Direct to Indirect Speech
Reporting Verbs: 11
Direct to indirect speech: *12, 13, *14
Indirect to direct speech: *15
11. What happened yesterday? Finish the sentences using
Reported Speech.
Example: Peter: "Did John clean the black shoes yesterday?"
Peter asked me if John had cleaned the black shoes the day
before.
1) Max: "Are the boys reading the book?"
2) Jason: "Who gave you the laptop?"
3) Robert: "Is Bruce leaving on Friday?"
4) Dan: "Will it rain tomorrow?"
5) Jennifer: "Where do you play football today?"
6) Nancy: "Why didn't Nick go to New York last summer?"
7) Beth: "Must I do my homework this afternoon?"
8) Linda: "Did Max fly to London two weeks ago?"
9) Grandmother: "Where are my glasses?"
*12. Report what someone said by using one of the verbs in the
list to introduce an infinitive phrase:
Example: The professor said to Alan, “You may leave early.”
The professor allowed Alan to leave early.
or Alan was allowed to leave early.
require order permit ask
force tell remind advise
1. The general said to the soldiers, ‘Surround the enemy!’
2. Nancy said to me, ‘Would you, please, open the window?’
3. Bob said to me, ‘Don’t forget to take the book back to the library.’
4. The law says, ‘Every driver must have a valid driver’s license.’
5. My friend said to me, ‘You should get some automobile insurance.’
6. My boss said to me, ‘Come to the meeting ten minutes early.’
7. I am very relieved because the Dean of Admissions said to me,
‘You may register for school late.’
8. The robber had a gun. He said to me, “Give me all of your money.”
13. Turn these sentences into Indirect Speech. What did these people
say?
Example: Peter: "I clean the black shoes."
Peter told me that he cleaned the black shoes.
1) John: "Mandy is at home."
2) Max: "Frank often reads a book."
3) Susan: "I'm watching TV."
4) Simon: "David was ill."
5) Peggy: "The girls helped in the house."
6) Richard: "I am going to ride a skateboard."
7) Stephen and Claire: "We have cleaned the windows."
8) Charles: "I didn't have time to do my homework."
9) Mrs. Jones: "My mother will be 50 years old."
10) Jean: "The boss must sign the letter."
*14. Select the best answer:
1. Tom said, 'I want to visit my friends this weekend.'
a. Tom said he wants to visit his friends that weekend.
b. Tom said he wanted to visit his friends that weekend.
c. Tom said he wanted to visit his friends this weekend.
2. Jerry said, 'I'm studying English a lot at the moment.'
a. Jerry said he was studying English a lot at that moment.
b. Jerry said he was studying English a lot at the moment.
c. Jerry said I was studying English a lot at that moment.
3. They said, 'We've lived here for a long time.'
a. They said they have lived there for a long time.
b. They said they lived here for a long time.
c. They said they had lived there for a long time.
4. He asked me, 'Have you finished reading the newspaper?'
a. He asked me if had I finished reading the newspaper.
b. He asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
c. He asked me if I finished reading the newspaper.
5. 'I get up every morning at seven o'clock.', Peter said.
a. Peter said he got up every morning at seven o'clock.
b. Peter said I got up every morning at seven o'clock.
c. Peter said he had got up every morning at seven o'clock.
6. She said, 'I really wish I had bought that new car.'
a. She told me she really wished she bought that new car.
b. She told me she really had wished she had bought that new
car.
c. She told me she really wished she had bought that new car.
7. Cheryl asked her, 'How long have you lived here?'
a. Cheryl asked her how long she has lived there.
b. Cheryl asked her how long she lived there.
c. Cheryl asked her how long she had lived there.
8. She said, 'I've worked here since I left my last job.'
a. She told me that she worked there since she had left her last
job.
b. She told me that she had worked there since she had left her
last job.
c. She told me that she had worked there since she left her last
job.
9. She asked me, 'When are we going to leave?'
a. She asked me when she was going to leave.
b. She asked me when we were going to leave.
c. She asked me when we are going to leave.
10. My friend said, 'I will have finished my homework by the time you
arrive.'
a. My friend told me he would have finished his homework by the
time I arrived.
b. My friend told me he would have finished his homework by the
time he arrived.
c. My friend told me he would had finished his homework by the
time
I arrived.
11. Mark asked me, 'Why do you want to study German?’
a. Mark asked her why I wanted to study German.
b. Mark asked me why did I want to study German.
c. Mark asked me why I wanted to study German.
*15. Put the following paragraph from the reported speech into
conversational form using direct speech:
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 that he couldn't wait to enjoy some
sunny weather. Both Jack and I commented that Peter was a lucky
person indeed.
