", he asked me.
-> He asked me _____________________________________________________.
20. "When will I know the results of the examination?", Alice asked the examiner.
-> Alice asked the examiner ___________________________________________.
21. 'What time did you get home last night?", Julian’s parents asked him.
Julian’s parents asked him ____________________________________________.
22. "I lost my glasses yesterday and I cannot find them anywhere," complained my
grandfather.
-> My grandfather complained _________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
23. "I know someone who may help us," said John.
-> John said that ____________________________________________________.