English Exercises
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reported speech
exercises
Reported Speech / First Of All (Author-Bouabdellah)
Downloadable worksheets:
Reported Speech exercises
Level:
intermediate
Age:
12-17
Downloads:
4687
REPORTED SPEECH STATEMENTS (B&W VERSION INCLUDED)
Level:
intermediate
Age:
13-17
Downloads:
3770
REPORTED SPEECH all you need to know about
Level:
intermediate
Age:
14-17
Downloads:
2308
INDIRECT SPEECH - STATEMENTS
Level:
intermediate
Age:
11-14
Downloads:
1968
REPORTED SPEECH: STATEMENTS. RULES & PRACTICE
Level:
intermediate
Age:
12-17
Downloads:
1869
Reported Speech or... The Art of Gossip
Level:
intermediate
Age:
13-17
Downloads:
1564
Technicum Si-Tarek of Relizane
Second / Third Year Pupils -
Scientific Streams
Reference sheet �I-
Reported Speech
PART ONE: UNDERSTAND THE RULES
�
Try to complete the example to check if you understood the rule
�
I-The two most common reporting verbs are �
say
� and �
tell
�. They are usually in the
past simple
.
�
a) We use
say
(
=past simple
) + <
,
>(
direct
) /
that
(
indirect
) +
reported clause
.
*�
He
�
,
�
I am going out with Jane this night.
� (
DIRECT
)
������������������� ���� �
��� �Reported clause� � �
����������������������������� �
����*
He
�
that
he was going out with Jane that night.
(
INDIRECT
)
�
b) We use
tell
(
=past simple
)
+
object pronoun
+ <
,
>(
direct
) /
that
(
indirect
) +
reported clause
.
*�
He
�
me
,
�
I am going out with Jane that night.
� �(
DIRECT
)
��������������������������� �� �
���� Reported clause���� ��
��������������������������������� ��� �
*�
He�
�
that
he was going out with Jane that night
.
(
INDIRECT
)
II-If the sentence
starts
in the
present
, there is
no change
of tenses in reported speech.�
*�
Example
:
DIRECT :
Susan: "I
work
in an office."
(
=present simple
)
INDIRECT :
�Susan
says
that she
�in an office
. (
=present simple
)
�
�
III-If the sentence
starts
in the
past
, we
always change
the tenses in reported speech. (See: Table)
*
�Example:
DIRECT :
Susan: "I
work
in an office."
(
=present simple
)
INDIRECT :�
�
Susan
said
that she
in an office.
(
=past simple
)
�
����
Examples of change in tenses
DIRECT
INDIRECT
Peter
said
, "I
work
in the garden."
�
Present simple
Peter
said
that he
�
in the garden.
�
Past simple
Peter
said
, "I
worked
in the garden."
�
past simple
�
Peter
said
that he
in the garden.
�
�
Past perfect simple
Peter
said
, "I
have worked
in the garden."
�
Present perfect simple
Peter
said
, "I
had worked
in the garden."
�
Past perfect simple
Peter
said
, "I
will work
in the garden."
Peter
said
that he
in the garden.
Peter
said
, "I
can work
in the garden."
Peter
said
that he
in the garden.
Peter
said
, "I
may work
in the garden."
Peter
said
that he�
in the garden
Peter
said
, "I
would work
in the garden."
(
could, might, should, ought to
)
Peter
said
that he
in the garden.
(
could, might, should, ought to
)
Peter
said
, "I
'm working
in the garden."
�
Present continuous
Peter
said
that he
�
in the garden.
�
Past continuous
Peter
said
, "I
was working
in the garden."
�
Past continuous
�
Peter
said
that he
in the garden.
�
�
Past perfect continuous
Peter
said
, "I
have been working
in the garden."
�
Present perfect continuous
Peter
said
, "I
had been working
in the garden."
�
Past perfect continuous
IV-If the sentence contains an expression of
time, place
or a
demonstrative
, you must change it as well.
*�
Example:
�� DIRECT :
Peter
said
, "I worked in the garden
yesterday
."
�� INDIRECT :�
�
Peter
said
that he had worked in the garden
the day before/the previous day
.
�
Examples of change in adverbials & demonstratives
DIRECT
INDIRECT
�
(evening/afternoon/...)
�that
(evening/afternoon/...)
�today
/
this
day
�
�
day
�
(days/weeks/...)
�those
(days/weeks/...)
�now
�then/at
�moment
�(a/two... week
(s)
/month
(s)
...)
ago
�(the/two.. week
(s)
/month
(s)
...)
�last
weekend/year...
�
weekend/year/...
before
�the
weekend/year...
�next
(week/year/...)
�the
(week/year/...)
�the
weekend/year/...
after
�
�the
next
/
following
day
�the
day
�
�there
(=place)
�
/that
(book/car/table...)
�the/that
(book/car/table...)
�these/those
(books/car/tables...)
�
/those
(books/car/tables...)
�
��
C
V-
We use �
ask�
,
�want to know�
or
�wondered�
to report
questions
. We change the
interrogative
form to the
affirmative
form, and we put the
subject
before the
verb
.
*�
Example:
��
DIRECT :
�
Where
are you
?� he
asked
.�
��
INDIRECT :�
�
He
wanted to know
Where
I was
.
�
�
VI-�A �
yes/no
� question is reported by �
if
� or �
whether
�.
*�
Example:
DIRECT :
She
asked
me, �
Can I borrow
your bike
?
�
INDIRECT :�
�She
wondered
if / whether
she
could borrow
my bike
.
�
�
VII-We use �
told / asked
� +
object
+
(not) to
+
infinitive
to report
order
s,
commands�
or
requests
.
*�
Example:
a)�
DIRECT :�
Peter
asked
, �Please
help
me�.���� =request
INDIRECT :�
�He
asked
her
to
help
him.
�
b)�
DIRECT :�
�
Don�t shout
at me,� the girl
told
her brother
.��� =command
INDIRECT :�
�She
told
him
not to
�
shout
at her.
�
�
PART TWO:
Now do it by yourself
�
Try to do the following activities to check your understanding.
�
1) Rewrite the questions in reported speech.
�Q.1.�
�Will the flight be delayed?�
Jill wanted to know�
.
�Q.2.�
�Where have you been all night?�
My parents wanted to know�
.
�Q.3.�
�Will I pass my exam?�
Mark wondered�
.
�Q.4.�
�Did you remember the invitations?�
Sue asked me�
.
�Q.5.�
�How long have you been learning German?�
Karl asked us
.
�
2) Rewrite the commands in reported speech.
*�
remember
: �
Keep
to the left,�
�� The police officer
told
�
the cyclist
�
to
�
keep
to the left.
�
�Q.6.�
�Please don�t smoke in this area.�
The waitress asked them
.
�Q.7.�
�Sit down and be quiet.�
The teacher told the class
.
�Q.8.�
�Don�t forget to post the letter.�
Jane told her boyfriend
.
�Q.9.�
�Don�t talk during the exam.�
The examiner told us
.
�Q.10.�
�Please switch off your mobile phone.�
The air hostess asked him
.
�
3) Rewrite the sentences in reported speech.
�Q.11.
�She goes out with her friends every night.�
Sue�s father said that�
.
�Q.12.
�I bought the tickets yesterday.�
She said that�
.
�Q.13.
�They�re going to Florida next week.�
Tim told me that�
.
�Q.14.
�He won�t be in the office tomorrow.�
The secretary said that�
.
�Q.15.
�Jenny has passed her driving test.�
Jenny�s brother told me that�
.
�Q.16.
�Carl might come to the football match this afternoon.�
He told me that�
.
�
�
4) Read the interview, then complete the summary.
�
Interviewer
: I hear you have a very unusual job.
Mr Fogarty
:
That�s right.
Interviewer
:
So what do you do?
Mr Fogarty
:
Well, I�m investigating the Loch Ness monster. Every day I go to Loch Ness and wait for the monster to appear.
Interviewer
: And have you ever seen the monster?
Mr Fogarty
:
Yes, I have. It was very foggy and I tried to take a photograph, but unfortunately my camera didn�t work.
Interviewer
:
Do you think you�ll see it again?
Mr Fogarty
:
I might see it again if I�m lucky.
Interviewer
:
And what do people think about your job?
Mr Fogarty
:
Many people think it�s a strange job to have. They don�t believe in the Loch Ness monster, but I know it�s out there somewhere.
�
SUMMARY
�
The interviewer asked Mr Fogarty what he did. He explained that he was investigating the Loch Ness Monster. He said that every day he
17
to Loch Ness and
18
�for the monster to appear. He claimed that he
19
�the monster. He said that it
20
�very foggy and he
21
�to take a photograph, but unfortunately his camera
22
. He said that he
23
�it again if he
24
�lucky. He admitted that many people
25
�his job was strange. He said that they
26
�in the Loch Ness monster, but he
27
�it was out there somewhere.
�
�
�
�