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
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Reported speech exercises
- English grammar PDF
- PDF worksheets
- Mixed PDF tests
- Present tenses
- Past tenses
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- Modal verbs
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- Reported speech
- Time clauses
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- Indirect questions
- Question tags
- Imperative sentence
- Gerund and infinitive
- Direct | indirect object
Rewrite the sentences in the reported speech
Change the tenses, pronouns, expressions of time and place to rewrite the sentences from the direct to reported speech.
Check test Answer key Clear test
| "It is too late to apologize," I said. I said it |
| "I have replied to them," claimed Peter. Peter claimed that |
| "I met you yesterday," he told me. He told me he had met me |
| "I cannot come to your birthday party," explained Mary. Mary explained that |
| "I could fall down the stairs," said my grandma. My grandma said |
| "I will pay for it tomorrow," he suggested. He suggested he would pay for it |
| "The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world," explained our teacher. Our teacher explained that the Himalayas |
| "I may lend you some money," promised Bill. Bill promised |
| "I have been watching a romantic film," replied Mary. Mary replied that |
| "Claire must rest a little bit," said the doctor. The doctor said Claire |
| "I have not done the shopping today," I explained to my mum last Friday. I explained to my mum last Friday that I had not done the shopping |
| "If I was twenty years younger, I would accept it," he thought. He thought that if |
| "I was with him at the disco last week," admitted Jill. Jill admitted that |
| "You needn't change your shoes in our house," she reminded me. She reminded me that I |
| "I am calling my mum because of the boat trip," she said. She said she |
| "I will finish this picture tomorrow," supposed Diana. Diana supposed that she would finish |
| "I would buy the house on the coast," she said. She said |
| "Greg used to be my best friend from school," he told us. He told us Greg |
| "We will meet here at 10.30," decided Paul. Pau decided that we would meet |
Direct and indirect speech Exercises with answers and grammar rules.
Reported speech worksheets PDF exercises with answers.
Reported questions, commands and requests Exercises and grammar rules.
Reported speech - brief summary
In the reported speech we usually change tenses (one tense back), pronouns, time and place.
"I admire you," said Sarah. Sarah said she admired me.
"We came back yesterday," they told me. They told me they had come the day before.
"Peter has put it here," he thought. He thought that Peter had put it there.
"I'm afraid that your parents won't like me," said George. George said he was afraid that my parents wouldn't like him.
How to avoid the shift of tenses:
It is simple to avoid shift of tenses in the reported speech if you use the reporting verb in the present simple tense instead of the past simple tense.
"I admire you," said Sarah. Sarah says she admires me.
"I'm afraid that your parents won't like me," said George. George says that he is afraid that my parents won't like him.
Reported Speech Exercises (With Printable PDF)
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| Grammar , Quizzes
Candace Osmond
Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.
In English grammar, reported speech is used to tell someone what another person said. It takes another person’s words (direct speech) to create a report of what they said (indirect speech.) With the following direct and indirect speech exercises, it will be easier to understand how reported speech works.
Reported Speech Exercise #1
Complete the sentence in the reported speech.
Reported Speech Exercise #2
Fill in the gaps below with the correct pronouns required in reported speech. Ex. Mary said: “I love my new dress!” Sentence: Mary said ____ love ____ new dress. Answer: she, her
Reported Speech Exercise #3
Choose the correct reported speech phrase to fill in the sentences below.
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Grammar Exercise: Reported Speech Exercise
Grammar exercise - reported speech, do the exercise below on reported speech and click on the button to check your answers., complete the sentences in reported speech., related materials:.
Reported Speech, Indirect Speech – English Grammar Exercises
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Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): reported speech
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English grammar practice exercise, upper-intermediate.
In this exercise you will practise reported speech.
Exercise instructions
Rewrite the following using reported speech:
| Structure of reported speech | |
| direct speech | |
| reported speech | to wait. |
| direct speech | |
| reported speech | to Spain. |
| Reported speech – common mistakes | ||
| Common mistakes | Correct version | Why? |
| She said me that she wasn't able to do it. | She me that she wasn't able to do it. | After we mention the listener. After we don't mention the listener. |
| She told me that she is looking for her handbag. He told me he hasn't seen her before. She told me she will see him later. | She told me that she for her handbag. He told me her before. She told me she see him later. | If the reporting verb (in this case ) is in the past tense, we usually change the tense of the verb which follows: ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ |
| I told him don't go there. | I told him there. | When we report a command or warning, we use . |
Anonymous - November 3, 2020, 6:18 am Reply
Good exercise.
Anonymous - November 20, 2022, 6:26 pm Reply
Great excercise
casdoij - April 23, 2024, 11:25 am Reply
Yesss!!! Very GReAT!!11!11!! 11/10
ihsdhf - April 23, 2024, 11:34 am Reply
Very honestly 100% good exercise.
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Related Posts
- Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): word order in reported speech sentences
- Reported speech
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- Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): present tense to past tense
- Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): future perfect simple
- Structures of reported speech
- Upper-intermediate exercises (B2 level)
- Pre-intermediate grammar exercise (A2 level): past simple
- Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): using ”wish” ex. 2
- Upper-intermediate grammar exercise (B2 level): using ”wish” ex. 1
Reported speech - 1
Reported speech - 2
Reported speech - 3
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
Exercise on Reported Speech
Mixed exercise 1.
Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note whether the sentence is a request, a statement or a question.
- He said, "I like this song." → He said
- "Where is your sister?" she asked me. → She asked me
- "I don't speak Italian," she said. → She said
- "Say hello to Jim," they said. → They asked me
- "The film began at seven o'clock," he said. → He said
- "Don't play on the grass, boys," she said. → She told the boys
- "Where have you spent your money?" she asked him. → She asked him
- "I never make mistakes," he said. → He said
- "Does she know Robert?" he wanted to know. → He wanted to know
- "Don't try this at home," the stuntman told the audience. → The stuntman advised the audience
| |
Reported Speech in English Grammar
What is reported speech, changing direct speech to reported speech, changing the tense (backshifting), no change of tenses, questions in reported speech, demands/requests, expressions with who/what/how + infinitive, typical changes to time and place markers.
- Exercises – Reported Speech
Reported speech is when we repeat what another person has said but instead of using their exact words in quotation marks (direct speech), we use subordinate clause introduced by a reporting verb like the ones below:
Often, we have to change the tense, pronouns and time markers in reported speech.
Learn the rules for writing indirect speech in English with Lingolia’s simple explanation. In the exercises, you can test your grammar skills.
| “I’ve prepared a presentation about the product, if you’re interested?” “I would love to see it. … This product is exactly what my company has been looking for! Is there any room to negotiate on price?” “I’m happy to hear that. Unfortunately, pricing is fixed.” “That’s a shame, but I appreciate your transparency. Could you send me a written offer?” “Yes, I will contact you tomorrow to finalise the details.” |
| I had an appointment with a new client yesterday. I told him that and he said . |
When turning direct speech into reported speech, we may have to change all or some of the following:
- the pronouns
- information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page)
- the tense (backshift)
If the reporting verb is in the simple past (e.g. said, told, asked, replied … ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table below). This is known as backshifting .
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech | |
|---|---|---|
| simple present | → | simple past |
| present progressive | → | past progressive |
| simple past | → | past perfect simple |
| present perfect simple | ||
| past perfect simple | ||
| past progressive | → | past perfect progressive |
| present perfect progressive | ||
| past perfect progressive | ||
| future with going to | → | was / were going to |
| future with will | → | conditional (would) |
| would |
The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.
If the reporting verb is in the simple present (e.g. says, tells, asks, replies … ), then the tense remains unchanged.
While the tense remains unchanged, we often still have to change the verb form to match the new pronouns.
that after a reporting verb
We often omit the word that after a reporting verb, especially in spoken language and informal contexts.
When turning questions into reported speech, we follow the same rules as for declarative sentences: we change the pronouns as well as the time and place markers and backshift the tense as needed.
In addition, we also have to bear in mind the following:
- instead of that , we use a question word after the reporting verb; if there is no question word, we use whether / if instead
- questions in reported speech follow declarative sentence word order (subject + verb)
- we don’t use the auxiliary verb do/did for questions in reported speech; instead, the main verb appears in the simple past without an auxiliary verb
- put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions.
Questions in reported speech do not end in a question mark.
When turning orders, demands and requests into reported speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information.
We don’t have to pay attention to the tense – we simply use an infinitive rather than a conjugated verb.
If the imperative is negated, then we use not + infinitive .
To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive .
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| today | that day |
| now | then at that moment/time |
| yesterday | the day before |
| … days ago | … days before |
| last week | the week before |
| next year | the following year |
| tomorrow | the next day the following day |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
say vs. tell
The words say and tell are not interchangeable.
- say = say something
- tell = say something to someone
Head over to the vocabulary section to learn more about the difference between say and tell .
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Maybe later
Reported speech
When you use reported speech, the words put into the reported clause do not exactly match the words spoken.
‘I’ll leave at 8.30 on Friday.’ à She says that she will leave at 8.30 on Friday .
‘I’m looking forward to seeing you.’ à She says she’s looking forward to seeing us .
Pronouns and possessive determiners have to change in reported speech because of the change of speaker, e.g . I may become she ; you may become us or him .
‘I believe you.’ à She said that she believed us .
‘I’m leaving you.’ à She said that she was leaving him .
‘I’ve finished.’ à She said that she had finished .
Expressions of place and time may also have to change, e.g. here may become there or home ; Friday may become in three days’ time .
‘I’ve been here before.’ à She said that she had been there before .
‘I’ll see you on Monday.’ à She said that she would see him in three days’ time .
The verb may also change; the most common change is a change of tense.
‘Hello Jake? It’s me, Penny. I’ve arrived here on time, and I’m going to take a bus to your place. There’s one coming now, so I’d better run.’
She rang to say that she’d arrived there on time and was going to take a bus to our place. Then she said that one was coming at that very moment , so she had to run.
A reporting verb in the present tense can be used in the main clause when you report on a letter or email or on a recent conversation, e.g. a phone conversation.
‘Hello, Jake? I’ve arrived here on time, and I’m going to take a bus to your place.’
Penny has just phoned. She says that she has arrived on time and that she’s coming here by bus.
However, it is more common to use a past tense when reporting speech.
The changes of tense may be summarized as follows:
Direct speech
present simple
present continuous
present perfect
present perfect continuous
past simple
past continuous
past perfect
past perfect continuous
past perfect or past simple
conditional
For further information on English Grammar, visit: https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/easy-learning
Come back for other blogs on using English in everyday situations: https://blog.collinsdictionary.com/language-learners/learning-english/
All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.
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Reported Speech Exercise 3
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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)
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. Reported Speech - English Grammar Exercises.
Exercises. Write the following sentences in indirect speech. Pay attention to backshift and the changes to pronouns, time, and place. Example: He said, "I will call tomorrow.". → He said that he would call the following day. Two weeks ago, he said, "I visited this museum last week.". → Two weeks ago, he said that . I → he.
Direct speech: I like ice cream. Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream. She said (that) she liked ice cream. She said (that) she was living in London. She said (that) she had bought a car OR She said (that) she bought a car. She said (that) she had been walking along the street.
Reported Statements 1. Change the direct speech into reported speech. Use 'she said' at the beginning of each answer. It's the same day, so you don't need to change the time expressions. 1) "He works in a bank." [ . Check. Show.
Direct and indirect speech Exercises with answers and grammar rules.. Reported speech worksheets PDF exercises with answers.. Reported questions, commands and requests Exercises and grammar rules.. Reported speech - brief summary. In the reported speech we usually change tenses (one tense back), pronouns, time and place.
Exercises: 1 2 3. Indirect speech - reported speech. Exercise 1. Choose the correct form to complete the sentences below. 1 'I work in a bank.' ⇒ He said that he in a bank. 2 'I am working today.' ⇒ She told us she that day. 3 'I've been ill for a couple of weeks.' ⇒ He told me he for a couple of weeks.
Reported Speech Exercise #3. Choose the correct reported speech phrase to fill in the sentences below. Dad: Don't go on empty streets alone at night! / My dad told me _______. to not go on empty streets alone at night. not to go on empty streets alone at night. not going on empty streets alone at night. Jenny: I need new shoes.
Exercises on Reported Speech. If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker's exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. ... Mixed Exercises on Reported Speech. Exercise 1; Exercise 2; Grammar in Texts
Grammar Exercise - Reported Speech. Do the exercise below on reported speech and click on the button to check your answers. (Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lesson on reported speech) Complete the sentences in reported speech. John said, "I love this town."
Exercises. 2315 Backshift of tenses in Reported speech - Exercise. 2321 Conversion of time phrases in Reported speech - Exercise. 2317 Pronouns in Reported speech - Exercise. 2327 Reported commands - affirmative sentences - Exercise. 2329 Reported commands - negations - Exercise. 2323 Reported questions - Exercise.
Exercise instructions. Rewrite the following using reported speech: check | reset | answers. 1 Martin said, "I am ill." Martin said that ill. 2 Martin said, "I've just bought a house." Martin said that a house. 3 Martin said, "I'm going on holiday tomorrow." Martin said that he on holiday the next day.
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.
Mixed Exercise 1. Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note whether the sentence is a request, a statement or a question. He said, "I like this song." → He said "Where is your sister?" she asked me. → She asked me "I don't speak Italian," she said. → She said "Say hello to Jim," they said. → They asked me
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 ...
Exercises: 1 2 3. Reported speech - indirect speech. Exercise 1. Choose say/said or tell/told to complete the following sentences in reported speech. 1 He me that he didn't have enough money. 2 I the waiter the soup was cold. 3 Everybody that I had been great. 4 She I was her favourite student. 5 Victor he would change the windows.
In reported speech, we change the tense and pronouns to show that some time has passed. Learn all about reported speech in English with Lingolia, then test your knowledge in the interactive exercises. ... 1037 interactive grammar exercises for English; sorted by topic and level (A1-C1) with a built-in progress tracker and awards system;
English grammar exercise about reported speech - in this case reported questions. Login Contact Courses Membership Speaking Explanations Exercises Method. Reported Speech Exercise 2. Perfect English Grammar. Here's an exercise about reported questions. Review reported questions here;
When you use reported speech, the words put into the reported clause do not exactly match the words spoken. 'I'll leave at 8.30 on Friday.' à She says that she will leave at 8.30 on Friday. 'I'm looking forward to seeing you.' à She says she's looking forward to seeing us. Pronouns and possessive determiners have to change in reported speech because of the change of speaker, e.g.
English grammar exercise about reported speech, including statements, questions, orders and requests. Login Contact Courses Membership Speaking Explanations Exercises Method. Reported Speech Exercise 5. Perfect English Grammar. Here's another mixed exercise about reported speech - it includes statements, questions, orders and requests.
English grammar exercise about reported speech, including statements, questions, orders and requests. Login Contact Courses Membership Speaking Explanations Exercises Method. Reported Speech Exercise 4. Perfect English Grammar. Here's a mixed exercise about reported speech - it includes statements, questions, orders and requests.
Reported Requests and Orders 1. Make reported requests or orders. Start each sentence with 'she asked me' or 'she told me'. It's the same day, so you don't need to change the time expressions. 1) "Please help me carry this." [ . 2) "Please come early." [ . 3) "Please buy some milk."